The Open Classroom conference will include presentations and practical sessions (workshops) on educational technology and innovation. The conference will consist of 2 days of lectures and demonstrations, hands-on workshops and parallel sessions. Lectures and the demonstrations will be held in an auditorium. Workshops and parallel sessions will be held in multimedia laboratories, where participants will have direct access to a PC and carry out planned exercises.  

Parallel sessions will relate to presentation and demonstration of educational applications already implemented in school environments, along with workshops that will engage all participants in hands-on activities.

The first day of the conference will close with a visit to the school’s observatory and to Foucault’s pendulum and participation at a social and cultural event.

2nd day:

Τransforming outreach: distance learning, empowerment and best practice perspectives for the 21st century 

In the second day of the conference, participants will have the chance to attend open discussions and seminars covering the areas of distance based education. This will focus on didactic methodologies, innovative approaches, educational materials  designed to address learner needs.

• Projects related to rural education (demonstrating research initiatives accomplished in rural regions through ICT)
• Inclusive strategies
• Technologically supported access in learning and universal design 
• Community based learning innovation
• Learning for change

Workshops and parallel sessions devoted to digital media and web 2.0 give participants the chance to get familiarized with tools that facilitate distance and inclusive educational innovation and to design their own creative educational activities within the provided learning outcomes. The entire process is designed to be dynamic, highly interactive and stimulating with an emphasis on participant engagement to multiply the learning outcomes for longer-term application, sustainability and transformative competence. The shared learning from divergent European perspectives and traditions will be integrated with an innovative focus on what the learners and teachers of tomorrow need in engaging with a globalized and technologically advanced environment.

Language

The conference will be bi-lingual (English, Greek): translation available at plenary sessions.