Concepts and methods for exploring the future of learning with digital technologies
Very little of the transformation of working and social life that has accompanied digital technologies is reflected in the practice of learning and teaching, or in the quality of research.,Kaleidoscope's central aims are to fill these gaps in research by:,- Integrating existing European initiatives to develop a rich, culturally-diverse and coherent theoretical and practical research foundation for research and innovation;,- Developing new tools and methodologies that operationalize an interdisciplinary approach to research on learning with digital technologies at an European-wide level. Kaleidoscope will integrate existing research to develop new concepts and methodologies from a multidisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective that includes:,- Foundations in the cognitive and learning sciences, including a socio-cultural perspective to strengthen the development of educational technologies;,- Conceptual and methodological bridges between educational, social and cognitive sciences, and emerging technologies;,- Principled design to promote technological development enabling interactive, intelligent and cooperative learning environments;,- Structural and organizational models for integrating technology-enhanced learning into organizations;,- Novel computational solutions to Technology Enhanced Learning environments that are adaptive, knowledgeable, cognitively sensitive, pervasive, multi-modal and personalized. Kaleidoscope seeks to explore the different conceptual frameworks of relevant disciplines in order to delineate the commonalities and differences that frame the research objectives in the field. It will do this by supporting a range of integrating actions, including Jointly Executed Integrating Research Projects (JEIRP), European Research Teams (ERT), and Special Interest Groups (SIG). It will establish a Virtual Doctoral School (VDS), which will act as a common reference point for the development of research and training of new researchers, and a Shared Virtual Laboratory (SVL) to share, build and evaluate artifacts. WP 9 KJA Advanced Training Activities (ATA),ATA is the third element of Kaleidoscope backbone. It aims at building a sustainable organizational, management and technology infrastructure in order to successfully perform the Advanced Training Activities at a world level of excellence. ATA will play two major roles:,- To provide training (based on Kaleidoscope existing and generated knowledge) for the Kaleidoscope team of researchers, who are not doctoral students. This is a clear integrating activity, which could fill in the gaps in the research background of the Kaleidoscope team members by providing some life-long-learning opportunities for them. ATA will also actively work for spreading out research excellence by supporting the content-based KJAs in developing their technology enhanced course materials (content, learning activities, tests, readings, etc.) in the area of research they are involved in.,- To use training as a kind of active dissemination strategy by targeting non-research-audience, such as: teachers, e-Learning and TEL experts, HRA experts, and policy makers. Thus the Kaleidoscope achievements could reach a diverse target group, which could influences, the educational developments in different communities, institutions, companies, and countries. Related to the project implementation, a KALEIDOSCOPE ATA Kick-off Meeting will be held on 20 - 21 May 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria.,About Centre of IST, Sofia University:,The Centre of Information Society Technologies (CIST) is an interdisciplinary research and training institution of Sofia University, motivated by the challenge to support the development, introduction and wide use of Information Society Technologies (IST). It is the biggest and most experienced centre for distance learning and Web-based training in Bulgaria. The main areas covered by the Centre are:,- Research, Development and training in Advanced Information and Communication Technologies: Networked Multimedia, WWW Data Bases, Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Agents, Computer Supported Co-operative Work Systems, Virtual Environments, Distributed Information Systems, Object-Oriented Technologies, Computer Graphics, Image and Speech Recognition, Visual Modelling, Language Engineering, Mathematical and Computational Methods in Economics, Industrial Mathematics.,- Application of Advanced Information and Communication Technologies in: Education and Training, Electronic Commerce, Business and Management, Banking and Finance, Telework, European Studies in Information Society. For further information: http://www-it.fmi.uni-sofia.bg/