ADVOST project held a four-day conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
A three-day conference was hosted by ADVOST project, from 6th to 9th February 2023. The conference brought together the ADVOST project team to explore a range of topics, including augmented and virtual reality devices, digital pedagogy, and the use of creative technology in educational spaces.
The conference was packed with a series of meetings and workshops that strengthened the project team and cooperation with different actors. On the first day, the participants were treated to a visit to the Geo Centre, which put on display a range of geological features of Newfoundland and Labrador, and its unique location in the world.
On the second day participants attended a workshop on augmented and virtual reality devices held at the Rooms museum. The workshop highlighted the importance of digital tools for immersive learning and explored various aspects of AR/VR, including data visualization and digital storytelling.
In addition, the days were devoted to a series of meetings on future activities and funding. Participants discussed the scalability of project ideas and their potential social and economic impacts. The third day culminated with a keynote presentation by Dr. Steve Burton from Leeds Beckett University, who delivered a thought-provoking talk titled "Digital pedagogy as an agent for transformation in 21st century learning: the potential for paradigm shift".
The final day of the conference ended with a panel discussion titled "Reimagining the use of Creative Technology in Educational Spaces," which brought together experts in the sector of Educational Creative Technology to talk about the future of the emerging digital landscapes for children and youth and consider what these emerging technologies mean for educational programming. The panelists were:
- Janice Hertel - Instructor/Artist/Expert in creative gaming and immersive technologies College of the North Atlantic
- Julie Lewis - Entrepreneur and owner of Sassy Tuna
- Laun Shoemaker - Teacher & Digital Learning Makerspace Rooms Project
- Kyla Gibbons - Professional Learning Expert Carnegie Learning
Overall, the conference proved to be an
excellent platform for exploring new ideas, sharing insights, and building
networks. The participants left St. John's energized, inspired, and
with a renewed sense of purpose in their quest for excellence and innovation in
education.
About the project
The ADVOST project will take into practice the theoretical guiding principles for facilitating and enhancing young children's voice in specific contexts. This will be done in close cooperation with practitioners working with indigenous children in Finland, marginalized, indigenous, and immigrant children in Canada, and children with diverse ethnical and cultural backgrounds in the UK.
The ADVOST project aims to enhance educators' knowledge of multiple storytelling pedagogies including perspectives of land-based learning. The research-based development of composing narratives with young learners through art, writing, photography, performance and digital representations privilege young children's voice enabling their full citizenship. These research-based initiatives will contribute to the development of child centered learning that is focused in land-based pedagogy and play.
The project is funded by Trans-Atlantic Platform Social Innovation call, by three funding organisations: Academy of Finland, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and UK Research and Innovation (ESRC). Project period is 1/2020-12/2023.
The project is part of activities of UArctic Thematic Network Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity.
