Malta will host an important international conference on m-learning (mobile learning) between October 19 and 22. The aims of the ninth World Conference on Contextual learning, or ‘mLearn 2010’, are to bring together various researchers and research organisations working on m-learning to share ideas and experience in an area that is still being developed.
“There is enormous potential in using mobile devices, such as cell and smart phones, as educational resources,” Matthew Montebello, conference chair and lecturer at the Department of Intelligent Computer Systems at the University’s Faculty of ICT. “Extensive research has been conducted for the transformation of the mobile society into a global learning community.”
The University of Malta is entrusted with the local organisation of the event, supported by local sponsors.
An event like mLearn 2010 exposes the trends and directions of future research using mobile technologies for training and education purposes. Industry has the opportunity to learn more about the requirements of trainers and trainees, while members of academia and the research community are able to explore devices, technologies and applications which are available on the market.
The target audience includes local and international policy-makers, researchers and academics in the area, educators at all instruction level, as well as industry partners interested in the proliferation of mobile and wireless technology for education and training.
This conference is designed to bring together the world’s leading mobile learning researchers, developers and activists in an environment that will stimulate dramatically increased deployment of mobile learning and accelerate dramatically enhanced innovation.
In a recent publication by the European Commission, “A Digital Agenda for Europe”, a list of key action points were established in order to enhance an open and accessible technological environment stimulating more investment impacting positively on the economy.
“Malta, through its rise in technology uptake and use, has a lot to gain by rendering services as ‘borderless’ and accessible to each individual as possible, irrespective of age, physical location, and work or family commitments,” Dr Montebello added. “By offering services related to education using mobile devices, Malta will increase the potential for an enhanced knowledge society across all borders; mLearn 2010 will offer policy makers, educators and employers with an insight into how they can use the technologies available to broaden existing knowledge to all the Maltese community members and beyond.”
Special packages are available to Maltese participants. More information is available at www.mlearn2010.org.