Key topics

Online Educa Berlin 2008: How Does Generation Y Learn?

Berlin (GER), September 2008 - Will today's teaching soon be a matter of the past? Learning professionals worldwide are concerned about what is happening in today's classrooms, as a new generation of technically savvy students enters universities and corporate training centres. Online Educa Berlin 2008 will fuel the debate by bringing together education experts from more than 90 countries for a fervent discussion about "Generation Y".

The international eLearning conference for the corporate, education and public service sector is being held from December 3 - 5 at the Hotel InterContinental Berlin.


Cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch, Kansas State University, USA, and media scientist Norbert Bolz, Berlin Institute of Technology, Germany will open the conference on December 4. Both dedicate their research to new media and its effects on human society. Wesch has earned worldwide popularity for his groundbreaking work in digital ethnography. Bolz has pioneered research on the new digital culture in Germany.

Following the conference opening, Generation Y is to be the key topic of studies and best-practice examples from universities, schools and corporate training. Contributions come from Belgium, Canada, the UK, South Africa and Spain, to name but a few. Learning 2.0 in Europe, an international study carried out in 2008 by the European Commission, looks into the impact of web 2.0 trends on the field of learning and education in Europe.

"Today's students live online", comments Rebecca Stromeyer, Managing Director of ICWE and Project Manager of the conference. "They share games, videos and friends on the Internet and adapt technologies even before they enter the market. Classrooms worldwide will not stay untouched by this revolution", she adds.

On the three days of Online Educa Berlin, education and training experts from all over the world will discuss up-to-the-minute education-related topics at the regional, national and international levels. Mobile learning, open educational resources, Web 2.0 applications, as well as educational games and video are further topics of this year's event.
In the exhibition area, about 120 international eLearning providers will introduce their current products and services. Last year 2126 participants from 95 countries took part in the conference.