I will be outlining the ethos and methodology behind Kuvu Tutors, the world’s first online tutoring company aimed at students studying at international schools. We bring together teachers with students, and allow live video-conferencing sessions, providing vital support to young people seeking to gain a place at universities. We also offer experiential and practical learning support – using the internet to support the provision of a ‘total’ education which does not end at the classroom door.

Questions answered :
Where did you get your original idea and inspiration from? What experience do you have as a) an educator, and b) a tech start-up founder? What have been the pitfalls and challenges in setting up the business? How have you fused educational and technical demands and needs? How is your company structured? What is the importance of: a) Social Media, b) Networking at conferences and events like this one, c) Print/internet press marketing, d) Word of mouth recommendations, and e) SEO? What is your global coverage?

It has been said that “magic happens when you put touchscreens in the hands of children”. Technology offers amazing opportunities for children in the 21st century but what happens when parents/carers and education establishments aren’t equipped to guide and support kids with their connected experiences? An overview of technology milestones for children and young people and important safeguarding considerations for creators of child focussed content.

Questions answered :
How can a child focused product be innovative whilst staying on the right side of parents?
Online experiences that really switch younger users on/off…
What sort of tools should products with social networking features have in place to safeguard younger users?

Y Touring, under their Theatre of Debate model, have been producing educational resources to accompany their plays since their inception in 1989. These have been available, and very popular, on TES and their own websites for the past few years. Over the past year, however, we have sought to make the online version of these resources mirror the experience of seeing the play, and the debate that surrounds it, in the flesh. As such we have worked with Bongo LLP, one of the leading online educational resource agencies, to design http://ytouring.myresourcecloud.net an interactive learning site that allows students and teachers to not only revisit the plays they’ve seen, but also watch scenes from the filmed version, before answering the discussion triggers and debate questions on the site. This site has allowed us to analyse stats on our resources like never before, whilst allowing our audience to engage with our materials whatever their level of understanding of the subject.

Questions answered :
How to engage students with educational resources online?
How to help teachers run lessons using external, non-curricular resources?
How to open up debates on sensitive, often highly complex scientific issues, in a way which opens students up and makes them feel comfortable?
How to extend the engagement period for a touring arts company with any one particular school/institution?
How to extend the life of a live performance through online and digital media?

There are many reasons why the teaching and learning of 3D technologies can make a difference to pupils. Find out how they can help to address the following issues:
1) There is a significant shortage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) candidates for employment in industry, which is starting to have a negative impact on the UK’s economic growth potential.
2) Apart from medicine, too many girls are turned off technical subjects, with the result that only a small percentage of engineers are female.
3) Pupils are turned off scientific subjects because they seem to dry and / or too difficult.
4) Too many pupils leave school with their innate creativity lost.
5) Pupils (and indeed graduates) apply for jobs without the soft skills demanded by all employers.
These and other issues will be addressed in a talk which is suitable for everyone interested in the future of our kids.

Questions answered :
How can pupils retain their creativity?
How can technical subjects be made more relevant and interesting?
How can pupils be excited and motivated?
What is 3D printing?
How can one design for 3D printing?
How can we support the technological and economic future of the UK?

How can teams kick off digital projects and get to a workable result quickly? What is the best way to involve and motivate global teams to participate? Hackathons. Hackathons need not be for “geeks” and coders only. Everyone can get involved: Creatives, Product Managers, Marketing Executives, etc. Learn how the Future Technologies team at Pearson kick off their digital innovation projects by running internal hackathons that quickly build first iterations and involve staff from all businesses around the globe. I will be sharing practical advice based on lessons learnt and showing you the end results of some of our hacks as well.

Questions answered :
What can I do to rapidly deliver a prototype for an idea?
What is a hackathon and how can I apply its principles to my digital project?
What are the lessons learnt from running internal hackathons to kick off projects?

Retouching portraits, fashion shots or just faces in general are some of Photoshop’s most difficult and challenging areas. Here we take a look at some of the techniques used by professionals – masks, layer blending modes, filters and vector paths – to give you the end result you really want. For photographers, Photoshop users and anyone who has ever tried to get rid of those unwanted wrinkles in a face or just make someone look…better.

Questions Answered:
How do you make people look pretty with Photoshop

Last summer, working with the Ministry of Stories, 150 local children formed their own country and declared independence. The Children’s Republic of Shoreditch was entirely conceived of by children, who worked together with designers, educators, architects, web developers and volunteer mentors to found their own embassy building, in an empty shop on Hoxton Street. They invented a manifesto, a spy network, a passport and citizenship test, a census and a national anthem. All of these were enjoyed by hundreds of local children and their families over the summer holidays. This talk hopes to explore how we might take the idea of a Children’s Republic and create it online, so that many more children could join in creative activities and contribute to a digital republic. The Ministry of Stories is looking for people to help develop the idea and make it a reality through all kinds of support – if you’re interested, stop by and hear how!

Questions Answered:
How to engage children and young people in creating and using digital content.

During this workshop, you will get hands-on-experience in mobile learning. Participants will have the chance to get set up on the KO-SU platform, create your own mobile activities, and then invite other participants and colleagues to complete your challenges.

Questions Answered:
How to use mobile technology for teaching and learning?
How can community get involved in mobile learning?

This talk will explain what apprenticeships are and how they can benefit start up business.

Questions Answered:
How successful are apprenticeships?
Can I afford an apprentice?
How can they benefit my business?
How the process of hiring an apprentice works?

This is my narrative of some of the issues I have encountered in education as an undiagnosed dyslexic and dispraxic learner; and, how a much later introduction to Microsoft Office made me realise that I wasn’t as incapable as first judged. This is also my narrative as a teacher and how I still encounter similar issues today. From an education view-point I would like to talk about how technology can be used for good and how technology doesn’t have to be a disruptive presence if we can all learn some kind of technology etiquette.

Questions Answered:
Why does technology provide a better way forward than more traditional means of teaching?
Are we making the best use of our digital resources in all of our educational institutions?
Is there a relationship between what we learn in the classroom and what happens in business or are schools and colleges out of touch?