This year’s iteration of the CONNECT online conference – “CONNECT 2.0 – Combine Online Novation and Networking for Education Catered by Technologies” – is dedicated to the topic of skills development in schoolchildren and TVET students. The second day of the conference – December 13, 2023 – will focus on the issues, breakthroughs and challenges of skills development with the help of ICT and / or AI in the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, namely, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
CONNECT 2.0 will summarize knowledge and experience sharing on the use of ICTs and AI in educational settings with the purpose of fostering the development of skills deemed indispensable for the coming decades of the 21st century in the abovementioned countries. For this conference, the following skill sets are in focus:
- Green Skills
- Skills to Ensure Equality and Inclusion
- Digital Economy Skills
- Leadership Skills
The conference will be of particular interest to school teachers (ASPnet and beyond), TVET teachers, education administrators, university departments and academic communities studying education policy and practice. They are encouraged to register for the conference and for the forum and to engage in discussions to highlight diverse approaches and perspectives on skills development with the help of advanced technologies.
Date: December 13, 2023
Registration link: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtdOiqqT0oHNx19FEK60MNKwWmJoK7F_et#/registration
NB: time is GMT (London), please calculate the time in your time zone accordingly!
Use this time converter to calculate the time difference
| 7.30am – 7.40am (London time!) | Welcome Addresses:
Ms Natalia Amelina, Chief of Unit for Teacher Professional Development and Networking, UNESCO IITE Mr Cheng Hui, Vice General Manager of HEDU Group |
| 7.40am – 8.10am (London time!) | Mr Aybulat Aletdinov, Doctoral Researcher at Centre for Education Studies (University of Warwick), Senior Consultant at Warwick Projects, Advisor at International Values-based Education Trust UK
The use of ICT and AI in pre-tertiary education in SCO countries, 2020-2023: Highlights from Preliminary Findings Description: This presentation reports preliminary findings and highlights from the ongoing study that explores the role of technology in school education in SCO countries. Specifically, existing governmental and non-governmental initiatives, use of AI in education, and some other criteria are looked at |
| 8.15am – 9.50am (London time!) | Round Table 1: Digital and online educational environment: the advantages are obvious but what are the challenges?
Moderated by: Mr Oleg Akimov, Programme Specialist, Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking, UNESCO IITE |
| (8.15 – 8.35) (London time!) | Prof. Feng Ma, senior mathematics teacher and high school principal at Shanghai High School International Division. Prof. Feng Ma has three works and more than 30 articles published, with 20 years experience of teaching mathematics.
The blended learning practices, the challenges and how we met the challenges at Shanghai High School International Division |
| (8.35 – 8.55) (London time!) | Ms. Ting Pan, research assistant from CIT-lab (National Engineering Laboratory for CyberLearning and Intelligent Technology, China), currently working on the project New Generation Intelligent and Connected Classroom, where they use collected data, analyze students’ learning process, and help teachers optimize teaching accordingly
Interrogate the Romance of Technology with a Critical Eye: A Close Look at How AI-enabled Systems and Tools Function in the Educational Environment |
| (8.55 – 9.15) (London time!) | Dr. Gulnissa Zhunussova, researcher, teacher educator and consultant working in the areas of teacher education and English language teaching. She has consulted the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the reform project funded by the World Bank
Navigating the Digital Frontier: Considerations for Good Teaching in the Online Space and the Role of the Teacher |
| (9.15 – 9.35) (London time!) | Dr. Ruizhi Liao, assistant professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, CHINA. His research interests include Smart Cities, Smart Education and Wireless Networks
Unveiling Challenges Amidst the Advantages - Navigating the Digital Education Landscape |
| (9.35 – 9.50) (London time!) | Discussion summing up the presentations above |
| 9.50 – 10.00 (London time!) | Break |
| 10.00am – 11.30am (London time!) | Round Table 2: Missed opportunities: how to more fully use the educational potential of everyday digital environments?
Moderated by: Ms Tatiana Shutova, Programme Specialist, Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking, UNESCO IITE |
| (10.00 – 10.20) (London time!) | Ms Anna Khudyakova, Deputy Chair for Informatics and End-to-End Technologies, Perm State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Russia
Developing Digital Competencies in the Process of Teacher Training at a Pedagogical University |
| (10.20 – 10.40) (London time!) | Mr Yury Panchenko, Senior Lecturer at Higher School of International Relations and World Politics, Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Communicative approach to the use of the SNS (Instagram, Google Docs) in a foreign language classroom to foster students’ communicative competence and digital creativity |
| (10.40 – 11.00) (London time!) | Ms Anna Solodovnikova, Teaching Assistant at the Department of Foreign Languages, Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Memes and blogs as a way to develop communication skills when teaching a foreign language (at the example of teaching Chinese) |
| (11.00 – 11.20) (London time!) | Ms Ekaterina Goliakova, Coordinator at an UNESCO Associated School, Samara, Russia – CANCELED
The use of AI in Teaching Foreign Languages |
| (11.20 – 11.30) (London time!) | Discussion summing up the presentations above |
| 11.30am – 12.00pm (London time!) | Award Ceremony for the Pre-Conference Teacher Competition
Congratulatory remarks from UNESCO IITE, Europass Teacher Academy and HEDU Congratulatory remarks of the experts of the Evaluation Committee Thank-you speeches from the participants of Pre-Conference Teacher Competition |
The working language of the conference is English.
Registration link: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtdOiqqT0oHNx19FEK60MNKwWmJoK7F_et#/registration