UNESCO Chair in Education and Technology for Social Change
The UOC UNESCO Chair in Education and Technology for Social Change (formerly the UOC UNESCO Chair in E-Learning) was created in 2002 to promote research, learning, information and documentation activities on the use of ICTs in education.
The Chair keeps a close eye on world trends in education, appropriate technological resources, open content and the leading experts and institutions in the field. The Chair disseminates the knowledge acquired to the communities of educators and practitioners in related fields, both nationally and globally, paying special attention to disadvantaged and information-needy social groups.
Academic Council
The Chair’s new Academic Council was formed on 14 March 2012. The council members include (in alphabetical order):
- Brenda GOURLEY, Former Vice-Chancellor, Open University, UK
- Sugata MITRA, Professor of Educational Technology, Newcastle University, UK; Visiting Professor, MIT Media Lab, USA
- Josep A. PLANELL i ESTANY, President of the UOC
- Ferran RUIZ TARRAGÓ, President of the Education Council of the Generalitat de Catalunya
- Albert SANGRÀ, Academic Director, UNESCO Chair in Education and Technology for Social Change; Vice-President of EFQUEL (European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning)
Organization
- Albert Sangrà, Academic Director
- Alicia Puig, Coordinator
Activities
- Workshops: The workshops are sessions in which one or more experts share their knowledge on a specific topic.
- Rountables: These are forums for debate where the work dynamic consists of case studies, best practices and the exchange of experiences.
- International seminars: Its aim is to look in greater depth at and analyse the main elements and challenges we currently face.
Areas of activity
The UNESCO spirit can be seen in all of the Chair’s activities, giving voice to institutions and individuals engaged in educational practice and promoting the intensive use of technology for the public benefit and development:
- Creation and dissemination of knowledge
- Research applied to the fields of Open Educational Resources (OER), and gender and technology.
- Training workshops specializing in relevant subjects of e-learning.
- Attendance of and participation in congresses, conferences, and national and international forums.
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