This was day 2 of the SURF 2024 education days
Today was the second day of the educational and ICT event of the year: the SURF Education Days. Npuls was there again. We will take you through a brief report of the second day.
A musical opening and Peter-Paul Verbeek on technological developments in society. The day began musically. Led by Toon and Lukas, we used boomwhackers – coloured tubes that each produce a different sound – to create a cheerful melody to start the day. A beautiful metaphor for what we do in further education: creating things together while we all do something different. After this, Peter-Paul Verbeek, rector magnificus at the University of Amsterdam and steering group member of Npuls, took to the stage. He explained how we should view rapidly developing technologies as a connector between people and the world around us. He also encouraged us to reflect on the question: “What is learning and teaching in the digital world?” Finally, Peter-Paul discussed the exciting developments in education, and we continued the day inspired by his words.
Sessions in the spotlight
Cutting-edge panel discussion: opportunities and risks of AI
In the style of the TV quiz show De Slimste Mens (The Smartest Person), questions were asked to the four panel members Peter-Paul Verbeek (University of Amsterdam and Npuls), Gwendolyn Hermans (ISO), Maaike Harbers (Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences) and Christien Bok (SURF), led by Duuk Baten. For those familiar with the quiz, the questions are mainly designed to throw the panel members off track and elicit the most spontaneous answers. For example: students are concerned about tinnitus in the rear ear, but how many preconceptions do the panel members themselves have about AI?
The importance of working together at a time when education is a growth market for big tech was emphasised, in order to uphold public values. New technological developments demand something different from students and teachers. At the same time, it was also emphasised that good education must take the lead and that technological developments must follow from there. It should not be the case that education follows technological developments. It is precisely by working together that you become a significant factor.
Connecting knowledge: working together towards a better knowledge infrastructure for education
In this session, organised by the Knowledge Hub for Learning & Innovation, a “reverse panel discussion” took place. A panel on stage, consisting of Scilla van Cuiljenborg (MBO Council) and Franca Jonquière (Delft University of Technology), together with the audience, discussed various propositions, with Lianne van Elk and Dimitri van Dillen (ROC Twente) leading the discussion. Do we need a central place for knowledge about educational innovation? And could AI ever match the role of a human network in finding and sharing knowledge? A lively discussion ensued in the audience, with lots of interaction, which highlighted the importance of human relationships in both propositions. This therefore appears to be an important discussion to have with each other.
A dive into XR: how enthusiastic are you really as a teacher?
In a session on getting teachers excited about teaching with XR, Maaike Wessels-Compagnie and Ralf Hillebrand from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences discussed how they got teachers at their institution excited about teaching with XR. There are many advantages to teaching with XR, but often just as many doubts. By engaging the right people and organising a tour, they have created a high level of involvement, enabling them to continue working together on XR in education.