Peking University, Nov. 8, 2010: On the afternoon of Nov. 6, the fourth session of the Education Sub-form was hosted at Sunny Hall, Yingjie Exchange Center at Peking University around the theme of “Technology of Education and Continuing Education”. Prof. Lee Wing On, Dean of Education Research in the Singapore National Institute of Education was the chair. Scholars from the United States, Canada and China shed light on many issues regarding the theme.

Currently, rapid development of information technology has become an important force in advancing the globalization process. With the rise of life-long education concept, continuing education outside formal education plays an increasingly critical role. 

Prof. Kinshuk from School of Computing and Information Systems of Athabasca University, Canada, delivered the opening speech “Adaptivity and Personalization in Ubiquitous Learning Environments”. He introduced some models of ubiquitous learning environments which aimed to exploit benefits of location, environment and learning facilities, and combined them with mobile technology in order to optimize learning experience for each learner.

Prof. Huang Ronghuai from Beijing Normal University studied the policies and progress of ICT in Education in China, the United States, and the UK. He pointed out that the essence of ICT is to promote educational change and development and the current focus is to popularize ICT in education. Prof. Huang listed 10 challenges in the process of using ICT in education, which deserved our great attention and action in the years to come.

Harrison Hao Yang, professor of State University of New York at Oswego shared with the audience several applications of E-Learning. He illustrated the tendency of education shifting from formal to informal, and the increasing emphasis on individualization, socialization and flexibility.

Prof. Hou Jianjun, director of the office of Continuing Education at Peking University pointed out that the implementation of high-level personnel continuing education should be adapted to the needs of national and social development, and should be coordinated with the development of undergraduate, graduate education and research at colleges and universities.

Facing the trend of globalization, information technology of education is going to play a much bigger role in today’s world. And continuing education will have great potential in the modern age.

Reported by: Wang Shiqin
Edited by: Chen Miaojuan