Important highlights are, for example, the formats GAMES@LEARNTEC, e-PUB@LEARNTEC and the new label school@LEARNTEC.
”We have discovered that the visitors are very fond of our special formats, which is why we have decided to expand them with the new format school@LEARNTEC“, Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of the Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH, explains.
Especially the new subtitle “Learning with IT” is striking: It states briefly and concisely what LEARNTEC is about. On the one hand, it deals with learning - from school up to the business world. On the other hand, it deals with how modern technological possibilities can support learning. “What is offered at LEARNTEC continuously adapts to current developments, not only in relation to technology but especially to the person within the learning process”, Sünne Eichler, Member of the Congress Committee, clarifies.
Over 200 exhibitors on an area of in total 12.000 square meters are participating in this year‘s LEARNTEC. “Once again we have succeeded in bringing the most important players of the industry to Karlsruhe. Only here do they meet a versed and well informed audience with concrete questions”, says Wirtz. “The majority of the top-ranked companies of the MMB-E-Learning-Economy-Ranking 2013 such as imc, TTS, M.I.T. or Know How have already confirmed their participation for the LEARNTEC 2014”, Wirtz rejoices.
Special formats: Games, digital books and new classrooms
The magnet becoming more and more important for the fair is the different special formats which focus on the current hot topics of the industry such as the format e-pub@LEARNTEC. Publishing is in a massive process of transition. More and more people use digital publications so that the market has to respond to this. The potential is far from being exhausted since it is not only about transferring a book‘s content one-to-one into a digital reading format. Much rather, it is about the main incentive for digital distribution, like the possibility of interaction, integration of additional media content like movies, audio files or games, as well as the linking of different publications, which pave the way for linked knowledge archives. How this would look in reality will be presented in e-pub@LEARNTEC.
Playful learning still plays an important part so that the special area GAMES@LEARNTEC will be organized as well. The range of different offerings is wide and reaches from classic learning games over serious games to highly complex simulations.
Digital learning media is becoming more and more important for academic use in schools. The Ministry of Education has noticed this with the result that media studies will be established as an interdisciplinary core competence in everyday school life in Baden-Württemberg as of 2015. The format school@LEARNTEC discusses which technologies are suitable for integration into the educational concept of schools. In the special area, possible educational situations are presented so that visitors of the fair have the opportunity to see how learning will look in the future and how the learning behavior of students changes with the use of available tools, apps and programs.
However, the format is also interesting for companies: “The question concerning schools was asked by our main target group, the educational experts. Especially our exhibitors and visitors know of the great deficits we have here in Europe - therefore, education of young people is a topic particularly concerning for companies“, Professor Dr. Peter A. Henning, Member of the LEARNTEC Congress Committee, explains.
Outstanding keynotes at the congress
In a complex review process, the Congress Committee has evaluated all 134 submissions and has chosen those proposals that suit the congress program best concerning their quality and topic. Additionally, further speakers have been acquired who round off the content of this year‘s entire program with 95 lectures in total. A total of 118 speakers and presenters will shape the congress with their contributions.
Once again, excellent keynote speakers could be engaged for this year‘s congress. The General Secretary of the “Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft” (Association of Benefactors for German Sciences), Professor Dr. Andreas Schlüter, holds a lecture on Tuesday, February 4th 2014, on “Economy as an Educational Motor and Educational Sponsor”. Directly after this, Dr. Marianne Janik, Senior Director Public Sector, Microsoft Deutschland GmbH, presents her vision of the “Classroom of the Future”. On Wednesday, February 5th, Heiko Schmidt, Director Dealer Development Germany, Audi AG, talks about the “Interlocking of Learning and Corporate Challenges“. Professor Dr. Martin Korte, Managing Director of the Zoological Institute of the Technical University Braunschweig, holds a lecture on the “Neurobiology of Learning” on Thursday, February 6th.
