Louth VEC Host Asia Europe Conference

Co. Louth VEC has announced the line up of speakers it has secured to address an international conference that it is hosting this November. The will take place in the Crowne Plaza hotel in Dundalk from 07 to 11 November 2011. The AEC-NET is a project of the Asia Europe Foundation based in Singapore, and the conference is being hosted by Co. Louth VEC in collaboration with the Department of Education and Skills.

The Conference has taken place annually since 2001 and gathers together post-primary and third-level educators who take a keen interest in fostering collaborations among their students through innovative and interactive collaborative online learning and inter-cultural exchanges. The conference alternates between a European and Asian country each year with previous conferences being held in Denmark, Malaysia, Greece and China. Last year’s conference was held in Gurgaon in India.

The conference will be officially opened on 7th November by the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr. Ruairí Quinn, T.D., and the programme includes key educationalists from both Ireland and abroad. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Apps in Asian and European Classrooms: Unleashing Educational Creativity’ and among those scheduled to address the conference include Dr. Airan Berg, artistic Director for the Performing Arts based in Linz, Austria and Professor Karine Oganisjana from the Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art at the University of Latvia. Inputs will also be provided by Dr. Harold Hislop, Chief Inspector of Schools with the Department of Education and Skills, Ms. Brigid McManus, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills and Dr. Ciarán McCormack, Creative Manager in the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dun Laoghaire.

Dr. Pádraig Kirk, CEO of Co. Louth VEC, said he “was delighted with the line up of high profile speakers that have committed their attendance at the conference. These speakers hold key positions in the world of education, their inputs at the conference are eagerly awaited". Dr. Kirk added that "the conference will have well over 100 delegates flying in from all parts of the world and it will place Ireland, Co. Louth and our VEC firmly on the international education map”.

The VEC intends to showcase the Irish education system and Co. Louth during the conference. Delegates will visit schools and education centres during the week, as well as a number of local cultural/heritage sites. Some of the events planned so far include a welcome concert at the Black Box theatre in DkIT, a visit to Drogheda Institute of Education and an excursion to Carlingford.
“We will be working hard to ensure that the conference is a successful one and look forward to welcoming our friends from across Asia and Europe to Co. Louth in November” said Dr. Kirk.