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From: Jonathan Wardle <[log in to unmask]> Playful Learning Symposium Organisers: The Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, Bournemouth University & Futurelab. Date: 14 September 2010 Venue: The Royal Institute of British Architects, London Times: 9.30 - 2.00 Join leading figures from schools, colleges and government to debate how to make learning more playful. Research suggests that UK learners are some of the unhappiest in Europe and performance suggests that they may be some of the least engaged too. Although ICT and new media have brought play into learning from the outset, secondary school age children mourn the loss of play from their primary years. New consumer and community learning technologies hold the potential to bring back playfulness and engagement. Since the earliest days of Space Invaders the desire to engage children in learning as fully as they are engaged in their game play has been a significant part of ICT but the debate has become a lot more complex. Our increased understanding of cognitive development illustrates how the problem solving of games can aid other learning tasks; children playing games at the beginning of the school day can start a cultural change whereby "being smart is cool"; children as games' designers learn to deconstruct and critique new media; and the design of hardware, software and new learning environments embraces the need for playfulness too. Speakers Lord Jim Knight, Former Schools Minister Mark Prensky, Writer and Scholar Stephen Heppell, The Centre for Excellence in Media Practice Kieron Kirkland, Futurelab Registration Early Bird (before 26th July 2010) £85 Full Rate (after 26th July 2010) £135 For more information or to register online visit www.cemp.ac.uk/play jon wardle director, the centre for excellence in media practice the media school, bournemouth university 01202 965907 www.cemp.ac.uk