Keynote: Propositions for the design of positive, postdigital spaces of learning.

Travelling by train back to Edinburgh, having spent the last couple of days in Winterthur, Switzerland. I was there to deliver a keynote at eduhub days 2024: Redefining Learning Spaces One innovation at a Time. This is the annual conference dedicated to e-learning, teaching, technology, and didactics within Swiss Higher Education Institutions. It is supported by Switch, and this year included, a 'walk-and-talk' exercise, a marketplace of ideas, a student challenge that involved a day-and-a-half spent designing a positive learning space for the future, and lots of space for conversation. The perfect conference if, like me, you're interested in the relationship between learning spaces and digital technologies. 

There were also two key notes presentations: my own to open the conference, and then at the beginning of the second day where Rosan Bosch spoke about her work designing playful learning spaces for schools and universities across the world. I was happy with how my own talk went, but also glad that I preceded, rather than followed, Rosan's impressive contribution.

For my part, I based my keynote around a series of propositions for the design of positive, postdigital spaces of learning:

The visit also gave me a chance to catch up 'in-person' with colleagues I have been working with since visiting Switzerland almost exactly a year ago for another spaces-themed conference. I spent time with Henrietta Carbonnel and her team at UniDistance Suisse who I am working with on a learning design matrix (Matrice de qualité des espaces d'enseignement et d'apprentissage), and Maud Aspart from Université de Lausanne who I am collaborating with on some educational video materials.
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I was also very glad to spend time exchanging ideas and experiences with Jacky Maatman (Fernfachhochschule Schweiz), Miriam Fischer (ZHAW Zurich) and Fenja Talirz (ZHAW Zurich) who I have been fortunate to teach while they have been studying the MSc Digital Education or MSc Education Futures here at Edinburgh University.