Festival of Learning

– About the Festival
– Cooperating Partners
– Program Overview
– Call for Proposals
– Buy Tickets

This page is continuously being updated. If you have any questions, please send us an e-mail.

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About the Festival

We are in the midst of a transition in the culture of education and the use of knowledge. Digital technology and intelligent computer systems have radically altered the way we work and live together. Not only have the new technological developments changed communication and access to information, but they have also opened up new possibilities for teaching and information sharing. Ideas, concepts, and technological advancements rapidly travel through time and space and are shared with multiple networks.

Today, schools alone cannot bear all the responsibilities for the necessary change.

Migration, inclusion, more and more children with behavioral problems, overcrowded classrooms, overburdened teachers, frequent cancellations of lessons, and increasing expectations – the German school system is facing new and growing challenges. Despite rigorously defined educational guidelines, schools cannot carry the burdens of this transition by themselves.

One thing is for sure: a lifetime of learning needs to become a matter of course for us all – from the cradle to the grave.

If we don’t want to completely loose track, our understanding of the school system needs to change over the next few years. In this context, extra-curricular learning sites such as libraries and Makerspaces have to take on a special responsibility. With them, we can set out for a contemporary approach to education – one that is free of the pressure to succeed and that can help people orient themselves in complex times. After all, our education system should enable people to evaluate and shape the digital realities of today’s political, economic, and social dimensions in a mature and self-confident manner.

It is certain that our education system needs an update, though there is still a lot of uncertainty. What if we simply picked up best practice examples, established new partnerships between traditional education institutions and modern learning sites, and thus spread the responsibility for lifelong knowledge transfer across many shoulders? What if we simply moved borders and entered new spaces?

Our upcoming Festival of Learning aims to do just that: we want to illuminate these scenarios intensively, set new impulses, present innovative ideas – and set an example. Since we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this year, the theme of our festival will be “outer space”. In honor of the many people that joined together 50 years ago to overcome technological difficulties in order to achieve something great. As Neil Armstrong put it best: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

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Cooperating Partners

 

 

 

 

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Program Overview

Thursday, September 19^th

7:30 p.m.
Festival opening

8:00 p.m.
Keynote by Sarah Cruddas (space journalist, television presenter, children’s book author)

The lecture will be followed by a free public reception with snacks.

 

Friday, September 20^th

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Ignite Session “Space Exploration”

11:30 – 12:30 a.m.
Ignite Session “Digital Didactics”

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Ignite Session “Investments for the Future”

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Ignite Session “Collaborative Forces”

5:00 p.m.
Concluding Plenary Session

Following each Ignite Session, there will be the opportunity for short discussions with the speakers.

 

Saturday, September 21^st

From 11:00 a.m.
Market of Opportunities/Experimentation Mile in the Great Hall of the DAI

Various workshops and short lectures will be offered throughout the day.

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Call for Proposals

Do you have an inspiring idea yourself, or do you know of a remarkable initiative or a future-oriented institution that deals with new learning concepts? We want to hear about it!

Apply by e-mail for one of our festival formats. If we include your contribution in our festival program, you will receive free admission to the entire festival.

 

Possible formats:

Ignite Talk (Friday, September 20^th)

10-minute short lecture, which presents a “Best Practice” in education and fits thematically into one of our Ignite Sessions:

Space Exploration – What learning formats can we use to teach the joy in discovery and scientific research to different age groups?

Digital Didactics – How can we integrate new digital technologies into our education systems and stimulate digital literacy to help us shape a social future together?

Investments for the Future – How can we invest in the future of our education landscape so that everyone can participate, including those who do not have a sufficient income?

Collaborative Forces – What types of social infrastructures are emerging or can emerge that enable collaborative and solidarity work between educational institutions?

 

Workshop (Saturday, September 21^st)

Workshop format for 15–30 participants which convey new learning concepts through hands-on, participatory methods.

 

Stand at the Market of Opportunities (Saturday, September 21^st)

Present your educational iniative with a stand at our Market of Opportunities on Saturday between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. You are welcome to include small interactive elements for the visitors to try out.

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Buy Tickets

Festival pass for all days (plus fees)

Buy Tickets

Thursday, September 19^th (plus fees)

Buy Tickets