I have arrived safely in Doha, Qatar for the inaugural World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). I am excited to be here and really looking forward to how the next 3 days pan out.
One thing that is abundantly clear is the international register of attendees. For example in the car from the aiport to the hotel last night I met a Brazilian journalist who had a 20 hour journey, this is a truly global event.
I am writing this on the coach journey to the Ritz-Carlton Doha which will be the venue for WISE. As Alan Levine explained last night the hospitality and friendliness is in abundance and I also shared his initial scepticism of the invite at first glance. But it isn’t some elaborate ruse and the logisitics team behind WISE have done a great job so far.
Interestingly I have been put in a hotel with all of the media professionals. The invite was as a result of this blog and I suppose I have to accept the fact that it is part of the media fabric – hopefully carving my own niche nonetheless.
Monday sees us take part in the opening of the conference as well as a variety of breakout sessions including:
- Globalisation of education – preparing students for a global economy and society
- Bridging Global Inequalities
- Higher Education for a Sustainable World
- Funding Education in the 21st Century – Who Pays for the Education of our Global Citizens
- Pluralism – Every Child Matters
- Innovation – Technology and E-Learning
- Pluralism – Civil Rights and Minorities in Education
- Sustainability – A Fully Intergrated Education Policy
There is lots to choose from and I am hoping to blog some notes over the next few days, that’s if I have time as the programme is pretty full on. You can always follow what I am up to at the conference by checking out my Twitter stream and the hashtag #WISE09 too.