Google’s Director of Research presents the 2007 Learning Technologist of the Year Awards

Peter Norvig, Google’s Director of Research, presented the 2007 Learning Technologist of the Year Awards at the Association for Learning Technology conference in Nottingham on 5 September 2007.

The aim of the competition, run by the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) for the first time this year, is to celebrate and reward excellent practice and outstanding achievement in the application of technology to teaching and learning.

The 2007 winners are:

• Philip Cosson, of the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Teesside, for work on a simulation that allows first year radiography students to simulate the taking of an x-ray in a safe and controlled way;
• Hannah Whaley, of Dundee University, for a range of achievements including the creation of a new online self- and peer-assessment system which is due to be made available by a commercial vendor to over 3,600 educational institutions worldwide;
• the PebblePad Development Team from Pebble Learning Ltd, for their contribution over the last three years to the development of the PebblePad ePortfolio system, which has been used by over 120,000 students in over 40 institutions across the UK .

Short-listed entrants for the Award were:

• the English Online Team at The Sheffield College ;
• the Learning Team at Nottingham University ;
• Cristina Isabel Mendes da Costa, from the University of Salford .

Seb Schmoller, Chief Executive of ALT, said: "Learning technologists play a crucial role in modern learning, teaching, and assessment, throughout the education system.
They run college and university virtual learning environments. They develop e-learning content. Their research underpins good practice. But their achievements tend to be unsung. By celebrating and rewarding excellent practice and outstanding achievement in the field, the Learning Technologist of the Year Award will go some way towards giving learning technologists the public recognition that they deserve."

ENDS

More information

Seb Schmoller, Chief Executive
Association for Learning Technology (ALT)
E-mail: sschmoller AT brookes DOT ac DOT uk
Direct phone: +44 (0)114 2586899
fax: +44 (0)709 2208443
mobile: +44 (0)7753 324503
ALT office phone: +44 (0)1865 484125
ALT office fax: +44 (0)1865 484165
Web: www.alt.ac.uk