Background
FabLearn Europe / MakeEd 2021
Virtual Conference – June 2-3, 2021 – FabMake2021@gmail.com
HISTORY AND VISION
The FabLearn Europe / MakeEd research community stems from the inception of the FabLearn Europe endeavour, that was initiated in 2014 as a sister venue to the FabLearn global one, initially organised in Stanford (USA) in 2011. The first FabLearn Europe conference was organised in Aarhus in 2014, the second in Preston in 2016, the third in Trondheim in 2018, and the fourth in Oulu in 2019. The 2020 edition was supposed to happen in London but because of the COVID-19 emergency it was cancelled and turned into a special issue in the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction.
During the years, the endeavour has placed increasing emphasis on developing a European approach to Computing, Design and Making in education. Such an approach underscores empowerment, inclusivity, diversity, equity, and social responsibility in relation to computing and digitalization in society. In the FabLearn / MakeEd community we believe that every child should have access to various technology-related learning activities that combine computing, design, and hands-on working with making, aiming for digital design literacy, in order to enable, empower, and encourage children and youth to critically engage in the digital transformation of our society. Such learning embraces digital skills, critical thinking, and understanding the consequences of novel technologies, but also design skills; together they enable children to actively engage in and even drive the ongoing development of digital technologies. We also believe that all technological advances should start from the outset of creating open, sustainable, and democratic societies in which all children can aspire to a meaningful life and flourish in their full potential, despite their socio-economic background.
STEERING COMMITTEE
The FabLearn Europe / MakeEd steering committee members represent leading universities in Child-Computer Interaction from across Europe:
- Michalis Giannakos, PhD – NTNU, Norway
- Sofia Papavlasopoulou, PhD – NTNU, Norway
- Marianne Kinnula, PhD – Oulu University, Finland
- Netta IIvari, PhD – Oulu University, Finland
- Elisa Rubegni, PhD – Lancaster University, UK
- Ole Sejer Iversen, PhD – Aarhus University, Denmark
- Maarten Van Mechelen, PhD – Aarhus University, Denmark