Inquiries Faculty of Education Research Office Tel: Monash-Warwick Alliance: IGGY – International Gateway for Gifted Youth Faculty Research Seminar 2014 Date: Wednesday 26 March, 1pm - 2pm Peninsula A2.34, Clayton TLS110, Berwick 189, **All Welcome** Dr Adam Boddison and Dr Michael Hammond, University of Warwick Dr Michael Hammond is associate professor specialising in new technology at the University of Warwick. He has published many articles on teaching and learning with technology and has a specialist interest in research methodologies including action oriented approaches to social inquiry. His present work has a particular focus on online community, including an exploration of the case of IGGY as a community or social network for gifted young people. IGGY is a social network designed to help gifted young people between the ages of realise their full potential. It gives members access to great educational resources and encourages them to work with top academics and other gifted young people around the world. In 2008, the “International Gateway for Gifted Youth” - IGGY was created at the University of Warwick, in the UK. The University of Warwick has had a long history of encouraging bright students. It started with NAGTY, a government funded initiative to create resources and events for able students. When government funding stopped, the University of Warwick decided that continuing to invest in the brightest minds across the world was still a good idea. The rather catchier sounding IGGY was born. IGGY members can create their own profiles, make friends and collaborate with other gifted students around the world. They have access to great resources and top academics, who are helping to create a great site for gifted young people to exchange ideas, debate, learn and explore in a safe environment. Online communities and IGGY: New technologies are increasingly seen as a means to support learners in both formal and informal settings. In particular so-called learning platforms provide an opportunity for learners not just to access material but also to discuss and collaborate anytime, anywhere. In the case of gifted students, online platforms can help young people network across different countries. However technology innovation can be ‘overhyped’ and while young people are assumed to be adept at using technology their participation is, like that of the wider population, constrained by time, access and for some a lack of confidence. What then can online learning do for young people and their learning and how can we best describe the communities which participants create? Dr Adam Boddison and Dr. Michael Hammond (Warwick) invited here as part of the Monash-Warwick Alliance with Dr. Leonie Kronborg, Dr. Margaret Plunkett and Dr Penny Round (Monash), will discuss the potential of the program and how Australian schools and students can become involved. IGGY is not for profit. (Free memberships are available for disadvantaged students and schools). Dr Adam Boddison is currently Head of Initial Teacher Education at the University of Warwick and Academic Principal for IGGY, a global educational social network for gifted students aged 13 to 18 years. Prior to this, Adam held a number positions teaching mathematics in schools and was the West Midlands Area Coordinator for the Further Mathematics Support Programme. Adam is a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the European Council for High Ability. He is interested in how technology can enhance teaching and learning and in recent years he has particularly focused on video conferencing and other media-rich technology. Adam is the author of ‘The Maths behind the Magic’.