The combined online learning seminar between HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management Ltd and EKDDA, the corresponding organization in Greece, was held 8 – 13 October 2007 in Athens. It was quite appropriate considering the Athens venue that questions of learning were discussed in the real Socratic spirit. The obstacle to the quick assimilation of online learning is not actually regarded as a technical problem but rather as the slow change affecting the culture of teaching. Online teaching – as with all network operations – is itself based on doing, participation and equal interaction, but the assimilation of consultative operational modes has proved to be much slower than the learning of information technology skills. Teaching practices in the land of democracy’s birth are no more learner-centred than in Finland, but the need for cultural change is evident if there is a wish that online teaching be intensified and its initialization accelerated. – Riitta Suominen acted as seminar leader in cooperation with Johanna Snellman (HAUS).
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| Online teaching-related good practices were a source of interest and discussion for the participants in both face-to-face and network-based connections at the eLearning seminar in Athens. Aris and Ada (in the middle) look after the Ministry of Education’s online learning portal, which offers open materials for Greek schools and colleges. Dim, Lena and George (on the right) are developing methods for teaching mathematics online. | |||