Microlearning2007 Conference Website

Martina A. Roth (GER) – Technology Fuels Knowledge
Director EMEA, Intel Education
Conference Co-Chair; Keynote Speaker ("Classroom Without Walls")
Up to this day, Intel has invested over 1 billion $ in education worldwide. Martina A. Roth is Director (EMEA) of Intel's Innovation in Education programs and responsible for an number of Intel Education programs successfully implemented in 18 European countries, including teacher traing (Intel Teach - Advanced Course Online) and Higher Education.

Ajit Jaokar (UK) – Mobile Web 2.0 & Education
CEO, Futuretext, London; Chair, Oxford University's Next generation mobile applications panel,Oxford
Ajit is a specialist on disruptive technologies and developments in the field of 'Mobile Web 2.0', having written the authoritative book on this subject. He is a member of the web2.0 workgroup and blogs at Open Gardens. Besides chairing Oxford University's Next generation mobile applications panel, he plays an advisory role to a number of mobile start-ups in the UK and Scandinavia.

Teemu Leinonen (FIN) – Knowledge Building in New Media Environments
Research Group Leader, Learning Environments research group,
Media Lab - University of Art and Design Helsinki
Teemu has led a number of innovative research projects dealing with Future Learning Environments and Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Building, among them MobilED and LeMill. Teemu is a frequent speaker on conferences, has given in-service courses for teachers and conducted consulting and concept design for several Finnish ICT and media companies. He is a leading activist at FLOSSE (Free, Libre and Open Source Software in Education).

Eilif Trondsen (USA) – Corporate Knowledge & Learning
Director, Learning On Demand Program, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence, Menlo Park, Ca.
The SRIC-BI , a spin-off of the Stanford Research Institute, combines content-based research programmes with corporate consulting. Since over a decade, Eilif is taking a leading role. He is specifically concerned with developing strategies for future kinds of corporate learning and knowledge management and e-commerce in global business environments. In that role, he has been consulting and conducting projects for major national and multinational clients from the USA, Europe, Japan, Southern Africa.

David Smith (UK) – Microlearning and mobile Micromedia
Director of ICT, St. Paul’s School (London)
In previous lives David was Head of English at Marlborough College, Director of Studies at Charterhouse, and teaching English at Radley College. Along the way he became a specialist in the new disruptive digital technologies, and even more in the new practices and experiences that emerge under these conditions. David writes a blog on these subjects (www.preoccupation.org) and spoke at conferences on emerging technologies and their impact on a new culture of learning and education.

Stephanie Rieger (UK / CAN) – Learning & Lifestyle for Mobile
CEO, Yiibu (Glasgow, Vancouver)
Stephanie's company Yiibu creates unique and engaging content for emerging mobile technologies and devices, with a special interest in developing new kinds of 'casual' learning experiences. A true mobile avant-gardist, she writes on mobility, culture and user experience at her blog Keitai. She was speaker on several cutting-edge technology conferences, including the organization of the Mobile Monday Vancouver.

Tom Fürstner (AUT) – Artificial Intelligence & Media Arts
Director R&D, System One (Vienna)
A true universalist, Tom is not only a co-founder at System One, a highly innovative Austrian start-up, where he is responsible for R&D focusing on semantic webtop technologies and Enterprise Software. He is also a professor of Media Theory and Arts, and holds an M.A. in Economics. He has been involved in digital media projects for BBC and Oracle, and has led the implementation of the online presence of the main Austrian Television Network (ORF).

Arnaud Leene (F) – Microcontent and Micromedia
Consultant for microcontent technologies and markets (Sivas, France)
Before this, Arnaud had worked over 8 years in various positions at the research department of KPN Telecom, the incumbent telecom operator of the Netherlands. He had been responsible manager of a extensive program researching new interactive services for the Telecom market.

Martin Roell (GER, tbc) – Enabling Knowledge Workers
Consultant, coach, speaker (Dresden)
Martin is one of the most renowned among still quite few experts who are concentrating on helping German enterprises getting the most value out of the new possibilities of the Web 2.0.

Martin Hoffmann (CH) – Tearing Down the Classroom Walls
Professor, Pedagogical University Rorschach (CH)
Martin is teaching applied Computer Science in the field of technology-enhanced education, and leading the Competence Centre at the University of Rorschach.

Andrea Back (CH)
Director, Institute for Information Management, University St. Gallen
Since 1994, Andrea Back is professor for information management at the University St. Gallen, which is renowned for its close links to the practical world of work. Besides being a professor and university teacher, she leads a largely autonomous institute as akinf of entrepreneurially managed units, doing research and consulting for companies and government authorities both at home and abroad.

Alois Ferscha (A) - Human Computer Confluence
Professor for computer science, head of the department for Pervasive Computing, University of Linz
One of the leading experts in international research in Pervasive Computing and Augmented Reality, Alois Ferscha is working on applications and prototypes like a "Wireless Campus" network, a remote-controlled public "WebWall" and “Digital Graffiti”, geo-enhanced augmented reality, Smart Spaces and a "DigitalAura" ...

Peter Baumgartner (A)
Professor for Technology enhanced learning and Multimedia, Head of the Department of Interactive Media and Educational Technology at Danube University Krems
Since 15 years, Peter has focused on new digital forms of learning, eEducation and evaluation methodology, especially in the field of Continuing Education. His latest interests include the new Open Content initiatives and their integration into existing e-learning and blended learning structures.

Norm Friesen (CAN) – Microlearning Didactics, Microlearning Genres
Canada Research Chair in E-Learning Practices at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia
Norm has been developing and studying Web technologies in educational contexts since 1995, and is the principal investigator in the SSHRC-sponsored "learningspaces.org" project. His main research interest is exploring the cultural and human dimension of emerging new technologies in the fields of learning and knowledge building. Norm is Principal Investigator of the SSHRC project “Learning Spaces: A Phenomenological Comparison of Simulated and Mediated Computer Worlds”.


Peter A. Bruck (A) – E-technologies & Smart Media
Head, ARC Research Studios Austria (Salzburg)
Peter A. Bruck is the founder and General Manager of the Research Studios Austria, and division head for e-technologies and smart media at the ARC Austrian Research Centers GmbH, the national public-private technology research organisation. His many international activities and positions include being member of the UNESCO ICT Task Force (2001 - 2005). He continues some teaching as Honorary Professor of Information Economy and New Technologies at the University of Salzburg, and holds an appointment as Research Professor of Communication and Journalism at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Brigitte Krenn - Natural Language Computing
Head of Scientific Research, RSA Studio Smart Agents Technologies (Vienna)
Brigitte is a computational linguist specializing in the design and architecture of virtual spaces based on Natural Language and Multi-User Agent Technology. She is especially interested in the usage of next generation mobile services and devices for the modeling of complex content and m-learning applications.

Martin Lindner (GER, A)
Program Chair, Microlearning2007
After some years of teaching as a visiting professor of German Literature and Media Studies, Martin realized to be witnessing a fundamental techno-cultural paradigm change and specialized in Next Generation e-learning. At the Research Studio e-Learning Environments he is responsible for R&D strategies focusing on microcontent and micromedia, having created the concept of the Microlearning conferences and building an international network of transdisciplinary experts.

Conference Chairs:
Peter A. Bruck, RCA Research Studios Austria (Salzburg) Martina Roth, Intel Education EMEA (Munich)

Program Chair:
Martin Lindner, RCA Research Studios Austria

MICROLEARNING 2007 Program Advisory Board:
Kristof Nyiri (Budapest), Michael Kerres (Duisburg), Peter Parnes (Luleå), Claudio Dondi (Bologna); Erik Duval (Leuven), Demetrios Sampson (Athens)

Peter A. Bruck (Salzburg, A)
Conference Chair
ARC Research Studios Austria

Peter A. Bruck is the founder and General Manager of the Research Studios Austria (more) within the Austrian Research Centers, and division head for e-technologies and smart media at the ARC Seibersdorf research GmbH, the national public-private technology research organisation of Austria. He is also the honorary President of the ICNM - International Center for New Media, Salzburg, the chairman of the Board of the European Academy of Digital Media-EADiM, Netherlands, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UN World Summit Award. He studied at the universities of Vienna, Iowa and at McGill, Montreal, and holds doctorates in law and communications, and master degrees in sociology and economics. He has taught at universities in Canada, US and Western Europe plus Israel and Poland and has over 25 years of experience in research and consulting in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the US and Canada. Peter A. Bruck continues some teaching as Honorary Professor of Information Economy and New Technologies at the Institute of Economics, Faculty of Law, at the University of Salzburg and holds an appointment as Research Professor of Communication and Journalism at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. He has founded the University of Applied Sciences in Salzburg and headed research institutes at universities and national research organisations in Canada and Austria and has been senior partner in ICRA - International Communications Research Associates, Ottawa, Canada. From 2001 to 2002 Peter A. Bruck was on the Board of Management and head of the Business Unit on Interactive Media of the Jet2Web Internet Services GmbH of the Austrian Telekom Group.

Go Back


Claudio Dondi (Bologna, I)
Member of the Advisory Board
SCIENTER Research Institute

Claudio Dondi is President of SCIENTER, a research institute linked with Bologna University and specialising in the field of open learning and innovation in education and training systems. He co-ordinated several projects in national and European Programmes (COMETT, DELTA, FORCE, TEMPUS, LEONARDO, SOCRATES, ADAPT, EMPLOYMENT). He co-ordinates the European Observatory on Multimedia Educational Software and advices the European Commission, national and regional authorities in Italy, Spain, Denmark, Greece, Russia, Hungary on themes related to innovation in education and training systems. Beside its main role at SCIENTER, Claudio Dondi is Vice-President of EDEN, Secretary General of CAMPO - the Italian Open Learning Association, a member of the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Educational Technology and of EURODL - The European Journal of Open Distance Learning, he became professor of Human Resource Development at the College of Europe in 1999.

Go Back


Erik Duval (Leuven, BE)
Member of the Advisory Board
University of Leuven

Erik Duval is President of The ARIADNE Foundation and Professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He leads the research unit on hypermedia and databases, part of the computer science department of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. ARIADNE is a european association open to the world, for knowledge sharing and reuse, e-learning for all, international cooperation in teaching, serving the learning citizen, and is part of the IST Prolearn Network of Excellence. Erik Duval’s current research interests are metadata in a wide sense and learning object metadata in particular, standards in interoperability, in order to realise an open, global infrastructure for learning human-computer interaction in general, and in a learning or digital repository context in particular the application of information and communication technology in education and training.

Go Back

Go Back


Michael Kerres (Duisburg, D)
Member of the Advisory Board
Professor of Media Didactics and Knowledge Management (Duisburg)

Michael Kerres is Professor of Education (Media Didactics and Knowledge Management) and director of the Duisburg Learning Lab, University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). In 2004 he has been Fellow at the Swiss Center for Innovations of Learning, University of St. Gallen (CH), from 1998 - 2001 Professor for educational psychology (media), Bochum University, and from 1990-1998 Professor for media didactics and psychology at the Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences. Since 1998 he is Head of the Steinbeis-Transfer Center for Education and Media. Michael Kerres’ present research interests include didactical design of hybrid learning arrangements, mobile learning/notebook-university, synchronous and asynchronous communication/collaboration tools, pragmatism as a theoretical foundation of media didactics.

Go Back

Kristof Nyiri (Budapest, HUN)
Member of the Advisory Board
Professor Kristóf Nyiri, Institute for Philosophy of the Hungarian Academy of
Sciences (Budapest)

Go Back


Peter Parnes (Luleå, SWE)
Member of the Advisory Board
Luleå University of Technology

Peter Parnes is Associate Professor and Research leader of the Media Technology group at the Luleå University of Technology (Sweden). Research interests include distributed applications and real-time human communication over the Internet. He enjoys applied research which is attractive to the industry outside the research community. He has a PhD in Computer Science received from the Luleå University of Technology in 1999. He has a strong record of financing research and he has insight into how to create spin-off companies as he is the founder of the Swedish company Marratech AB. Peter Parnes enjoys experimenting with different education forms and tries to be adaptive to feedback from students. He believes that one of the best education forms is for students to educate themselves by finding answers to current problems on their own. He also believes that undergraduate education should be close to active research and by that creating a more stimulating environment.

Go Back