SENnet provides information and support for those working to develop the use of technology to improve access for school age learners with special educational needs (SEN). It takes as its starting point that the potential of ICT to address these difficulties is significant and under-exploited. SENnet has three overall objectives.
Identify, analyse, and disseminate research: Topics include barriers and opportunities to the inclusion of learners with SEN in mainstream schools and effective approaches for special schools that serve as resource centres to others.
Map and analyse, develop scenarios and design new learning environments: The network aims to develop new learning environments that integrate learners with SEN, particularly employing technological solutions for specific needs. Another area of interest is the use of digital resources that can improve access and learning for various special needs.
To develop awareness and competences in teachers: Enable teachers, school leaders, and other support staff to understand and take steps to improve the inclusion of learners with SEN in mainstream classrooms.

Knowledge and skills have a huge impact on life chances, particularly in countries that are shifting towards a knowledge-based economy. Just in terms of income, the average hourly wage of workers with advanced literacy and cognitive skills is 60% higher than workers with low-level literacy skills. A recently released study by the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies shows how adults acquire, maintain, and lose skills over a lifetime.
The OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) surveyed about 166 000 adults in 24 countries and sub-national regions on literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in technology rich environments. More...

Educators and researchers working in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER) are invited to participate in a survey aimed at developing and validating a set of quality and pedagogical guidelines for the use of OER in higher education.
University and college educators, researchers, and other stakeholders with expertise in the field of OERs are asked to contribute 10 minutes of their time to complete an online survey to help validate the quality and pedagogical guidelines for OER use in higher education.
The study is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). The principal investigators leading the study are Professors Insung Jung and Teruyoshi Sasaki of the International Christian University, Japan. They would be happy to share results of the survey with respondents upon request. Please direct any questions about the study in general, or about the survey in particular, to Professor Jung.
Responses will be accepted until November 15, 2013. Thank you very much in advance for lending your time, experience and expertise to this important and exciting project, and for sharing this information with others who may be interested! Click here to go to the survey now.

The clock is ticking down to the highly anticipated launch of the Open Educational Resource university (OERu) website. It will be unveiled for the first time on 1 November, 2013. OERu is a virtual collaboration of like-minded institutions committed to creating flexible pathways for OER learners to gain formal academic credit.
At the OER university, anyone with an internet connection and the motivation to learn can study world-class courses for free. Even better, those courses will count towards real qualifications. All of the courses are based on OERs, so students can access the materials freely online without having to pay for textbooks. The courses are designed for independent study, but learners can support each other through the networking channels available.
On Friday November 1, Sir John Daniel will officially launch the OER university website. The institutions of higher education that form the partners of the Open Education Resource university initiative are doing all of their planning for the launch event in the open.  It is important to note that it is not a conference but rather an implementation planning meeting.
In addition, anyone can register to attend the launch event online.

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) is currently taking place in Doha, Qatar, where over 1,200 leaders from education, business, political and social sectors are gathered to debate and discuss the theme of “Reinventing Education for Life.” The entire conference is being broadcast live online.
Ms. Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth at the European Commission, was one of the esteemed speakers who contributed to the panel discussion on “Bringing Learning to Life” on the first day of the conference. She spoke about the importance of revitalizing education to meet the needs and expectations of 21^st century learners. More...

Open Access Week, a global event now entering its sixth year, is an opportunity for the academic and research community to discuss the potential benefits of Open Access. Participants can share what they’ve learned with colleagues and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research.
“Open Access” to information – the free, immediate, online access to the results of scholarly research, and the right to use and re-use those results as you need – has the power to transform the way research and scientific inquiry are conducted. It has direct and widespread implications for academia, medicine, science, industry, and for society as a whole.
Open Access (OA) has the potential to maximize research investments, increase the exposure and use of published research, facilitate the ability to conduct research across available literature, and enhance the overall advancement of scholarship. Research funding agencies, academic institutions, researchers and scientists, teachers, students, and members of the general public are supporting a move towards Open Access in increasing numbers every year. Open Access Week is a key opportunity for all members of the community to take action to keep this momentum moving forward. More...

Italy’s first Open University has upgraded its e-learning platform to a private cloud-based server, both reducing costs and improving performance.
Marconi University became Italy’s first Open University in 2004, combining classroom teaching with e-learning services such as video lectures and learning materials for mobile devices. For example, students can watch the Marconi WebTV Channel via its online Virtual Campus platform. Over 14,000 students from around the world access the university’s online graduate and post-graduate courses.
Marconi University recently selected the European company Interoute to host its e-learning platform on the Interoute Virtual Data Centre. The move promises to improve the platform’s reliability and performance, and the University was able to cut its costs of running the platform by 23%. The savings will allow Marconi University to invest more resources into course content and innovation.

IA partir de ahora estarán disponibles dos tipos de certificados, los gratuitos que ya existían en formato PDF, y los de superación que son nuevos y de pago.
A partir de ahora estarán disponibles dos tipos de certificados, los gratuitos, que ya existían, en formato PDF; y los de superación, nuevos y de pago: 

The Unite for Quality Education campaign was launched this month by Education International (EI), a network of education organizations representing over 30 million education professionals. The year-long campaign demands that quality of education remain a priority in the global agenda for a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future...
As part of the launch, the website www.unite4education.org went live in early October. The website offers news and resources related to the campaign’s goals. It boasts a busy events calendar of advocacy and education-related activities during the year of the campaign. To follow the news and events of Unite for Quality Education, you can subscribe for the newsletter, @unite4ed and #unite4ed on Twitter, and visit the campaign’s Facebook or Google+ page. More...

LibLink es el proyecto Enlace de Bibliotecas entre América y España a través del cual se comparten más de 17.000 documentos científicos al año.
Las instituciones educativas que participan, forman parte del Consorcio Iberoamericano para la Educación en Ciencia y Tecnología (ISTEC). Con este proyecto se pretende crear y compartir conocimiento a través del intercambio electrónico gratuito de documentos. Entre sus objetivos se encuentran favorecer el intercambio de información bibliográfica, aumentar el uso de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, divulgar la producción científica de las instituciones que forman parte del Consorcio y conseguir unas mejores condiciones de negociación frente a los proveedores de recursos a la hora de adquirir productos y servicios.
Esta iniciativa se inscribe dentro del movimiento Open Access, con el que se fomenta el acceso abierto y gratuito a materiales educativos digitales. Integrarse al proyecto para acceder gratuitamente a los beneficios de LibLink es muy fácil y sólo requiere que las universidades interesadas se incorporen como miembros a ISTEC.