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Futurelab Ideas Incubator opens 21 January 2008
The Futurelab Ideas Incubator is seeking ideas for ways of using technology that open up opportunities for young people.
Selected ideas will receive advice and support from the experienced research team at education innovation charity Futurelab, assistance with development, and investment to take the idea to the next stage.
Ideas of interest will be ones that stimulate significant debate about the future direction of education and technology; or push the current boundaries of how technology is used; or challenge assumptions about how teaching and learning happen.
Ideas that can be prototyped are ideal, but Futurelab will also be interested in future focused ideas that might not be able to be developed with present day technologies.
Ideas are welcome from individuals, teams, and organisations and companies of all sizes in the UK. This year Futurelab would particularly welcome ideas from young people, whether in formal education or not. The last date for submissions is 29 February 2008.
Only 15% of children’s time is spent in school. Every day, young people are involved in developing skills, competencies and knowledge outside school – whether learning from parents or siblings, from friends or online communities, whether through formal activities such as clubs or community groups, or through informal activities, such as hobbies and personal passions.
In this year’s Ideas Incubator, Futurelab is seeking ideas on how to support young people to recognise what they are achieving in informal settings. Those submitting ideas may want to consider working with young people to understand how and what they are learning outside school, what technology they already use and how new tools and resources could help them. Another key consideration may be how to capture, share and comment on learning in unconventional locations.
Other questions and challenges to consider for this year’s Ideas Incubator include:
- What tools and practices could we develop to support young people to reflect upon and develop their out of school learning?
- How can we support educators to recognise, build upon and support children’s informal learning interests?
- What tools and practices could enable young people to showcase their informal learning to their families, friends, employers or educators?
The theme for this ideas incubator draws on and will feed into a range of work already happening at Futurelab. In particular, it builds on the work of Enquiring Minds, a three-year research programme in partnership with Microsoft which supports young learners to take responsibility for their own learning. Entrants should also consider Futurelab’s Digital Inclusion Programme (www.futurelab.org.uk/themes/digital_inclusion) which is exploring how to resolve the problems of the digital divide and promote educational equality through the design and use of digital technologies.
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Selected ideas will receive advice and support from the experienced research team at education innovation charity Futurelab, assistance with development, and investment to take the idea to the next stage. 
