Call for Proposals | Submission Guide . Digital Pedagogies for Building Peaceful and Sustainable Societies. December 16 – 18, 2017 Novotel Varun Beach Visakhapatnam, India

1. December 16 – 18, 2017
Novotel Varun Beach
Visakhapatnam, India
Call for Proposals | Submission Guide
Supported By: Knowledge Partner

2. About UNESCO MGIEP
The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) is an integral
part of UNESCO and focuses on education for peace, sustainable development and global citizenship to
foster peaceful and sustainable societies. In 2009, the UNESCO General Conference decided to set up an
institute focusing on peace and sustainability education based in the vast and rapidly growing Asia-Pacific
region. In 2012, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and the President of India, Pranab
Mukherjee, launched the institute. Currently, UNESCO MGIEP is the only category 1 research institute in
Asia Pacific and one of the seven in the world.
UNESCO MGIEP looks at youth and the technological space as key focus areas for intervention in formal,
informal and non-formal learning systems. The Institute has identified technology as a key tool offering
unique pedagogical insights into fostering critical inquiry, empathy, and compassion, in addition to
embedding the concepts of peace, sustainable development and global citizenship into the core disciplines
of mathematics, sciences, and the humanities. UNESCO MGIEP therefore believes organizing TECH
(Transforming Education for Humanity Conference) comes at an opportune time as countries find
innovative ways to achieve the 2030 education targets and more broadly the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
About the conference
In an age of rapid change, characterized by exponential growth in information technology, globalization
and rising inequalities, the 21st century poses a unique set of challenges. To contend with these
interconnected global issues, education systems have to develop new and innovative approaches. This
means that we need to work at all levels—from government policies to classroom teaching methods and
informal learning—to empower young people to rapidly and easily adapt to their changing environments
and to lead socially responsible lives. With this background, UNESCO MGIEP is organizing the TECH
conference.
Our Target Audience
TECH intends to bring together educators, education researchers, neuroscientists, edtech specialists, policy
makers, students, gaming experts, curriculum designers, young social entrepreneurs, technology experts
and futurists who can help build, share, enhance and deliver Digital Pedagogies for Peaceful and Sustainable
Societies.

3. Key Highlights
• Support from the Government: Supported by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt of India
• Long Term Commitment: Biennial edtech conference spread over 10 years
• Policy Driven: Aims to work towards a normative UNESCO recommendation from member states to
adopt specific research based edtech pedagogies in education systems
• Inclusive and Collaborative: Attracts 1,200 specialists, decision makers, policy makers, influencers,
researchers, educators, curriculum designers, game designers, entrepreneurs and technology companies
• Pedagogy driven: Unique edtech focus: Digital pedagogies that help build empathy, compassion and
sustainable development curricula
• Public-Private partnerships: Learning zone with exhibitors showcasing cutting edge education technology
• Multi-sectoral: Policy makers, educators, students and school administrators in one place
• Innovation: Display of the best cases of innovation in education on the above themes
• Capacity Building: Training and workshop opportunities for practitioners
Here’s your chance to create a buzz and catalyze change:
Digital age learning by optimizing use of technology is the need of the hour. UNESCO MGIEP calls on you to
think outside the box and submit an award-winning proposal that can shake the system. Each one of us has
a “method to our madness” and that’s why you may want to present.
• Revolutionary ideas that align fantastically with our themes
• Provide educators a feast for thought to confidently opt for alternate learning methods while designing
their next curricula in mindfulness, empathy and compassion using digital technology
• Deliver innovative methodologies to bring about critical inquiry skills, socio emotional skills and
transform behavioral patterns
• Share ideas which explore systems, models, practices and strategies for achieving digital age learning in
the virtual and real-time space continuum
Choose the format which best suits your presentation
• Panel Discussion: A designated moderator, 3-4 panelists and an invigorating discussion on a particular
topic. The discussions will be conducted for 60 minutes followed by Q&A for 30 minutes
• Workshop: An engaging, hands-on session of 60 minutes, which is a personalized, in-depth exploration
of a particular topic, engaging targeted small groups
• Short Sessions: Two presenters make 15 minute presentations offering different perspectives on a
particular topic
• E-posters: An informal digital presentation engaging the audience one-on-one. An open conversation
with direct questions and audience interaction
• Learning zone: An informal classroom styled space to showcase a school project or a product related
to educational technology. The objective is to provide the audience with a hands on experience
coupled with short presentations about the topic at hand.

4. Presentation Topics
TECH 2017 aims to highlight the world’s best digital pedagogies for enhancing 21st century skills to build
peaceful and sustainable societies. The conference will bring together 1,200 international experts, learners,
researchers, decision-makers, and policy-makers to discuss, debate, and share their knowledge and
innovations.
We are calling for proposals that will best showcase your digital pedagogy, enabling policy framework,
addressing pitfalls, and highlighting success factors in the following areas:
A. 21st Century Skills
The skills needed to address the challenges of the 21st century will be very different from the skills
prioritized over the past six decades. New challenges in a rapidly changing world will require new skills for
success. The advancements in the digital world have played a key role in shrinking the world and
connecting societies in ways never seen before in human history. The conference focuses on exploring how
the digital pedagogies actually improve the efficiency of learning using the vast amounts of big data and
information available. In addition to improving numeracy and literacy through critical thinking, new skills to
meet 21st century challenges include building the social emotional skills such as mindfulness, empathy and
compassion. Please apply now if you have something to say in the following areas:
• Digital Games, pedagogies and assessments
• Fostering Social and Emotional Learning
• Multimodal digital platforms for Design Thinking and systems approach to learning
• Artificial Intelligence in learning
• Augmented and virtual reality as digital pedagogies
B. 21st Century Schools for Inclusive, Equitable and Quality Education
Technology offers a great possibility to make learning bespoke. Every individual learns differently, some
more common than others. Digital pedagogies offer the possibility of designing the future school where
students are provided an environment where they are able to build their own lesson plans and advance at
their own speed and comfort. Advances in the use of big data and the use of multimedia to design lesson
plans offers customized attention to each learner. Please apply now if you have ideas on the design of
future schools along the following themes:
• Technology enabled innovative tools for screening, assessment and measuring outcomes
• Teacher training and capacity building for inclusive education through digital platforms
• New Technology Applications in the classroom
• Traditional Education vs. digital education and its Integration

5. C. 21st Century Policies for the Implementation and mainstreaming of digital pedagogies in Education
Systems
Governments around the world have invested an enormous amount of resources and efforts into ICT in
education in order to reform their informal, formal, and non-formal education systems. If you have worked
on the implementation and mainstreaming of digital pedagogies, do submit your proposal on any of the
following themes
• Best practices and models in policy development, financing and delivery
• Community based approaches in informal and non-formal education System
• Issues and challenges in Digital equity
• Intellectual Property Rights and digital pedagogies
• Regulations and management of digital resources and the Internet.
Still can’t find a match of your idea in any of the above topics..….it’s not the
end…go ahead and share your story and challenge us!
Submit Your Proposal:
The application process requires interested individuals to complete and return the Application Form along
with their presentations to tech@unesco.org
Submission Guidelines:
1. The title of the proposal should convey the exact topic and its content.
2. A brief yet detailed description of your session covering the subject, objective and proposed outcome.
3. The method you use to deliver your presentation must align with one of the session formats
4. Please also submit a brief bio of the presenter and co-presenter.
*Financial assistance may be available for select candidates from developing countries.UNESCO is
committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority
groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications
will be treated with the strictest confidence.
All of the above must be submitted by (11:59 p.m. Indian Standard Time) August 15, 2017.

6. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit my presentation proposal?
All proposals must be submitted by emailing the Application Form and presentation to
tech@unesco.org
Do I have to register for the conference if my proposal is accepted?
Yes, you must register for the conference in order to present.
Can I submit more than one proposal?
You are welcome to submit multiple proposals for different topics, but we typically accept only one
per person. You must submit only one proposal per topic. Submitting multiple copies of a proposal
under different formats does not increase chances of a proposal being accepted.
When do I need to complete my submission?
We must receive your submission by midnight (11:59 p.m. Indian Standard Time) August 15, 2017
When will I find out if my proposal has been accepted?
An email notification will be sent by September 30, 2017 for all proposals which have been
accepted by the evaluation team.
How will my proposal be evaluated?
Independent committees of content experts review all presenter proposals. Evaluations are based
primarily on:
1. The topic’s relevance to educational technology.
2. Educational significance and contribution to the respective focus area and topic.
3. Value to participants.
4. Presenter knowledge and expertise.
More questions?
Contact- tech@unesco.org

7. Supported By
mgiep.tech www.facebook.com/mgiep
www.twitter.com/unesco_mgiep +91-11-23072356-60
Unesco Mgiep unesco_mgiep
Knowledge Partner