Looking ahead to the Microsoft Partners in Learning European Forum in Moscow next week.

It hardly seems that a year has gone by since I was headed off to Berlin for the 2010 European Innovative Education Forum. I have reflected on my adventures before, but the purpose of this brief post is to look forward to next week when teachers from all over Europe will meet in Moscow.

We are all very, very pleased that one of our own Geography department will be one of those going to Moscow. Jo is the second member of our four person department that has managed to get through to the European stage of the Microsoft Innovative Education Awards, and we all have strong hopes that she will be travelling to the World event later this year. Details of the project led by Jo Debens.

I spoke to Jo yesterday before leaving work for the weekend and she kindly agreed to share what she is looking forward to and nervous about the event.

‘I’m very much excited about meeting all of the other innovative teachers that will be there, I’m sure that there will be a wealth of great, inspiring ideas that can be used back at Priory and I’m looking forward to the opportunity of meeting and listening to a number of inspiring speakers. I’m a little nervous or meeting so many other professionals and that my project may seem a little inadequate next to them.’

I’m sure that you will join me in reassuring Jo on the last point – if the atmosphere is similar to the Berlin event, Moscow will be supportive, engaging and a lot of fun. Your brain will probably hurt afterwards, but from all of the ideas buzzing around and trying to remember all the names of people you have met.

I’ve been very lucky in being able to sneak a peek at Jo’s programme for the week and it looks like being another exceptional event. You can follow the event on Twitter by using the #MSPIL hastag, I’d particularly recommend following Stuart Ball (@innovativeteach) and Jan Webb (@innovteach2) as they are the head honchos and looking after the team.

Good luck to the UK and Irish teams! I’ll be watching the Twitter feed with interest on Thursday evening…….

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