We are pleased to announce the 8th Joint European Summer School on Technology Enhanced Learning, to take place from Monday, May 21st to Friday May 25th, 2012. Cultural activities are organized all day on Sunday, May 20th.

The summer school aims to encourage participants to adopt a critical stance in thinking about the role of technologies in providing opportunities for learners and the potential of these opportunities in terms of learning.

The summer school provides a stimulating learning environment where participants get opportunities to: develop their research skills; increase their knowledge base; collaborate with others in their own and complementary research areas; engage in debate; have access to experts in the field; present and discuss their own work. 

The programme will include sessions from a broad range of domains which contribute to advancing the field of Technology Enhanced Learning. Practical and methodological workshops will offer opportunities for doctoral candidates to develop their personal research. TEL research projects are encouraged to provide students with a perspective of the state-of-the-art research under study in their working groups.

Call for PhD Student Participation
Applications should be submitted online before Thursday, March 1st, 2012. The application form is available at the Summer School web site (www.JTELSummerSchool.eu) and can be submitted as PDF or ZIP file via EasyChair.

Applicants requiring financial support for participation or travel should explicitly mention it in their motivation letter, briefly explaining their circumstances. It is expected that applicants working on research projects which are able to fund them will not apply for financial support. To ensure a high ratio between tutors and students the school will be limited to 60 PhD students.

In order to increase social contacts among the summer school participants, the programme includes several social events. A variety of sport activities will also be offered to the summer school participants.

Support
This year the JTEL Summer School will benefit from special funding from the STELLAR Network of Excellence in Technology Enhanced Learning and the European Association of Technology Enhanced Learning.

Venue Description
The Summer School will take place in Estoril, Portugal. Situated on the coast, half-hour by train from Lisbon, Estoril has a wonderful climate and a superb natural environment, known as the Portuguese Riviera. Estoril's rich cultural heritage reflects its royal, historic past. Exploring the region will make you feel like you are living in another time which belongs to another world.

The Estoril Coast also caters to today's world, integrating its "glamour", delicacy and royalty into a wide range of activities. Surfers will find the best waves at Carcavelos Beach and Guincho Beach is very popular for wind and kite surfing.

Nowhere else in the world can such changes of scenery and such contrasting atmospheres be experienced in such a small area as the Estoril Coast which offers a concentration of different experiences.

Accommodation and Social Events
Accommodation and summer school facilities will be made available at Hotel Vila Galé Estoril, (http://www.vilagale.pt/pages/hoteis/?hotel=12) located right along Estoril cost, two minutes away from the sea and overlooking the charming Tamariz Beach.

PhD students are asked to share double rooms with other peers.

Cost of Summer School
The cost for PhD students is Euro 570 (including accommodation - 7 nights in double rooms, meals and excursions). JTEL has secured funding for about 40 PhD student grants to cover summer school accommodation, catering, and events. Please indicate if you are applying for a scholarship in your application. Some selected students with grants may be able to benefit from funding to cover travel expenses to Estoril as well.

Calendar
March 1st, 2012: Deadline for submitting applications to the Summer School
April 1st, 2012: Notification of acceptance
May 1st, 2012: Pre-Summer School videoconferences begin
May 21, 2012:  Summer School begins

Call for Lectures and Workshops
If you would like to offer a lecture or workshop at the summer school we invite you to submit a short abstract (max 250 words) describing your contribution, which should demonstrate how your presentation will benefit the PhD candidates attending the summer school (mainly early to mid-stage). We encourage interactive sessions rather than lecture-style presentations, and your abstract could include details about how you plan to engage the PhD candidates. Lectures are typically no longer than 30 minutes and workshops are usually 90 minutes or longer. Lectures should provide students with insight into the state-of-the-art in one aspect of TEL or methodologies for conducting research in TEL. Workshops should provide hands-on opportunities to work with new technologies or develop research techniques.

Please submit your proposal to Easy Chair and be sure to tick the correct box: lecture or workshop proposal:https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=jtelss2012.

PhD students applying to participate in the summer school are also invited to propose workshops.

If your preliminary proposal is selected, you will be requested to provide a full proposal on EasyChair (i.e. an extended abstract and a detailed planning of activities with the PhD candidates). Please note that speakers and workshop organizers are expected to cover the costs of their trip and accommodation (typically through the TEL projects they are belonging to).

This year, as scientific output of the summer school, we will publish the collection of the extended abstracts for presentations and workshops. We will provide further guidance concerning these extended abstracts but the idea is that they should emphasise the current challenges you are tackling and how they relate to the state-of-the-art in your area.