4th INTERNATIONAL BALTIC SYMPOSIUM ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION “SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION: DEVELOPING A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE (BalticSTE2021)”: SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

Time is running relentlessly fast. The Fourth International Symposium was held on June 21-22 this year. The topic of the Symposium was “Science and technology education: Developing a global perspective”. More than 60 scientists from 18 countries participated in the symposium. Comparing with the symposium which took place in 2019, the geographical distribution of the participants is wide and diverse. Ukrainian, Serbian, Moldavian, Malaysian, Latvian, Slovak etc. researchers participated in the symposium. Another important feature of the symposium is that it was held remotely/online due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. One of this international symposium ideas is – to show that Baltic region countries also actively participate in natural science and technology education research, especially in STEAM context. The second idea is that Baltic countries as well as other small regions of the world need corresponding close communication and cooperation. During this symposium, these two essential ideas were developed and supported. The symposium was organised by scientific methodological centre “Scientia Educologica”, the associated member of Lithuanian Scientific Society. The main symposium partner was Publishing House Scientia Socialis, Ltd. It is significant that even in the conditions of a pandemic, the symposium was properly organized.

Harnessing the Potential of Technology to Support Self-Directed Language Learning in Online Learning Settings––Online Symposium Review

Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden) and the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education at Kanda University of International Studies (Chiba, Japan) held a joint online symposium on October 15, 2020. It was an open event for those interested in the design and use of technology and self-directed, autonomous language learning in online settings. Examining 15 of the event’s internationally focused presentations, this article aims to provide an overview of the symposium by summarizing the main themes in research and practice relating to technology and self-directed learning. The article will conclude with a commentary on the takeaways and issues for further reflection.