Weather & Menu

What seemed like an excellent idea last week, when the sun was shining, no longer attracts as much, when rain is pouring down! By this I'm referring to a nice walk through the park to a restaurant by the sea. Weather forecast for tomorrow looks like this:

By 19:00 when we should be starting our hike the chance of rain should have diminished, though. Anyway, we can always take a bus instead! I'm under the impression that the Danes and the Norwegians will take a taxi from their hotel to the restaurant, and I'll take a walk with the Swedes, but correct me if I'm wrong! (Mail: irmeli.pietila(at)haaga-helia.fi, Phone: +358 40 488 7404)

To save time at the restaurant, you might want to have a look at the á la carte menu (pdf) in advance. There are also two suggestions for a full menu (starter, main course, dessert).

Menu 1
Delicacy Plate: Chorizo, mooseterrine in rye-bread, serviceberry jelly, Finnish roast beef marinated in rosemary, goat cheese and Maalahti bread

Finnish white fish with rucola-yoghurt mousse, potato gratin and vegetables

Lapland’s bread cheese with arctic bramble compote

35,80 €

Menu 2
Scallops with saffron-chives sauce

Tournedos Rossini, 150 g fillet of beef and bacon, madeira demi-glase sauce, duck’s liver and potato wedges

Dessert symphony: Cheese cake with raspberry melba, brie, arctic bramble jelly, Mango sorbet and grape-pineapple compote

45,40 €

See you tomorrow!
Irmeli

Pre-conference get-together at Mestaritalli

We'll meet at Mestaritalli, Merikannontie 2 (red A on the map) at 19:30.


You can come directly to the restaurant by taxi or by public transportation (journeyplanner, central railwaystation-Merikannontie 2, you can put in your own place of departure, I chose Rautatieasema, as I know some of you stay at Hotel Seurahuone), or you can take a walk with me. My bus will be at Kamppi bus terminal at 19:05, and I'll walk to Fredrikinkatu entrance to wait for you. Send me SMS, if you are going to join me for a walk (+358 40 488 7404).

I'm looking forward to meeting you all!

Irmeli

Less than two weeks to go! Take a poll, please!

The conference is getting closer, and it's time to start talking about the fringe activities. Some of you have suggested that perhaps we should have an informal pre-conference  meeting already on Tuesday 14.6. I'd now want to know, how many of you are interested in joining this get-together, so that I can start making some reservations.

I'd also want to know, if you want to eat or just grab a drink, and if you prefer a place right downtown (even if it might be a little bit noisier) or if you are willing to walk some (mostly in a park) to reach a more pleasant setting.


Best wishes!
Irmeli, tel. +358 40 488 7404

Book your accomodation soon, please!

I got alarming news from Norway: two of the three suggested hotels are full booked! I suggest you make your reservations as soon as possible. Information on available rooms can be found at Booking.com.


- Irmeli

Are you going to be in Helsinki already 14.6.? Want to have an unofficial get-together?

Sun has been shining in Helsinki for the past couple of days, and it looks like we are going to get rid of all the snow before NYK2011 after all! Some of our Nordic guests will arrive in Helsinki already 14.6., and I'm now wondering, would it be a good idea to organize an unofficial meeting somewhere down-town. Feel free to comment this post, or send me direct mail to .

See you soon!

Irmeli

Official webpage now open!

I'm happy to announce that the official page for NYK2011 is now open at http://nyk2011.haaga-helia.fi/! You can also register here!

Please, spread the word in your networks by clicking Facebook and Twitter links below or by sending the link to NYK2011 homepage!

The Twitter channel for the conference is http://twitter.com/#2011nyk, so remember to include hashtag #2011nyk, whenever you tweet about the event.

If you want to be part of the pre-conference buzzmaking by starting a discussion on related themes here in the blog, mail me, irmeli.pietila(at)haaga-helia.fi, and I'll add you to blog contributors!

See you soon!
Irmeli

And what about the themes?

For a moment we we wondering, should we go on with these preparations at all. Namely, we heard that there is another network having another conference 15. - 16.6.2011, and for a while we thought that perhaps the agendas of these two conferences are too overlapping. After a while of negotiations among the Nordic partners we figured out that the scope of Nordyrk isn't the same as ours. Nordyrk is more concerned about vocational pedagogy as a whole, and has a more research orientated approach. NYK on the other hand is interested in the implementation of vocational teacher education in the Nordic countries, and deserves its own biannual gathering!

This years themes circle around new ways of implementing vocational teacher education.

Denmark

New program for vocational teacher education (diplomuddannelsen i erhvervspædagogik), started in August 2010. Special emphases on blended learning.‬

‪
Finland
New qualification requirements for Vocational Teachers, starting August 2011



Iceland

The New Legislation about Teacher Education in Iceland: Prospects for Vocational Education



Norway

Lessons learned from 10 years of 3-year vocational teacher training (bachelor) in Norway

Sweden
‬Legislation is undergoing major changes also in Sweden.

We'll also have interesting workshops on e.g. online teacher training and work based  learning. Plus an excursion. So, stay tuned to get more info!