Personal Blogs

It is clear to me that there are some overlapping themes in the reports. The common denominator seems to be the fact that technology has more and more influence on the way people behave, learn, teach, work and socialise and therefore must be incorporated effectively into teaching and learning. 

The Horizon Report 2009
The Horizon report specifies 6 technologies. These technologies are split into short term, medium term and long term implementation.
Collaborative environments and Online communication tools will become more important in education. I see the value of both tools and have experienced them both positively as a learner. The problem for me as an educator of primary school children is how I can implement this in the classroom. VLE’s could potentially be very useful because they give students the possibility to experiment with online tools in a safe environment and enable them to see how these tools can enhance their learning.

Cloud computing will be an interesting development:  “a computing paradigm where the boundaries of computing will be determined by economic rationale rather than technical limits (Prof. Ramnath K. Chellappa)”.

 I think this “pay as you go” principle will be very important for institutions in terms of enabling them to lower their costs. It provides a more internet based approach which, I believe, is the way education is heading.

I am also convinced that data sharing will become more and more important as social applications are mostly based on this (Flickr, Delicious, Blogs etc).
Smart Objects, data sharing, peer to peer learning, tagging...all of this will support learning as well and requires new skills. These skills need to be acquired by both learners and teachers. Support (training) is needed to ensure that this happens.

The personal web (web 3.0?) is an interesting development. The internet based upon your personal interests. Students are familiar with personalising their online tools and expect to be able to do the same with their learning environment. Classrooms will need to be prepared for this.

I am still not sure how mobile devices fit into all of this at the moment. I can see their future potential as useful learning tools, particularly as the devices develop to include GPS, internet access etc, but this is currently only available at a fairly high cost and therefore not to everyone. Unless something happens to change this I can’t see how they can really be used successfully. They will remain tools that emphasise the divide between the fortunate and the less fortunate students even more.

The Horizon report also has an interesting approach to the Digital Divide in general: The digital divide, once seen as a factor of wealth, is now seen as a factor of education.

BECTA report 2008
The BECtA report also emphasised the use of technology in education: “Technology is increasingly used in other sectors to provide personalised

services. Learners of all ages use technology for informal learning, recreation and entertainment. This is matched by rising expectations from learners, parents and employers to make good use of technology to support education and training.”

I agree with this statement. Introducing something new in education is, in my experience, a difficult subject. It is human nature to compare things with the past, instead of looking forward and assessing how effective new technology could, and would, be.

Becta also describes the involvement of parents in this process: “Technology has an important role to play in ensuring greater participation by parents in children’s learning. It enables schools and colleges to report to parents on their child’s progress as it develops, rather than at a few fixed points in the year, and offers parents new opportunities to engage in dialogue with providers.”

Parents play an important role in the process of learning. They are a countable factor in educational institutions.

Home access is, in my opinion, very important as well: Home access supports and motivates learning. It gives learners a choice of where and how they study, it can improve parental involvement.

 “Learners aged 11 to 19 report that three of the most commonly reported activities in class are still copying from the board or a book, ‘listening to a teacher talking for a long time’ and taking notes while the teacher talks. By contrast, learners’ reported preferred ways of learning are ‘in groups’, ‘by doing practical things’, ‘with friends’ and ‘by using computers’.”
We might expect that in 2009 this situation would be different.  With all the technological innovation and investment, it is surprising to learn that students are still experiencing these main methods of teaching.  Something is still preventing educational institutions from using technology to its full potential. Further support, training and guidance is still needed. The JISC or the government should play an active role in this.

Cheers,

Eugene

This is my mindmap. The page wasn't big enough to map out all the applications I use. These are the main ones I use.

Click on this link to see the larger file

My notes regarding the Weller/Sclater podcast:

To conclude, I am in favour of a controlled environment to introduce learners to technology where necessary, and support many of Sclater’s opinions, but my personal views align more closely with Weller’s. I like his approach of using what is available and learning by doing. I strongly favour his arguments about reviewing the entire method of assessment. People like Weller have a Vision about the future, which in my opinion, will bring Education a step forwards. He wants us to stop looking back, stop going in circles, and to move forward.

Cheers, Eugene

Part 3&4 are about the implications for teachers:

Part 3:
Conole says on page 9 that the implications for teachers and others are less radical. She continues on page 10 to mention the fact that lack of participation by staff members in peer networks: “... students are in peer networks. The same is not true for academics; currently the majority of teachers are not connected in this way and hence the potential benefits of such networks are not apparent to them. Participation in the blogosphere or via microblogging services such as twitter or immersion in 3D-worlds such as second life, only have true value if others are contributing and if what they are saying is of interest to you as an individual, i.e. if it adds value to your practice. Academics currently struggle to see the practical benefits of these tools, being overwhelmed by the sheer quantity and potential possibilities and intimidated by the fact that incorporation of these new approaches will require a fundamental change in their role as ‘teacher’ and associated lose of authority.”

This is quite true I’m afraid. In our school the majority of teachers are not participating in peer networks and therefore gain no new knowledge. The most frequently heard argument is that they are afraid of violation of privacy. In my opinion it is the fear of using new technology because they haven’t experienced it yet.  I participate in a couple of peer networks for teachers in which one shares knowledge, materials and even problems. It is quite interesting and very different to other social network sites. A good example of an English version is the following website: http://teachade.com/

Part4:
How do we get teachers to be less afraid of web 2.0?  Perhaps we have to provide opportunity for them to participate and experience web 2.0, facilitate proper training and then give them a gentle push over the edge!
I have found, in my opinion, a very good website that helps people to get acquainted with web 2.0 tools. It is a an online learning program by the California School Library Association 2.0 team
http://classroomlearning2.blogspot.com/

It presents a very good example of bringing web 2.0 INTO the classroom. What is also important to note is that as a teacher, you can train yourself in your own pace and time!

Hi All,

These are my notes for assigment 1D with the Conole paper integrated and some web 2.0 websites or tools that are relevant to me. I have split my notes up in 4 parts otherwise this Blog Post is much too long. Enjoy reading and feel free to comment.

Part 1
Since 2002 our school organisation has made a massive shift in its use technology. It was the first year we had a proper ICT Budget and at last we could invest in our IT structure. We set up our school network and connected the kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and the administration department to it. Since then our school has changed drastically and become almost fully digitalised. (There are now computers in classrooms, IT rooms, smartboards, an email system, online admin tools, a website, digital video cameras, photo cameras, use of software in class, digital assessments, a digital follow up system, digital reports and the use of Office as a standard in our school)
In the same way that Conole described in her article, there were a couple of triggers that forced our school to make a swift change in its use of technology.  The triggers were the increasing use of internet and email, the sheer development of Windows based PC’S (we had old Macintosh computers) and the continuous development of our direct competitors (International Schools in the area).
I would conclude that up until 2005 we made good progress, but then things seemed to plateau. However, the current use of web 2.0 based applications by students and some teachers are triggers for our school to take the next step in IT development: creating an online or electronic environment to communicate with students (Moodle, StudyWiz) and installing Wi-Fi in our school to provide more teaching facilities for staff members and the use of laptops in school by students.

Thanks Vikki for your links on Twitter. I have read both of your articles and found them both very interesting.
However, I still don't get my head around using mobile devices in class. I do see the benefits in informal learning but for me there isn't  enough good rock solid evidence that this could work well in formal learning.

It is quite interesting to read that a so called 25% of the students performed better than the ones who hadn't used their cell phone for that particular purpose ( I believe it was an algebra test/assignment). But it still doesn't convince me that mobile devices in classrooms are useful tools for learners. Aren't they just a distraction..aren't students tempted to just send a text or play a game on their mobile in between doing their tasks or assignments.

Do you have any other experiences? we had an interesting discussion in the elluminate session. The Spanish teacher was mentioned as an example of how mobile devices could be used in formal learning...to be honest I found that example in the article quite weak...not a proper example or evidence that mobile devices are useful in education. Anyway..sorry for the rant! Trying to get my head around the TMA and the two technologies!

Mobile 2.0? Who creates the content...practitioners? students?

Cheers,

Eugene

A summary of our Elluminate session. Mainly from room 2 where I was allocated. If someone has something to add, please do:

Feedback: Also thinking  about the H800 theme of individual and collaborative learning. 

Room 1 (Brian, Ravi, Rose)

Difficult to find informal use In formal - transferring information to learners Spanish example - mobile learners took ownership by changing the nature of the task.  But this isn't easy to see at the moment. New technologies are developing fast - but is the learning or teaching developing as fast 

Room 2 (Allessandro, Corina, Eugene)

Opportunities in developing countries as mobile access is better than Internet? BBC example: hospitals sending out text messages to local doctors who can’t attend to an in service-training.

Ways of integrating mobile in formal learning is difficult. We felt that it was easier to use mobile learning in informal learning. It has greater opportunities to access information in addition or as a compliment of formal activities and resources.  In terms of process - mobile does provide greater control in the hands of the learner.  But formal learning is still in the hands of the institution.

Content consumption and content creation - learning starts with the expertise of tutors .  Why do learners need to create content ? Is it because of assignments made by expert practitioners. 

Ownership of learning: it is a process. Is what we need to learn in the hands of learners. We believe not.

Companies have big influence on the mobile market and therefore on education. Companies develop new technologies. This development is fast. Companies have influence on this process. It makes mobile devices so much easier to use in where the shift of ownership of learning might go faster than we think.

Cheers,

Eugene

1. How, specifically, are you bringing or might you bring Mobile 2.0 into your own learning and/or teaching – using that latter term broadly to include support of various kinds?
   In my opinion Mobile 2.0 will be used outside tradition learning spaces. As a learner I am already using my smart phone to either upload my blog or check my tweets and check forum messages. I am learning when it suites me (either when I’m traveling or when I’m somewhere where I think I would rather be learning).
   I’m not sure at the moment how I would use it in teaching. As I have mentioned before, next week I am on a GPS day trip with my class. This will be the first time that I’ll be using a proper mobile device in teaching.
   At the moment I don’t see how I can use mobile phones or smart phones into my class. I already use laptops into my class, but its purpose isn’t mobility, but flexibility. With the laptop they can sit outside of the computer area and work at their table. That is as far as mobile devices are being present in my class room.
   
   
2. How far does this involve using and accommodating learners’ existing practices, and how far does it involve them in adopting new practices or new devices?

Students in my class already use quite a number of mobile devices. Laptops, for example, aren’t new to them. When I introduced the laptops to them they were excited because they knew the devices from their own experience. They worked with it immediately. My assignments might differ from its usage at home. In that perspective it might be a new experience for them.

3. How far, if at all, would any new practices/devices affect a sense of ‘ownership’ – the practitioners’ and/or yours?
   I am not able to answer this as I don’t have any proper experience in this field. I like the quote from Irvine (2008) though: “it’s My Space and not Your Space, adults are told”.
   I believe that students don’t see the potential yet of how “their” devices can be used in learning. They will not notice the learning moment: the students from the Spanish teacher hadn’t realised that they were actually doing some assignments. They thought it was a personal thing.

4. When you read the interview data from the six practitioners – see the section headed ‘Experienced practitioners’ mobile practices’ – do you recognise the picture conveyed there? How far do mobile devices blur the distinction between personal and professional areas of your own life? Do you have a view on whether this is desirable?

Yes I do recognise the picture here. My netbook is provided by my employer. I use it for my work but I use it at home as well. It is connected to my personal network at home and I use it as an extension of my home laptop. I use basically all of my mobile devices on a professional and personal base.
However I have separate Flickr accounts; one private and a personal one. My Delicious account is used everything: personal, pleasure, learning, teaching. I’m organising my favorites by tags.

Cheers,

Eugene

1. The various interviewees in the paper – Interviewee A, B, C, etc. – whose account do you find most interesting, or most relevant to your own personal or professional life, and why? You could start at the section headed ‘Interview data’ about half-way through the paper.

- Interviewee E’s experiences are quite similar to my own when I had just bought my Smartphone: I used to look up specific pages for my phone. Nowadays, pages automatically switch over to so called PDA sites, so you don’t have to look for them anymore.

- Interviewee B and his PDA: I am never without it. I think Smart phones have replaced PDA’S at the moment. I am never without my smart phone. I have all my data stored in it: agenda, meetings, lesson planning, music, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses...

- I was also interested in interviewee I (teacher of Spanish) and his idea to integrate a school trip into his lesson by using mobile phones and text messages.

At the moment I don’t use any mobile devices as a learning tool unless Senteo counts as a mobile device (it can only be used with Smart Boards though, so I guess it doesn’t count as one)

2. Where would you place your own use of mobile devices in comparison with those of the alumni in the paper above? I don’t mean, ‘Do you do more than them, or less?’ After all, they varied considerably. But what are the similarities and differences, and is this connected with the fact that the data for the paper was gathered in 2005?

I do believe that some percentages may have varied lately in comparison with the research. Mobile phone companies have certainly changed their contracts. Flatrates, sms-bundles, data bundles etc. It has become cheaper to access the internet and I have to say with a reasonable speed. I use my smartphone (A Nokia E90) for almost everything: access the internet, using the OU forum and put my tweets on twitter, text messaging and even blogging.

So there might be a difference in usage at this moment. Even the use of laptops might have decreased. I know that I use my netbook more often (as it is lighter and easier to carry).

3. Which areas would you explore if you were carrying out research into mobile practices now?

- Use of Mobile Devices for accessing social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Are people purchasing mobile devices because they offer the possibility to access social network applications and this is seen to be "cool", or are people purchasing them because the really do want to use them for this purpose?

- Is the netbook really replacing the laptop and has it potential to become a standardised learning tool?

Cheers,

Eugene

(d) How is Second Life being used in ways that might counter the fears around Web 2.0?
Second life as a platform for educational experiments?

I have heard of Second life, but haven't participated yet in this virtual world where you can be who ever you like by choosing an Avatar.

‘Sloodle’ is an open-source project affiliated with the University of the West of Scotland that is designed to combine the offers of Second Life (avatars, interactivity and 3D rendering) with those of Moodle, a ‘learning management system’, while addressing the perceived limitations of both.

This is quite interesting. Trying to make Moodle more attractive and more interesting for students by recreating bits of Second Life.
I just wonder: would it not be too much of  a distraction for students.

If one enters the virtual world of Second Life can students keep their focus? Or are they easily distracted and start wandering around in all the different areas looking for new avatars to talk or play with!!'

Is anyone out there experienced in using Second Life for educational purposes?

I am distracted now...I'm going to create an avatar and see what the fuss is all about.

(a) What does Crook mean by the ‘virtualisation of exchange practices’? (page 6)
He says in the article that this is one of the two focal points which determines whether an application or website is web 2.0. The first focus is the engagement of a sheer number of internet users and the other one is that the internet allows a virtualisation of exchange practices.
In my opinion he means that the internet or the website in particular has to provide a virtual environment or interface in which users can share, edit, upload, download and add or delete content.

(b) Would you agree that the learning dimensions that Crook sets out as characteristic of Web 2.0 can be grouped as either more social or more cognitive? (page 9).
I do agree with that kind of grouping. Learning processes in general, in my opinion, can be categorised into two groups: the cognitive group (the actual learning content) and the social group (learning how to work or cooperate together). This is basically standard pedagogy.
He sets these two groups into perspective from a web 2.0 point of view. He makes this distinction to make a point: to talk of education 2.0 (learners participate with and act on the web). I don’t have a problem with that.

Hi All,

I have read a lot about Twitter and how this can be a useful tool for education. I'm quite new to this and have to get around it a bit. It's fun for sharing short messages...I can't seem to discover the use for educational purposes at the moment, but maybe someone can help me out on this subject.

It is quite easy to do by the way through my mobile phone...addictive as well...oh nooooo!!!

Well see you on Twitter...

username: eusie

Hi All,

Week 18 looks like an interesting an fun week.  Participating and exploring social network tools.

If anyone reads this blog, here are my accounts which you can follow:

Delicious: eusie
Twitter: eusie
Google: eugenevoorneman
Flickr: eugenevoorneman@ymail.com

I am off to France fot he whole of next week. Going on a schooltrip. Just in case I have got some spare time, I've packed my laptop to follow up with H800.

Just to give you some thoughts about my first impressions about the tools:

Delicious: very usefull. I have downloaded most of my favourites into my account and can access them every where I am. I've found some very usefill links for study and work and I always forget to mail 'em to my account so I can save it on my computer. Now I just save it into delicious. The downside so far for me is that I have got so many tags at the moment that I sometimes forget which tag I used for a specific link.