wrapped up!

An Investigation into the Potential of Web 2.0 in Education
Identifying and Conceptualising a Speculative Product Proposal

...i picked up three spankingly bound copies of my dissertation this morning, and with great triumph (and relief) handed them into the CRO...i can't believe three years of uni has suddenly all culminated! admittedly, there was a lot of caffeine, stress and tears involved, but at last the end is in sight

i've just got to finish the visual prototype this weekend, and then as of about 09.31 tuesday morning, i shall be in the bar putting the remainder of my loan to good use

its been a great project, but it feels even better to have it completed!

and so ends the research project journal....much love x

may update

just two weeks to go until hand-in. the report is nearing completion of the first draft, and from there it should be a simple matter of editing and finalising. a lot of finicky details have popped up during the writeup, however nothing which hasn't been overcome. once the report is wrapped up, the prototype can be finished off and packaged as a quicktime movie for submission on cd

i've also caught up with ewan mcintosh, richard shotton, and lyndsay grant in the last week to gather some final thoughts and input, and they've been fantastic in raising issues regarding functionality, technical specifications, purpose, promotion, and funding

i just hope the final outcome can effectively communicate the vision in my head!

research review

an overview of the route my research has taken so far:


beginning: interest in researching web 2.0

web 2.0 -> focus on rss & podcasting
...literature review: future potential for rss
spoke to nathan jenkins & jim wynn, who were excited about possible uses of rss in education

refined focus to web 2.0 and education

spoke to rich wenner, rich shotton & ewan mcintosh, which led to looking at web 2.0 and education in the developing world

looked at one laptop per child project, infrastructure/resources for distrubuting/providing approved education for the developing world; online delivery of curriculums

looked at unicef's 'school in a box' concept, ie: for tsunami-affected schools; replacing/complimenting with an online version, free/accesible

avoid influencing child's learning, despite any good intentions

adapt idea for vocational/further education for adults in developing world, provision of skills

geared up for sri lanka research as case study: child or adult education? usefulness of online content? ...questionnaires, interviews, emails

sri lanka: sinhalese new year - all schools closed, unable to complete research. visited unicef ... education resource wouldn't work for various reasons

...concept needs to avoid politics. what's important? = communication
concept evolved to cover social networking between schools

friendsreunited success in social networking
...adapt for schools => schools:united concept

schools:united = providing infrastructure and means for greater communciation between schools around the globe, based on penpal/twin-schools schemes. allow institution profile pages, with bio details, photos, student work, contact details etc

sri lankan research

the main focus of my primary research was to be to visit sri lanka as a case study of the feasability of my product concept. i'd planned to visit a number of local schools, including ones affected by the tsunami, to pitch my ideas and gather feedback from staff and students

it didn't quite work out like that

thinking i'd done all my preparation before leaving the uk, there was one thing i hadn't accounted for: the sinhalese new year. this week long public holiday fell on exactly the dates i was in the country, and as a result, every school was closed

stressed by my own incompetence for not checking public holiday dates, i had to think fast as to how i could still gather some valid data. social and language barriers prevented speaking to children outside of the classroom, and no staff were to be found at any school premises

then, like a glittering beacon of salvation, the unmistakable blue and white unicef logo presented itself a few miles outside of galle, restoring the last shreds of hope of collecting some useful research, and i arranged a meeting with melania cacho for the next day. during our meeting, we ran through my prepared questions and discussed some of my concepts, and melania went on to explain some of the problems with my ideas; such as lack of infrastructure, insufficient skills, financing and inevitable politics

my original concept of a universal (web 2.0-based) education resource for the developing world is simply too politically unfeasible for the real-world; a crushing blow to what i'd hoped could develop into a great project

however, from this grew the idea of improving social networking for schools online, which should allow me to continue along a similar route as before, whilst removing any connections to curriculums or politics

schools:united was born: the friendsreunited concept applied to developing-world schools, allowing them to create social links with each other along the lines of a penpal/twin-school scheme. there's still a lot of development and research to do to prove the concept is valid; but hopefully i'm back on track!

interview with melania cacho

Interview with Melania Cacho
Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Sri Lanka (Galle)
12.04.2006, Galle, Sri Lanka

While visiting Sri Lanka, it was found to be Sinhalese and Tamil New Year, meaning that all schools were closed for the duration of the stay there. In an attempt to still collect some useful information, an approach was made to the UNICEF office in Galle to request an interview. Melania Cacho is the resident Child Protection Officer, and was available for a discussion regarding the research project.


The main points raised in the interview are as follows:

UNICEF stands for the United Nation’s Child Fund (retaining its familiar acronym for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), whose aim is to help build a world where the rights of every child are realised. It has the global authority to influence decision-makers, and a variety of grassroots partners to assist accomplishing its projects [www.unicef.org].

UNICEF’s Galle office opened shortly after the 2004 Tsunami as a base for directing their efforts along the south coast, which suffered heavy damage and losses to the disaster. The majority of UNICEF’s efforts in Sri Lanka are concentrated in the North and East of the country (politically contested territory between the Sinhalese and Tamils), and their activities include a programme of immunisations, improving health-care services, providing nutrition for women and children, and since December 2004, supporting large-scale rebuilding and recovery efforts in the South.

Melania’s role as Child Protection officer is to supervise Early Child Development, the Learning Years, Child Protection, and Health, Water & Sanitation in her region. Dr Aberra Bekele is the Head of Education for the Galle office, but was unavailable for an interview, therefore Melania offered to answer questions to the best of her knowledge.

When asked in which ways UNICEF makes use of the internet, Melania stated that each UNICEF employee has an account which provides them with access to UNICEF’s computer, internet and email facilities, including access to restricted materials on their intranet. Very little use of the internet is made as part of UNICEF projects; its role is as a communications medium within the organisation. In local schools, it is common for only the head teacher to have a computer and/or access to email and the internet.

Melania had limited personal knowledge of how the web could aid the delivery of education resources beyond its current use in her department, although recognised that it is a very effective communications tool, and that this could potentially be applied to an educational context, such as a long-distance communications tool to aid rural schools.

UNICEF, in the Sri Lankan environment, works through the Ministry of Education and with other specialist NGOs in order to aid local schools. “The ministry takes a responsible, pro-active interest in education materials by trialling and approving them. The government has its own, self-developed, training modules and agenda relevant to their context and culture, and UNICEF’s role is to help deliver this programme of study.” International education resources are limited in Sri Lanka, as they may not match the local syllabus content.

UNICEF’s education interests focus on basic education for children, and not on social learning.

From this interview, it could be seen that in Sri Lanka, an internationally-approved, web-based curriculum (as was the proposed concept up to this point) was unfeasible due to the government’s control of the education system. Sri Lanka is a Democratic Socialist Republic, a form a government found in a number of developing countries, and as such it is reasonable to assume that similar barriers to a universal curriculum would be encountered elsewhere. As a result, reference was made back to earlier research in an attempt to identify other areas from which a concept could be developed, whilst retaining the relevance of the most recent progress.

negroponte defends OLPC project

nicholas negroponte recently defended the One Laptop Per Child project, and hinted to future developments of the scheme

ctc visit

on thursday i visited john cabot ctc. as well as catching up with some of my former teachers and checking out what was new at the college, i spoke to some of the staff regarding my research project

paul stephens-wood

paul is a humanities teacher who spent several weeks in nigeria establishing links with a local school, as part of ctc's global communities project. he explained for me some of the differences between uk and nigerian education models, and outlined how the two institutions stand to benefit from each other, such as with student and staff exchanges. while discussing the nigerian model, he noted that their system is based on victorian methods, a remnant of british colonialism. he highlighted that the majority of knowledge in the developing world is shared by word of mouth, rather than written texts or archives. he also suggested that montageworld may prove useful for my research

nathan jenkins

nathan is the head of design and technology, and the department is one of the most advanced in the uk. he has spent the last few years working to encourage other establishments to upgrade their dt and tech facilities to take advantage of c21st resources, such as cad/cam and rapid prototyping, in order to better equip their students with relevant skills. he is in the process of developing a bespoke vle for his department, which he then hopes to export to other schools. nathan and i discussed how engineering technology has evolved over recent years, and how he has adapted their curriculum and teaching methods to match

jayne crosby

jayne is a languages teacher who also works on the college's global communities scheme. following my previous interview with her, we discussed further issues surrounding the westernisation of developing-world teaching models, and the impact that technology is having by providing improved and instant communications, interactive learning, free and permanent resources, and accurate information approved by governmental bodies, ngo's and charities

richard shotton's presentation

richard shotton gave his presentation in uni this afternoon, and while covering some of the point's we'd discussed in our interviews, also brought up some other very interesting points. it was a great presentation, for the full review check the post on my e&pp blog :)

pro forma presentation

gave my pro forma presentation this morning. only took an hour to put together last night, and it was refreshing to give a powerpoint without having to constantly refer to notes; definately allows for a much more fluid delivery. you can click the icon below to download the file :)

tutorial with wendy

wendy was offering tutorials this afternoon, so i thought i'd run my ideas past her for some feedback. she liked where i was heading, and my notes are as follows:

define market and user group needs first
...project brief follows this

concentrate on a pilot project
look at if it's sustainable
"social application"

ensure strong methodology
involve user group in the evaluation
produce proof of concept document
rapid prototyping
focus on hci principals
social and economic benefits?

questionnaires and interviews to find application
online evaluation

resources

physical language workshop
MIT openitalia & treehouse; look at philosophies
UNA exchange
cardiff 'temple of peace'
research council guidelines

lyndsay grant

replying to my email to nesta futurelab, lyndsay has expressed an interest in sharing information for our research :)

Hi James,

Tim passed your email on to me, as I'm looking into a similar area at the moment. I've been looking at the use of social software in education, particularly wikis, though also social bookmarking and other sharing mechanisms. I haven't looked in detail at the wider range of web 2 applications at the moment.

I'm also currently working for an MSc in education, design and technology. I've completed a very small scale case study using wikis in a school which was really about raising some of the issues rather than providing firm answers, but I'm hoping to do a longer case study in this area for my dissertation.

The social software angle for me really links in with the whole area of trying to facilitate collaborative learning in schools (and outside) which although everyone seems to be in favour of is very hard to make work well, for all sorts of school cultural reasons.

I have co-authored a report on the potential uses of social software in education that will be published by Futurelab shortly - keep an eye on our website, it will be downloadable. This looks at a range of potentials uses of social software in education. However, it will take much more than technology to really facilitate the kind of collaborative learning that we want to see, and the teacher's role is critical in this. Outside formal education and the constant background awareness of assessment, it is much easier for social software to provide a place for people learning from one another. There is also a publication on Open Source approaches in education being published by futurelab shortly - this looks both at how Open Source software can be used in teaching and learning, and at using the whole approach of Open Source as way of thinking about learning resources.

It would be very interesting to hear about your project and if I can be of any help. Futurelab I know are already involved with John Cabot school on another project. I'm also talking to teachers at Gordano school who are using wikis as part of English and Media Studies courses, and I have contacts with other teachers using blogs and open source VLEs such as moodle, etc to support social learning environments.

Best wishes,
Lyndsay

tutorial with simon

i got into uni early this morning for a tutorial with simon, having missed friday's seminar. essentially, i had about a dozen ideas for possible projects, and wanted simon's input on which might be most fruitful

while making notes over the weekend on everything i've done so far, i came up with the idea of looking at sri lankan education models, researching what problems they face, and then seeing how web/web 2.0 technologies might offer solutions

simon liked the idea, and suggested an emphasis on translation and infrastructure aspects, and that this could prove to be a good introduction to professional information architecture. the next step is to contact sri lankan institutions in order to arrange research visits while i'm there at easter

richard shotton confirmed

richard shotton has just confirmed that he will give a presentation for e&pp on march 20th at 1pm

richard is a director at imagine education, a uk organisation who specialise in managing and supporting the process of innovation in schools, especially in the fields of curriculum development, the use of new technologies, and globalisation. these folks are former teachers who have taken advantage of their technology and IT skills to start up in business

rp literature review

i've just uploaded an updated version of my literature review following marking. click the image below to download it as a pdf

simple web 2.0

finally! i've found a simple definition of web 2.0, courtesy of cnn

interview with jayne crosby

Interview with Jayne Crosby;
Head of Communications & Global Citizenship, John Cabot CTC
27.02.2006 – Kingswood

Jayne Crosby is the head of Communications at John Cabot City Technology College in Bristol. Having worked with the college for eight years, she also runs the college’s Global Citizenship module.


The main points raised in the interview are as follows:

Global Citizenship is a dimension of the college’s e-Citizenship programme, in which students are encouraged to begin seeing themselves as global citizens, in order to understand international cultural, environmental and political issues which affect everyone.

The Global Citizenship curriculum is designed help enrich a student’s education and personal development. Topics covered include sustainability; diversity; social justice; interdependence; empathy and respect; and thinking, arguing and co-operating.The college’s Global Citizenship is compulsory, and the Principal is keen to encourage participation as it combines elements of their Religious Education (RE) and Personal & Social Education (PSE) programmes, while providing the students with a global knowledge and understanding.

Complimenting Global Citizenship are the ideas of Youth Voice and Concepts of Identity. How might technology be able to capture the contemporary youth voice on global issues, or promote and explore the idea of an individual’s identity, such as which territory, country, or community they feel a citizen of?

The web adds fun, interest and interactivity to a given project, allowing students to explore unique resources individually or in groups, with only minor teacher guidance. It encourages students to become more involved in their work. For example, in a recent project some of her students compiled a virtual reality tour of Vienna, using audio, images and text which they found on the internet. One group conducted the research for the materials, while the other group had to compile the provided resources into the correct order, using Google as a guide.

The traditional interaction between teacher and student is typically one-way; however, the inclusion of Web 2.0 technologies changes this. It helps to blur the fixed start and end of a piece of work, and focuses on the process. Once a brief and required deliverables have been set, students are free to pursue their own research through the internet and multimedia, and to choose the most appropriate method by which to present their findings. Cutting-edge web technologies facilitate this self-directed approach to learning.

While discussing potential outcomes for the research project, Jayne highlighted issues surrounding access to IT facilities in developing countries, although this is being countered by the increase in internet cafés in urban areas. She also confirmed what Richard Shotton had raised regarding the rapid increase of mobile phones, which may prove to be invaluable in the future delivery of education resources. She proposed that a successful concept could link in issues of community development.


Jayne suggested various websites for further information, including:

o Oxfam’s Cool Planet
o BBC’s Africa Lives on the BBC
o British Council
o Global Gateway

o UNICEF
o Save the Children

web 2.0 education suite?

i've been toying with the concept of developing a suite of web 2.0 technologies for an online 'education pack' for the developing world, e.g. online word processors, educational links etc, that could be used in conjunction with the $100 laptops in areas where funds and materials are limited...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4148563.stm
unicef shipped 'school-in-a-box' kits to sri lanka after the tsunami so that temporary schools could be set up while the recovery was underway; would an electronic equivalent be more practical?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4746438.stm
in the uk, almost 5 times as much money is being spent on computer equipment as is being spent on books ... what does this say about the evolution of our educational model?

other useful links for developing world education...

http://laptop.media.mit.edu

http://www.unicef.org

http://www.unicef-icdc.org

shoptalk: web 2.0

a few weeks ago, radio four's shoptalk programme discussed web 2.0, and what effects it will have on the internet. i've copied across my notes as they're relevant to my research:

90s - dotcom bubble & burst - marked launch of internet revolution...
2005 - 2nd bubble? web 2.0 revolution...

interest in internet startups again;
difference: smart sites let users do things, share things, and change things - engage us & make us feel a part of whats happening/part of the community

fascination with "user created content" - get people who use site to create content for other users at zero cost to the site. create a public domain community: blogging (blogger), social media (flickr), user reviews (amazon), feedback ratings (ebay) - results in low cost content production with high web content value; which is useful, customer driven & encourages loyalty

myspace.com - 4th biggest site in under a year. train wreck of a design, but fulfils purpose for users - recently purchased by news corp

company provides site (physical website/structure, means of use, GUI, membership/subscription etc); and users use it/populate it. site can only be as successful/revenue producing as the number of users, loopback: encourages businesses to provide decent sites

tim berners-lee's original vision was that of an edittable web -> participatory web! web 2.0 = fulfilment of web's original purpose

geneology case study
internet offers global resources. instant access. free or low cost. efficient & free communication via email. online sites that provide family tree mapping. original records accessible online anywhere, anytime etc. digital archiving & indexing. growth area: people want to know their history etc and internet enables public to research this easier than ever before

driving web 2.0
less costs involved in bringing site to market
hardware about 1000 times cheaper than 1996
access to offshore labour
free website building software
search engine marketing. cheap & targetted

participation -> reduces costs -> more people = more interesting data -> draws more visitors = contribute further data, etc

free services attract visitors. premium services for advanced functions for users who want them, help fund business

philiosophical issues? false "utopian" promise?

"netizens" - citizens of the internet

"software as a service"

beware of fads and trends...profits = enduring sites

libraries are a recurring target market in web 2.0. facing competition from amazon etc, need to update or become obsolete...concept of integrated/hybrid system to offer a system to allow users to evaluate best source for required information. search, locate library, cross-check costs from amazon/ebay

characteristics of web 2.0 - 'borrowing' from other sites - ideas, concepts, interactive technology, mashups, etc. e.g. using google maps system and overlapping plug-in map of e.g. travel lodge locations

pro forma review

simon and i reviewed the first draft of my pro forma this morning, and despite having done a tonne of background research already i've still not settled on a definitive subject area to investigate, so the aims and objectives sections are a bit too vague. i've got til next friday to come up with some specific subject matter, so this week i'll be rereading everything i've done for this project so far in order to identify some niches where i can apply myself

with a bit of luck, i'll be speaking to ewan mcintosh in the next few days too, and i'm hoping that his experience in this field will shed some more light on areas which could benefit from research

malcolm moss

i just had a phone call from malcolm moss, a member of the ultraversity team, following up my request for some material regarding their course for my research. it seems that the learning, technology and research BA(hons) is ideally suited to an online format, as it is designed to work alongside a student's job (their particular career being the focus for their degree). it has also been very successful over the last few years; so much so, that anglia ruskin university (who award the certification) have asked ultralab to develop similar resources for other courses

malcolm also mentioned that ultralab's other project, notschool.net, had been so successful that the government had upgraded it from a research project to a charity organisation

it is very interesting that the projects are successful because of their online format: ultraversity use their website to form a social community around the course's resources, and notschool.net is ideal for delivering education to those who are outside the normal education system

jim wynn

formerly the principal of john cabot ctc, jim wynn was headhunted by microsoft for their education department for the third-world. i recently contacted him for the first time since leaving cabot to see how things were going; and in my last email mentioned the themes for my research project, to which jim replied

"i work mainly in developing countries as there enough 'experts' in europe...i think your ideas about rss for teacher student communications is frankly brilliant - could you mock up an idea or two for me to think about?"

with a bit of luck, i might be able to get some microsoft involvement...

interview with jen long

Interview with Jen Long; Station Manager, Xpress Radio
21.02.2006, Cardiff Union

Jen Long is the station manager for Xpress Radio, the Cardiff University student-run radio station. Over the past few weeks, Jen and I have been considering plans to produce a weekly podcast in partnership with the Pop Factory (my placement); and when we met up to discuss it, I took the opportunity to also interview her in relation to my research.


The main points raised in the interview are as follows:

Xpress run a number of educational programmes throughout a given week, and have found that radio broadcasting is an effective means for distributing academic resources for common subjects. For example, a programme may provide an introduction to a new module for a large course, or give an overview of a particular topic as a revision aid. Jen also cited the abundance of academic broadcasts from the BBC (such as In Our Time and The Learning Curve) as evidence that radio can communicate information to listeners while they complete another task, such as driving or housework.

Xpress have found that maintaining an up-to-date website is essential for driving more listeners; they stream their broadcasts online so that users can access the channel easily and from anywhere, they use the website to promote upcoming highlights, and are also beginning to experiment with RSS and podcasts in order to increase listeners.

Since releasing their first podcast two weeks ago, alongside a revamped website and new broadcast season, the number of visitors to the website has increased by 20%, and the number of people downloading the podcast was 25 in the first day.

Jen wants to run a podcast in connection with the Pop Factory as a means of promoting new Welsh music, with TPF’s brand name providing credibility for the show. She has limited knowledge of podcasting (in a technical sense), but understands that because a show can be accessed and heard 24/7, it is a great means for increasing the audience, as well as providing an online archive of past programmes. Xpress believe that the near future will see much closer integration between the web and radio.


thanks to jen for her thoughts :)

www.ultraversity.net

i just came across www.ultraversity.net, which is a partner site of ultralab. ultralab are one of the contacts which arose from my interview with richard schotton last friday, and their ultraversity website offers a BA(hons) in learning, technology and research through a 100% online course

i get the idea that this project is as much for ultralab's research purposes into online learning, as much as it is for offering part-time degrees; i've requested an information pack for my research, as well as to see if it's something i could pursue after graduating

nesta futurelabs

the nesta futurelabs office is based in bristol, and a few weeks ago i registered on their 'call for entries' research programme. the current call for entries is focused on technology and education, with specific attention on computer games in education

i just called them, and spoke to tim rudd, a senior researcher who works on and leads a number of their current research projects. i outlined the scope of my project to him, and asked whether it might be possible for some degree of collaboration. he suggested emailing over a short description of my investigation, which he'll then distribute among his staff to see if it overlaps with anyone's existing work, or if there are any relevant materials available.....watch this space

pro forma first draft

i've just finished the first draft of my rp pro forma...

Research Paper Pro Forma
First Draft – 19.02.2006

Subject: Design for Interactive Media – Personal Research Project
Student: James Cook, st03003174
Email: james@fireway.co.uk

» General field of enquiry

How technology can potentially benefit education. More specifically, looking at a range of ‘Web 2.0’ technologies and what new capabilities they offer to improve the learning experience.

Digital-, Automated-, Web-, Virtual- (decentralised), and Mobile- Learning are all at the forefront of research into the future of education, and I intend to research these areas further.

» Chosen subject

How can web technologies (specifically, those associated with Web 2.0: RSS, Podcasting, Blogging, Social Software, Folksonomy etc) improve a student’s learning experience? Why do only a few tech-savvy educators take advantage of digital resources? How could new forms of virtual learning benefit the third-world/global community? Focuses currently include:

* Potential uses of RSS and Pod-, Pic- and Vidcasting in schools
* Potential benefits of teaching web skills as part of a curriculum
* Mobile and Locative learning
* Virtual learning environments and workflows
* Potential benefits to the third-world from decentralised learning

» Objectives: what will be uncovered/documented/explained/questioned?

What is the current situation in education and technology research? I need to understand where work is focused at the moment in order to complement it. I intend to uncover why web technologies are not used more widely by teaching staff than they currently are; e.g. why do very few geography teachers use Google Earth in their lessons? I need to document what educators and students desire to see improved in their education models; e.g. do people even realise that Google Earth exists? I would like to explain what benefits cutting-edge web technologies could bring to education methods; e.g. real-time 3D exploration of the planet. I need to question if these benefits are genuine or fashionable; e.g does Google Earth actually improve the learning process in GCSE geography?

» Description and assessment of research base; primary and secondary sources?

The first stage involves copious amounts of reading online through the blogosphere. I have been doing this for several months, and have found numerous educational innovators who maintain blogs. Additional online reading has come from white papers, articles, forums, and corporate/organisation websites.

The second stage is to begin contacting relevant individuals and organisations. I’ve already had interviews with Richard Wenner (Freelance IT Engineer for Cardiff Schools), and Richard Schotton (Director, Imagine Education); and contact is planned with NESTA futurelabs, John Cabot City Technology College (Bristol), a school in Sri Lanka, and Ewan McIntosh (Advocate of podcasting and blogging in Scottish education)

» Indication of preferred methodology, and why it is appropriate. What academic approach is best suited to the analysis, contextualisation and cultural critique of the subject?

Further from above, there is no planned methodology. At this stage, I am still determining an exact subject to research and I need to employ a fluid process to allow my research to evolve until this is found. That said, the research will take the approach of understanding the existing situation, identifying the merits of the research, and ultimately promote the use of technology in education.

» References to key thinkers/academics

Ewan McIntosh is a IT developer who works with the Scottish LEA, and has a particular penchant for blogging and podcasting in education. This is the first ‘key thinker’ I have discovered in the field of Web 2.0 and education, and he is responsible for promoting use of the technology throughout Scotland. He maintains a very informative blog and Podcast of his work, and is a necessary source for my research. I've emailed Ewan regarding the possibility of collaboration, but have yet to recieve a reply. It is hoped that further educators/technologists like Ewan will be found and cited.

» Indicative bibliography

At this early stage, the majority of reading has come from electronic sources of varying credibility, such as blogs and white papers. I intend to use amazon to search for published work which relates to my research, as well as begin to build a list of references as I make contact with the previously mentioned primary sources. Due to the nature of my research, qualitative data such as opinions and thoughts from the blogosphere have proven to be useful, especially when backed with quantitative proof.

Informed findings which have been formally published may not be so relevant (as the former), as I would like to direct this research towards the absolute cutting edge of new technologies and learning systems.

» Additional relevant information

The proposed format of the research is as follows:

* Analyse what research is currently being conducted
* Analyse how technology is being used in education at the moment
* Evaluate the benefits of these technologies

* Promote further research and use of technology’s applications in education
* Investigate new educational models
* Preferably produce a prototype product/system, as well as a written report

» Questions for staff

* Opinions on proposed format and outcomes as above?
* Any experience/knowledge/contacts in this field?
* Suggestions for focus areas/direction?

interview with richard shotton

Interview with Richard Shotton; Director, Imagine Education
17.02.2006, Llandaff

Richard Shotton is a former teacher at John Cabot City Technology College in Bristol. Just over 18 months ago, he and two other members of staff left the college to setup a private company specialising in providing technology-based educational solutions.

Having not seen each other for several years, we began with catching up on each other’s activities since the days of Cabot, as well as discussing the reasons that Richard (and his partners) decided to leave Cabot and go it alone.

The main points raised in the interview are as follows:

A major factor in the slow deployment of high-technology learning resources in the UK is an apparent fear and/or non understanding of contemporary technologies and their benefits. There are a large number of teachers who simply don’t use technology; for example, Imagine have repeatedly come across people who prioritise marking and red tape above experimenting with technology. Coincidentally, while Richard, Adrian and Baldev were teaching at Cabot, they inversely prioritised playing with technology over the more mundane elements of teaching. Even when technological solutions are offered to them, many teachers don’t use it.

IT offers something new to education. If technology can make a student go “wow”, then it has fulfilled its role of enlivening the learning process. For example, which are students more likely to be impressed by and engaged with: a geography class where one book is shared between 3 students and they simply look at 2D maps; or a situation where Google Earth is linked to a projector, and the students can interact with the globe in real-time 3D, zooming, rotating and exploring anywhere?

The web is the ultimate teaching resource: simply as a research tool it offers unlimited access to human knowledge; and when it is harnessed and focused through a particular tool (such as a vetted portal website, etc) it becomes an interactive tool that is very effective at promoting self-learning through hyperlink exploration.

Those educators who are most successful at implementing technology in an educational context tend to be those who break rules and take risks, such as prioritising technology over report writing. There is a lot of trial and error involved in developing a learning resource, but this inherently produces a better product.

It is essential when implementing a new solution or education programme to get teachers involved, through good training and getting them to connect with and understand its benefits.

Richard suggested that it would be best to research at a Secondary level, as there is a greater availability of funding, students are beginning to specialise in certain subjects, and are capable of using more advanced resources. Also, there is already a lot of wacky work being done at primary level, where it's easier to experiment. Secondary presents a greater challenge (you can't mess around with student's futures or exam grades), but will be an essential element of serious educational reform.

It is essential to demonstrate how any new solution actually improves upon an existing one.

There is a growing body of research into- and trend towards- mobile learning. Globally, there is a lot of activity investigating the potential benefits and accessibility of providing education via handheld devices, such as PDAs, Palms, mobile phones, and WAP. This incorporates elements of locative media (content delivery based upon location).

As in the interview with Richard Wenner, the virtues of project-based learning were mentioned, as opposed to the existing curriculum/subject-based model. By teaching students through modular learning, greater focus can be directed towards skills and abilities rather than just the reproduction of knowledge.

Richard’s personal opinion of podcasting was that they were not engaging enough, “Why would I want to sit down and listen to a disembodied voice drone on about something? Visual literacy is key to making podcasts truly exciting: I want to see pictures and images illustrating the subject matter.” This is a thoroughly valid criticism of podcasts, and the next generation of RSS (the technology which enables podcasting) includes the ability to add chapters and images to a podcast. Additionally, shortly after podcasting was developed, vidcasting was also announced, which is the act of attaching a video file to an RSS feed rather than an audio file. However, this still highlights that content and purpose are king where technoloogy is concerned.

There is also much work being done into the ‘Borderless Classroom”. This offers unrestrained flexibility over our existing education model, and while we may never abandon our school buildings, the reduction of costs involved in running a virtual school are substantial. To investigate how Virtual Reality (VR) schools might be modelled, researchers are investigating how museums are modelled and how this might translate to a VR school.

Following from this, Richard stated that museum methods for communicating information (that of allowing 'students' to view content how and when they want, in what order they wish) are actually influencing how VLE software is evolving, and that schools can learn a lot from their approaches.

Important aspects to remember when developing technology for education are purpose, context, validity and why! If the technology does not solve a problem, solves a self-created problem or exists for the sake of existing, it rarely becomes established.

Research the merits of creating the framework for a web education module that could become part of an established curriculum; for example, using e-learning to teach basic web skills.

One of the advantages of using technology to educate is that it inherently promotes self learning on the student’s part, and enables greater teacher independence. Richard pointed out that these were two valuable components of successful education, citing his experiences with dividing himself among 30 students as inefficient for successfully meeting each individual’s needs.

Imagine Education believe (along with many pioneering educators found in the blogosphere) that the Web 2.0 technologies which are emerging are far more effective than their predecessors in promoting effective two-way learning online. Now, students, teachers and the community can all communicate on equal grounding through a website, and visitors to a given website can more easily contribute content, as well at consume it, than ever before.

Along with other teachers who witnessed the launch of the Government’s Key Skills initiative, Richard believes that the scheme was targeted at the wrong audience. While high-achieving students successfully acquired a Key Skills Certificate, an A-grade student does not need to prove their basic literacy or numeracy to a future employer. Whereas struggling students, who would benefit from certification of a certain level of competence, were not required to complete the certificate and in many cases did not bother to do so. This lesson applies to e-learning: how can content be managed to appeal to students of different abilities? Should they be made to learn at the same speed (as in conventional classes), or could the web allow different speeds of learning, such that as much time as is required can be allocated to teaching specific subject matter?

Moving to the subject of developing-world education, we agreed that stereotypically, poorer students tend to have a greater desire to learn in order to better themselves and increase their potential earnings; whereas in westernised countries where education is a right not a privilege, many people choose to ignore the facilities offered to them. Does the web offer a means to adjust this situation, whether by teaching western students how lucky they are to have such resources, or by allowing free online education to developing-world students?

The international market is very important, firstly (selfishly and cynically) because it offers a bigger and more crucial market; and secondly, because education can be seen as the answer to poverty, illness and inequality, and therefore as part of any successful peace process.


Richard also suggested several sources for further information:

Imagine have collaborated with the British Council on several projects, and he suggested contacting them regarding their projects promoting e-learning in the third-world

Mike Stephenson, the Director of Technology for the DfES

notschool.net is the UK’s most successful online school; and possibly a valuable case study for models of digital learning which do and don’t work. They have pioneered home learning through technology for students who, for various reasons, cannot attend conventional schools

Prof. Stephen Heppel was a Director at Ultralab, who now works as a freelance consultant advising around 20 governments worldwide. Ultralab specialise in facilitating and researching e-learning, and have helped to develop the notschool.net research project. Many consider Prof. Heppel to be a Guru in the field of technology and education

It was also suggested that I contact Nesta Futurelab, regarding the possibility of collaborating with them on research. They are currently coordinating a major research effort into the role of computer games in education, and there may be some overlaps between our work


many thanks to richard for his time!

interview with richard wenner

Interview with Richard Wenner; Freelance IT Engineer
16.02.2006, Chapter Arts Centre

Richard Wenner is a freelance Information Engineer who works with the Cardiff Schools LEA. He has developed www.cardiffschools.net, which offers teachers and pupils a suite of web-based tools, including web mail, web space, and a personal desktop comprising timetable, email client, web upload, search tools and communication software. Richard also works on projects for other clients, for example he is currently helping to develop an online resource for an adoption agency to allow adopters and adoptees to communicate securely online; and has previously worked with the MOD. Much of Richard’s expertise lies in the engineering and construction principals behind IT systems, whether online or offline.


The main points raised in the interview are as follows:

In Richard’s opinion, top priority should be given to the development of Content Creation tools. Hardware (such as phones, cameras, camcorders, sound equipment etc) is very accessible, and so are means of online dissemination (myspace.com, flickr.com, unsignedbands.co.uk etc); however, there is still a lack of software products which allow unskilled individuals to edit, compile and remix content easily. Why should students have to learn Dreamweaver, Flash or Final Cut Pro in order to produce simple content? Similar to how Ruby On Rails enables (almost) point and click website development, why is there a lack of click and publish solutions for media content production?

What do users want? What do users need? Do they realise this? These are questions which should be applied to any new project.

moodle.org offers a comprehensive and established piece of virtual learning environment (VLE) software, which is worth investigating in order to understand what makes the software so effective. Part of the reason is that the one piece of software is used by universities and primary schools alike thanks to its user-friendly interface and deployment, which allow advanced customisation/adaptation of features relevant to the institution.

While discussing the relevance and importance of open source software, Richard highlighted Alan Cox of swlug.org.uk (South Wales Linux User Group) as a potential source for information on open source software for educational purposes.

Richard cited Cardiff High as a good example of IT in education. Cardiff High have recently invested in new resources (including joining the cardiffschools.net system) to aid in their education methods, and it seems that there has been a positive response from staff, students and parents alike because the system was rolled out quickly and effectively, causing minimum disruption to those involved.

It is important to offer users focus within a given system, so that they can complete their desired task without distraction or obstruction; Richard has found that it is sometimes necessary to restrict a user’s options in order to achieve this.

Richard pointed me towards a lecture video from the International Community on e-learning (ICE) conference held in Cardiff in 2001, which can be found at teachers.cardiffschools.net/steve.htm/

Give consideration to boundaries, whether they are between subjects, or in relation to privacy. Where do they and should they overlap (-or not), and what needs to be done to prevent a user becoming confused by these boundaries.

Mashups (the act of combining two or more data sources online to produce a third result) are proving to be a useful resource for education. People can access a particular mashup for their needs, or if necessary create their own with a small amount of programming knowledge. For example, Google Maps is used in hundreds of mashups to display information regarding a certain geographical area (such as the number and location of earthquakes in recent years), which would be a fantastic resource for geography lessons.

Always consider the primary audience of an intended system, and involve potential users in the development process of that system. The system should be a means to an end, and the people who will ultimately use the system are the greatest resource for researching what it should do, and how it should do it.

Richard recalled his experiences with ‘education degradation’; that is, the effect of Chinese whispers in education. When a student is shown how to do something in IT, by the time they have taught another student, and that student has taught a third student, the knowledge has corrupted to the extent that the third student needs to be taught by the primary source. How can IT solutions combat this issue?

One of the secret weapons of teaching is to inspire and encourage creativity. When Richard taught a class of year eight students how to operate video cameras and edit the footage with software, he found that the students lacked inspiration for subject matter. So he suggested “filming the world from the perspective of a dog turd”. Not only did this endlessly amuse the year eights, but it kick started the creativity process and offered a humorous subject matter which the children enjoyed engaging with. This highlighted the success of ‘shock value’.

Becta is the Government’s key partner for the development and delivery of ICT and e-learning resources for the schools and learning sectors. www.becta.org.uk should prove to be a useful resource for my research.


thanks to richard for his time!

phone interview with john cabot ctc

the first step in my research...

this morning i spoke to two members of staff from my secondary college, john cabot city technology college (ctc) in bristol. ctc is a privately-funded state school, which specialises in technology, science and maths. i loved my time there, and my established relationship makes it an obvious source for primary research

nathan jenkins is the head of technology, whose role involves him less in day to day teaching, and more in r&d and technological innovation in education. ctc has an established record of experimenting with new educational models, and nathan has been involved with many of the projects. one such experiment was 'ctc plus', which was a post-sixth form placement scheme based at the college, designed to act as a bridge between school education and industry. i was one of six students who took part in the pilot, and we worked on projects for the bbc, nesta futurelabs, electric december, and rolls royce aerospace; read about the scheme

nathan continues to innovate, and alongside pete o'donnell, is excited by the potential for learning offered by digital and internet technologies. when i explained how rss could be used to automatically deliver homework, he became very interested...watch this space!

nick jones is the former head of technology, and currently runs cabot ventures. cvc is the business arm of the college, and deals with everything from the hire of college facilties, to forging links with foreign schools and industry; and is currently working on nesta futurelabs' research into computer games and education. nick was also interested in collaborating on research into web technologies and education

the upshot is that over the next few weeks i'll develop a research plan and materials, with the aim of spending a couple of days at ctc interviewing staff and students about the current state of technology and education, their views, experiences and wishes, and how they feel web technologies could improve the learning experience; ctc may become a case study for my research

dfim research blog

welcome to my research blog!

for the dfim personal research project (rp), i've begun to investigate the potential uses and benefits of web 2.0 technologies and concepts in education. over the last decade, technology has played a huge role in changing how we teach and learn, and i intend to investigate how technologies such as rss, blogging, pod- & vidcasting, ajax, mobile technologies, locative media, folksonomy, vr environments and a host of others could further improve the learning experience

at the moment, there is no clear direction that the research is following. from reading numerous white papers and blogs pertinent to the field, it is clear that there is a lot of existing research into technology and education, and a growing sideline investigating the potential of the new forms of personal publishing and content aggregation which are sweeping the web

the initial areas of interest are:

• potential uses of rss and pod-, pic- and vidcasting in schools
• potential benefits of teaching web skills as part of a cirriculum
• mobile and locative learning
  
• virtual learning environments and workflows
  
• potential benefits to the third-world from decentralised learning