Friday 27 May 2011

e-learning forum - mobile technologies

e-learning forum –

mobile TECHNOLOGIES FOR teaching and learning

When: 23/06 from 3.00 to 5.00

Where: 5^th Floor Kingsway House

Overview:

This will be the usual chance to meet up with colleagues who are interested in this area, share experiences, reflect on the past year and plan for the next.

This session will be looking in particular at the ever increasing opportunities that mobile platforms such as tablets and smart phones are bringing to learning and teaching. The learning technology team, at the AEU are interested in ‘kick starting’ a special interest group to explore these developments with you. So if you have any experiences or opinions on this area we would like to hear from you, and if you can make it, meet you at the forum.

Posted via email from abstractrabbit (Jim Turner) posterous

Friday 20 May 2011

Collaborative Teaching Spaces - empirical study

Abstract

“The objective of this research is to identify the relationship between formal learning spaces and student learning outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental design, researchers partnered with an instructor who taught identical sections of the same course in two radically different formal learning environments to isolate the impact of the physical environment on student learning. The results of the study reveal that, holding all factors excepting the learning spaces constant, students taking the course in a technologically enhanced environment conducive to active learning techniques outperformed their peers who were taking the same course in a more traditional classroom setting. The evidence suggests strongly that technologically enhanced learning environments, independent of all other factors, have a significant and positive impact on student learning.”

Key Finding

“As the study of learning spaces remains in its infancy, considerable work remains to demonstrate empirically the impact of formal learning spaces on student learning outcomes and practices. The findings here contribute significantly to this discussion given that they are the first to demonstrate that controlling for nearly all other factors, physical space alone can improve student learning even beyond students’ abilities as measured by standardised test scores.”

Brooks, D. Christopher (2010) Space matters: The impact of formal learning environments on student learning - British Journal of Educational Technology

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01098.x/full

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The delusion of working from experience

'the most powerful learning comes from direct experience .... Through taking an action and seeing the consequences of that action; then taking a new and different action. But what happens when we can no longer observe the consequences of our actions? .... We each have a 'learning horizon,' a breath of vision in time and space within which we assess our effectiveness. When our actions have consequences beyond that horizon, it becomes impossible to learn from direct experience.'
P23 senge the 5th discipline The system we are buried in does not and cannot give us the feedback we need.

This also has a connection with staff trying to improve teaching, the effects remain hidden.

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Posted via email from abstractrabbit (Jim Turner) posterous

Thursday 19 May 2011

Learning Technology Session (pg cert) 19/05/2011

We started off discussing the research and findings of this report. You can read the report here.

http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

You can watch a quick overview of the findings here. http://www.screenr.com/dKg

Then we looked at 3 different case studies of learning technology design that attempts to improve student learning without impacting on staff’s time.

Here is a short video describing one http://www.screenr.com/dKg

Then I showed a few example of LJMU uses of technology. These are on Blackboard, go to the help tab, then staff help, then ‘getting started, and finally ‘case studies’. http://blackboard.ljmu.ac.uk/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?cours...

Then we looked at Gilly Salmon’s 5 stage model http://www.screenr.com/vU4

Finally we looked at Carpe Diem workshop, developed at University of Leicester. Here are some more details http://blackboard.ljmu.ac.uk/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?cours...

Useful quote from p. senge on resistance to change

'whenever there is resistance to change, you can count on there being one or more 'hidden' balancing processes. Resistance to change is neither capricious nor mysterious. It almost alw
Ys arises from threats to traditional norms and ways of doing things. Often these norms are woven into the fabric of established power relationships. The norm is entrenched because the distribution of authority and control is entrenched. Rather than pushing harder to overcome resistance to change, artful leaders discern the source of the resistance. They focus directly on the implicit norms and power relationships within which the norms are embedded.'
P88 the fifth discipline

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Senge quote - fighting complexity with complexity

systems become -more complex
- react more dynamically over time, - different increasing ranges of time periods, They are tackled most commonly by an increase in compensating systems that add to the problem
Pp72 the fifth discipline The answer is understand feedback processes. We think linearly but the world works in systems. Senge uses example of filling a grass. You keep filling until you see it as full. Senge uses a diagram because language is no good at describing the whole process. It's too linear.

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Posted via email from abstractrabbit (Jim Turner) posterous

Re-reading Senge, p. the learning organization, interesting howsystem thinking links with self-perception

According to Senge, system thinking allows us to see the 'whole', the links rather than the this themselves. this links with the research I have been doing with staff. A question I need to ask is, how do they see there own system thinking. What is the map that they use to navigate, and reflecting on this, what does it tell them about their place within it

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Monday 16 May 2011

Technology and retention ALT podcast

This podcast explores some of the issues with using technology, and some possible solutions from different institutions. It’s not very in depth, but might prompt some ideas.

Examples include the LINK library at Abingdon and Witney College and how it is being refocused as central to student learning experience. This is very similar to the work done here.

Issues

The Digital Divide - Some students talk about how they are happy to talk online, but it is recognised that not all have the same level of access, in fact it looks like student access, confidence and knowledge issues are magnified by growth in technology.

Abingdon and Witney College have a Mandatory 1 hour face-2-face session for all new students that covers the basics. “Welcome to the college – this is how it works here”. It’s interesting how the introduction to web2 technology for most students comes directly from tutors on the course, rather than something they are taking up themselves. And how students are still in the dark about resources, eg google books, OERs from MIT, unless they are directed to them by staff.

<a href="http://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/meeting-students-needs-to-improve-retention/