View of the MirandaNet Stand at BETT05

Christina PrestonArchive of Web Pages from BETT06

The new World Ecitizens Charity – Giving young people a voice

Christina Preston, Chair of MirandaNet and World Ecitizens

Professional Profile

Christina Preston, the Founder and Chair of the MirandaNet Fellowship, advocates the application of new media as a catalyst for change in teaching and learning. Recent research and development projects focus on innovative models for ICT Continuing Professional Development and practice: the building of international web-based communities of practice: supporting teachers as peer ementors and international exchanges in citizenship and ICT leadership. Practice based research is the preferred methodology for teacher education (mirandanet.ac.uk).

The MirandaNet Fellowship was established in 1992 in response to a need expressed amongst teachers for a supportive community of peers who would mentor each other in the exploration of new media potential (www.mirandanet.ac.uk). The vision, which is revisited by the members each year is:

The Fellowship spans national, social, cultural, commercial and political divides. Together scholars and fellows create an inclusive forum for the development of teaching practice, the building of an classroom evidence knowledge base, the dissemination of innovative programmes for professional learning by sharing emergent trends in the use of new media and technology in education. Peer mentoring and practice based research strategies celebrate individual learning patterns and varied experience. Dissemination and publication are central to the Fellowship learning process. Partnership with the education industry and policy makers is at the heart of MirandaNet activities.

The MirandaNet web site is a lively presence on the Internet with an average daily rate of 1,500 page requests. There are now about two hundred Fellows in twenty-five Chapters all over the world and about 300 scholars. Scholars become Fellows when they publish a case study about their ICT work.

The MirandaNet Fellowship has initiated three recent ventures. The first, World Ecitizens (WE), is a website for children’s publications - a response to global upheavals caused by the War on Terror. This website aims to encourage understanding between peoples, cultures and communities and to share across the world the fascinating diversity within nations ( www.worldecitizens.net).

A second venture is a MirandaNet e-journal written by teachers for teachers The MirandaNet e-journal pilot was designed to provide teachers practising teachers with a professional platform where they can publish their evidence and create a knowledge base This e-journal which will be peer reviewed has been popular with teachers on practice-based courses and raised the standards of course work.

The third venture is the MirandaNet International Research Centre at Southhampton University directed by Rupert Wegerif. One project is about transformational learning and attainment linked to computers in schools funded by Promethean. The plan is to include Mexico in the second research and development stage of this project which looks at the uses of interactive whiteboards in China, UK and South Africa.

Christina Preston holds honorary associateships at the Institute of Education, University of London, and the Czech Technical University, Prague. Professional memberships include the British Computer Society, the Society of Authors, the National Association of Advisers in Computers and Education (NAACE) and Information Technology Teachers in Education (ITTE). She is also on the judging panel of BETT and the British Computer Society education awards as well as being a referee on the panel of the Technology, Pedagogy and Education journal published byTriangle and the CAL conference proceedings published by Elsevier. She is also Chair of the World Ecitizens organization which has applied for charity status, a Trustee of Tools for Schools and an advisor to the Machizo organization for unity in Bangladesh.

Her awards include the Trnkova Medal from the Czech Technical University Prague for support in building democratic strategies for ICT teacher education (2002 - Prague) A humanitarian Award from the World Academic Council for the enrichment of community opportunities for Bulgarian teachers and women returnees by creating Anglo-Bulgarian exchange opportunities face-to-face and online (2000 - Paris) The European Union of Women Humanitarian Achievement Award for creating an Anglo-Czech online alliance working on democratic participation (1998 - London)

Christina Preston is also managing director of MirandaNet Ltd, an international education and ICT consultancy services, which includes practising teachers.

MirandaNet Ltd clients include UK government agencies like Becta, the TTA, the DfES, the EU, as well as international universities. Partner companies who support ICT projects in schools include Oracle, Microsoft, Toshiba, Select Education and Promethean.

Contact Christina Preston

[Back to the top]

[Back]