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25 April 2006

MirandaNet April Newsletter

MirandaNet April Newsletter

Contents

Reminder of Thursday's seminar

MirandaNet Academy & Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology presents a one-day seminar and workshop on Visual Learning & Pedagogy at Bath Spa University, Newton Park, on Thursday 27th April.

Further information on http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/research/seminar.htm

Reminder of Saturday's seminar

Non-Linear and Multimodal Communication ICT CPD workshop: 29th April, London

Members who would like to be involved in experimenting with and writing about new practices in this area will be warmly welcomed by this working group. There is also a forum beginning on the website. See the agenda below.
Attendance free: Lunch and refreshments provided

Seminar Saturday 29th April 2006- 11:00am to 4:30pm

Non-Linear and Multimodal Communication ICT CPD workshop: 'Fascinating cultural objects': multimodal concept mapping in teaching and learning at the IoE, London, on Saturday 29th April

Please let Christina Preston know if you will be coming so that she can organise the catering.

Further information on http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/publications/mapping_seminar.htm

There is a discussion forum associated with this seminar: http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/phorum/list.php?29

The Miranda Net Fellowship in 2006

O brave new world: the birth of an e-community of practice

1955-1998

So many people have joined recently that I thought it would be interesting to publish an updated description about the MirandaNet Fellowship which was founded in 1992. MirandaNet Fellows have been asked to speak all over the world recently because we are now acknowledged as an international example of a 'community of practice'. Wenger and Lave first used this term when their focus was harnessing learning in business (Lave 1988). They began to think about the community learning process in education in the late 1990s when the term 'community of practice' was becoming well established (Wenger 1998; Wenger, McDermott et al. 2002).

The draft paper about the Fellowship looks at Bronwyn Stuckey's study of 10 'communities of practice' spanning a range of professions. Bronwyn is now a Fellow in her own right. She found that MirandaNet had all the elements which are necessary for developing a successful community of practice, namely the ability to:

(Stuckey 2005)

I've planned two papers: 1955-1998 and 1999-2006. In the first one I've looked at the operation of 'an active and passionate core'. It is mostly about my learning journey in founding MirandaNet. I'd like comments about this history which I can weave into the text. Go to the 'Teachers as Researchers E-Journal' (http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/ejournal) and look up the Case Study, or find it via the People link.

Building a dynamic knowledge base 1998 - 2006

The second episode is from 1999-2006. It is about the iterative practice based learning cycle that was first introduced to us by Bridget Somekh and Niki Davis (1998). John Cuthell and I are tracing the ways in which we are learning together over time like sharing the views of other Fellows to help to enrich the service we provide to each other. For example, Rupert Wegerif, who is newly appointed as a professor at Exeter University, began a dialogue with John Cuthell and myself about the characteristics of the Fellowship that support teachers' learning last year at the World Conference for Computers in Education, in South Africa . Rupert's comments have helped to identify one of the unique features of the MirandaNet community. "The outstanding feature of MirandaNet Fellows is their critical engagement with the issues as well as the evidence of effective practice."

In this context we are particularly proud of Nigel Riley and Keith Turvey who have proved this by published key papers in the latest editions of Technology, Pedagogy and Education and Computers in Education. They show that teachers can influence the thinking of education professionals by publishing in these highly respected journals. However, getting to this academic standard takes time and effort. Our members can publish their first evidence and ideas in a more teacher-friendly style in the MirandaNet Braided Learning ejournal. You will also find Nigel and Keith's early evidence for their journal papers in the MirandaNet 'Teachers as Researchers' volume, because they began this intellectual journey in a MirandaNet practice-based course.

The circular aspect of group learning where the learners become valued researchers in their own right is what many Fellows are now implementing in their classrooms. Nigel and Keith's papers are now influencing MirandaNet thinking about learning in e-communities and about the value of concept mapping as an assessment tool .

More about this next time from John Cuthell and I as we are engaged in an ethnographical investigation about how far Fellows have advanced the concept of a 'community of practice' to become a 'community of professional influence.' (The term ethnographical refers to the fact that we are members of the community and therefore acknowledge out bias. On the other hand people from outside the Fellowship will not know some of the more elusive aspects of membership).

John and I are collecting examples of the influence we have had on ICT policy locally, nationally and internationally since 1992 when Miranda Net was founded. For example, the Toshiba scholarships were the impetus for the NCET portables research into teacher ownership. Fellows also engaged in the recent DfES consultation about learning by providing evidence from classrooms. In addition, Fellows have influenced policy through practice in several countries where we have worked. We are, for example, collecting evidence of this kind of learning cycle from our Interactive Whiteboard project in Mexico where real efforts are being made to transform teaching and learning.

John and I would like to hear any anecdotes you have about MirandaNet practice in action that we can publish this in a paper about modes of social learning in the MirandaNet Fellowship. We will start a discussion about this on MirandaLink next week.

References

Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in Practice. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Somekh, B. and N. Davis (1998). Using Information Technology Effectively in Teaching and Learning. London, Routledge.

Stuckey, B. (2005). Growing an on-line community of practice: Community development to support in-service teachers in their adoption of innovation. Doctoral Thesis (in Press). Research Centre for Interactive Learning Environments, University of Wollongong, Australia.

Wenger, E., R. McDermott, et al. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Boston, Harvard Business School Press.

Wenger, R. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Mirandalink: How do we know or measure what effect ICT is having on achievement levels?

This debate has provoked some very useful and interesting comments. If you have an idea for a debate you can start this by simply sending a message to MirandaLink (mirandalink at mirandanet.ac.uk) and posting a stimulating thought. You can also ask for advice from our membership which has expertise in all kinds of areas. If you want to add to an existing debate, remember to press 'Reply All' in a Mirandalink message - 'Reply' usually goes just to the person who sent the message.

If you want to change the email address that your MirandaLink messages are sent to, go to the Members' Section on MirandaNet and log in with your username and password. Look for the 'Profile' link at the top of the page, where you can amend or change your details.

If you have forgotten your password, the system can send you a reminder. There are various helpful hints.

Colorado Convention Center

Douglas Butler

Douglas Butler, a Mirandanet Fellow, was privileged to be invited to give the opening keynote to the 2006 Texas Instruments 'T-Cubed' conference at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, USA, on February 24th.
http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/publications/t_cubed.htm

The conference is an annual gathering of American science and mathematics teachers who use TI's production the classroom, and the purpose of the opening speaker is to set the tone for three hectic days of workshops. The 2005 curtain-raiser was Robert Ballard who discovered the Titanic, so Douglas chose to follow this by exploring whether technology could 'save' mathematics and science teaching - subjects which are in perilous decline in most countries of the world. After exploring the fascinating history of the subjects through web sites (including the amazing 1.2km water tunnel on the island of Samos built in 550BC which was started at both ends), the 2000 delegates were treated to a roller-coast ride of resources that could add a sparkle to any lesson, and this included a look at the 3D geometry involved in today's animated movies. It was not all hi-tech - half way through Douglas had them all making a perfect tetrahedron from any rectangular piece of paper!

A review of the SITE 2006 Conference

Mechelle De Craene

The thing that really interested me the most at the conference as a teacher was The SimSchool. It's a video game that prepares future teachers. However, I think there could be so many potential uses for this tool. For example, the tool could be used to teach social skills to students with disabilities. I would love to try it out with my students with autism to see what kind of virtual world they would create. I'm going to e-mail them about it. It seems really interesting!!!! (Contacts: Melanie Zibit, Bill Halverson)
http://simschool.org/index.htm

Additionally, I enjoyed learning about how teachers are using ICT in other countries. One professor Mike Orey, Tel Amiel, Ho McClendon University of Georgia. I thought this was a really interesting project.
http://www.waet.uga.edu

I liked learning more about Podcasting.

Additionally Mathwrite: An Exploration of Touch Screen Mathematics in the European Primary Classroom paper by: Bryn Holmes
http://www.mathwrite.genadios.com

Additionally, John and my presentation was entitled: Re-programming Piaget: A Developmental Look at ICT and 21st Century Learning. We got some good responses from people from all over the globe which was really encouraging.

Digital Storytelling was a big theme at the conference. Joe Lambert gave a talk on it. I wish I would have gotten to hear it though...because I'm making an iMovie with my kids on biomes. Currently, we are in the storyboard phase and will be using United Streaming in our digital stories. We are having the kids write the scripts, do the camera work and tell us which film clips they'd like to incorporate in the iMovie from United Streaming. Additionally, my school just bought Inspiration. We are going to have the kids make concept maps to help them with their storyboards for digital storytelling....I'm keeping a log along the way...it's really fun. But I digress.

Back to SITE...There's an audiostream of Janet Swenson's keynote 'Can you hear me Now?: Composing Connections between Classroom's and Communities'. It's on the SITE site and there to click on.
http://www.aace.org/conf/site/site_live.htm

The workshop in Prague - 19th - 23rd February 2007

Please book in your diary the dates of the next MirandaNet workshop in Prague - 19th - 23rd February 2007.

There will be family prices for rooms including the weekends. We will probably be staying in Prague 6, which is like the Kensington of Prague. School visits will be in this district as well. It is about 10 mins from the centre on the underground.

Draft programme: 19th /20th schools visits, 21st/22nd ICT CPD workshop linked to visits, 23rd public seminar and poster session. We have more planning meetings at the end of April and should then have firm prices.

New Fellows and Scholars

Maria Kingham

Maria has a mix of professional and technical skills in ICT, training and knowledge management assisting in the 'acquire, order and dissemination of information'. She is experienced in elearning materials development and delivery, Buzan mind mapping, electronic community development and individual learning styles diagnostics. Maria trained in sociology, psychology, ICT, education, law and management. She has been employed as a lecturer and management consultant and is now deputy director at the Teesside City Learning Centre.

Major projects that Maria undertook as a management consultant involved knowledge capture and transfer where expertise needed to be captured and transferred. Design and implementation of VLE systems and elearning materials. Research and development of 'pointers to people' or tacit knowledge management systems. Research and development of 'Planning for the Knowledge Perspective' - a knowledge management strategy forming approach. Maria has also researched and advised on eLaw issues for knowledge management and more generally on the topic of eTrading. Currently her role involves delivering Buzan mind map training and multimedia courses to pupils and teaching staff as well as assisting in the running of the City Learning Centre.

She is married with one child.

Christina Stylianou

My name is Christina Stylianou, I come from Cyprus and I am a primary school teacher. My undergraduate degree was in primary school teaching at the University of Cyprus during 2000-2004. In the year 2004-2005 I worked as a substitute teacher and as a part time teacher in primary schools in Cyprus. Currently, I am undertaking my master degree at the University of Nottingham in MA in ICT in Education. I perceive ICT an important and auxiliary 'tool' for promoting new approaches in education for better, easier and more effective teaching and learning. I am interested in implementing ICT in my teaching and potentially aim to incorporate ICT in the educational system of Cyprus, by transferring my knowledge there. I am currently working in my dissertation topic, 'The use of ICT in Cypriot primary schools: Factors governing its implementation by teachers'. My objectives are: (1) explore teachers' use of ICT in their teaching (2) identify factors that influence their teaching behaviour regarding ICT (3) provide suggestions and practical guidelines to policy makers and school administrators to devise steps towards computer technology implementation.

Li Yuan

ICT Interests
My main interests include the design and production multimedia teaching and learning resources in educational settings, virtual learning community, teacher professional development on ICT, the use of computers in the classroom, ICT policy for schools at national, regional and international levels.

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