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17 January 2008

January 2008 Newsletter

MirandaNet reports

A new Chief Executive at MirandaNet

MirandaNet is delighted to announce that Mary Harris, who many of you will already know as Mary Barker, has joined the MirandaNet management team in the capacity of Chief Executive.

Her role will be to strengthen our strategic commitment to the development of innovations in learning. She will build upon MirandaNet's current relationships, consolidating achievements and expanding the remit as we move forward into a digital future.

I know you will all join me in welcoming Mary to the team.

MirandaNetters building new knowledge about the use of digital technologies

We are publishing growing evidence that the MirandaNetters are building one of the most e-mature communities of practice in the world. Your capacity in knowledge building online is providing us with evidence of the emergence of new collaborative processes for learning. MirandaNetters are now influencing policy and practice in digital technologies. We are keen that we should increase the work in building new theories about learning and improving practice in that context.

As we develop a reputation in this area there is a growing trend for new members to be teachers taking Masters and PhD qualifications. They are often deciding which questions need to be answered now as a prelude to their studies. It is important that they move forward rather than looking at areas where there are already some answers.

For this reason we'd like to encourage all members to engage in the forums and/or seminars this year so that we can debate the most compelling issues that you want to raise.

We know that not all practitioners have the time or the desire to take further qualifications - but their perspective is vital if members' post graduate work-based research is to be well informed.

I look forward to engaging with you in cyberspace....

You can find papers about this if you are interested on:

www.mirandanet.ac.uk/publications and www.mirandanet.ac.uk/preston

MirandaNet Fellowship on the Guardian website

This report appears on the Guardian website on Link's website this time from Jan 8.

The Centre of Work-based Learning for Professionals (WLE) has published new work-based research from teachers into how concept or mind mapping can be used to support teaching and learning. This collection of papers, developed, in MirandaNet Fellowship working groups, is aimed at teachers and others in education who are new to the concept of hand-drawn or digital mapping that includes sound, graphics and animation, collectively called multimodal mapping. Topics covered include how digital mind maps can be used to help AS students to recognise how different parts of the ICT syllabus link together, rather than dealing with each topic in isolation; and how primary children can use digital maps to organise their thinking in project work.

The research results, published in the WLE e-journal Reflecting Education, include podcasts as well as written papers. These papers by teachers working in schools are accompanied by contributions from internationally renowned academic thinkers who present aspects of their theories that are most relevant to practitioners.

The inclusion of studies which draw on teachers' experiences in class alongside the writing of key theorists is a break with journal convention, but could point the way forward for the future, says Christina Preston of ICT thinktank, MirandaNet, who co-edited this volume of papers. "Unlike most journals, Reflecting Education relates academic quality standards to a professional audience. The papers aim to introduce the people actually working in schools to learning theory whilst still keeping it relevant to classroom reality. Now that all teachers are to be obliged to take Masters level qualifications this kind of work-based research is likely to be increasingly appropriate."

MirandaNet members also featured in a BETT preview in the Guardian

http://education.guardian.co.uk/link/story/0,,2221096,00.html

New Discussion Forum: Learning in an Online Community of Practice

At the end of last year Helen Whitehead initiated a discussion about Gilly Salmon's 5-Step Theory of online learning, and the ways in which is has developed. I suggested that it might be useful to move the discussion to an online forum so that separate threads in the discussion could be explored. This forum explores the ways in which Gilly Salmon's 5-Step Theory of online learning can be applied in a variety of contexts - and the ways in which it has changed and developed.

Francis Howlett, the MirandaNet Editor, has simplified the way in which contributions can be made to the forums. The Forum log-in is now the same as the MirandaNet log-in. Click on the Member's Area to log in. Increasingly these forums will be for MirandaNet registered users only. This is to cut down on the spam and unwanted messages. There are automated routines for those who have forgotten their user names or passwords.

If you would like to re-read the original postings from MirandaLink and add further thoughts or observations, log on to the members' area and go to:

www.mirandanet.ac.uk/phorum/default.php?list,36

And John Cuthell hasn't written everything himself: it's simply that he's posted them from the original discussions!

MirandaNet awards at BETT08

Congratulations to all those who have won awards from the MirandaNet Fellowship. These are for knowledge building services to our community. The contributions made by members to our Braided Learning e-journals are important to practicing teachers all over the world who search our knowledge base to learn about interesting practice.

MirandaNet Fellowships

MirandaNet would like to congratulate the seven new Fellows who were awarded their fellowship certificates by Doug Brown at the awards ceremony at BETT 08.

Senior Fellowships

A number of long-standing MirandaNet Fellows have been awarded Senior Fellowships in recognition of their long-standing contribution to the MirandaNet Community and its activities. Doug Brown presented certificates to those who were able to be present at the awards ceremony at BETT 08. MirandaNet would like to congratulate everyone involved: we look forward to further fruitful collaboration!

Some people have not had their certificates from other years as we could not meet them face to face. The certificates are now stored on line.

We are always pleased to offer World Ecitizens to your learners for achievements that are published on our site. The criteria for this award are up to you. These certificates are also now stored on line so please ask John for the link). We would like a 2,000 description of your project for other teachers to learn from. This publication will earn you a MirandaNet Fellowship.

Theo Keuchel's daily BETT08 blog

See Theo Keuchel's daily BETT blog: http://theok.typepad.com/digital_signposts

Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age - a Review

Carvoeiro, Algarve, Portugal 7 - 9 December 2007

John Cuthell presented a paper on Braided Learning, co-written with Christina Preston, at this conference. The paper draws on extensive research of online interaction between MirandaNet Fellows during projects in which they have been involved. Use of MirandaLink, the MirandaNet Discussion Forums and e-Journals have all contributed to Braided Learning.

The paper can be downloaded from www.mirandanet.ac.uk

The conference was organised by IADIS, the international association for development of the information society www.iadis.org

The IADIS CELDA 2007 conference papers aimed to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There have been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a fast pace and affecting academia and professional practice in many ways. Paradigms such as just-in-time learning, constructivism, student-centered learning and collaborative approaches have emerged and are being supported by technological advancements such as simulations, virtual reality and multi-agents systems. These developments have created both opportunities and areas of serious concerns. This conference aimed to cover both technological as well as pedagogical issues related to these developments - cognition and exploratory learning in the digital age.

Other reports on ICT activities

The SMELT project

Research into use of the 5-Stage Model and E-tivities in Learning and Teaching.

Gilly Salmon's 5-stage model and e-tivities framework have been used successfully to support learning in a variety of contexts, courses, disciplines, types and levels of education from schools to masters to continuing professional development.

This project aims to find out how they have been applied in learning and teaching across the world in the last ten years. We know that teachers have used them in a variety of different ways, adapting and developing the models to suit their own purposes. As part of the background to a new book, we would like to find out about the models in practice. The general results of this research will be made available to all practitioners.

If you have used the 5-stage model or e-tivities in any way, even adapted:

PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY:
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-research-alliance/projects/SMELT/smeltsurvey

OR contact Helen Whitehead

(A Word version of the survey is available on request to me if you would prefer.)

http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-research-alliance/projects/SMELT

Prototype OLPC XO laptop

I was lucky enough to have a prototype OLPC XO laptop to play with for a week or so. I didn't have any other XOs to mesh with so I can't comment on the educational merits of the mesh networking and the collaborative applications. However it certainly impressed me more than any machine I've seen since I first got my hands on an Acorn Archimedes prototype over 20 years ago. It's rugged, so obviously fit for purpose, and the screen is simply unlike anything you've ever seen before, working beautifully in bright sunlight.

The keyboard looks as if it's going to be like that of a 'Sinclair Spectrum', but in fact it's great for typing on, despite its small size.

The BBC has a nice overview of the technology at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6679431.stm

Phil Driscoll

Website for Individuals with (dis) Abilities

Mechelle De Craene has found this great site called Disaboom and thought she'd share:
http://hastac.ning.com/video/video/show?id=1420034%3AVideo%3A6422
and the direct link: http://www.disaboom.com/
P.S. This kid is awesome: http://hastac.ning.com/video/video/show?id=1420034%3AVideo%3A6445

Events

7-8 February WLE Centre, IOE, London

Pedagogies for interactive technologies: IWBs and Visualisers

You will find full details and a flyer here here

21-22 February London

Visual Learning Workshop

To be held at the WLE Centre, IOE, London

Friday 29 February 2008

The Education Resources Awards 2008

http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/associates/besa_er_awards.htm

We would like MirandaNetters to apply for these awards. If you are eligible or you want to suggest someone please get in touch.

12-13 March What Works Where? WLE Centre, IOE London

ICT CPD programmes as a focus for changes in policy and practice

The view from the UK, the US and Eastern Europe

19 - 20 June 2008 International Conference in London

Multimodality and Learning: New Perspectives on Knowledge, Representation and Communication

A call for papers and registration details can be found on www.multimodality.org.uk

Carey Jewitt, Diane Mavers and Gunther Kress are on the papers committee.

23rd - 26th June 2008

Valuing individual and shared learning: the role of ICT

Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic IFIT

VIASL 2008: Valuing individual and shared learning: the role of ICT
Rethinking the digital divide

Organized by: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education in association with the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics

Christina Preston will be giving the keynote address.

For more detail on these, see www.ifip2008praha.cz

The conference will seek to address these questions from the perspective of elementary education, teacher training and life-long learning.

The deadline for paper submission is too soon (January 13th 2008), but maybe you have an interesting article that could be adapted very quickly and easily for the VIASL conference till January 13, 2008.

In any case, you are welcome to participate only to be together with us to focus on the common topic. Everybody who would like to contribute to these questions is welcome to Prague.

Conference fee:

Contact:

International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education (ICICTE) 2008

10-12 July Corfu Holiday Palace Hotel, Corfu, Greece

Keynote speaker: Dr Gilly Salmon, University of Leicester

ICICTE 2008 will seek to address the many challenges and new directions presented by technological innovations in educational settings.

All proposals and papers are peer reviewed by members of the Scientific Committee. If you wish to present at ICICTE 2008 submit your proposal to Nancy Pyrini at nancypyrini at icicte.org by February 21, 2008. Each proposal will be double-blind reviewed by the Scientific Committee. Notification on whether the proposal has been accepted will be sent by February 28, 2008. More information is provided at: www.icicte.org

ALT-C 2008: Rethinking the digital divide

Leeds 9-11 September

*NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS*

Submission guidelines, including details of the conference "dimensions" are at http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2008/papers.html

Submit your proposal on the new submission system at

https://alt.conference-services.net/

Key dates

Keynote speakers

September 22nd - 25th Third International Conference on Concept Mapping

This two-site conference will be held first in Tallinn, Estonia from 22nd-24th. We then take the ferry which is about two hours to Helsinki in Finland to continue the presentations from 24th 25th.. There is some early information on this site presented in the form of a concept map:

http://cmc.ihmc.us/

Christina Preston will be speaking there and hopes MirandaNetters will join her.

New Scholars

David Astall

I undertake a great deal of work in ICT and education. I currently teach ICT from Ks3 to KS5, my main interest however is in e-learning and developing new ways of working with ICT in order to improve students knowledge and skills.

I am an assessor for examination marking and currently Chair of AQA Subject Advisory Committee for ICTR and Computing.

Sheila Counihan

I am interested in improving and developing the integration of Information Technology within nursing education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I currently work with undergraduate nursing students in the development of their e-learning/on-line networking skills to help them with their studies and also to facilitate the maintenance of supportive links with them during their clinical practice placements. This is done through the use of the BlackBoard Learning Management System where students are able to maintain contact with college tutors as well as each other while they are on geographically dispersed clinical placements for periods of up to nine weeks at a time.

Through the development of their networking skills in this way it is anticipated that this will also prepare them for future study at postgraduate level as we move increasingly towards the delivery of professional development programmes of education on a blended learning/e-learning basis.

At postgraduate level I am developing a blended learning programme in Child and Adolescent Mental Health that will respond to the need for provision of continuing professional development and education to specialist practitioners who are geographically dispersed and therefore do not have local access to the specialist education that they need.

My particular focus is on the use of networking tools with a view to creating more cohesive and supportive groups for nurses who are dispersed both geographically and professionally. In addition to practicing nurses, I feel that there is also a need for nurse academics to create better networks and links to facilitate improved programme development and management both nationally and internationally. I am involved in one such network, the Problem Based Learning Special Interest Group (PBL SIG) which is part of the UK Higher Education Authority (HEA) Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre. I am also in the process of establishing a network for mental health nursing educators, clinical and academic, in Ireland.

To date my experience is somewhat limited but I have recently registered on a taught Doctorate programme at Kings College London. My research study will explore the use of virtual learning environments and social networking tools to enhance the development of more cohesive communities of practice that are not restricted to the completion of a particular programme of study, but rather will enable individuals to maintain links to colleagues for professional and other supports throughout their careers.

Margaret Hamerton

I teach in a large middle school in West Sussex where I am ICT coordinator and Y7 team leader.

Currently working towards an MA Education at Brighton University where the focus of my research project is interaction with the interactive whiteboards.

Linda Hartley

I am based in London and I work on various educational projects including professional development training with Teaching Assistants and other school staff.

I worked as a TA and Research Assistant to a Network Learning Community in a Primary School for many years. I got a First in a workplace, action research based, online degree (BA(Hons) Learning, Technology and Research). I'm now applying my action research skills in my new position as a lecturer, currently working mainly with teaching assistants and support staff on NCFE level 2 courses.

I created The Classroom Displays Group on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/classrmdisplays/ and the Classroom Displays Blog http://usefulwiki.com/displays/ formed part of my final year first person action research. They are an on-going project. My reflective learning journal blog is Acting to Improve http://distributedresearch.net/Linda/.

I am particularly interested in projects involving blogs, wikis or other forms of social software and on-line communities and/or communities of practice in educational professional development, both formal and informal. I am currently involved in educational blogging and using wiki as a course development tool http://usefulwiki.com/page/Main_Page. (See the Teaching Assistants section).

Ajitha Nayar

I am a Teacher Educator. I have always been a strong advocate of applying ICT in classroom learning and incorporating technology in the classroom. I always encourage my staff to use technology. I frequently resort to ICT in teacher Education. My students are given web-based assignments involving preparation of Intranet materials, locating suitable websites related to the content they have to learn. They are also given opportunities to make use of Educational software available.

Leatile Nthaga

I am a computer and information skills lecturer who does research on how information technologies are used to facilitate learning and change the human condition. I have presented papers on this subject. My other interest is to investigate innovative ways of using information technology to aid farmers. I would like to connect and collaborate with researchers interested in similar work.

Trine Petersen

I am a project manager for the educational charity, Gemin-i.org. I currently manage our online community for schools called Rafi.ki. This is an international community for schools using ICT to link over 600 schools from 85 countries in the world.

I am passionate about using ICT to bridge digital divides and to enthuse students about learning, particularly in the area of development education.

Abdulla Sodiq

I have been teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for the last 9 years, including the last 6 years in the UK. I have a BA in English Language Teaching (University of Stirling) and an MA in Applied Linguistics & TESOL (University of Leicester). In addition, I have two teaching-specific professional qualifications: Certificate of Education and a Cambridge Certificate of Teaching English Language to Adults (CELTA). I look forward to meeting MirandaNet members and exchange ideas on various and ICT and education topics in the future.

The MA programme (University of Leicester), which I completed in 2005, offered me the chance to explore interesting and thought-provoking insights into my practice via the research I carried into teaching, learning and educational technologies. My dissertation research project was on the use of Interactive Whiteboards in English Language Teaching in the UK. In the past I have utilised, developed and managed resources for VLEs (Virtual Learning Environments) such as Web-CT and Moodle to motivate learners and to support teaching programmes. I have been using Interactive Whiteboards in my teaching since 2000, the first time I came across the technology was when I was an English Language teacher in the Maldives. Currently, I use Interactive whiteboards on all of my programmes on a weekly basis. I have had the opportunity to deliver staff training on teaching related technology such as Interactive Whiteboards, Podcasting, VLEs. My other ILT contributions include working actively in an LSC funded ILT & ESOL Project at City College Coventry in 2006.

Helen Tracy

My interest in ICT is mainly professional - I work on the design and development of distance learning programmes. These can be in any subject area, but are mainly for higher education. As learners don't attend campus, I encourage colleagues to use ICT where it is appropriate. This could be to support learners using communication technologies, or to encourage peer to peer collaboration and learning. It could also be through the use of interactive learning objects which help students actively engage with the learning material.

I completed a MEd in E-Learning in 2005 and am planning to undertake further study in the new year. My research interests include the design of distance learning materials, e-learning staff development and mobile learning.

Paul Williams

I am a trainee teacher with 5+ years in Education. I have previously worked in technical roles in schools, with experience of PC hardware and Networking to Software and Web Development, and I am currently training to be an ICT Teacher. I feel I specialise in researching and developing innovative uses of technology, as well as implementing non-standard solutions for non-standard problems.

New Members

Roger Sawyer

I am a teacher who is forward looking and interested in developing and facilitating independent and autonomous learning skills using ICT and multimedia.

Serkan Ucan

I am doing MA in ICT Education.

Xiaofeng Xie

I am an English teacher in China. I am interested in exchanging the ideas about teaching foreign language, and about teaching methodology, and I'd like to share the experience in teaching with friends here. Hopefully I can learn a lot from others.

My 'Western' name is Cathy.

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