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5 May 2009
MirandaNet Newsletter April-May 2009
Teachers as Bloggers: 19th June
WLE Centre, Institute of Education, London WC1H OAL
Nearest tube: Russell Square
www.wlecentre.ac.uk
Mark the date: 19th June. We hope many members will be able to come to all or part of this CPD event in London, or join us online. Instructions will be sent out later. Last time when we had a debate on social networking members from 20 countries joined us. See top left menu item on our site.
This varied CPD session is led by Rob Fleming, Microsoft, who writes the award winning UK schools blog.
(Please note that this will also be an online and international event, so the times are given in GMT. UK folk add one hour, most of Europe add 2, rest of world, do the calculations...)
1400 - 1600 hrs (GMT) Teachers as bloggers: Rob Fleming supported by MirandaNet bloggers to include Daniel Needlestone, Joe Nutt and Leon Cych
1600 - 1800 hrs (GMT) Workshop on blogging: Please bring your own laptop.
1800 - 2100 hrs (GMT) A themed MirandaMod open to members online. Organised by Drew Buddie and Theo Keuchel. Chaired by Terry Freedman. Refreshments provided. (Online participants will need to provide your own refreshments, unless the technology catches up.)
We still have some space for speakers in the afternoon. Let me know if you can speak in the afternoon or plan to join us in the evening. We can write letters of invitation if this is helpful.
Christina Preston
Learn more about MirandaNet plans to run online and face to face CPD programmes in the next academic year here.
30 funded PH.D places at Brunel
MirandaNetter Professor Marilyn Leask, Professor of Education at Brunel University, is alerting members to Brunel University's offer of 30 full time PhD research scholarships to UK and EU candidates. Starting October 2009.
The fees plus £13,290 maintenance per year are offered for three years maximum. The deadline is 19th June. See here for details.
If you are interested in researching web 2.0 applications and their potential to support professional development in national systems please contact Professor Marilyn Leask (marilyn.leask at brunel.ac.uk). She is also interested in potential students whose interests bridge education, business and/or IT systems. Applicants wanting to pursue work crossing these disciplines would be jointly supervised. Please contact her if you wish to discuss your application.
Miranda's Netiquette
As an international community of practice we have been widely praised for our standards of professional debate about professional technologies. Some members thought the standards slipped last week. I had discussions with several members about appropriate styles of communication on the web. We talked on email, on the phone and using Skype. I'm always pleased to discuss postings with members before you push the button, if you have any doubts about what you plan to say - or about your English. The forum is still quite Anglo-centric. It would be good to hear more from our international members. Just press the ‘reply all' button.
The discussions with members were about the very strong views that some members have about assessment - not surprising. Many head teachers in the UK are planning a strike about excessive testing. However, views were vehemently expressed on mirandalink. Some members applauded this forthrightness whilst other members were offended by some of the more dismissive comments and the slang that was used.
In this context all members have all committed to the vision statement that we publish on our website.
"The MirandaNet Fellowship, founded in 1992, is an e-Community of practice for international ICT policy makers, teachers, teacher educators, researchers and commercial developers who are passionate about digital technology in teaching and learning and about using technologies to promote cultural understanding and democratic participation."
We usually ask for members' comments on this statement each year as an organisation like ours must always be sensitive to change. Perhaps now is the time to ask for comments as this statement has been criticised in the forum.
In addition our current tag line is ‘Sharing experience and expertise'. Do we need a new one?
Christina Preston
A World Ecitizen's shop to fund exchanges?
In the last newsletter we talked about an international debate between students about the impact of the credit crunch that was led by Andree Jordan. China, Australia, the Czech Republic, England and South Africa were talking together.
Well, I never cease to be amazed by Andree Jordan's inventiveness. At the same time as the international debate, her students at The Ravensbourne School in Bromley were setting up a business with their partners, students from Retief School in South Africa. During their recent visit to the UK in March the students set up a community shop in a Bromley shopping centre selling products made by both schools. Two students, Kabelo and Lintle, brought over recycled jewellery and artworks from South Africa and The Ravensbourne School contribution consisted of paintings of the children at another partner schools in India and you can see examples of some of the pictures below. The students have also set up a radio station and are currently recording interviews with their South African partners to discuss on air, how they have been affected by the financial crisis.
MirandaNet is now talking about taking this idea further with our partners, EventElephant (see later for more details about EventElephant) [Editor adds: we have ceased our partnership with EventElephant]. If there is enough interest from MirandaNetters and their students, we will use the EventElephant event organising software to support International payments (using UK Sterling, US Dollars or Euros) for student art and artefacts - perhaps seasonal cards and so on. One suggestion is that the money raised could go towards funding exchanges between schools, both virtual and terrestrial.
Register your initial interest and Mary Harris and I will contact you about the next steps.
You will find the BBC article about the business partnership here.
P.S. This visit is the result of a MirandaNet exchange between 12 schools in England and 12 in Free State, South Africa. Many of you will remember when our South African colleagues and their pupils last came to the UK and sang at BETT. You will find their work in the Elapa section of the World eCitizens website.
About EventElephant
[Editor adds: we are no longer associated with EventElephant]
Organising a school event is a time intensive activity that really cries out for the intelligent use of ICT to ensure that it is effective, efficient and as painless as possible.
EventElephant is a self-service online product that makes it very simple for schools to:
• Set Up a great looking event web site for each of your events
• Send Out email invitations and details to parents or the wider community
• Sign Up event registrations and payments - online
EventElephant is now working in partnership with MirandaNet to help busy schools organize their events. And for school events that are free -so is the service!
World Mobile Symposium Report - London
MirandaNetters, Christina Preston, John Cuthell, Theo Keuchel, Leon Cych, Drew Buddie and Allison Allen presented a joint paper at the mobile learning conference on 27th March at the WLE Centre, Institute of Education. See here for details.
Several European colleagues were also presenting. You will find António dos Reis, Graal Institute, presentation here.
The international mobile learning group is responsible for many events and publications. MirandaNet will be writing a chapter for a book on the subject edited by Norbert Pachler. You will find more information here.
Resources - Seeing the Meaning
Do not forget to look at our new resource developed by John Cuthell, 'Seeing the Meaning'. This provides free access to all those wishing to use findings and information on the subject of Visual Learning and its technologies to further their own professional development, or to implement it in the workplace.
Do you have any materials to add? We also run courses online on this topic if you are interested. Contact Christina Preston.
Thanks to Inspiration for their support in our pursuit of Visual Learning.
See also the Inspiration Flashes Newspaper item below.
Computers in Classrooms book
Have you seen Terry Freedman's new book? It offers practical advice for colleagues who use, teach, lead or manage information and communication technology (ICT) in schools. You can find out more on his website or email Terry (terry at ictineducation.org).
Blended Learning - journal volume
The free Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology provides a multimedia forum for the advancement of scholarly work on the effects of technology on teaching and learning. This American online journal seeks to provide unique avenues for the dissemination of knowledge within the field of educational technology consistent with new and emergent pedagogical possibilities.
If any MirandaNetters would like help publishing in this or any other journal have a look at the requirements online and get in touch with me.
There is an introduction to this month's special issue on Introduction to the Special Issue on Blended Learning.
You will find more about the articles on the site; here are the titles.
• Blending With Purpose: The Multimodal Model by Anthony Picciano
• On Offering a Blended Cell Biology Course by Gerald Bergtrom
• The Saga of Two Professors Co-Teaching a Blended Course by Murray Blank and Conrad Boyle
• Blended Learning in a Digital World: Writing and Research for the Facebook Generation by Dan Kulmala and Andy Stanton
• Using Blended Learning to Ensure Consistency and Quality in Multiple Course Sections by Karen Perrin, Laura Rusnak, Shenghua Zha, David Lewis, and Sandhya Srinivasan
• Using a Blended Approach to Teach Research Methods: The Impact of Integrating Web-Based and In-Class Instruction by Mary D. McVey
• Advanced Technical Writing: Blending Virtual Communities by Reneta D. Lansiquot
• Third Space: Blended Teaching and Learning by Debra Mayes Pane
Inspiration Flashes newsletter
Read some interesting articles from our Inspiration partners' newsletter related to Visual Learning in the form of concept mapping and database software.
These articles include:
• Fifteen Educators From Around the World are Honoured with Inspired Visual Learning Awards
• Lesson Ideas - On Your Own Schedule, With Our Complimentary Webcast Archive!
• Visit the Inspired Learning Community for More Lesson Plan Ideas
• Going to NECC 2009?
Did you know that Inspiration can organise volume licensing to fit your needs. You can save up to 50% - email our partner, Annie Taylor (ataylor at inspiration.com) mentioning your MirandaNet membership.
Christina Preston
What do you want in the newsletter?
We are keen to review more members' websites and books. Let us know if you would like us to review your work. We are also keen to have news items from members as well as articles for the eJournal.
New Scholars
Russell Bryant
I am currently director of ICT at Walthamstow School for Girls situated in east London, UK. I have always been fascinated by the possibilities offered by online learning. Particularly the notion of flexible, independent learning. I set up a virtual learning environment using Moodle in 2004. The development of this type of learning space really benefitted Key Stage 4 pupils (14-16 yrs), particularly the possibilities offered by video and sound. It also posed the teacher with dilemmas about the structure of teaching, with movement away from a rigid lesson structure to a more fluid facilitative approach. In 2008 our school moved from Moodle to Fronter, to enable the school to move from the use of a VLE to a managed learning environment.
I am also now supporting the introduction of this managed learning environment across the local authority. One of our key priorities of developing an MLE across the whole authority relates to the possibilities this throws up in terms of improved sharing of resources and better communication avenues for teachers and other education professionals across the authority and beyond.
Karen King
I currently work with Activ Training as a Senior sales Consultant, delivering the British Computer Society (BCS) IT User Qualifications into over 200 Schools and Colleges across the UK. I am an ex Teacher and as such have a particular interest in the strategies and developments for ICT delivery in schools.
Bill Lamin
I have been ICT Cooordinator at a Cornish Comprehensive School since their first (almost last) RM computer in 1982.
I have seen the subject change dramatically and have actively campaigned for radical improvements to the National Curriculum and vigorously opposed the ill-thought out, (was there any thought?) on-line KS3 ICT testing.
In 2006 I started publishing a blog of my grandfather's First World War letters which has been immensely successful. wwar1.blogspot.com
I gave up teaching in July 2008 (26 years is enough) to convert the blog into a book published April 2009.
A second book is in progress and I'm promoting my own scheme for painlessly delivering the ICT National Certificate course.
Terry Patterson
I joined Tower Hamlets e-Learning Team in 2008 and have previously worked in the Wirral as a teacher, ICT Adviser and General Inspector with responsibility for D&T and ICT. I am inspired by the way in which young people have grasped ICT tools and are using them in new ways. As an educator I believe our expectations for all young people must be raised, and we must therefore have a clear understanding of how to ensure progress in ICT in all key stages. Teachers need support to integrate these tools into their repertoire and become confident in a new facilitating role. Some pupils may have excellent ICT skills but do not have an understanding of how to progress their learning. More than ever we need teachers who are prepared to be innovators.
Klaus Rummler
My current research focus is on the 'At-risk learners'' use of mobile technology and the implications for media education in the perspective of Cultural Studies. Central questions are e.g. What are the patterns of mobile media usage of male adolescents from low socio-economic segments, What are the 'at-risk learners' specific strategies of successful meaning-making with mobile technology outside school.
Besides the research focus I am interested in educational technology and the development as well as programming of websites and web applications, mostly for educational purposes.
Judith Seipold
Judith Seipold is an associate at the WLE Centre, IoE London, and a PhD student at the University of Kassel. Her current research is on mobile learning as agentive and meaningful activity in school and everyday life. Judith focuses on the transformation of informal contexts and their structures in terms of formal learning, by means of m-learning projects in school and the use of mobile phones and their applications in everyday life. Further on, her research interests are related to offer and use of children's television, protected pc use in elementary school and media literacy in everyday life.
Laura Walker
I am a French teacher by training, now in my second middle leadership post at a comprehensive secondary school in Hertfordshire. I have been interested in ICT in education since my PGCE at Oxford, where I wrote my dissertation on teachers' adoption of new technologies. I am a Fast Track in the final stage of the programme and am looking for a leadership role next year.
I am particularly interested in developing teacher use of interactive technologies inside and beyond the classroom, especially with regard to improving skills for independent learning, critical thinking in students and staff CPD. I think that ICT can play a very important role in motivating and involving students in multi-dimensional learning experiences, and as teachers it is our responsibility to develop learning environments appropriate for digital natives in the 21st century.
I have been a Twitter user for the past year or so, and have used this fantastic medium to develop a strong PLN. Thanks to my international network (several of whom are MirandaNetters) I have moved my practice and awareness of progress in ICT forwards. I now feel the next step is to develop my professional network further through MirandaNet and learn more about where ICT in education is going. I also hope I will have something to offer the community by way of experience and strategy. I run my own blog and have had positive feedback on pieces I have written about digital literacy, motivation and the future of MFL. I hope to publish work more formally in the future.
New Member
Karl Issambo Kanoha
Metha - Foundation in England, Africa offer opportunities for people with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other special needs to live, learn and work with others of all abilities in an atmosphere of mutual care and respect.
The Foundation's headquarters is in England, but its humanitarian programs/activities are carried out in Africa, with the help of its representatives.
METHA - FOUNDATION is a charity organisation that will provide and help all culture, and people of different back ground, by breaking the gaps of ignorance and make information a major tool for the public to acknowledge every aspect of life up today; according to morality, God and multiple point de vu.
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