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26 June 2009
MirandaNet Newsletter June 2009
Editorial
As a community of practice our methods of creating and sharing professional knowledge are becoming more sophisticated. Now with click of the mouse you can be virtually with us in London wherever you live. We do hope to see you in the flesh or on the screen next time to share knowledge with Etienne Wenger, who defined the value of communities of practice in 1989. All the details for joining are below
Christina Preston
Communities of practice; do they have a role in education?
With Etienne Wenger on 22nd September
Free refreshments
16:00 coffee
16:30 - 18:00 seminar: the theory of Communities of Practice (CoPs) in learning
18:00 - 18:30 refreshments
18:30 - 19:45 MirandaMod debate: How effective are communities of practice in teachers' learning?
2 or 7mins presentations by practitioners on formal and informal CoP experiences
19:45 - 20:00 refreshments
20:00 - 21:00 Etienne Wenger discusses communities of practice with practitioners
There are only 35 terrestrial places. Register your interest with Christina Preston in speaking or participating face to face or online. wiki address here.
Resources from the Blogging MirandaMod
Supported by Microsoft, RM and Inspiration
We had an exciting session on 19th June when Ray Fleming, Microsoft, led our sessions on Blogging. We are still editing the videos and analysing the collaborative maps but in the meantime here is what others have had to say:
Danny Nicholson: (pre-event)
Ray Fleming: (contains a link to the slides)
Joe Nutt
Daniel Needlestone
Terry Freedman: (pre-event - post-event to come)
This blogging session from 14:00 to 21:00 attracted 25 members face to face at the three sessions and 22 teacher bloggers in the Flash meeting online as well as 15 contributing to the 3 networked collaborative maps produced during the session and added to afterwards. We also created some standalone concept maps. The quality of the video that is being edited is very good in both picture and sound.
We have talked to all the participants and organisers in order to modify the model in terms of
- length of sessions
- design of the wiki
- dissemination on Twitter and other routes
- ways of organising the collaborative concept mapping
- points for the chair etc.
We shall continue these refinements in the second one we are holding in a school which will be about Designs for CPD. The results so far are better than we anticipated, especially in the responses of the practitioners, who seem keen to engage over a longer period. We hope you will be able to fund the second stage as we do think that our analysis of the evidence will provide new perspectives on the creation and dissemination of knowledge by practitioners.
Personalised learning; a Fellowship
John Pallister has gained his MirandaNet Fellowship by writing a summary of our recent debate on personalised learning. Many thanks to John for this comprehensive account that I have also used to define personalised learning in a report I am writing. Does this concept exist internationally or is this just an English phenomenon? We'd like to hear from members abroad.
Here is a taste of John's article, you will find it in the MN e-journal shortly.
Ready or not, the Personal Learning Environment is coming with the ePortfolio Process as the Keystone
Pallister J B, Wolsingham School and Community College
Abstract
Although there are many ‘Drivers' for personalised learning, the term itself does mean different things to different people. Having been ‘thrown in' to educational agendas and discussions, a lot of people are talking about ‘personalised learning'. Frequently they are talking about different things. This has created a situation where schools and teachers are generally quite confused about what it is that they are being told that they need to implement, introduce or support.
Assessment for learning and curriculum choice feature as key components in most definitions of personalised learning, with the need for a shift from teaching to learning being identified in all discussions on personalised learning. Assessment for learning has been a priority for a number of years, if it is ‘happening' in schools, it would follow that personalised learning, to a greater or lesser degree would also be happening. If we add in the ‘curriculum choice' ingredient we would move a little closer to ‘personalised learning'. Learners would be following the assessment for learning ‘process'; making choices about their own curriculum; with their teachers advising, guiding and supporting.
The full article will shortly be published in our Case Studies.
Handbook of Research on Collaborative Learning Using Concept Mapping
I have contributed a chapter to an important book about collaborative learning and concept mapping that is about to be published. As you will know academic authors are not paid so I am horrified to find that the book costs $325. A debate is raging in the CMC community about this cost and about the freedom of information facilitated by the Internet.
However, my academic contracts normally allow me to show drafts to members of MirandaNet so I will enquire about this. Please let me know if you would like to join a closed forum about collaborative concept mapping.
Here is more information about the book:
The new book titled Handbook of Research on Collaborative Learning using Concept Mapping to be launched in July 2009.
This new publication brings Foreword written by Joseph Novak and Alberto Canas and several members of the CMC research community have contributed to its 22 chapters which were divided into three major sessions as follows:
Section I: The use of Concept Mapping and Collaborative Learning in E-Learning
Section II: The use of Concept Mapping and Collaborative Learning in Face-to-Face Situations
Section III: The use of Concept Mapping and Collaborative Learning at Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Schools
Jacqui Peters, IGI Goblal, has created several pages about this handbook on the IGI Global Web site, these pages can be viewed here. She has also created a full-colour brochure featuring this publication. You can view the electronic version of the brochure here.
To recommend this title to your institution's library, please complete the recommendation form here.
e-Learning Foundation Home Access Awards launch
As the significance of ICT and home access continues to grow within education at all levels and for all ages, the e-Learning Foundation has launched the ‘Home Access Awards' to recognise those schools that demonstrate excellence in the implementation and development of ‘Home Access' initiatives. The awards are FREE to enter and are open to all schools across the country who have instigated successful e-learning projects to provide children with home access to technology for their studies. They will also be recognising the contribution of others in achieving success. The categories for 2009 are:
Most successful parental partnership
Most innovative project
Most innovative Local Authority
Most outstanding personal contribution
Most supportive supplier
Home Access school of the year
The closing date for entries is Friday October 9th Make sure your entry arrives on time.
Jim Cooper
Emerging technologies for learning
'Emerging technologies for learning' aims to help readers consider how emerging technologies may impact on education in the medium term. The publications are not intended to be a comprehensive review of educational technologies, but offer some highlights across the broad spectrum of developments and trends. It should open readers up to some of the possibilities that are developing and the potential for technology to transform our ways of working, learning and interacting over the next three to five years.
Please email feedback (emtech at becta.org.uk) on the articles or suggestions for future topics and/or authors.
QCA Public consultation- reminder
QCA is urging all those with an interest in education to participate in the curriculum reform public consultation, which closes at 5pm on 24 July.
The government is proposing some important changes to the curriculum. The proposals are about:
- a new primary curriculum
- changes to the status of personal, social, health and economic education
- revised level descriptions for all subjects, and
- updated non-statutory guidance on religious education.
The consultation is online.
This public consultation is your chance to have your say and influence the education of hundreds of thousands of learners. Please also circulate the consultation link to your colleagues and networks and encourage them to contribute.
Mark Orrow-Whiting
Curriculum Group
New Scholars
Neil Atkin
I am an Advanced Skills Teacher in Science and ICT and have worked for the last 9 years as part of teaching and learning teams transforming failing schools. After 20 years teaching I am leaving in September to become an educational consultant partly due to frustration of the constraints and lack of imagination inherent in the education system.
I only believe in adding technology to education when it enhances learning. I feel that the banks of hugely expensive ICT suites that Heads show so proudly to visiting parents have added little to the learning experience of pupils. I believe the reason for this is that we, as teachers are too focussed on the end product, that can look very impressive even if there has been little input and no learning from the student.
The new Web 2.0 technologies excite me as they allow real creativity, collaboration and communication. Young people being 'digital natives' have embraced these outside the classroom. It is now up to us as educators mostly 'digital immigrants' to provide them with the opportunity to use them inside our schools. For this we need a complete rethink about the structure and format. We cannot just squeeze it into the 20th century model we are still using.
Linda Nielson
My teaching career began over twenty years ago, in a classroom equipped with a green chalkboard, an Apple IIe computer, and a filmstrip projector. Now I have a dozen laptops and various other types of technology equipment that my students and I use on a daily basis. Over these years as a Career and Technical Education teacher I have developed my personal philosophy concerning teaching and learning. I find when the concepts are relevant and learning is authentic and collaborative students are more engaged in their learning. The proper use of the Internet provides a world of possibilities for young students as they search to find meaning in their studies. The instructor's role in this type of learning environment becomes one of adviser to the students. The teacher should guide students in their educational journey.
At present I am in the middle my studies for a PhD and have begun research for my dissertation. My topic of interest is in integrating technology in the classroom and how various professional development programs train teachers in this endeavor. A qualitative study would examine, explore, and describe teachers' experiences during and after training, comparing various training programs. My plans are to graduate in 2011.
New Member
Ashley Talmage
I am a firm believer in integrating technology into the curriculum to help prepare our students for their futures and their education process in the 21st century.
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