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1 March 2010
MirandaNet Newsletter February 2010
Round up of new members in February 2010
Do we need a new vision?
We've had many new scholars joining this year already who must have seen our tag line: sharing experience and expertise. There seems to be a growing enthusiasm for information collaboratively learning internationally. In this context Is our vision statement still current? Let me know if you have some new thoughts about it. You will find if on our front page:
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. Currently there are over 600 members in over 50 countries worldwide. The website, online forums, seminars, workshops and projects run by members are funded by international partner companies and government agencies. MirandaNet gratefully acknowledges the support of its company partners.
New members
Becta, the UK government agency has called us ‘The FaceBook of ICT education'. What is so pleasing is the growing number of international members we now have. However, I still think the UK is still too strongly represented in our MirandaLink debates and would like far more input from our colleagues abroad. And I think we are more than a social networking site because we are sharing and creating new professional knowledge in areas where no one yet knows the answers. You can find some of our papers about our theory of braided learning on here: www.mirandanet.ac.uk/publications
Despite our efforts it is so hard for many teachers all over the world to gain a full understanding of the value of digital technologies in classrooms either because the right kind of programmes are not available or because they cannot get support cover to pay for someone to stand in. UNESCO has called us the Robin Hood of professional development in digital technologies. This is because we find funders who will fund programmes in order to stimulate case study material - or we invite teachers to work on our research projects as co-researchers. Our latest research indicates that a small group of teachers are now seeing the best route forward for them is informal learning like Twitter, MirandaMods and TeachMeets. We are working on a new series of programmes at the moment that focuses on these technologies and setting up projects in your school - you can find out more here: www.mirandanet.ac.uk/profdev
All our new members prove that there are many different kinds of professional educators who want to learn from each other. Our new tranche of members shows how widely teachers internationally are seeing the power of informal learning. For example, following Sameer Toor's membership in February we have just had nine more new members from the Beaconschool Systems in Pakistan. These teachers say they want to be part of a wider community and are most welcome to MirandaNet. A group like this can write a collaborative article about their practice to gain their Fellowship.
But email addresses and profiles do not always tell me which country our members come from. Nevertheless, MirandaNet has a very broad professional base that represents the many people who are now involved in learning about and teaching about digital technologies: teachers, teachers of teachers and researchers. In this group of new scholars we have lecturers, independent consultants, government policy makers, and senior managers. Hardip Mothada, for example, who has been in industry, is now an ICT teacher and assistant head in London. He was already designing computer games at 15 years old and is now interested in finding some engaging action research topics.
You will find summarised profiles here but more on the web. Do get in touch directly if you see a new member who shares your interests or who may be able to help you.
New Fellowship
I hope all our scholars are at least working out how they can share their knowledge in a contribution to our e-journals which makes you a Fellow. Keith Heggart is a new scholar who has already taken the plunge and sent an article about his new project. We will be celebrating his achievement in our next newsletter. Well done Keith. We see each contribution to our e-journals as a contribution to the knowledge creation we promote.
I became a teacher via a round-about route, including careers in the Australian Defence Force and a venture building and hosting websites when such things were still considered out of the ordinary. Although I stumbled into teaching, I quickly found that I wanted to make a career out of it, motivated and inspired in equal measure by the enthusiasm that students bring to their lives and their work.
I was lucky enough to spend a sizeable part of my career at schools that have had 1:1 laptop programs, and so I've been immersed in the frustrations and possibilities of ICT and education from the start. One of the highlights of my career was seeing an autistic boy present to his classmates his stop-motion film - a product that would never have been possible without the use of technology. This is one of the key features of technology, I believe - the capacity to communicate with more people, more effectively.
Recently, I have become an Apple Distinguished Educator, and I've become especially interested in the uses of hand held technologies in learning. I've enjoyed developing apps for the iPhone, and I'm trialling using iPhones in an educational setting at the moment, with a number of Vocational Education students. It's very exciting, and I hope to share the findings soon.
Fellowship Case Study: www.mirandanet.ac.uk/casestudies/252
New Scholars
I have worked in the Education sector providing ICT Consultancy for a number of BSF and Academy projects since 2007 and am very keen to ensure that money invested in ICT in schools is spent wisely and for best educational impact.
I am a firm believer in the "right" technology for the job in hand rather than just putting in the latest gadgets, and see ICT as a way of enabling teachers to deliver their content in a more dynamic and engaging way.
I am a Senior Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at Middlesex University and provide academic support to undergraduates and postgraduates in the School of Engineering and Information Sciences. My professional/research interests include technology and language learning, peer tutoring and the writing process and writing in the disciplines. In 2001 I co-authored Get on board: A computer guide for ESL students. I am interested in using Web 2.0 for distance and work based learning in addition to my campus-based teaching.
I am interested in the direction of 'web 2' technology and how teaching and learning will eventually marry technology to student centred study. I came across MirandaNet researching an essay on the use of video-conferencing to support small group study which has stimulated an interest in following the broader agenda and discussion. Hence my reason for joining the MirandaNet is initially to observe and follow the developments until such time as I have my own contributions to share.
I am an ICT Teacher and Assistant Headteacher at an inner London Secondary school. I have been an ICT co-ordinator and Head of ICT in previous schools. Prior to working in education I worked as a programmer and hardware engineer in various companies in the multimedia, networking and music industry sectors. My educational background is Engineering (undergraduate level) and Music Technology (Masters).
As a very young man I was on the receiving end of Secondary ICT Education in the 1980's, having been in the first cohort to take O Level Computing at my school. I was successful in having three microcomputer games published between the ages of 15 and 17.
My interest in joining MirandaNet is to explore areas for research, and to ultimately establish my own area for some fruitful practice based research. The areas I am particularly interested in are:
- Effective teaching methodologies for ICT as a subject distinct from "traditional" subjects
- Game based learning
- Mobile technologies
- Programming as part of the ICT Curriculum
- Engaging non-musicians with Music Technology
- Understanding learning at the cognitive level
I am optimistic about and energised by the potential for the positive societal impact of ICT.
I have been training teachers for the post 16 sector for two decades but in the last two years I have been using software to deliver and assess whole programmes now. My ambition is to be able to find ways to qualify staff to teach using a methodology that enables them to study in a way that compliments the transition from work to teaching and is a support system not a burden. My colleagues and I use Moodles, webinars and as much Open Source software as we can to offer an variety of media. Our biggest technological problem is watching teaching - we are using live streaming but need to find out more. If anyone else is working on anything like this I would love to collaborate.
Research Manager, Becta
Gaynor works primarily managing qualitative research projects. She has recently published research that focused on parents' engagement with their children's learning involving technologies and the impact of this in their family learning experiences. It also explores parental/school communication using technology. The research report and literature review can be found here: http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_mr_02&rid=17152.
She has also managed a Narrowing the Gap project for low and underachieving learners and has worked with a media company preparing interactive teacher videos and other media (podcasts and learner videos). A NTG literature review can be found at: http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=17003 and the research report is here: http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_vi_ng_03&rid=17439.
Her involvement in these project stems from her own interests in the learning process. She taught school science for about 12 years in a number of schools in the Midlands. In 2004, Gaynor completed her doctoral thesis on pupil's attitudes to secondary school science experiences, whilst lecturing in biomolecular science at Coventry University and on the secondary science PGCE with the Open University. Gaynor has worked as a research manager with Becta for five years and managed the Using Digital Creativity to engage and motivate hard to reach pupils in BESD schools project in 2007.
The full research report:http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=14761 and streamed videos: http://stage.schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=re&catcode=ss_res_dig_02&rid=14996
I am a Regional Coordinator for ET/ICT for the Beaconhouse School System, and also a programme Leader for the CIE's Diploma in Teaching with ICT. My special interest is in supporting and managing CPD of teachers.
I am founder and Chairman of SALTIS (Suppliers Association for Learning Technology and Interoperability in Schools), which has over 100 industry members and is working to improve interoperability standards for educational technology, particularly between VLEs and learning content. If learning technology can "plug and play" then teachers will be able easily to buy what makes a difference for them in the classroom and drive a market in innovative technology. We believe that such an approach should replace current, prescriptive models for the implementation of ICT in schools. My background, before getting into standards work, was in developing a VLE and, before that, teaching History. I live in Dorset and enjoy sailing, backpacking and playing real tennis rather badly.
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