Disruptive technology

1
Disruptive technology learning ecology
blending learning for social work education

• JSWEC 2005
• Neil Ballantyne, Stòr Cùram project,
• Glasgow School of Social Work

2
Web-based social work education

• Despite concerns expressed by some commentators
  (Hick, 1999 Kreuger Stretch, 2000)
• The contemporary literature includes many case
  studies describing the successful integration of
  learning technology into social work curricula
• Notably through the use of computer-mediated
  discussions (e.g. Schoech, 2000 Cooper, 2001
  Knowles, 2001 Bertera Littlefield, 2003
  Massimo, 2003 Roberts-DeGennaro et al 2005
  Huntington Sudberry, 2005 Quinney, 2005
  Cooner, 2005)
• and multimedia case material (e.g. Evans,
  Petrakis, Swain, 2001 Seabury, 2003)
• Linked to the pervasive adoption of virtual
  learning environments

3
Learning ecology

• Teaching and learning take place in a complex,
  interacting system. The outcomes of learning
  depend on the combined effects of the whole
  learning environment

Committee of Scottish University Principals (1992)
4
Learning ecology and innovation

• The introduction of an innovation sets off a
  chain of repercussions throughout the learning
  milieu. In turn these unintended consequences are
  likely to affect the innovation itself, changing
  its form and moderating its impactConnecting
  changes in the learning milieu with intellectual
  experiences of students is one of the chief
  concerns for illuminative evaluation.
• Parlett and Hamilton (1977, p. 12)

5
Three illustrations of the value of systems
thinking in e-learning

• Networked learning and the social ecology of
  study
• Emergence of learning objects learning object
  repositories
• Evaluating e-learning and niche based success.

6
Affordances of technology

• Affordance refers to the perceived and actual
  properties of a thing, primarily those functional
  properties that determine just how the thing
  could possibly be used.
• Salomon (1993, p. 51)

7
Networked learning

• learning in which information and
  communication technology (CIT) is used to
  promote connections between one learner and
  other learners between learners and tutors
  between a learning community and its learning
  resources
• Jones Steeples (2002, p.2)

8
Virtual learning environmentuse in tertiary
institutions

• Dramatic increase in the uptake of VLEs by
  institutions in the last four years
• 2001 - of the 89 UK HEIs included in the survey
  40 reported using a VLEs (an estimate of 7 four
  years previously)
• 2003 358 institutions across both HE and FE,
  reported a very high prevalence of VLE usage
• 85 of FE colleges
• 84 of pre-1992 universities and
• 97 of post-1992 universities report using one or
  more VLEs

Britain and Liber (2004) A Framework for the
Pedagogical Evaluation of E-learning Environments
9
Finding of the 1999 VLE survey

• Systems were mainly geared towards content
  structuring and presentation i.e. a one-way
  transmission model of education
• Discussion and dialogue were generally hived off
  to a separate discussion place not integrated
  with or more importantly driving the sequence of
  content.
• Much greater emphasis was given to teacher and
  administrator tools than to students tools.
• There was a distinct lack of student self
  organisation or presentation tools
• Courses were not easily adapted once started

Britain and Liber (1999) A Framework for the
Pedagogical Evaluation of Virtual Learning
Environments
10
The formal organisation of study social
practices of students

• Learners exposed to a curriculum
• organized passage through a syllabus of material
• Physical environment designed to support
  management of time and effort.
• Including spaces with specialized functionality
  with insulation from competing forms of activity
• Opportunities for exercising discourse of
  disciplinary community

Crook Light (2002) Virtual society and the
cultural practice of study
11
Campus experience of networked learning

• Over half thought university should be making
  greater use of ICT
• A third wanted more notes and lecture slides on
  module web pages
• Little use of email discussion but over 60 used
  instant messaging social presence (link to
  Britain and Liber 2004)
• In networked rooms students would multi-task with
  several applications open which tended to disrupt
  study patterns
• Under a third reported collaborative study in
  their rooms
• Over half routinely discussed work in and around
  timetabled classes walking between lectures
• Most of this contact with other students and
  staff - was serendipitous

Crook (2002) The campus experience of networked
learning
12
Managing learning study

• Educational innovation can disrupt established
  practices in unexpected ways
• For example across all of the literature on the
  introduction of e-learning the impact on workload
  is noted
• This is true for both staff developing the
  innovation and students participating
• Need to ensure that new methods support learning
  and study practices rather then undermine them
  especially important if innovation is to become
  mainstream.

13
Reusable learning objects digital repositories

• Reusable learning objects designed to be easier
  to adapt and therefore easier to adopt
• But could be viewed as byte-sized information
  transmission media
• DRs aim to encourage finding, sharing, and
  repurposing content
• But face significant cultural and institutional
  obstacles

14
Emergence of learning design

• There is no learning in objects
• Need to be embedded in activities
• Its what learners do with that matters most
• IMS Learning Design is a specification for the
  description of learning activities
• But its another example of the need for
  standardisation that flows from information and
  communication technologies
• Need to be careful we standardise the right things

15
Systems problems with RLOs DRs

• Problems of collaboration and sharing
• Standardisation?
• Staff resistance/reluctance to share content
• The quality assurance dilemma
• Management of intellectual property rights and
  risk

16
Niche-based success

• Success in e-learning may be niche based
• Success depends on the extent to which an
  e-learning implementation can be considered to
  have a good fit with the particular environment
  in which it is in use.
• Based on observations that
• educators typically used the results of
  evaluations to make adjustments to improve the
  fit
• it was difficult to attribute success to the
  effects of the technology alone.

Draper (1998) Niche-based success in CAL
17
Niche based success

• ...the most definite successes seem to come
  from a close fit between a piece of courseware
  and its situation of use that is specific to that
  niche. These are usually cases where a teacher
  analysed what was particularly weak in an
  existing situation and thought of how technology
  could be used to address that bottleneck.

Draper (1998) Niche-based success in CAL
18
Good pedagogical design facilitateslearning -
not technology

• Technological innovation is often confounded in
  the literature with pedagogical innovation
• Clark suggests all studies of educational media
  confuse the medium with the message
• Media are educationally neutral, researchers
  should focus on the teaching methods first and
  educational technologies second.

Clark (1993) Media will never influence learning
19
Guidelines?

• Adapt, embed and blend e-resources in active
  learning design
• Anticipate and plan for impact on time yours
  and students
• Watch, listen and learn during programme and
  afterwards
• Monitor for systemic affects
• Remember that success is niche based - and
  evolving
• Study which teaching learning strategies are best
  for your educational purposes and which
  technologies best support those strategies
• Work out the affordances and bend the technology
  to your educational purposes.