Which ever way you look at it – my life has changed dramatically over the past month or so. My job at Birkenhead Sixth Form College officially ended yesterday… so what next? What indeed?
I’ve already signed-up for an MSc in Computer Science at the University of Liverpool, starting in September. Before that, I need a job (or two). I decided to try and set myself up in the Vintage clothes/curios market – trading on eBay. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time – so I might investigate about business start-up grants when I have my first (and hopefully last) Job Centre Plus interview on Monday.
I also decided to keep on with my ‘day job‘, working in Edu-Tech, and am setting-up as a Consultant Technologist – so if you want to contact me about any work you have or would like to discuss what I can do for you, simply drop me a line in whatever manner you wish. I’m on most social sites as ‘colhawksworth’ or you can email/txt me if you already know me and I’ve given you my details.
I’ve been invited to give a presentation & a short workshop on “Developing the use of Mobile Technology and Virtual Learning Environments for STEM subjects” for the LSIS North West Regional STEM meeting, tomorrow at Daresbury Labs. Now, as I don’t yet know how many delegates will be there… I’m a little unsure as to how I’m going to tackle the workshop.
In action...
The presentation is not a problem – anyone who has witnessed my previous attempts will testify that I’m not one for over-rehearsing. In fact, I tend to run with a general theme of a few relevant (or sometimes irrelevant/irreverent) slides topped-off by a stream of verbal consciousness. And that’s largely it. OK, I ramble on and probably repeat a few things over – but they’re usually points that I want to ensure people remember. I’m not a pro-presenter and I hate sitting through boring slide shows – so I like to try and be informal and feel that I’m chatting with people rather than talking at them. Maybe that’s why I like the Pecha Kucha style?
So, to the workshop… Eeek!
Well, I’m going to run through our VLE (Moodle), nothing too techie (that really DOES switch people off!) – if anyone wants technical info, I can always go over it afterward. Really, I guess it’s a matter of demonstrating what a VLE can and can’t do for STEM subject areas… I like to give a realistic and truthful demo – after all I’m not a salesman. If something doesn’t quite function in a usable way – then I’ll offer up an alternative. Personally, I think the Wiki feature in Moodle is awful – so why not use something like Wiki Educator? The blogs are also naff, so why not use WordPress? Whatever tools you choose, shouldn’t really matter, so long as they function and they are relevant.
I was working on this just before Easter and totally forgot to update it – I still have a lot more to write-up (but this can be a blog in progress). Basically – I was reading from two books – which are listed at the foot as further reading… I’ve picked out a few areas that I want to expand on at some point… I thought I should really make this entry live, in order to embarrass myself into finishing it. I think the problem was – I had no reason, other than my own idle curiosity, to write this up and subsequently it got forgotten about over the Easter break.
I’m working on the general premise that ‘people’ are the mobile element in Mobile Learning, not the technology.
A theory of mobile learning
…According to the National Research Council (1999), effective learning appears to follow a social-constructivist approach – learners in the active process of building knowledge and skills via practice within a community: (p.223)
Learner-centred – Builds on skills & knowledge of students, allowing them to reason from their own experience.
Knowledge-centred – Curriculum based on sound validated knowledge, taught efficiently with inventive use of concepts and methods.
Assessment-centred – Assessment matched to the ability of the learner, offering guidance that builds success.
Community-centred – Successful learners from a mutually promotive community, sharing knowledge and supporting less able students.
With convergence of education and the ubiquitous use of personal and shared technologies – …A theory of mobile learning could be tested against the following criteria: (p.225)
Is it significantly different from current theories of classroom, workplace or lifelong learning?
Does it account for the mobility of learners?
Does it cover both formal and informal learning?
Does it theorize learning as a constructive and social process?
Does it analyze learning as a personal and situated activity mediated by technology?
The authors offer a tentative definition of learning within this context, “the process of coming to know through conversations across multiple contexts among people and personal interactive technologies” – here the focus is NOT on the learner, NOR their technology, but the communicative interaction between these to advance knowing.
Vavoula (2005) states that 52% of everyday learning episodes involve one or more pieces of electronic technology.
Extracts from:
Sharples, M., Taylor, J. and Vavoula, G. ‘A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age’, in Andrews, R. and Haythornthwaite, C. (eds.) (2007). The SAGE Handbook of E-learning Research. Sage Publications Ltd.
Further reading:
Andrews, R. and Haythornthwaite, C. (eds.) (2007). The SAGE Handbook of E-learning Research. Sage Publications Ltd.
Conole, G. and Oliver, M. eds. (2007). Contemporary perspectives in e-learning research: themes, methods and impact on practice. The Open and Flexible Learning Series. London, UK: Routledge.
Laurillard (2002) Rethinking University Teaching: A Framework for the Effective use of Learning Technologies, (2nd Edn). Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer.
During the past couple of weeks I’ve been drawn toward research work in the (still) relatively new field of mobile learning; looking at work by Laurillard (2002); Vavoula (2005); Sharples, Taylor and Vavoula, (2007); Conole and Oliver (2007).
I’m interested in the concept of mobile learning in terms of the ‘learner’ being the mobile element of learning, rather than the technology – where the focus is on the mobile capabilities of the device. Recently, I’ve heard conference presentations and papers tending toward a far more learner centered education model – so where does this leave the educator and the technology within the realm of mobile learning?
I intend to look deeper into this in another blog entry which might take me a few more days to publish – however, in the mean time, I’m sure I’ll receive plenty of really interesting comments from people who have already worked through this.
I eventually got round to trying to create an audio blog on my way home from work tonite. The sound quality is not bad in parts – but there are some awful moments of heavy breathing and white-noise. Sorry about that – it was difficult to get the microphone adjusted under my scarf.
Never mind the British obsession with the weather; us urbane international hipsters (or should it be erstwhile self-deluded village dwellers) take-up the challenge and crack-on with a bit of mobile working (didn’t it used to be called tele-working?)
What’s the problem? we’ve got Internet access, devices, information and learning systems to connect to, oh and that Web thing too. Do we actually have to ‘go’ to a place of work? Aren’t we already there – we can work ‘anywhere’. (BTW: the coffee is damn fine at home)
I was having a chat about ‘mobile web’ during MILT, which we hosted last week @BSFC, so decided to have a look at Wirenode (wirenode.com) – if you’ve never heard of it or used it, the site enables you to create browser pages specifically designed for use on mobile devices.
* It is free
* It is quite quick & easy to navigate & learn
* There are no apparent advertisement pop-ups or banners
It took me about 5 mins to create a basic test page with a few links – though I haven’t got round to adding any information yet… which is how I started thinking about the re-purposing of data/info.
It occurred to me that we appear to spend quite a lot of time re-writing information which is already ‘out there’ – hence the development of the Wiki model… – perhaps I should suggest (again) a college Wiki for our staff to enhance sharing effective practice and knowledge.
Has anyone tried using the Moodle Wiki? I had a brief try about a year ago but didn’t really think much of it – it does not really resemble a ‘Wiki’ and wasn’t operating much like one – it was neither intuitive nor aesthetically effective. I am currently contributing to an online book Wiki at WikiEducator, which does function really effectively and is very intuitive.
I used this as an introductory item. 20 years ago, this was the technology and lifestyle being sold to us… Did the tech really ‘set us free’? Some would argue that it has been a key driver toward our 24/7 lives. We talk about blended-learning in education, what about our blended-work/life?
A very slick Ad. This is where we are, 2009… a converged device. How many more functions are there? Does the guy in the Ad actually make a call on his phone? I used this to show the lifestyle now being sold to us – fast-paced, multitasking, social, young. Compare this to the first Ad which was aimed at an older affluent, professional (city) worker.
Interesting… what market is this Ad aimed at? Are they selling a phone or a music player? I guess that the emphasis is on life-style rather than work – possibly because this is a Sony Ericsson device, perhaps it is modeled on the prior success of the Sony ‘Walkman’ brand.
Just about to drive up to Southport and pay a visit to KGV. Meeting up with their technical team to discuss thin-client solutions for our thin.clusion MoLeNET3 project. John Paul Szkudlapski is coming up with me so he can get a handle on the technical requirements and specification of the systems. I think he’s also going to give them a bit more help with their Moodle installation… some great collaboration going on here in the JISC RSC NorthWest region – we (BSFC) have many on-going collaborations with other FE providers, mainly Moodle, Shibboleth, Active Directory and WiFi.
Just been reading James Clays Blog entry on the lack of connectivity as we move around the country and more ironically, at ‘eLearning’ conferences.
I too have found that there is great variation in the quality of 3G coverage in some very surprising areas of the UK. Whilst this can be infuriating for those frequently working out of the office, it is not actually something we can easily influence – the single driver for change is ‘profit’; it must be economically viable for the telecomms providers to increase coverage in areas of poor service.
What I find more frustrating is turning up to an academic conference to find little or no WiFi connectivity – and this happens at academic institutions, not hired halls! Does this show that universities and colleges do not actually have campus-wide WiFi, or have they not planned to incorporate a flexible system (which is what WiFi is supposed to facilitate)?
Now this is not an advert, but travelling in First Class on Virgin Trains west-coast line, gives you free WiFi access… yes, ladies & gents, boys & girls – WiFi on a moving (high-speed) train. It is decent quality and realiable – how do they do that???
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