Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Open warfare #eden15

It was good to sit Martin Weller in the hot seat recently, for a forthright discussion about various aspects of openness in education. Martin is well known for his work around digital scholarship and his various research into the use of MOOCs and other open education approaches at the British Open University. I caught up with him in Barcelona at the 2015 summer EDEN Conference, where he had just given a keynote speech entitled 'The Battle for Open.' I originally interviewed him via text for this blog post ahead of conference, so many were already aware of what he would be saying. Subsequently, I also posted a live blog of his speech as he stepped off the stage at the event. The video of his keynote will be made available soon on this site, but below is some additional content in the form of the video interview.

The key premise of Martin's presentation was that although openness is now more mainstream and accepted in education than it was previously, there are still small battles to decide the direction and development of openness in the coming years. I asked him about the future of MOOCs and other open courses, and we also discussed the concept of open scholarship. These, and several other related topics made this encounter into what I hope you will agree, is an engaging and thought provoking interview about the importance of open education, and the critical role open content, open courses and open scholarship will play in shaping the future.


Video produced by the European Distance and Elearning Network

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Open warfare by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Monday, 28 September 2015

Uneducation of a technologist #eden15

Once in a while you meet someone who inspires you to think more deeply. Jim Groom is one such person. He is anarchic, subversive, the original EDUPUNK (it was Jim who coined the phrase and insists on it being written in upper case) and he constantly challenges the status quo of education. He has redefined what it means to learn online with groundbreaking initiatives such as the open course ds106. As a part of the run-up to EDEN's annual summer conference in Barcelona, I was invited to interview him. Jim and I had previously interacted only on Twitter and other social media so to put some questions to him directly was hugely enjoyable, and he gave me his fairly unique take on the world. And so it was with even greater pleasure and a lot of anticipation that I finally met him in the same physical space in June 2015, where he gave a keynote speech at the EDEN conference in Barcelona entitled 'The Uneducation of the Technologist'. I live blogged during his keynote speech and met him afterwards for a chat in the EDEN studio. Below is the video interview we recorded:



Video produced by the European Distance and Elearning Network

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Uneducation of a technologist by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Sunday, 27 September 2015

Punk learning

By 1977, punk music had emerged as a creative force to be reckoned with. It was a form of music that was furiously loud, aggressively energetic and full of discordant anger.

Some were outraged by the audacious behaviour of the punk rockers. Their clothes and hairstyles were bizarre and their demeanour was antagonistic and aggressive.

Others were energised and inspired by punk rock - some enough to take up a guitar or microphone and give it a go themselves. You see, at the heart of the punk movement was the belief that you could do-it-yourself. To release a record you didn't have to bow and scrape to the multi-national music publishers and labels.

Anyone could take part. Audiences and bands often merged. Many punk bands created their own labels and fanzines, promoting their music to new audiences by subverting the rules, challenging the established way of doing things and creating a new and vibrant culture of creativity.

Punks cared nothing for authority or tradition. The only thing they respected was authenticity. Essentially, punks spat in the face of 'the establishment' and went off to do things their own way.  



Punk learning (some would call it Edupunk) reflects that seventies music ethos. For some time, educators have been subverting established methods and turning their backs on institutional tools and technologies such as the managed learning environment (also known as LMS or VLE). I would argue that these are 'punk' educators, whether they realise it or not. Some educators have at some time openly identified themselves as edupunk, including Amy Burvall (who created a series of history teacher videos for YouTube), Jim Groom (pictured top, considered the originator of Edupunk) and Pam Nelmes (who has transformed communication across her large cohorts of nursing students and with the general public through creative use of social media).

Many punk educators are finding viable and for them, more acceptable alternatives to proprietary software, structured courses and closed journals, and instead are devoting their energy to creating new approaches including open software, open courses (including the original C-MOOCs) and open publishing with free tools. The C-MOOC or Connectivist Massive Open Online Course was a free at the point of delivery online learning experience with no limits to the numbers who participated, and where 'students' could choose how, where and when they learnt. Some of the early MOOCs also allowed students to choose their own preferred method of assessment, and spawned many creative outcomes such as global radio with #ds106.

There is also a lot of energy being directed into transforming the education experience. Some go as far as to argue that autodidacticism - or self-teaching - is an important part of contemporary learning. Learning by watching YouTube or participation in social media discussions are certainly methods that are gaining traction. For example, 2015 world champion Kenyan javelin thrower Julius Yego claims he owes his prowess to watching YouTube videos. Even professional teacher development through social media is gaining great impetus, evidenced by the large numbers of participants on education Twitter chats such as #edchat, #AussieEd and #ukedchat as well as global online events such as the Reform Symposium.



In this digital age some are changing their opinions about what we think education is and should be. Punk educators have a lot to do with this - it's not just the disruptive nature of social media and personal technologies. It's also the energy and commitment they have to making a difference in a new way. But punk educators need to be wary of a precedent. What happened to the original punk rock movement? It was compromised and commercialised - becoming the very thing it was trying to avoid in the first place. The contrast between the raw late-70s punk rock of The Clash and The Sex Pistols and the more polished post-punk (or 'new wave') commercial sounds of the early-80s from U2 and Blondie is stark.

Fast forward to today, and we see signs that the early dynamic MOOCs and other punk learning approaches are being adulterated. The recent offerings of the so called xMOOCs which use Coursera and other bespoke developed platforms is returning the MOOC to the traditional online delivery and it is now hard to tell the difference. But a hard core of punk educators remains who are determined to do things differently. Whatever pressures the commercial world throws at education, and whatever the criticism thrown at them by traditional educationalists, edupunks will still continue regardless, practising their own particular brands of pedagogical anarchy and will answer with a: 'WE DON'T CARE.'

Graphic image courtesy of Jim Groom

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Punk learning by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Friday, 25 September 2015

A future

I was reminded this week exactly why I work in teacher education. It is incredibly rewarding. Our graduation ceremony on Plymouth Hoe yesterday saw not one, but two of my student teacher groups receive their degrees. The picture above is one of those two extraordinary groups of young people. They are a part of a larger group of digital literacy specialists - primary school teachers who specialise in technology supported learning. They have been with me for four years, developing their skills as educators and acquiring all the knowledge they need to go out and transform the learning of our children. They are all just as passionate as I am about learning, and each of them has a unique and creative perspective on how to use technologies to enrich and extend children's education.

With me in the picture from left to right, they are Charlotte Langslow, Matt Povey, Hannah Shelton, Megan Douglas, Chris Nesbitt, Charlotte Rice, Polly Short, Rebecca Legatt, Peter Tolley, Lloyd Chilcott and Adam Easterbrook. Missing from the picture are Kelly Holborrow and April Farrell-Langler. Each of these former students, now newly qualified teachers, have contributed significantly to knowledge already, with their regular blogging, video making and other activities related to education.

Take the example of the blog Learning to Teach by Megan Douglas which is a frank and honest running account of her time as a student teacher. Or read Hannah Shelton's account of her own journey to become a primary educator in her Life as a Trainee Teacher. Chris Nesbitt always wrote deeply thoughtful pieces, reflecting on his own learning and produced an exceptional piece of blogging for his assignment on psychological perspectives in education. Lloyd Chilcott has quite a presence on social media as can be seen here, and won the prize yesterday for the highest grade on his research project in digital literacy. I will miss the verbal sparring I enjoyed with others such as Peter Tolley, who always challenged and never stopped questioning. Along with other students in the group Polly Short was always very active in organising Teach Meets and other Education Society activities and fully deserves her first class honours degree. In fact, over half this group achieved first class degrees - something that is rare in any field of academic study. And I can't forget the brutally honest and wonderfully touching video Kelly Holborow created on her own digital identity - one that I have shown several times in my own presentations as an exemplar of student video autobiography (below).



I could go on, but I like to keep my blog posts short. I will miss this extraordinary group of young educators. I believe I have learnt as much from them as they have from me. I'm certain that each will go on to significantly impact their own particular corners of the education world. I hope to hear from one or two of them now and again to hear how they are progressing in their teaching careers, but I have no worries for any of them. They will all become great teachers. I will never forget how rewarding it has been to teach them during their time at Plymouth University, and I will treasure the immense sense of pride I felt yesterday as I watched each of them receive their awards.

Someone asked me yesterday what would be the collective noun for a group of newly qualified teachers. My response: 'A future'.

Photo: Steve Wheeler

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A future by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Monday, 21 September 2015

Cut and thrust

I saw a thought provoking blog post this week. Posted on the BERA blog, Peter Ford made the argument that unless academics and educationalists engage with classroom teachers on social media, they are in danger of being consigned to the periphery. Ford's argument is that currently, much of the cut and thrust of educational practice is played out on Twitter, Facebook, in blogs and other public online spaces. Classroom teachers in their tens of thousands (this is no hyperbole) have a significant presence on social media sites, where pertinent discussion is published on a daily, or even hourly basis. This is especially true in regular chats such as #edtechchat, #flipclass and #edchat. The latter has many variants, including the #ukedchat British version and #edchatie for Irish educators, and are public discussion zones where any teacher who is interested can join in to share ideas and chew over the educational issues of the day. Many teachers also regularly blog their news, views, top tips and anecdotes for others to read and learn from. In these ways, informally, educators around the world are connecting and learning from each other in powerful ways, and all for free. How many academic educationalists do the same? Not many, says Peter Ford.

Peter Ford makes a compelling case for academic blogging and social media engagement, citing several high profile politicians who have cited teacher bloggers in their speeches or who follow them on Twitter. I know this is true from personal experience. My own blog has been cited by the Irish Education Minister, while another, the US Secretary of State for Education, Arne Duncan follows my personal Twitter account. This blog, and many like it are becoming first ports of call for information, the latest news, reviews and discussion groups. My own blog is well on its way to six million views (over 100,000 views each month), and there are others that can boast significantly more visits from readers. How does this compare to academic texts? Are peer reviewed journals as well read, or as dynamically responsive to their readership?

Reading between the lines, Peter Ford seems unrepentantly traditionalist in his allegiance, while I am a unashamedly a progressive educator in my thinking and my practice. It would not be easy to find a forum where our polemic views could gain equal time, but social media is one such place where this kind of debate can be hosted. Were we to hold such a debate we would not require a room or lecture hall, and there would be no need to invite an audience. The blogs themselves would be the room and the audience would be those who were connected through social media. Excluded from the discourse would be those academics and teachers who either refused to participate in social media discussions, or for whatever other reason, were unable to be involved.

The digitial divide is very real in academia and education. The 'haves' and the 'cans' are moving along at a pace, discussing and sharing and learning from an online community of practice. The 'have nots' and the 'cannots' are in Ford's words 'in danger of being sidelined'.

Photo by emaze.com

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Cut and thrust by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

A message to Auntie

Now and then, just to fall in step with other the tabloid press, BBC News resorts to sensationalist headlines. I'm not sure why they do it, because they already have a huge global audience and they don't need to hype themselves. But one of The BBC's most recent headlines is a little misleading.

Yesterday, 'Auntie' (the affectionate nickname we Brits give the BBC) ran this headline: Computers 'do not improve' pupil results says OECD.

Predictably, the somewhat negative spin in the article provoked a small storm of social media comments and TV interviews, while the anti-technology brigade gleefully rubbed their hands. Earlier, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) had released the results of a survey on the use of technology in schools. Its director of education and skills Andreas Schleicher had said among other things that 'technology had raised too many false hopes.' The BBC article then went on to quote Tom Bennett who said: 'teachers have been dazzled by school computers.' Reading this, you might think the BBC was itself anti-technology in schools wouldn't you? But if you don't read the entire story and simply take in the headline and opening salvo, or fail to get to heart of the OECD report, you won't see the full picture.

Anyone who takes time to read through the OECD report summary will see that it is actually very positive about the use of technology in schools. It's certainly more positive than Auntie's article. It calls for new approaches to integrating technology into teaching, because at present technology use is not optimal.  It would be mindless to read this report and then simply dismiss technology as having no place in schools. What the report is actually saying is that technology is no substitute for good pedagogy. All teachers would agree with this. It also suggests that technology can be a distraction for students if it is poorly deployed. Again, there is no argument with this. Both conclusions tell us more about the pedagogy prevalent in schools than they do about the potential of technology.

The study reports that in schools where they use technology more, children's grades suffer. So technology prevents good grades? Care needs to be taken here. Far too many variables are unconsidered for us to make any firm conclusions about such statistics. To conclude that the more children use technology the lower their grades will be, is tenuous at best, and at worst absolutely misleading.

The bottom line is this - if used appropriately, technology can, and often does make learning more engaging, and it has the potential to transform educational environments. Schleicher has gone on record to say this in recent TV interviews. The key word is 'appropriately'. The crux of the matter is that many schools have yet to find ways to embed technology. In the words of Andreas Schleicher himself: 'Technology can amplify great teaching, but just doesn't replace poor teaching.'

I have a message to Auntie: Please don't use sensationalist headlines to hype your news articles. Simply tell it like it is. We will respect you more if you do.

Related posts:

Mobile phones and iPads hamper learning!! by Neil Atkin
Pedagogy first, technology second by Steve Wheeler
Tech doesn't improve student results study: Why news reports like this are damaging by Claire Amos

Photo by Edward on Wikimedia Commons

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A message to Auntie by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Tuesday, 15 September 2015

Photo finish

It was a pleasure to spend some time with Jonathan Worth following his ALT-C keynote in Manchester last week. We got on just fine because we discovered that we have a lot in common, not least of which was that we both did formal training as photographers, in the pre-digital age. And so we took time reminiscing over all the tasks we needed to perform as we learnt photography in the studio and the darkroom to produce our work and remarked on how much more involved and difficult it was to make images then than it is today. The skills we had to acquire back in the day were different to the skills now required to manipulate and produce photographs in the digital age.

I recalled my first time in the darkroom, about 3 days into my photography course. I had already been out that morning capturing my images. I had then processed my 35mm black and white FP4 film and had dried it. Using a light-box, I then carefully selected a negative to print, and used an enlarger to expose a 10 x 8 sheet of photosensitive paper. The magic moment occurred for me when with tongs, I submerged the exposed paper in a shallow tank of developer fluid and gently agitated it. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then slowly, as if by magic, I saw an image begin to appear on the paper. It really did feel magical. Within minutes the image was fully developed, and I placed the paper in the fixing fluid.

I had discovered the power of images, and also the secrets behind how they were made. I had produced my first photograph, and it was all my own work. It was a huge sense of achievement, and I had been involved at every step of the creative process, from start to finish. I shared my memory of this with Jonathan, and he agreed with me that producing his first photographic image in the darkroom was a magical moment for him too.

Although time has moved on, and we are now in an age where one click of a button will produce a high resolution, full colour digital photograph on your smartphone, there is still something very special about the longer process by which we used to create our images. It took time, effort and a lot of forethought to get those images. Sometimes it went wrong, and we had to start again. But this was part of the old school charm of developing your film and printing your images yourself. You understood how images were made. You played a part in the creation of those artefacts. Some photographers still adhere to these old way of creating images. Many others rely on digital image making, where the art comes in the composition, cropping, and digital manipulation of the image using Photoshop and other software.  

Whichever way we learn, whether it is photography, or some other skill, being involved in the creative process retains its magic and is hugely important for the learning experience. Learning by making is again becoming something we consider to be very powerful. In fact in never really went away. The rise in popularity of maker spaces and fab labs is an indication of its importance in today's learning. Making, creating, fixing and designing are all processes we need for education now and in the future. With them, we can turn our hands to just about anything.

Photo by Vladimir Agafonkin on Flickr

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Photo finish by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Monday, 14 September 2015

All our yesterdays

Kenneth Wheeler (aged about 8 years old in 1936) with his mother
Don't ever tell me that technology is only for the young. About four years ago I introduced my Dad to Facebook. Now aged 87, at first he struggled to get to grips with it, just as he had done when we gave him a mobile phone ("It's all gone dead, boy..." - "Yes it will, Dad. You need to make sure you keep recharging the battery").

Yet once he gained an understanding of the concept of social networks - that he could find and connect people he knew, and send them messages and photographs and share links, instantly, no matter where they were in the world - he was in like Flint.

He started out on an old laptop, but then one of the family bought him a mini iPad. Now there is no stopping him. He is prolific, sharing links he discovers, commenting on other people's status updates, and has also been blogging daily on Facebook for the last few months with over 90 posts to date.

If you read his posts, you will feel the sense of wonder he experiences when he uses Facebook. Here is a man who was born and raised between the first and second world wars, in a time where telephones and television were uncommon, and newspapers and radio were the main mediums of public communication. Mail would take days or even weeks to arrive at its destination. He served for 32 years in the armed forces, where being sent to any part of the world would take days or even weeks.

He called me over to his house not so long ago to ask what the '47K' meant below his most recent status update. I took a look at his account. He had replied to a mainstream Facebook discussion, and had received over 47,000 likes in less than 24 hours! (I was secretly jealous of his overnight success). Here's his own account of this:
"....some time ago I saw a story about a couple that had been married for 63 years and died with in a few hours of each other, I happened to say that my Wife and I had also been married for the same amount of time, I had loads of replies I asked my Son Steve, what was the K by the numbers, he told me it meant thousands, and there really was thousands of replies, I had only just started on my computer then, I have to admit I have not improve a great deal since ,still only typing with two fingers so it take a time, but I have plenty of that these days."
He speculates on the future, because his dalliance with technology has made him aware of the many possibilities that are opening up to us all. He is amazed at the progress he has seen and expresses it evocatively:
"I felt such a kick out of hearing from all over the world,that has grown smaller with the internet ,and is in almost every home in the world, this has put the world in easy reach to any one and every one, when I was on my first troop ship it took us 11 days to get to Egypt, now we can get to New Zealand and back again in that time, with a few days rest in between. What is going to happen next?"
Dad with Mum recently at a family wedding
Dad is not a 'silver surfer' in the way that dreadful, condescending term implies. Like many others who are in their mature years, Dad is a walking history book who happens to have discovered another tool for communication.

Those like him who venture into a potentially bewildering high tech world such as social networking, should be considered real treasures of our society. We can all learn a lot from their experiences, their triumphs and failures, their eye witness accounts of history - and when they share their lives online for us, we are greatly enriched.

So, long may Dad, and many others just like him be encouraged to continue sharing their wisdom with us online. Write them a brief comment or simply 'like' their posts when you find them. This is what Dad posted when he came home yesterday and saw the responses to his latest post:
"I have been blown away at the response of people that answered my blog this morning, when I got back from Church I had a quick look and almost fell over in shock, I thought only a few were reading it, but in the end it was over 500 that is fantastic, I am so pleased to have comments and all of it was kind and pleasing to read, I have to say it made me well up for a while, it was so unexpected. And from all over the world too I have already said how I am amazed at the fact I can write a message on FB and get an answer back in a split second, from out of the way places in the world to you all it's the norm, but to me it's unreal and amazing."
I'll leave the last word to Dad with one of his signature stories:
"Because Her Majesty is now the longest serving monarch in the world, here a story that I thought you might like to hear, it was when both the Queen and Princess Margaret were little children in Scotland, and had gone for a walk over the hills ,when they needed a drink, so they went to a croft knocked on the door and asked the lady ,"could they please have a drink of water,"the lady got them the water and asked the question. Who are you? The Queen replied. "We are no body, but our Father is a King." This is so precious, I think..."

 Inset photo by Steve Wheeler
 Main photo source unknown

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All our yesterdays by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Saturday, 12 September 2015

Senses working overtime

A man walks into a bar, and is surprised to see a horse serving drinks. He stands there astonished, his jaw dropping. The horse looks up, sees the man and says: 'I know you're surprised to see a horse behind the bar, serving drinks...' The man finds his voice: 'No, it's not that' he says, 'I just never thought the duck would sell the place.' 

Or... alternatively, a man walks into a bar and, seeing a horse serving drinks, he realises he is dreaming. 

Or... in an alternative reality, a man walks into a bar and sees a horse serving drinks, and knows he is in a virtual reality (VR) environment. The 'dream world' he is experiencing inside his head is an artefact of the images being rendered by the visor he is wearing.


We are still a little way off from making such immersive experiences ad interactions available to organisational learning. What about room based systems? The iconic Star Trek holodecks (or the virtual room featured in the movie Disclosure), are probably facilities that won't be seen for several decades. But personal, wearable devices are already here and are being refined. The emergence of personal visor technologies such as Facebook's Oculus Rift, Sony's Project Morpheus and other similar wearables will more likely make the above scenario, or any similarly fantastic context possible.

Perhaps a more salient question is not when VR environments will be available for education and training, but for what they will be used? How costly would it be to develop VR content that supports organisational learning? The answer depends on scalability. If enough employees can be trained using VR headsets, and enough headsets are available for all participants, then virtual reality training will be feasible. The key secret to the success of VR though, is psychological rather than technical. It lies in the propensity of the human mind to quickly adapt to its environment. VR wearables are designed to flood your senses with information. While your ears and eyes are receiving synchronised digitised stimuli, the rest of your body is sensing the real world around you, such as the solid seat, pedals and handlebars of a bycycle. It is this psychological blend of real and virtual that causes the user to believe in the experience.



In other words, if the system is good enough to fool your sense of proprioception (where you sense your body is in a space), then the experience will be credible. Several recent VR reviews mention this phenomenon, as seen for example in this article. Currently, VR technologies that are commercially available are used predominantly to play games. However, it is only a small step up from games playing to games based learning. I believe this is the opportunity for content developers and instructional designers to grasp.

If the VR content is skilfully designed, the wearer of the device will (almost) believe they are experiencing it for real. Almost. Problems persist around rendering speed and resolution, audio quality, latency, content development and human issues such as nausea and equilibrioception problems. Experiences can be... well, clunky. Although progress is being made in addressing these issues, more effort will be required before we see a time when any student can learn by using immersion experiences supported by VR.

Wearable, personal VR systems are on the horizon for learning and development - one day we will see them in everyday use. But this won't happen until the problems, which are mainly technical, have been ironed out and appropriately designed content becomes available.

Photo courtesy of Samsung on Flickr

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Senses working overtime by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Friday, 11 September 2015

#ALTC Hangout

Directly after my keynote at ALT-C,  along with my co-presenters Becca Smallshaw and Kate Bartlett (who were absolute stars), I took part in a Google hangout discussion. Ably hosted by Simon Ensor (France), Alan Levine (USA - @cogdog barks here) and Rebecca Hogue (who was with us in Manchester) we had a wide ranging conversation about digital literacy, the use of virtual learning environments, digital citizenship, openness in education, personal learning environments, assessment and student centred learning. It was a great conversation with many interesting and thought provoking questions and comments. Below is a YouTube recording of the hangout for those who couldn't join in live. [Other hangouts are also available.]





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#ALTC Hangout by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Wednesday, 9 September 2015

Why schools shouldn't ban smartphones

I was asked to write an opinion piece for the Western Morning News earlier this week as a response to the comments from Ofsted and their advisers on the use of technology in schools. Many teachers are left wondering whether personal technologies such as smartphones actually have a place in education and what risks and threats accompany them. My view is that children can and do use technology to support their learning but they need to be guided to do so responsibly.

(It has been edited from my original longer version and can also be viewed here on the newspaper site).

When slate was replaced by paper there was a public outcry. Many complained that paper and pencils were too expensive, and that they would ruin children’s writing skills. Sound familiar?
Progress within education is not a new dilemma, and has been discussed for generations. But why is technology still a bone of contention? By its nature, it moves on while schools can be notoriously conservative places where little change happens.
As for smartphones, some claim there is no scientific evidence that technology has improved learning in schools, and I took part in a public debate almost a decade ago where this question was raised. I answered with a single phrase: “special educational needs”. Suddenly the debate was over and my opponent conceded the point.
For many children who have physical or cognitive impairment, technology doesn’t just support learning, it enables learning to happen. This is just one example. I can take you to many schools in the Plymouth area where technology is being used responsibly and creatively to engage children, enhancing, extending and enriching their learning experiences.
They use smartphones and tablets to solve maths problems, blog to develop their creative writing skills, build robots and learn how to code. These are new forms of literacy I didn’t learn in school, but they are transferable skills that will be needed in the future, when our children enter a world of work significantly different from today.
Many children have a natural affinity with technology. They bring their smartphones into the classroom, and will use them whether schools ban them or not. Teachers are wary of the darker side of mobile phones. They worry about children accessing dangerous content, or using cameras to send each other images they wouldn’t want their parents to see.
Recently there have also been warnings from Ofsted that mobile phones are distracting children from their lessons. These are reasonable concerns. Children are easily distracted by texting in class, but to completely ban smartphones in schools is short-sighted, and ignores a fundamental truth of our present society. Like it or not, we are surrounded by technology, and it isn’t going away.
Technology is neutral until used for a specific purpose, good or for bad. We shouldn’t blame smartphones for the way they are used. Instead it would be wise to harness the power of these tools for learning and teach children to use them responsibly. Children need to be taught from an early age about acceptable use, and every school should include digital citizenship in its curriculum. This would go a long way to addressing the problem.
At an education conference in New Zealand a few years ago a primary school principal in my audience said: “We don’t allow the Internet in our school. There are too many dangers.” My response was: “So you don’t teach your children to safely cross the road either - because that’s also dangerous?”
Technology has its dangers. But surely school is the safest place for children to learn how to use technology? It is a controlled environment where they can ask questions and discover for themselves what to avoid. If schools don’t manage this process, children will learn how to use technology in their bedrooms or behind the bike sheds. But to what dangers might they be exposed, and who will know to help them?
Teaching should never be led by technology, but technology can influence change. Arthur C Clarke, the science fiction writer, once commented: “Any teacher who can be replaced by a computer, should be.”
Teachers should not simply deliver content. Indeed, there is evidence that teachers’ roles are changing because of technology. Many encourage students to drive their own education, and the technology supports this independent learning.
As students take more responsibility, teachers adopt the roles of questioner, coach and facilitator. The teacher becomes a guide, a mentor in the room for when children need expert help. Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who use technology will probably replace those who don’t.
When smartphones are used appropriately, learning can continue beyond the walls of the classroom. Children can learn on the move, because they have a connection to their course work and to their teacher and peers through their phone - if the school allows it. Ban them, and the opportunities are more limited. Learning doesn’t need to be confined to school hours. If their experience is exciting and motivating, children will want to continue learning long after the school bell. A passion for learning is the best preparation for the future.
Technology is like water to a fish. It surrounds us, and we rarely notice it, but we use it all the time. Instead of keeping children away from the water, we should teach them to swim. Any alternative would be unthinkable.
Photo by Anthony Kelly on Flickr
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Why schools shouldn't ban smartphones by Steve Wheeler was written in Manchester, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Saturday, 5 September 2015

5 survival tips for new university students

Some of my students studying together
Here's some advice for all students who are about to start university. You have probably just left school, and at first you may experience a few difficulties adjusting to university life.

Everything will be new. You may feel a bit lost. You may be far from home. There will be unfamiliar things you will need to remember. You will meet lots of new people. University may feel like an alien environment, but there are certain things you, and all other new students, should do if you really want to make a success of your time in higher education. Here are five key things to remember:

1) Lectures. Make sure you get to your teaching sessions on time - try not to miss anything if you can help it. Make sure you get to know your campus. When you're there, don't look as though you're bored in lectures and seminars (even if you are). Not all lectures are engaging - even though they should be! - but every session has been designed to give you the best chance to get good grades in your assignments and exams. Don't start packing up your books and laptops as the clock ticks toward the top of the hour. Spend as much time as you can immersed in your subject and gain a passion for it. It will pay off in the end.

2) Tutors. Your lecturer/professor is not your mate, so don't treat them as though they are. When you compose an e-mail, be professional. I dislike e-mails from my students that say 'hey steve', or 'yo prof' as though I'm a room mate. Show due respect, avoid over familiarity, and your lecturer will be more inclined to go the extra mile to support you if they can. Similarly, don't disrespect your lecturer online on social media sites, even if your account is protected/closed. If more than one person can read your posts, they are public. Rude remarks on social media have a habit of getting back to those you have written about.

3) Friends. It's great making new friends and going out for drinks, and university can be a lot of fun. You will need to chill out now and then, and there are plenty of great social activities and societies you can be involved in. But remember why you are there - to learn, to study, to get a good degree. So don't waste all your time in the bar, or out with your mates. Most former students would agree that working hard is the biggest secret to graduating. Put enough hours into mastering your subject, and you are more likely to be successful.

With some of my Czech, German and Polish students
4) Assignments. Don't try to take short cuts. Many students panic when assignment deadlines are approaching.  Some search online, and then copy and paste text into their assignments to pad them out, trying to catch up on time they may have wasted. This is called plagiarism - especially if you don't acknowledge the sources - and if you are caught cheating (which more often than not you are - it's usually not that hard to detect), the penalty can be severe. At the very least, you'll face the ignominy of sitting in front of a disciplinary panel, at worst you could be thrown off the course. It's not worth the risk. Manage your time effectively and you won't run out of time.

5) Fun. Enjoy your learning. You chose your subject for a reason - just make sure it is the right reason. You will be in university for 3 years (or more), so get used to being a student! However, studying for a degree isn't only about your subject, it's also about acquiring other skills too. Doing your degree is a wonderful journey, and you will discover a lot more about yourself than you ever thought was possible. You will find out exactly what your limits are, and this will be great preparation for the rest of your time on this planet.

I wish you every success in your studies!

Photos: Steve Wheeler

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5 survival tips for new university students by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Friday, 4 September 2015

Selfie number 1

In this series of short posts, I'm writing about my top ten selfies (including elsies and photobombs) with people who have inspired me or have influenced my thinking. Previous selfie posts can also be viewed on this blog.

So here it is - my number one 'selfie' - a picture of me alongside the legendary Apple Computer inventor Steve Wozniak. I happened to wander into the speaker's lounge during a learning technology conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and there he was, sat preparing to give his keynote. I kind of knew he would be there, because he was scheduled to keynote the conference that morning, and it was the place all speakers prepared before they took to the stage. There was no-one else in the room at the time, and I walked over to introduce myself. He stood up and shook my hand, and then we sat down and enjoyed a one-on-one conversation that lasted about 10 to 15 minutes before anyone else came into the room to interrupt. My conversation with him is captured here. I asked him about the early days of Apple and his first meeting with Steve Jobs. He told me they knew nothing about what they were doing when they first set up the companym, except that their roles were clearly defined. Jobs was actually the business head behind Apple and had nothing to do with the design of the computers, which was solely Woz's domain. It turned out that Jobs' entreprenuerial acumen and Wozniak's innovative engineering skills were the perfect combination for one of the most successful and valuable companies the world has ever seen. What would you have asked Woz if you had a similar opportunity?

There is no question in my mind that Steve Wozniak has probably influenced my thinking as much, if not more than anyone else in the world of learning technology. He has literally changed the world with his innovative approach to designing computers. I remember tinkering with Apple Macintosh Computers back in the late 1980s and recall thinking how much more intuitive they were than IBM systems. It was these early forays into computers that shaped my later career as an academic and learning technology specialist. We have Woz to thank for the hardware and software designs behind the early success of Apple Computers, and when you hear him speak about his own education experiences, and his vision for the future of learning, you will be inspired. His down to earth, simplistic, no nonsense approach to education is refreshing and insightful - and what many people don't know is that he has given a lot of his personal fortune away to support technology programmes in schools. Woz is a man who practices what he preaches, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to spend some time with him.

Photo courtesy of the ELI Conference: Saudi Ministry of Higher Education

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Selfie number 1 by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

Selfie number 2

In this series of short posts, I'm writing about my top ten selfies (including elsies and photobombs) with people who have inspired me or have influenced my thinking. Previous selfie posts can also be viewed on this blog.

I first read Being Digital during the emergent years of the Web, when we were all discovering for ourselves how our lives would be shaped through technology. It was published in 1995, and its author, Nicholas Negroponte was establishing himself as a mover and shaker on the digital landscape. He had already founded MIT's Media Lab, and was well on the way to making sure Wired Magazine would become a must read for the tech savvy (I remain a subscriber). Eventually, he would go on to establish what arguably became him crowning achievement - the One Laptop Per Child project, which has had such wide reaching impact on global education. One of the significant statements Negroponte made in Being Digital was that everything (and he meant everything) was being transformed from atoms to bits. In other words, the world was going digital. In many ways, he was right. The entertainment world, news and media, commerce, business and communication sectors have all more or less migrated to digital format, and this is as irrevocable as it is transformative.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Nic and spend time talking with him over dinner in London ahead of the Learning Technology conference in January 2013. He told me and our fellow diners some wonderful stories about how his work in digital media was progressing, and gave us a unique insight into the history of technology and his association with other luminaries of the digital world. You can read more about our conversation here. I brought my first edition copy of Being Digital along to the meal for him to sign. He duly obliged and his autograph added greater value to what was already one of my prized possessions.

Tomorrow: Selfie number 1

Photo by Donald Taylor

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Selfie number 2 by Steve Wheeler was written in Plymouth, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.