Becta’s recently published ‘Emerging technologies for learning Volume 3 (2008)’ provides a number of excellent articles on the themes we explored during our seminar in January. These articles are particularly valuable in documenting current thinking and proposing benefits and imperatives whilst also indicating the challenges, which we have all been considering. This publication contributes to our thinking on how we adapt to harness the potential of these technologies to improve learning. It is important, particularly with the increasingly challenging capital funding situation, that as key LA facilitators, we input into strategic plans the imperative and capacity to accommodate emerging technologies.

The articles are:

• Growing up with Google:
  Examining the characteristics of ‘net generation’ learners, the possibilities offered by new technologies and the implications for learning and teaching.
• Mobile, wireless, connected:
  Mark van’t Hooft describes some examples of how these technologies are being used to transform learning and discusses the barriers and issues to their effective use.
• Location-based and context-aware education:
  Exploration of the issues and potential of these technologies which could mean ‘nothing less than a reappraisal of what we mean when we say ‘education’.’
• Emerging trends in serious games and virtual worlds:
  Exploring the potential of these technologies and the implications for education more widely.
• ‘If it quacks like a duck…’:
  Exploring some potential solutions to the problem of finding and searching digital content on the web but also indicating a clear role for educators and a need for better information literacy.
• Interactive displays and next-generation interfaces:
  Exploring the potential benefits of some emerging display and interface technologies.

I unashamedly pick out an extract from Mark van’t Hooft’s article on mobile connectivity as it articulates an issue I’ve been raising with LA colleagues at every opportunity;

“The key for education is that these technologies are providing opportunities for learning that don’t really exist without them. Instead of banning these tools and punishing those who try to use them for learning in formal settings, schools should take a serious look at learning more about the digital technologies so prevalent in many areas of our society today.

……. institutions of education should be ready to at least consider using mobile, wireless and connected tools as supplements to what’s happening in the classroom, in an effort to make learning both more personal and connected to the real world. Wireless mobile devices could provide the bridge to make that happen, as long as schools provide the networks and the access, because in the long run, the learners will provide the devices to access their applications and information stored online.

Photo Credit: Becta copyright ©

Effective use of ICT is supporting learning in many of our classrooms, where students use the capabilities of computers, peripherals and online tools in learning contexts either individually accessed or projected. Used well, ICT is promoting and enhancing learning, but does our current model of ICT availability and distribution in our schools adequately provide for our aspirations?

We are working towards to a curriculum and pedagogy, which promotes; active learning, independent learning, collaborative learning, learning how to learn, investigating, exploring, purposeful play, personalisation and choice in contexts that are relevant to life and work. Appropriate access to Glow and other ICT accessed applications are essential to allow this transformation in learning. I suggest that we require to develop learning environments which allow students (and staff) to have access to network connected Information & Communications Devices (ICD’s) available as and when determined appropriate by them. This is infusing ICT to the point where it is ubiquitous, where the technology only has value in that it enables learning and learners use ICT to plan, manage, explore, collaborate, develop and record learning activity. Its not “now get out your ICD and do….” but, more comparable with using a calculator or camera when you need to add up or take a photo. Effective teaching will exploit the potential of ubiquitous learner access to ICT by developing learning opportunities for students, which genuinely transform the educational experience.

Many of us working in LA’s and schools are constantly striving for the infusion of ICT, minimising the constraints to learning & teaching which can be presented by IT systems. We are at the point where a future of ubiquitous student ICD’s is achievable and appropriate. To achieve the educational benefits, we need to make astute decisions on IT capital expenditure and network structures to enable this future.

Planning for the future is what we do today when preparing strategic business cases for capital expenditure on educational ICT clients and networks. If we believe the future includes ICD’s for all or many learners we need to consider the issues surrounding how that is achieved. Promoting individualised student access to Glow and other ICT enabled learning opportunities will support the transformation of pedagogy and learning. Encouraging the creation of the technical infrastructure to support this is essential. Engaging with colleagues, learners and other stakeholders to explore security, risk and change concerns is equally important.

I believe we need to plan for and manage this change now, robustly challenging barriers to ensure we can genuinely transform learning in our classrooms. Most LA’s I’ve visited are exploring ‘early to market’ versions of low cost ICD’s, some have pilot projects under way and are considering mechanisms for wider implementation. It is clear that this is an area of shared interest and direction and one where we can benefit from sharing experience, and hopefully this post contributes to the process and encourages sharing of views, progress, documentation, solutions and successes.

Some observations and questions:

Does our current model of ICT availability and distribution in our schools adequately provide for our aspirations? If so, we have a network and client infrastructure that meets our curricular needs. If not?

Current and emerging devices are indicators of future capability and price trend, it is important to consider ICD’s and their capability to provide tools for a broad range of learning opportunities and not to get bogged down by traditional ‘software suite’ applications they perhaps can’t. With Glow tools and other browser accessed applications, how relevant in a ubiquitous student access model are client or server based software applications?

There are multiple and variegated implementation options; LA procured ICD’s supplementing/replacing existing classroom provision, ICD’s for whole class/year group/school, parent procured ICD’s supplemented by LA support for social inclusion etc etc. Solutions that provide individualised access in school but restrict network access when device is outside school will provide genuine and significant progress in allowing the pedagogical change in school. The widespread and increasing ICT and Internet access in homes will provide many students with consistent availability of access. However, greater permeation of advantage will be achieved if we enable single device network access from within and out with school. This ‘Holy Grail’ of cost effective, secure roaming access should be our objective. The technical capability will happen through business and commercial pressure for mobile access. Should we lead in this development or at least, ensure our ICT capital and network capability to respond to and accommodate that change?

Consideration should be given prior to entering into procurement of client computers if replacement desktop computers and conventional distribution is an appropriate long-term strategy?

Many of us have comprehensive client or server based educational application sets and storage, should we continue this or should we be considering web based applications and storage?

Should we be investing in robust enterprise wireless LANs to accommodate ubiquitous student and staff use of wireless connected ICD’s and upgrading WAN capacity to accommodate access demand to web based applications and storage?

Will our learners (and staff) accept a continuing enterprise IT model or will they access tools and resources within school without using schools and LA networks? The development of low cost data tariffs will allow this, with developments and convergence in mobile connectivity and devices providing the capability. This is a likely future, but not one in which the school or LA is a participative partner.

photocredit - spitfirelas’

Futurelab in conjunction with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in England are conducting a research programme, Beyond Current Horizons, to investigate the future of education and technology and produce a long term and challenging vision for education in the context of socio-technological change to 2025 and beyond.

The futures review paper gives an overview of the futures studies field, summarises some previous futures work from organisations such as the UN, Shell and the UK Ministry of Defence, and begins to explore some of the implications this work might have for education. The paper has a distinct programme purpose and therefore I found it a tough read, but the three broad categories; automation and artificial intelligence, ubiquitous computing, and brain/world interface are particularly interesting (from page 38)

The paper is designed to stimulate debate. Supportive of this is the opportunity to contribute in multiple ways including the getting involved with the ‘Power League’ consultation tool contribute to some of the issues around the Programme’s research. Within the consultation tool are links to a wealth of research & publications on futures in areas as diverse as;

Coping with complexity
Institutional spaces
The meaning of work
Childhood & knowledge

Future visioning is part of developing our roadmap, but trying to synthesis ‘beyond horizon’ scenarios certainly challenges me on how to cope with complexity. It also highlights the comfort of working with ‘current’ future, and, more importantly, the challenge, opportunity and potential impact of what we do with ICT in Scottish Education in the near future has on the Horizon we will achieve.

Over the last couple of months, I’ve met with colleagues, with responsibility for ICT in education, from 13 LA’s to discuss their current, planned and future aspirations for ICT to support and enhance learning. I’ve found these meetings exceptionally useful in developing my understanding of what might form a shared vision and strategy for learning and technology. The challenge for me is to translate that understanding into actions that support you in managing change; this blog is one outcome, hopefully providing a mechanism for sharing information.

We are all on a journey to a future, the good news is that, I think, we are all on the same road and pointing in the same direction, we have brought a small range of different vehicles to travel in, some of us are further along the road than others but we aren’t miles apart, we have a similar perception of what that future could look like and we all want the support of our fellow travellers to ensure we travel as effectively and efficiently as possible and don’t get lost on the way.

Our vehicles for future learning are powered by the improvement potential of creativity tools, 1:1 Information & Communications Devices (ICD’s), personalisation, games based learning, resource accessibility, engagement and empowerment etc. Adding weight to the vehicles and reducing their speed and manoeuvrability is genuine concerns over, security, appropriate use, connectivity, capacity etc.

My meetings have highlighted that the drivers of the vehicles are highly motivated, enthusiastic, experienced professionals committed to maximising benefits for learners. Hopefully, together we can become leaner and more powerful, avoiding wrong turnings by using the same map.

I would really appreciate an invite to discuss the aspirations of colleagues in all Scottish LA’s, please email me at J.Low@LTScotland.org.uk if you would be prepared to do this.

I agree with Alan’s observation that many of the ICT developments and applications currently being debated as applicable for use in education are already widely available in the public domain. Effective ICT provision in schools is increasingly complex and its availability is education critical. Current and emerging technologies are often our ‘future’ technologies, and if supportive of learning, require wide availability, supported and used by learners and teachers in our schools. How we enable availability and access is the challenge that we are all grappling with. If we can improve agility and acceptance of change we can narrow the gap between current and future ICT in our schools. Creating an environment that accommodates change is challenging.

Gordon McKinlay is currently “acting up” as a senior adviser within Renfrewshire. He takes us through the world of Geo Tagging.

What is Geotagging?
This is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to media This data usually consists of latitude and longitude coordinates, though it can also include altitude, bearing, and place names.

For more information visit Gordon’s blog at http://gordonsramblings.blogspot.com/

A VoiceThread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone they wish. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world.

A samle voice thread can be seen at: http://voicethread.com/share/409/

A hands-on activity using creative tools to produce media which will be posted to the blog. Our suggested theme of ‘The Future’ will hopefully provide latitude and inspiration for engaging output. Blog comment on tools and potential applications welcomed.

• Group A - ‘Voki’ (Andrew) Lomond – (10 miniBooks)

• Group B - ‘Voicethread’ (Alan) Strathmore - (2 miniBooks)

• Group C - ‘ToonDoo’ (Derek) Lomond - (5 miniBooks)

• Group D - ‘Animation (West Lothian) Blairlogie - (2 miniBooks)