Introducing Linux...

Introducing Linux...

The Linux operating system is sensational, free as in beer and freedom. Did you know that Google, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and the New York Stock Exchange are just a few examples of everyday names that use Linux. 

Linux (Ubuntu) is my operating system of choice as it is stable, secure and extremely fast. How did I come to use Linux... through overcoming the challenges of embedding technology enhanced learning into my teaching. 

My next post will discuss the 'comfort triangle' and how it can be used to help teachers and IT professionals to find an improved level of synergy and therefore work more effectively through a better understanding of the challenges each profession face. 

Change of Emphasis!

I have been exploring how students can study a course without attending. I have two students who are unable to attend a course and are studying away from the class. I am uploading all the learning content we use in the session as well as a video recording of the session.

If they do succeed I am wondering what effect this will have on any future session I teach. I am wondering if I should provide the learning material and then use forums for the students to discuss the topic and any questions posed. The class time can then be spent exploring what the students have learned from the material and discuss the issues it raises.

This turns my normal sessions on it's head. I normally provide homework/questions on the subject explained in class for the student to consider at home. The distance learning model I am using appears to require the student to learn the topic away from the class and bring questions and issues to the session. This can be used as a discussion opportunity for all.

I am in deep thought... is this the natural way courses should be delivered whether the student can attend the session or learn at distance.

I am reconsidering my learning and teaching methodology. Time for more reading on the subject.

Reflecting on a workshop session I attended at a university

My reflection is on a workshop that I attended at a university. I suggest that technology could provide an increase in class size for Further Education (FE) colleges and reduce barriers to learning by providing access to a 'live' lecture from various locations. I would be very interested in comments on this reflection, especially those that address quality in terms of presentation, interaction, bi-directional feedback and post lecture support.

The workshop session “In conversation with... Personal experiences of teaching at [name withheld]” was a very informative session which allowed me to hear first-hand what it is like to teach at an university. I found that the very large increase in class size and the method of providing a Graduate Training Assistance (GTA) to provide small group tutorials or follow up laboratory work to be a major difference between FE and Higher Education (HE) methods of learning and teaching. While reflecting on this method of learning and teaching I posed myself the question... could this be provided by a FE college?

I do believe it is possible to have large classes of students learning core subjects such as mathematics and to provide the opportunity to have tutorials that will contextualize the subject to the students' own specialism. And this does happen in some curriculum areas but the class numbers will be in the tens, not the hundred or so (in some cases hundreds) that can be found in universities. To reach the numbers mentioned, curriculum areas will need to work closer together to obtain the class sizes in the hundreds. If this was achieved there could be an infrastructure design issue... many colleges do not have rooms designed for that number of students.

On further reflection there may be a technology solution... the lecture could be streamed to a number of classrooms and displayed on a screen at the front of the room. Student feedback could be obtained through the use of services such as Twitter or Textwall and displayed for the tutor and students to see and respond as appropriate. This could be taken one step further by streaming it to students' at home and therefore making a truly (inter)national course. The video stream could be recorded and made available to the students for revision or to provide an opportunity for learning if they were unable to attend the live session.

Thank you in advance for your comments.

Blogging helps me solve problems.

At the end of a busy day at college I find it important to reflect on the main issues (positive and negative) that had happened during the day. This always happens to me whether I like it or not.
I suspect the majority of teachers and other professionals do the same.

For me the act of blogging even if no one reads it, is like making a line in the sand which basically says... I have thought about it and my conclusions are... and I think I will change this or that upon my experiences.

Since I have resumed blogging I realize it is really satisfying and allows me to "put the day to rest". I now think I have a little more understanding of why people spend time entering their thoughts for the day in a diary. Yet again, technology has helped me on a humanistic level as I would have never thought of using a paper diary, but quite happy (increasingly so) writing this blog.


A large part of the day was spent experiencing the on-line conference

Innovating e-Learning 2010 Online Conference

Bringing innovation to life: From adversity comes opportunity

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elpconference10

This was a new experience for me and right from the first presentation I was really enjoying the high quality of the presentations and the massive amount of interaction between all the attendees. I started to consider how I could use our college interactive video conferencing system to produce a similar experience for our tutors. However the more I thought about it during the day the more barriers I saw. In fact I may have become a little depressed because I am so aware of the challenge this would present. However, I have been a Change Agent for many years and finding ways around problems is second nature to me. The way around this problem has come to me while I was writing this blog. Read on...

I just remembered that a part-time engineering lecturer came up to me tonight and said, please will you video my session on Thursday as you are right... the video you took of me last week is very useful for my students. As I went straight into teaching after that conversation I had not thought about it until I started reflecting while writing this blog. A little positive comment like that managed to immediately re-ignite my enthusiasm and I now know that I must organize an on-line conference in the New Year. The way to reduce the barriers is to involve as many PDAs and tutors as possible in the presentations. It would be fantastic if I can encourage the part-time engineering lecturer to present a short session on the use of recording sessions for students to view via Moodle.

It is all about enhancing the fledgling Community of Practice - TEL. I would consider the on-line conference a success even if only one tutor uses the system after participating. That one tutor could be a case study which can be used to share good practice. I now believe that blogging is another tool for me to use to identify possible ways around barriers.

Last thought: small steps are much better than none at all.

Reminder to self... show the part-time engineering lecturer how to video his own sessions to release him from needing me.

Is TEL an expert witness for Tuckman's model?

Since 1993 I have been involved with Computer Based Learning (CBT), E-Learning, ICT, ILT, IT (for a little while) and currently... Technology Enhanced learning (TEL). A thought came to mind as I 'people watched' while travelling in a crowded train to work.

If TEL et al was a person, not only would she/he be happy to be called just about anything (CBT, TEL etc.), but would be an expert witness for Bruce Tuckman's (1996) model of 'forming, storming, norming and performing in groups' due to the many meetings, learning and teaching events, conferences discussions, projects dissemination's... she/he has attended.

TEL et al has seen it all!




Reference:
Tuckman, Bruce W. (1996) Theories and Applications of Educational Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill. Third edition with D. Moneth published 2001.

Will 3G set learning free?

As mobile technology becomes more affordable and 3G technology in particular is becoming commonplace, will school/college networks become obsolete overtime?

Learners already mention that they have to power-down when they come to a place of learning (switch off mobile phones etc) and that they have difficulties getting to sites due to filtering restrictions on the provided network systems. Anecdotal evidence indicate that learners don't use their school or college email as much as required. Could it be because they find it easier to use their personal email and other social network accounts to communicate between their peers.

Where is this heading?
If schools and colleges do not deliver the technology that learners and teachers require, it is possible that as technology improves and costs go down, barriers (real and perceived) will be worked around. The resources provided schools and colleges may then become less important as teachers and learners use their own laptops and mobile phones to interact with the Internet and each other.

Two questions to answer if this scenario is played out:

1. How can the current policies used for ILT/E-learning be enforced if learners and teachers do not use the provided (filtered and locked-down) network:?
2. If the provided networks are not used then there may be possible financial saving to be made.

One possible way to ensure that the high quality network provided by most schools and colleges are fully utilised is by ensuring that the services offered fulfill the needs of the learners, teachers and business support. As identified in my dissertation, it is necessary to ensure that there is a communication system across the whole school/college that is responsive and robust to ensure that the digital divide is minimised and that appropriate high quality academic services and support are provided.