Today I presented CORE’s ten trends for 2010 to an audience of around 400 delegates at the Learning@School conference in Rotorua. The ten trends are a collection of themes and issues that have been identified by CORE staff as trends in education that we imagine will impact on the work of teachers and leaders in early childhood centres, schools, and tertiary institutions in NZ in the coming year. While our focus is on the bigger picture of education, there is a focus on trends associated with the use of ICTs in education, reflecting the fact that we are living in a world where nearly everything we do has a digital dimension.

I’ve had a long time interest in using the online environment as a vehicle for promoting debate and engagement in critical issues.

Recently I was invited by Bryan Orme to take a look at CreateDebate, a website he and his colleagues have created to promote discussion and critical thinking in the classroom.

It’s an interesting looking concept – so I’ve created a simple debate based on the theme and issues in my previous blog post and invite anyone to add their thoughts – both pro and con – to the debate.

I’ve titled the debate “blended, virtual and mobile learning should replace face-to-face instruction” Take a look, add your thoughts and send me any feedback on what you think of the usefulness of the site.

I was alerted to this article in this morning’s NZHerald by Toni Twiss (via Twitter) who is quoted in it. Toni has a passion for using mobile technologies for learning, and has done some excellent research in this area.

The article describes two “m-learning” programmes at Orakei Primary School in Auckland, one called Mobile Maori Learning that provides podcast lessons for playback via mobile phone, and the other called Mobile Learning for Boys that includes an online digital reading clinic to focus on improving reading comprehension, spelling and writing skills of students.

It’s encouraging to see these sorts of initiatives developing in our schools, with the exploratory use of emerging technologies to address authentic learning needs.

As I read the way the article was reported, however, I couldn’t help feel that there’s still an over-emphasis on the technology, and not enough on the pedagogical rationale for using it (which I’m sure is there!). The impression can easily emerge that the secret is in the use of the technology, not in the careful structuring and pedagogical intent of the activity that it is being used for.

In my role I see lots of technologies being used in all sorts of creative and inventive ways to support teaching and learning in classrooms – some of which is contributing in genuinely new and creative opportunities for learning, and some which is simply substituting new technology with old (eg some instances of interactive whiteboards replacing OHPs). The difference is not the technology – but the pedagogical intent.

I frequently hear that use of technology supports personalised learning (as quoted in this article) – a view that I have lots of agreement with, but only as a potential use, not inherent in the technology itself. It’s not that the use of technology such as cell phones is only now enabling personalised approaches to learning, that’s always been the case – I recall the ultimate personalised learning approach when I was at school – those boxed up SRA kits. The key to success is not in the technology, but in the learning design – as it is with any other form of classroom programme or activity.

The Herald article, with its emphasis on the technology (presumably because that’s what will attract our attention?) undersells what I’m sure is a great deal of thought and effort that has gone into the learning design of these applications.

We need to encourage the media to provide this emphasis, or at the very least, ensure that this emphasis is given in our reports to our own communities and made explicit when we are working with students.

“Technology in and of itself cannot make school practice innovative, and will not produce educational change, but technology, in the hands of pedagogically skilled educators it can enable innovative practice and facilitate educational change.”

I had the privilege of attending the Assess to Learn Cluster celebration day in Wairoa today – with teachers from around the Wairoa region gathering together to share what they have learned over the period of time on this project. The format for the day was excellent, with the majority of time being devoted to short sessions with teachers sharing with other teachers the things they’d learned through presentations and static displays. I was invited to provide a short introductory talk to open the day, and then to provide a summary of my observations and reflections at the end of the day, after sitting in on some of the presentations. Here’s a summary of what I fed back to them:

What I observed

• Learning journals – lots of reference to the use of learning journals by teachers and students to help track progress and provide meaningful reflection about how learning is occurring as well as what learning is taking place.
• Importance of assessment for learning (AFL)  – big emphasis on formative assessment methodologies, and of student ownership and participation in the formative assessment processes.
• Personalising learning- heavy emphasis on a range of strategies and techniques to promote learning tailored to student needs, and to promote high levels of participation and ownership in the learning by students.
• E-portfolios – several examples of e-portfolio use, with a big emphasis on the nature and purpose of the portfolio process, and less on the technology being used.
• E-buddies – some stunning examples peer feedback between learners in different schools, leading to very deep levels of understanding and responsiveness to feedback developing.
• Student focus – overarching emphasis on participation by students in the learning process, and in determining the what and how of approaches taken.
• Key competencies – an underpinning commitment to referencing the development of the key competencies across all programmes, with some insightful work being done in some of the Kura schools.

I heard reference to

• Increased engagement – lots of evidence of increased engagement as a result of these now strategies were provided – this being a significant measure of success in a predominantly low-decile community where engaging students in school has been a difficulty.
• Authentic activities – wonderful to hear stories of increased participation and interest among students as a result of planning focused on providing authentic contexts for learning.
• Empowerment – meaningful empowerment of students coming from expressions of “I feel empowered” as opposed to “I want to empower you”.
• Deeper understandings – depth of understanding of both process and product revealed through teacher and student reflective practices, leading to development of life-long learning dispositions.
• Emotional buy-in – linked to the issue of engagement, evidence of participation being the result of emotional buy-in, not simply conformity and seeking to please.
• Focus on learning, not performance – says it all – linked to the strong emphasis in this cluster on assessment for learning.

What I observed about the presenters

• Passionate – presentations were lively and engaging, revealing the passion of these teachers for their students and the work they are doing with them.
• Well prepared – these presentations were all of a quality worthy of being included in some of the larger conferences such as ULearn! Lots of attention to detail in terms of handouts, quality of slideshows and examples of student work.
• Using student examples – this really brought the presentations to life for me, and illustrated just how connected these teachers are to the work of their students.
• Involved students – some of the presentations included students presented – they were very well prepared and spoke extremely well and convincingly.
• Modelled good practice – presenters had worked hard to make sure that their presentations modelled the principles of effective learning they were addressing in their classroom approaches.
• Shared reflections – the honesty and un-masked sharing of their learning journeys made these teachers’ presentations really engaging for me.
• Invited feedback – presenters allowed time for feedback in their workshops, unpacking key ideas and engaging in rich dialogue around the themes and topics of discussion.

Being a part of this day has confirmed for me (yet again) – of the value of teacher professional development that is characterised by…

• teachers being engaged in sustained, in-depth inquiry into their classroom practice
• time devoted in classrooms to implementing the new ideas and strategies that are introduced
• the use of frameworks and strategies that support critical reflection and feedback in the PD process
• a ‘community’ approach to PD – schools/clusters pursuing common/agreed goals and outcomes
• appropriate use of evaluation measures that provide indicators of progress along the way
• teachers sharing practice with other teachers
• strategically timed celebration events where growth and development can be recognised, rewarded and celebrated!

Several times in this day I heard remarks along the lines of; “I hadn’t realised just how much we’d grown, or how much progress we’d made!” For me this sums up the value of such a day, and I applaud all of those involved in its organisation and all of those who participated in it.

I’ve been having fun exploring this great online resource from the North West Learning Grid aimed at encouraging learners to reflect on their current practices in the use of digital media and stimulate discussion and questioning. In each section of the resource the user is asked to respond to a number of questions about their media use, and at the end, they’re provided with feedback that suggests ways in which they could improve their media literacy skills. Users are then provided with a number of learning objects that they can work with to develop these ideas and understandings even further. These include more quizzes, games, and other online activities. I could see a number of ways that this could be used in classrooms – as an individual, group or whole class activity – or as ‘homework’ and an opportunity to engage with parents and caregivers too.

Ever since I got my iPod Touch I’ve been fascinated by the range of apps available from the Apple Store – including those that are useful to me as a learner such as the dictionary.

This morning I was sent a link to a list of 100 Best iPhone Apps for Serious Self-Learners which contains a lengthy list of iPhone Apps (many of which will work for my iPod Touch as well) that have been organised under subject headings to make it easier to find the ones that might be of interest.

I’m impressed with the list – most are unfamiliar to me, but the extent of what is available is a clear indication that mobile technologies need to be considered seriously in terms of their role in learning.

As an aside, I also read with interest the news about the development of big-screen e-Readers to help save the daily press. Apparently these new gadgets, with screens roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper, could present much of the editorial and advertising content of traditional periodicals in generally the same format as they appear in print. Apparently there are several companies, including some of the big news corporations, that are working on this. The article even refers seems likely to rumor and speculation by Apple observers suggesting that Apple may introduce a multipurpose tablet computer later this year. Such a device, with a screen that is said to be about three or four times as large as the iPod’s, would have an LCD screen capable of showing rich color and video, and people could use it to browse the Web.

Certainly an area of development worth keeping an eye on.

Ben, a Canadian educator on my Twitter list posted a link to this Mathematics in Movies site, developed by Oliver Knill from the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University. A great resource for maths teachers, particularly at secondary level, with each movie listed linking to the part of the movie with the math focus and a brief explanation of the mathematical aspects being considered.  Each movie is linked in a variety of formats, for viewing on whatever device you may have, including mobiles.

Knill’s website is also worth exploring for anyone interested in the teaching of mathematics and the use of technology in this process. On the site Knill explores some of the pedagogical questions, especially in web pedagogy and the use of technology in teaching which he shares on a pedagogy page.

Thanks Oliver for making such a rich resource available! A classic example of how each of us as educators can enrich the profession by using technology to share what we know and do.

The Learning@School conference is rollicking along in Rotorua at the moment, with keynote speaker on day one, Andy Hargreaves, setting the scene with challenges to us all about the need to take account of the whole context and culture of our school when considering change and development. Pam Hook had the audience spell-bond also with her “Hooked on Thinking” ideas and strategies.

Unfortunately for me I am missing the conference, and have had to rely on my Twitter feeds, text messages and the odd call to keep me posted. Having made it to the opening of the conference I’ve had to return home for family reasons. That didn’t stop the presentation I was scheduled to do from going ahead – with my colleague from the Ministry of Education, Douglas Harre, stepping up to share thoughts, insights and ideas based on CORE’s Ten Trends for 2009. This is the annual list of trends developed by CORE staff to represent a view of some key areas of interest for NZ educators with regards to the impact of ICTs on teaching and learning.

This year’s trends are:

1. Mobile Technologies for learning
2. Netbooks
3. Cloud Computing
4. Learning spaces/environments
5. Open Education Resources
6. High Definition Video conferencing
7. Advanced Networks
8. Cyber-Citizenary
9. Green computing
10. Digital Literacy

The slideshow used at Learning@School is provided here:

For links to other research and lists of trends and predictions for 2009 check out the following:

Horizon Report, 2009

Looking forward to 2009

100 Top Sites for the year ahead

The Future of the Internet III

Horizon report – Australia/NZ edition

It’s that time of year again when people come out with their various lists and predictions…

My good friend Douglas up at the MoE alerted me to this post on the Guardian website, titled 100 top sites for the year ahead. The list is nicely categorised so you can find sites that meet your needs easily. The last list the Guardian published was in 2006, and the authors note that the biggest changes since then have been in the fields of collaborative online services that let people in different locations work simultaneously on projects.

Another point of note is the reference to the fact that many of the sites on this list weren’t around in 2006 – a sign of the rapid development of these sorts of tools. So too, a question about how many of them may still be around in another 2-3 years, given the economic climate that may not smile so favourably on free-for-use sites such as many of these are – something that Suzie has commented on on her blog.

Some great resources are being made available to support learning about space which I think will be of real value in the classroom.

NASA has produced a great set of freely available video resources. The NASA eClips are short relevant educational video segments designed to inspire and engage students and help them see real world connections. New video segments are produced weekly exploring current applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics topics. The clips are organised to cater for primary, intermediate and secondary students, and a section for the general public.

The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment developed by Microsoft Research. The WWT enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe. Imagine Google Earth – but with the cameras pointing out into space!

Unfortunately the WWT is only designed to run on Windows-based machines, so I miss out on my Mac, but Roy Gould’s  public demo of the World Wide Telescope captured on Ted Talks provides a good insight:

Of course, if you’re like me and don’t have a Windows machine, or the memory required to run WWT, there’s always Google Sky or Celestia, the free space simulation that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions that runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Whatever suits you best, the options available for really engaging with the “final frontier” are certainly much more advanced that the days when I sat browsing books in the library, or waiting for days before images of the moon landing appeared on the black and white TV we had back in 1969!