Technologies for Learning Session 1 Monday 9 30

Technologies for Learning Session 1 – Monday 9: 30 -10: 30

Session overview • Introductions • About the unit – materials, teaching approach, assessment • Review of the online activities • Hopes and Fears about technologies and education

About the unit • The unit focuses on myths and realities of using technologies to enhance learning hands-on examples and evaluations of this. • Materials & activities explore models, examples, strengths, weaknesses, advocates and critics of technologies for learning.

Recurring questions • How are technologies being used in relation to learning? • What is the impact of these technologies on learning, learners, teachers, organisations? • Is the integration of technologies in learning always a good thing? Why/why not – when/when not? • Will technologies change education – evolution vs. revolution?

How to study this unit • Face to face sessions – see the timetable for the week. • Invited speakers – MOOCs, E-assessment, Games for Learning • Materials and activities in the wiki and Moodle • Additional resources – books, journal articles etc.

Conceptualising Tf. L • Artefacts and devices – the technology itself how it is designed and made. • Activities and practices – what people do with technology • Context – social arrangements and organisational forms that surround the use of technology. (Selwyn 2011)

“our primary focus should not be on the actual technological devices, tools and application per se but the practices and activities that surround them, the meanings people attach to them, and the social relations and structures that these technologies are linked to. ” (Selwyn 2011, p 2)

Assessment • 5, 000 word assignment “Describe a named example of a technology for learning and discuss its use including an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses and evaluation of its effectiveness in supporting its intended learning outcomes. ” • Choose your example Tf. L and context as soon as possible. • Familiarise yourselves with the guidelines for writing a Tf. L assignment. • Review the example assignment titles. • Review the examples of assignments • Prepare a short presentation about your assignment idea to discuss with the unit tutor.

Context, Technology & Perspective Technology for Learning Pedagogical Organisational Educational Context Learning and teaching roles ? ?

Presentation • Purpose – to present some initial thoughts about the focus of your assignment. Stimulate discussion and gain feedback. • Short – 10 -15 minutes • Content – – A working title for your assignment – The context and technology for learning you want to analyse – Why you are interested in this, what issues do you want to explore? – What frameworks or models will you use to help you analyse your technology for learning in context? Why have you chosen these? – What literature is relevant to your assignment and why? http: //moodle. bath. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=171392

Review of the Moodle activities • How did you get on? • What benefits are there in engaging in activities such as these? • What are the challenges? • How could things be made easier? Orton-Johnson, K. (2009). ‘I’ve stuck to the path I’m afraid’: exploring student non-use of blended learning. British Journal of Educational Technology. 40(3) 837 -847.

Hopes and Fears • Find a resource that makes you feel hopeful about Technologies for Learning – explain why • Find a resources that makes you feel fearful – explain why https: //wiki. bath. ac. uk/display/madltfl/Resourc es+for+the+Hopes+and+Fears+activity

• What do you think of Newby's predictions? We have only 4 years to go before 2020 what's the likely hood of getting there? • What might be holding us back? • Will we just end up with ‘new wine in old bottles’?