Posts
Blogs, wikis and podcasts – Collaborative knowledge building tools in a Design and Technology course.
By Vinesh Chandra and Christina Chalmers
Queensland University of Technology, AUSTRALIA.
Abstract
Design and Technology has become an important part of the school curriculum. In Queensland, Australia, Technology (which encompasses Design) is one of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) for students in the first ten years of schooling. This KLA adopts a student-centred, hands-on constructivist approach to teaching and learning. The ability to conceptualise and implement appropriate learning experiences, however, has been a challenge for some early career teachers. This paper describes how Design and Technology is being taught to pre-service primary teachers at an Australian University through their involvement in a range of authentic problem-solving activities supported by social learning tools such as wikis and blogs. An interview with a sample from this group (N=5) provides an insight into how these social software tools enhanced their knowledge and learning. This paper will describe how these social learning tools impact on the agency of learning.
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Building the Future Students’ Blended Learning Experiences from Current Research FindingsBy Amanda Jefferies and Ruth Hyde
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
Abstract
Between March 2007 and February 2009, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded a Learners Journeys project at the University of Hertfordshire. This was part of their second phase of investment in research into the Learners’ Experiences through their E-Learning Programme and was known as LXP2. STROLL (STudent Reflections On Lifelong e-Learning), as the Learners’ Journeys project was known, researched into the experiences of current undergraduate students in Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) primarily through a series of diaries constructed by student volunteers. Using video and audio recording to capture students’ own reflections on their learning and their use of technology over the 2 year period the project data has offered many reflections from students on their use of technology for both learning and leisure. Building on this and other recent research data, the authors now suggest that for many HE students, technology has become a ubiquitous part of their lives to the extent that they may own or access regularly multiple items of personal technology that are used interchangeably for learning and leisure, including their computers and their mp3 players. At the University of Hertfordshire access to technology enhanced learning has included use of the managed learning environment (MLE) which is called StudyNet. This MLE has been highly praised by the campus-based undergraduates and especially those participating in STROLL for making their learning accessible wherever and whenever they want to access it. In this paper we explore how academics might learn from the experience of these current students and their reflections on becoming effective learners supported by technology. This research indicates that technology can be a vital support for students in their complex balancing act between their busy studying, working and personal lives and the students have enthusiastically reported that technology is a key enabler for them. This paper presents the ways in which students use technology in HE and raises the questions of how institutions might support some of the diverse needs of future students.
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Source: The Journal of Learning Design (JLD) and The Electronic Journal of e-Learning (EJEL)
