Digital Learning: Reforming Teacher Education to Promote Access, Equity and Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the present and future impact of digital learning on teacher education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Digital learning in this report is defined as any instructional practice that uses new communication technologies effectively to improve access to and strengthen learning. The focus of the report is student-teachers and teachers. The 2015–2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly seek to substantially increase the supply of well-qualified teachers in the region, drawing on international forms of development and co-operation where necessary (Goal 4)

Supporting the active learning of collaborative database browsing techniques

We describe the implications of a study of database browsing behaviour for the development of a system to support more effective browsing. In particular we consider the importance of collaborative working, both in learning browsing skills and in co‐operating on a shared information‐retrieval task. From our study, we believe that an interface to support collaboration should promote the awareness of the activities of others, better visualization of the information data structures being browsed, and effective communication of the browsing process

Participatory internet radio (RadioActive101) as a social innovation and co-production methodology for engagement and non-formal learning amongst socially excluded young people

This paper describes an original interlinking of a conceptual frame and co-production methodology of a participatory internet radio intervention (RadioActive101) that supports engagement and non-formal learning amongst socially excluded young people. This considers the inclusive learning of socially excluded young people as a social innovation that is realised through a participation and co-production methodology that is inspired and informed by Paulo Freire. These are combined to develop an innovative pedagogy that has led to relatively high levels of participation (163 young people facilitated by 29 youth workers) and youth-led co-production (33 radio shows) that supports the reported development of psychosocial dimensions and twenty-first century (21C) and employability skills of young people in London in the UK. This approach and its evaluations suggest that our method (RadioActive101) involves harmonising emancipatory learning through co-production with an instrumental approach to skills development, to support a holistic approach to learning. The foundation and ‘key’ to this holistic learning appears to be the co-development of confidence and communication in ways that lead to the thoughtful and effective use of voice to underpin and support the development of 21C and employability skills

Hybrid Agency in Co-Configuration Work

This article maintains that a new wave in the development of the productive forces of society triggered by the revolution in information and communication technologies is taking place. Production carried out by single organizations is increasingly replaced by forms of production that are based on close long-term collaboration between specialized firms. This transition reflects the increasing importance of research and development as well as collective learning in business competition. New information and communication technologies enable new forms of distributed and collaborative knowledge creation and learning. The article explores an emerging new form of innovation-oriented inter-firm collaboration called co-configuration and the new kind of dualistic agency it seems to be calling for. In this form of collaboration the traditional boundary between producer and provider as well as the boundaries between product development, sales and maintenance within the provider organization become blurred. The article presents a case of the development of co-configuration work in the provision of optimization software for pulp production. The case shows some of the contradictions involved in this new form of collaboration and the development of a new kind of object-oriented collaborative agency mediated through a real-time information and communication technological platform and uniting two processes of continuous development

Mediating boundaries between knowledge and knowing: ICT and R4D praxis

Research for development (R4D) praxis (theory-informed practical action) can be underpinned by the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which, it is claimed, provide opportunities for knowledge working and sharing. Such a framing implicitly or explicitly constructs a boundary around knowledge as reified, or commodified – or at least able to be stabilized for a period of time (first order knowledge). In contrast ‘third-generation knowledge’ emphasizes the social nature of learning and knowledge-making; this reframes knowledge as a negotiated social practice, thus constructing a different system boundary. This paper offers critical reflections on the use of a wiki as a data repository and mediating technical platform as part of innovating in R4D praxis. A sustainable social learning process was sought that fostered an emergent community of practice among biophysical and social researchers acting for the first time as R4D co-researchers. Over time the technologically mediated element of the learning system was judged to have failed. This inquiry asks: How can learning system design cultivate learning opportunities and respond to learning challenges in an online environment to support R4D practice? Confining critical reflection to the online learning experience alone ignores the wider context in which knowledge work took place; therefore the institutional setting is also considered

Special Educators Speak Out on Co-Teaching Knowledge and Skills

This study explored practices and attitudes of special educators from various states around the country regarding what they consider to be the most important elements for effective co-teaching. Results indicated that co-planning, communication skills, and shared instruction were the most critical factors in effective co-teaching. Professional development was found to be the most common way that participants gained co-teaching knowledge and skill. Future implications for research suggest that teacher preparation programs and districts use e-learning to support pre-service and in-service programs and initiatives related to co-teaching. Future implications for research suggest that teacher preparation programs and districts use e-learning to support pre-service and inservice programs and initiatives related to co-teaching

Student perceptions of workplace communications during co-operative workterm experiences

Co-operative education gives students the opportunity to observe important interpersonal skills while applying their technical knowledge. Eighty students on their second and third co-op work terms described communication incidents in face-toface,mobile text, and mobile voice situations perceived to have shaped relationships with their managers. Richness is provided by a qualitative analysis that asks students to express their feelings about how they are talked to by their supervisors. Results identify some apparent themes with respect to the use of message content and tone, media selection and message timing. They also show that students appear to value face-to-face communication and reveal that social extra-role relationships are important to student feelings of selfefficacy and attributions of manager effectiveness. These connections may form the basis for student development of their own communication styles. The results lead to suggestions of how to make the learning of communication skills more tangible within co-op programs

An architecture for integrating learning object repository resources into web videoconference services

Reusing Learning Objects saves time and reduce development costs. Hence, achieving their interoperability in multiple contexts is essential when creating a Learning Object Repository. On the other hand, novel web videoconference services are available due to technological advancements. Several benefits can be gained by integrating Learning Objects into these services. For instance, they can allow sharing, co-viewing and synchronized co-browsing of these resources at the same time that provide real time communication. However, several efforts need to be undertaken to achieve the interoperability with these systems. In this paper, we propose a model to integrate the resources of the Learning Object Repositories into web videoconference services. The experience of applying this model in a real e-Learning scenario achieving interoperability with two different web videoconference services is also described

Creating a home for experiential learning – a case study of an interdisciplinary product development course

This paper presents an action research-based study on how a new learning environment was co-created with its users to support an interdisciplinary product development course, and how the new space supported the experiential learning method used in the course. The data consists of field notes collected during a three-month intensive development phase and of nine semi-structured open interviews. The results reveal that the new learning environment became a home base for the students, and illustrate how informal events organized in the space increased the feeling of togetherness and decreased barriers for communication. The new learning environment became a comfortable place where the students were able to combine work and fun, interact with other students, learn from others and relax.Peer reviewe