Reviews

Brian Clegg, Mining The Internet — Information Gathering and Research on the Net, Kogan Page: London, 1999. ISBN: 0–7494–3025–7. Paperback, 147 pages, £9.99

Learning from Digital Natives: Bridging Formal and Informal Learning. Final Report

Overview This report suggests that students are increasingly making use of a variety of etools (such as mobile phones, email, MSN, digital cameras, games consoles and social networking sites) to support their informal learning within formalised educational settings, and that they use the tools that they have available if none are provided for them. Therefore, higher education institutions should encourage the use of these tools. Aims and background This study aimed to explore how e-tools (such as mobile phones, email, MSN, digital cameras, games consoles and social networking sites) and the processes that underpin their use can support learning within educational institutions and help improve the quality of students’ experiences of learning in higher education (pgs 9-11). Methodology The study entailed: (i) desk research to identify related international research and practice and examples of integration of e-tools and learning processes in formal educational settings; (ii) a survey of 160 engineering and social work students across two contrasting Scottish universities (pre- and post-1992) – the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University – and follow-up interviews with eight students across the two subject areas to explore which technologies students were using for both learning and leisure activities within and outside the formal educational settings and how they would like to use such technologies to support their learning in both formal and informal settings; and (iii) interviews with eight members of staff from across the institutions and two subject areas to identify their perceptions of the educational value of the e-tools. (pgs 24-27). Key findings • Students reported making extensive use of a variety of both e-tools (such as mobile phones, email, MSN, digital cameras) and social networking tools (such as Bebo, MySpace, Wikipedia and YouTube) for informal socialisation, communication, information gathering, content creation and sharing, alongside using the institutionally provided technologies and learning environments. • Most of the students owned their own computer or had access to a sibling or parent’s computer. Many students owned a laptop but preferred not to bring it onto campus due to security concerns and because they found it too heavy to carry about. • Ownership of mobile phones was ubiquitous. • Whilst the students’ information searching literacy seemed adequate, the ability of these students to harness the power of social networking tools and informal processes for their learning was low. Staff reported using a few Web 2.0 and social software tools but they were generally less familiar with how these could be used to support learning and teaching. There were misconceptions surrounding the affordances of the tools and fears expressed about security and invasion of personal space. Considerations of the costs and the time it would take staff to develop their skills meant that there was a reluctance to take up new technologies at an institutional level. • Subject differences emerged in both staff and student perceptions as to which type of tools they would find most useful. Attitudes to Web 2.0 tools were different. Engineers were concerned with reliability, using institutional systems and inter-operability. Social workers were more flexible because they were focused on communication and professional needs. • The study concluded that digital tools, personal devices, social networking software and many of the other tools explored all have a large educational potential to support learning processing and teaching practices. Therefore, use of these tools and processes within institutions, amongst staff and students should be encouraged. • The report goes on to suggest ways in which the use of such technologies can help strengthen the links between informal and formal learning in higher education. The recommendations are grouped under four areas – pedagogical, socio-cultural, organisational and technological

Exploring the effects of YouTube on technology education students’ cognitive achievement in a mechanical system module

Understanding the effects of various multimedia technologies on students’ cognitive achievement is essential in this technological era. This study explored students’ cognitive achievement in a technology mechanical system module using YouTube videos compared to Microsoft PowerPoint (MPP). The study employed a quasi-experimental research design, using a pre-test-post-test. The sample consisted of 53 (29 males and 24 female) students. Twenty-eight (28) students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG) and 24 to the control group (CG). Students’ cognitive achievement was measured by administering the Geometric Optics Conceptual Understanding Test to each group of students before and after teaching. A t-test shows that there were significant differences between the EG of the pre-test (M = 60.50, SD = 7.2) and the post-test (M = 65.70, SD = 9.60) t (53) = -2.17, p = 0.03 with a gain of 5.20 and the Cohen d was 0.60. The EG students performed better in mechanical technology practice and retention tests than those in the CG. In the EG, female students performed better (M = 69.00, SD = 9.20) than the male students (M = 61.40, SD = 8.60). These results have some theoretical, instructional and institutional implications on the use of YouTube as an effective tool to enhance students’ achievement in mechanical technology.

Technical report and user guide: the 2010 EU kids online survey

This technical report describes the design and implementation of the EU Kids Online survey of 9-16 year old internet using children and their parents in 25 countries European countries

Independent Evaluation of the uses of Espresso online digital resources in primary schools:Final Report - Management, Time and Cost Benefits

In 2010, Espresso commissioned an academically-based and fully independent evaluation study to explore outcomes of uses of its online resources in primary schools. The aims of the study were to explore how Espresso resources are used to support teaching and learning, to assess cost and associated benefits arising, and to explore whether levels or types of use in schools might be associated with measures of pupil achievement and school performance. The evaluation that was undertaken drew on a range of different forms of evidence, analysed in ways to match the needs of the specific aims being explored. In order to make the full report of the study and its findings more easily accessible, and to enable the reader to focus on selected aspects of specific interest, the entire report has been divided into four sections. Section 1 Summary – this section contains two main elements, Report Headlines and an Executive Summary. Section 2 School Uses and Learning Impacts – this includes an introduction and background to the study, details of the structure of the study relating to school uses and learning impacts, descriptions of schools providing evidence, details of how Espresso resources are used in schools and learning outcomes related to these, the pedagogies that teachers adopt when using the resources, and key aspects of learning that are impacted by uses of Espresso resources. Section 3 Management, Time and Cost Benefits – this includes an introduction and background to the study, details of the structure of the study relating to management, time and cost benefits, details of benefits arising, and how these are calculated at school and wider levels. Section 4 Attainment and Usage Levels – this includes an introduction and background to the study, details of the structure of the study relating to attainment, performance and usage levels, the forms of data that were gathered and used for this element of the study, and the forms of analysis that were undertaken, together with a range of detailed statistical findings

Our Space: Being a Responsible Citizen of the Digital World

Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation.Our Space was co-developed by The Good Play Project and Project New Media Literacies (established at MIT and now housed at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism). The Our Space collaboration grew out of a shared interest in fostering ethical thinking and conduct among young people when exercising new media skills