Decoding learning: the proof, promise and potential of digital education

With hundreds of millions of pounds spent on digital technology for education every year – from interactive whiteboards to the rise of one–to–one tablet computers – every new technology seems to offer unlimited promise to learning. many sectors have benefitted immensely from harnessing innovative uses of technology. cloud computing, mobile communications and internet applications have changed the way manufacturing, finance, business services, the media and retailers operate. But key questions remain in education: has the range of technologies helped improve learners’ experiences and the standards they achieve? or is this investment just languishing as kit in the cupboard? and what more can decision makers, schools, teachers, parents and the technology industry do to ensure the full potential of innovative technology is exploited? There is no doubt that digital technologies have had a profound impact upon the management of learning. institutions can now recruit, register, monitor, and report on students with a new economy, efficiency, and (sometimes) creativity. yet, evidence of digital technologies producing real transformation in learning and teaching remains elusive. The education sector has invested heavily in digital technology; but this investment has not yet resulted in the radical improvements to learning experiences and educational attainment. in 2011, the Review of Education Capital found that maintained schools spent £487 million on icT equipment and services in 2009-2010. 1 since then, the education system has entered a state of flux with changes to the curriculum, shifts in funding, and increasing school autonomy. While ring-fenced funding for icT equipment and services has since ceased, a survey of 1,317 schools in July 2012 by the british educational suppliers association found they were assigning an increasing amount of their budget to technology. With greater freedom and enthusiasm towards technology in education, schools and teachers have become more discerning and are beginning to demand more evidence to justify their spending and strategies. This is both a challenge and an opportunity as it puts schools in greater charge of their spending and use of technolog

System upgrade: realising the vision for UK education

A report summarising the findings of the TEL programme in the wider context of technology-enhanced learning and offering recommendations for future strategy in the area was launched on 13th June at the House of Lords to a group of policymakers, technologists and practitioners chaired by Lord Knight. The report – a major outcome of the programme – is written by TEL director Professor Richard Noss and a team of experts in various fields of technology-enhanced learning. The report features the programme’s 12 recommendations for using technology-enhanced learning to upgrade UK education

Dialogue as Data in Learning Analytics for Productive Educational Dialogue

This paper provides a novel, conceptually driven stance on the state of the contemporary analytic challenges faced in the treatment of dialogue as a form of data across on- and offline sites of learning. In prior research, preliminary steps have been taken to detect occurrences of such dialogue using automated analysis techniques. Such advances have the potential to foster effective dialogue using learning analytic techniques that scaffold, give feedback on, and provide pedagogic contexts promoting such dialogue. However, the translation of much prior learning science research to online contexts is complex, requiring the operationalization of constructs theorized in different contexts (often face-to-face), and based on different datasets and structures (often spoken dialogue). In this paper, we explore what could constitute the effective analysis of productive online dialogues, arguing that it requires consideration of three key facets of the dialogue: features indicative of productive dialogue; the unit of segmentation; and the interplay of features and segmentation with the temporal underpinning of learning contexts. The paper thus foregrounds key considerations regarding the analysis of dialogue data in emerging learning analytics environments, both for learning-science and for computationally oriented researchers

Improving School Improvement

PREFACEIn opening this volume, you might be thinking:Is another book on school improvement really needed?Clearly our answer is yes. Our analyses of prevailing school improvement legislation, planning, and literature indicates fundamental deficiencies, especially with respect to enhancing equity of opportunity and closing the achievement gap.Here is what our work uniquely brings to policy and planning tables:(1) An expanded framework for school improvement – We highlight that moving from a two- to a three-component policy and practice framework is essential for closing the opportunity and achievement gaps. (That is, expanding from focusing primarily on instruction and management/government concerns by establishing a third primary component to improve how schools address barriers to learning and teaching.)(2) An emphasis on integrating a deep understanding of motivation – We underscore that concerns about engagement, management of behavior, school climate, equity of opportunity, and student outcomes require an up-to-date grasp of motivation and especially intrinsic motivation.(3) Clarification of the nature and scope of personalized teaching – We define personalization as the process of matching learner motivation and capabilities and stress that it is the learner's perception that determines whether the match is a good one.(4) A reframing of remediation and special education – We formulate these processes as personalized special assistance that is applied in and out of classrooms and practiced in a sequential and hierarchical manner.(5) A prototype for transforming student and learning supports – We provide a framework for a unified, comprehensive, and equitable system designed to address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage disconnected students and families.(6) A reworking of the leadership structure for whole school improvement --We outline how the operational infrastructure can and must be realigned in keeping with a three component school improvement framework.(7) A systemic approach to enhancing school-community collaboration – We delineate a leadership role for schools in outreaching to communities in order to work on shared concerns through a formal collaborative operational infrastructure that enables weaving together resources to advance the work.(8) An expanded framework for school accountability – We reframe school accountability to ensure a balanced approach that accounts for a shift to a three component school improvement policy.(9) Guidance for substantive, scalable, and sustainable systemic changes –We frame mechanisms and discuss lessons learned related to facilitating fundamental systemic changes and replicating and sustaining them across a district.The frameworks and practices presented are based on our many years of work in schools and from efforts to enhance school-community collaboration. We incorporate insights from various theories and the large body of relevant research and from lessons learned and shared by many school leaders and staff who strive everyday to do their best for children.Our emphasis on new directions in no way is meant to demean current efforts. We know that the demands placed on those working in schools go well beyond what anyone should be asked to do. Given the current working conditions in many schools, our intent is to help make the hard work generate better results. To this end, we highlight new directions and systemic pathways for improving school outcomes.Some of what we propose is difficult to accomplish. Hopefully, the fact that there are schools, districts, and state agencies already trailblazing the way will engender a sense of hope and encouragement to those committed to innovation.It will be obvious that our work owes much to many. We are especially grateful to those who are pioneering major systemic changes across the country. These leaders and so many in the field have generously offered their insights and wisdom. And, of course, we are indebted to hundreds of scholars whose research and writing is a shared treasure. As always, we take this opportunity to thank Perry Nelson and the host of graduate and undergraduate students at UCLA who contribute so much to our work each day, and to the many young people and their families who continue to teach us all.Respectfully submitted for your consideration,Howard Adelman & Linda Taylo

Running up Blueberry Hill: Prototyping whole body interaction in harmony space

Musical harmony is considered to be one of the most abstract and technically difficult parts of music. It is generally taught formally via abstract, domain-specific concepts, principles, rules and heuristics. By contrast, when harmony is represented using an existing interactive desktop tool, Harmony Space, a new, parsimonious, but equivalently expressive, unified level of description emerges. This focuses not on abstract concepts, but on concrete locations, objects, areas and trajectories. This paper presents a design study of a prototype version of Harmony Space driven by whole body navigation, and characterizes the new opportunities presented for the principled manipulation of chord sequences and bass lines. These include: deeper engagement and directness; rich physical cues for memory and reflection, embodied engagement with rhythmic time constraints; hands which are free for other simultaneous activities (such as playing a traditional instrument); and qualitatively new possibilities for collaborative use

Desbloquear a forma como as empresas estão aplicando gamificação ao longo do ciclo de vida inovação

This thesis complements an emergent body of literature on gamification of innovation by exploring how gamification, i.e. the use of game elements in non-gaming contexts, can support the management of the complex, messy and unclear Early Stage of Innovation Process (ESoIP), and therefore help firms to drive innovation forward. Thus, the goal of this thesis is threefold: Firstly to conceptualize gamification approaches to the early stage of innovation; secondly to examine by empirical research studies how the ESoIP can be supported by gamification approaches and thirdly to explore the way gamification approaches support and enhance design thinking. In fact, this thesis argues that gamification can contribute to improving the management of firms’ ESoIP by complementing design thinking practices. Since the potential value of design thinking is sometimes overhyped among academics and practitioners it is fundamental to acknowledge its main obstacles and discuss better ways to overcome the difficulties of managing the ESoIP, such the unpredictable and unstructured nature of activities and the need for more coordination and alignment of teams. Given the explorative type of goals and the need to achieve a deeper understanding of the linkages between gamification and the ESoIP, the thesis follows a qualitative research approach. Findings show that gamification approaches encourage the involvement and engagement of teams in the innovation process, improving aspects like team spirit, dialogue and consensus building, creative experience sharing, goals setting, coordination of activities and concept development as well as the overall management of the ESoIP. Finally, it also suggests that gamification complements and enhances design thinking practices by making people more engaged and delivering a more structured approach to the ESoIP.Esta tese complementa uma linha de investigação emergente na área da gamificação da inovação, explorando como é que a gamificação (utilização de elementos de jogos em contextos não lúdicos) pode apoiar a gestão da fase inicial do processo de inovação, que é mais complexa, confusa e obscura e desta forma ajudar as empresas a inovar. Os principais objetivos desta tese são em primeiro lugar conceptualizar a utilização da gamificação na fase inicial do processo de inovação, em segundo lugar investigar através de estudos empíricos como é que o processo de inovação pode ser melhorado através desta abordagem e em terceiro lugar explorar de que forma é que a gamificação pode apoiar e melhorar o design thinking. Isto porque esta tese defende que a gamificação pode contribuir para melhorar a gestão da fase inicial do processo de inovação, complementando as práticas de design thinking. Como o valor potencial do design thinking está por vezes sobreavaliado entre académicos e gestores, é fundamental reconhecer os seus principais obstáculos e discutir melhor as maneiras de ultrapassar as dificuldades de gestão da inovação, tais como a natureza das atividades pouco estruturadas e não previstas e a necessidade de maior coordenação e alinhamento das equipas. Dado o caráter exploratório dos objetivos e a necessidade de se chegar a um melhor conhecimento das ligações entre a gamificação e a fase inicial do processo de inovação, esta tese segue uma abordagem qualitativa. Os resultados mostram que a gamificação promove o envolvimento das equipas no processo de inovação, melhorando aspetos como o espírito de equipa, diálogo e consenso, partilha de experiência de forma mais criativa, definição de objetivos, coordenação de atividades, desenvolvimento de conceitos e, de uma forma geral, toda a gestão da fase inicial deste processo. Finalmente, esta tese também sugere que a gamificação complementa e melhora as práticas de design thinking aumentando o envolvimento das pessoas e proporcionando uma abordagem mais estruturada do processo de inovação.Programa Doutoral em Marketing e Estratégi

Correspondences and Contradictions in International and Domestic Conflict Resolution: Lessons From General Theory and Varied Contexts

Does the field of conflict resolution have any broadly applicable theories that work across the different domains of international and domestic conflict? Or, are contexts, participants, and resources so domain specific and variable that only thick descriptions of particular contexts will do? These are important questions which have been plaguing me in this depressing time for conflict resolution professionals, from September 11,2001 (9/11), to the war against Iraq. Have we learned anything about conflict resolution that really does improve our ability to describe, predict, and act to reduce unnecessary and harmful conflict? These are the questions I want to explore in this essay, all the while knowing that I will ask more questions than I have answers to. My hope is to spark more rigorous attention to the possibility of comparative dispute resolution study and practice, using key concepts, theories, empirical studies, practical wisdom, and experiential insights to spark and encourage more multi-level and multi-unit analysis of some of our shared propositions