Web 2.0 technologies for learning: the current landscape – opportunities, challenges and tensions

This is the first report from research commissioned by Becta into Web 2.0 technologies for learning at Key Stages 3 and 4. This report describes findings from an additional literature review of the then current landscape concerning learner use of Web 2.0 technologies and the implications for teachers, schools, local authorities and policy makers

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Teacher competence development – a European perspective

This chapter provides an European perspectives on teacher competence development

Community-based mentoring and innovating through Web 2.0

The rise of social software, often termed Web 2.0, has resulted in heightened awareness of the opportunities for creative and innovative approaches to learning that are afforded by network technologies. Social software platforms and social networking technologies have become part of the learning landscape both for those who learn formally within institutions, and for those who learn informally via emergent web-based learning communities. As collaborative online learning becomes a reality, new skills in communication and collaboration are required in order to use new technologies effectively, develop real digital literacy and other 21st century skills

Teaching and learning in virtual worlds: is it worth the effort?

Educators have been quick to spot the enormous potential afforded by virtual worlds for situated and authentic learning, practising tasks with potentially serious consequences in the real world and for bringing geographically dispersed faculty and students together in the same space (Gee, 2007; Johnson and Levine, 2008). Though this potential has largely been realised, it generally isn’t without cost in terms of lack of institutional buy-in, steep learning curves for all participants, and lack of a sound theoretical framework to support learning activities (Campbell, 2009; Cheal, 2007; Kluge & Riley, 2008). This symposium will explore the affordances and issues associated with teaching and learning in virtual worlds, all the time considering the question: is it worth the effort

Transforming pre-service teacher curriculum: observation through a TPACK lens

This paper will discuss an international online collaborative learning experience through the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The teacher knowledge required to effectively provide transformative learning experiences for 21st century learners in a digital world is complex, situated and changing. The discussion looks beyond the opportunity for knowledge development of content, pedagogy and technology as components of TPACK towards the interaction between those three components. Implications for practice are also discussed. In today’s technology infused classrooms it is within the realms of teacher educators, practising teaching and pre-service teachers explore and address effective practices using technology to enhance learning

Towards a pedagogical framework for construction of historicity: a case of using Wikis among pre-service teachers at Makerere University

This thesis originates from the realization that the pedagogy of history is becoming dangerously obsolete, as it does not always relate to the contemporary needs of 21st century learners, who often find learning history irrelevant to their present situation. This challenge is attributed to, among other reasons, the way history is taught employing largely behaviorist pedagogies with significantly reduced active learner engagement and little alignment to the way today's students learn. Gadamer's historical hermeneutic theory was employed to advocate for a dialogical approach between the past (part) and the present (whole) mediated by Emerging Technologies, specifically Wikis. Thus, the study is guided by three research questions: firstly, how is historicity constructed on the Wiki platform among pre-service teachers at Makerere University? Secondly, how is authenticity of history meanings constructed among pre-service teachers? Thirdly, what design principles guide a pedagogical framework for construction of historicity? A Design Based Research Methodology (DBR), with theoretically informed solutions aligned to the study problem, was used among pre-service teachers enrolled at Makerere University, Uganda, for the period 2013-2016. Consequently, four phases of DBR were employed: identification of the problem by the researcher in collaboration with practitioners; development of solutions informed by existing design principles and technological innovation; iterative cycles of testing and refinement of solutions and finally, reflection to produce design principles and enhance solutions (Reeves, 2006). Data from questionnaires, interviews and observations on the Wiki was gathered and analyzed through a hermeneutic cycle-driven analysis during DBR phase three. Key findings demonstrated that historicity is constructed through dialogical engagements between educator/researcher and students mediated on the Wiki. Authenticity of history meanings is achieved through collaborative editing, reviewing and sharing understandings on a Wiki. The practical contribution of this research lies in the creation of design principles (i.e. connecting with the present, appreciating heritage, dialogue in history, doing history, validating history and applying history) and a pedagogical framework to be used for the construction of historicity mediated by Wikis, while the theoretical contribution lies in the methodological approach of using DBR to systematically implement and operationalize historical hermeneutics theoretical constructs in History Education in the Ugandan context

Learning from the learners' experience: e-Learning@greenwich post-conference reflections

This publication comprises papers from presenters who, having made a conference presentation, were invited to author an academic paper about their work