Harnessing Technology: research to inform the future The latest evidence for policy on technology to support business processes, pedagogical practice and

Harnessing Technology: research to inform the future

The latest evidence for policy on technology to support business processes, pedagogical practice

and the learner context

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• Support and further develop the Harnessing

Technology Strategy

• Year 1 – February 2008 to March 2009

• System-wide research

• Inform strategy and policy 2008 - 2014

The research programme in context

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Harnessing Technology Strategy system outcomes

• Education leaders understand how technology supports their priorities

• Partners buy into strategic vision, & actively support implementation

• Innovation encouraged, good practice shared and adopted

Confident System Leadership & Innovation

• Systems for learner services fully integrated

• High quality, tailored resources available to all learners

• Infrastructure designed for efficiency & sustainability

Enabling Infrastructure and Processes

• Learner entitlement is met, with all vulnerable groups supported

• Technology adds value to family and informal learning

• Learners use technology confidently and safely to support their learning

Engaged and Empowered Learners

• Providers achieve well on e-maturity criteria

• Provider capability in place to support home and extended learning

• Technology-based tools and resources support effective teaching

Technology Confident, Effective Providers

Learners able to exercise choice among flexible learning optionsTailored and responsive assessment which addresses learners’ needs Engaging learning experiences which support deep & higher order learning

Improved Personalised Learning Experiences

System Outcomes – Impacts of Strategy on the System

http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=37346

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• Oxford University

• LSRI - University of Nottingham / Sero

• Kable / Innovation Unit

The research teams

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• The learner and their context – University of

Oxford

• Pedagogy and the curriculum – University of

Nottingham / Sero

• Business processes for delivery – Kable /

Innovation Unit

The research and approaches

http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_mr_02&rid=14900

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• Oxford University• 80 interviews with young learners

• Further 20 interview with work-based and offender learners

• Qualitative report submitted

• Survey of 1000 learners

• In-depth case studies

• Final Year 1 report March 2009

Research stage reached

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• University of Nottingham / Sero• Horizon scans

• Summary of trends

• Report on disruptions submitted

• Action research planned

• Scenarios for possible futures


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• Kable / Innovation Unit • Report on benefits realisation and conditions for solutions

• Identified candidate technology and business process sectors

• Developing business cases and cost benefit analyses

• Outputs to resonate with the frontline


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Improved personalised learning experiences

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• Opportunities offered by mobile architecture and

communication devices:

o Personally managed learning

o Information sharing

• Web 2.0 technology and collaboration

• Learner’s sense of agency in learning and as

collaborative co-constructors of learning


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“…It’s helped me gain confidence and provided me with the chance to sit GCSEs which a year ago I did not think would be possible.” Wigan Online Student

Wigan Online Learning (WOL) seeks to provide a positive educational experience for approximately 60 Year 10 and 11 students regarded as disaffected by or excluded from other forms of education. It exemplifies personalisation of learning through a balance of online provision, face to face tutoring, and multi-agency working.

www.wigan.gov.uk/Services/EducationLearning/AlternativeEducation/WiganOnlineLearning.htm


http://www.wigan.gov.uk/Services/EducationLearning/AlternativeEducation/WiganOnlineLearning.htm

http://www.wigan.gov.uk/Services/EducationLearning/AlternativeEducation/WiganOnlineLearning.htm

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• Opportunities offered by mobile architecture and

communication devices:

o Personally managed learning

o Information sharing

• Web 2.0 technology and collaboration

• Learner’s sense of agency in learning and as

collaborative co-constructors of learning


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Key issues:

• Challenge to develop the digital skills of users so they can

manage and use their devices effectively and responsibly

• Whether dependence on the availability of and access to

particular technologies or devices affects the ability to

deliver educational outcomes.

• The impact of Web 2.0 and other technology trends


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• Innovation = invention + exploitation

• Leaders’ roles in innovation

• Dissemination of best practice – v – pressures of competition

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• Lack of opportunity for dissemination and

discussion by practitioners and suppliers

• Innovation impeded by the absence of a forum for

discussion

• Supply sector fragmentation affects consistency


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• New technologies and traditional practices

• Whole school innovations rare

• Consequences of failure

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Key issues:

• Effective dissemination of best practice

• Culture that rewards innovation and does not

stigmatise failure

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• Support for the expanded Children’s Workforce Network

• ICT skills of next generation teachers

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Key issues:

• How can enablers be best equipped to support learners

• Importance of increased training in and use of technology among the expanded children’s workforce and third sector organisations

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Engaged and empowered learners

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Access to technology

• Availability

• Negotiation for use

• Use for personal and educational activities


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“Bebo, MySpace and You Tube, just looking up research for homework, a lot of homework on there, um music as well. Yeah, and sometimes games as well when it’s, you know, when I’m bored.”Male, Year 10


Use of technologies for personal and educational ends

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“Well, if it was homework, then they’d say ‘oh go on’ you can go on until you’ve finished. But if I’m like on Bebo or anything, just looking at stuff then I always say ‘you can go on it now’.”Male, Year 10

“I like playing on it… my Mum and Dad always go on it and they never let me, well they do let me have a go but there’s some important stuff like their tax or something and they always take a lot of time to do it, so I wish I had my own computer so I could just go on it anytime.”Female, Year 4


Availability and negotiating access

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Family context

• Young people’s digital lives influenced by shared family

values and activities

• Sphere where young people can develop expertise on a

par with adults


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“It’s quality time, you know… Because he’s always working and when he comes home you really want to talk to him about something but because he’s got so much on his mind, like computers, it’s like you just feel you can go join him in that life”.Female, Year 10


Technology as a shared activity

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“…me and my dad and my little brother just like share little tricks that we’ve got. Like little shortcuts, how to do this, how to do this. So that’s how I get such a broad knowledge, because I share it with other people”.Female, Year 10


Contribution on a par with others

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• Balancing risk and opportunity

• Learners’ awareness of risk not matched by

understanding

• Role of a secure and supportive environment


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“Sometimes you get emails and then you have attachments and then you have viruses in it which could probably kill your computer. …once my teenage cousin came round and they went on the computer and you know under the search… when you go to search when under it says safe search is on or off, then they put safe search off. And I didn’t know that and when I went on the computer and I typed in Michael Jackson and - there was some really scary pictures came up because – do you know Michael Jackson’s done a song called Thriller? Yeah, there’s some of the pictures of him as a werewolf and a zombie – I saw the video after that but I just went ‘Oh my God’ and I was up the night”.Female, Year 4


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Key issues:

• How to establish ongoing educational programmes that

keep pace with emerging activities

• Understand how learners locate their learning activities

within the context of multiple uses of technology

• Identify what can be drawn from the situation of a

supportive (often family) context for less advantaged

learners


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Enabling infrastructure and processes

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• Forces affecting the education sector’s ICT

infrastructure requirements:

• Risks of reliance on a single channel


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“It would make my life easier because my schedule is a nightmare and PDA/diary doesn’t interface with the school system so I am constantly on the phone to my PA. It also has the potential to aid communication between colleagues and streamline the administration of the school.”

“Rapid dissemination of information has its advantages. Morning briefing could, I suppose, be undertaken with Blackberrys. We could all retain an up to date diary, the agenda for INSET could be pre-circulated for discussion and the poorly read school calendar would be at arm's length.”


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• Technology to engage disadvantaged learners

• Social Networking sites and 3G mobile phones


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Key issue:

• Challenge for institutions’ network infrastructure

• Implications for communications systems, resource

organisations and system security

• How to design for continual flexibility and change?


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• Available on the Becta website

• Publications from each research team by end of year

Published outputs

http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_mr_02&rid=14900

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Discussion

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• What are your views on these issues and challenges?

• Are there others you would want to raise?

• What are the policy imperatives that the research must answer?

• What evidence resonates with you?

Questions

Documents

Harnessing Technology: research to inform the future The latest evidence for policy on technology to support business processes, pedagogical practice and