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Be different, be (s)quids in

August 14, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

An article in the Times Higher Ed which could be interesting for our chapter…

“Rather than focus on thinking, we have tended to play safe and stick to teaching the facts. But recent technology has devalued the learning of facts as they can now be acquired so easily, at the click of a button on your smartphone. Lecturers and professors were once cradles (or is it graveyards?) of facts and our job was to convey those facts from our brains into the brains of our undergraduates. But this is outmoded. When I mark tutorial essays or coursework for example, I rarely encounter factual errors – instead I am faced with garbled writing, incomprehension and an inability to place those easily acquired facts into a coherent framework.”

Filed Under Times Higher Education Tagged With Learning, pedagogy

Participatory Media for Education

August 13, 2010 By drbexl 1 Comment

Read the full report (PDF).  Thanks to Marcus Leaning for bringing it to my attention.

Filed Under Academic Research, Digital Literacy, Learning, Social Media Tagged With Education, pedagogy, Social Media, Web 2.0

Distance Learning: Must Focus on the Learning, Not the Technology

January 21, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

“To maintain the UK’s position in distance learning, we have to focus on education, not technology, argues Helen Lentell

Distance learning in higher education is enjoying a propitious moment, despite – perhaps even because of – the hard times facing the sector.

At last week’s Learning and Technology World Forum in London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the UK could become a “global education superpower”, with e-learning as one of its fastest-growing exports.

E-learning could also solve problems at home: as pressure continues to mount on the academy’s resources, flexible distance learning may become an increasingly attractive solution.

First Secretary Lord Mandelson no doubt had this in mind when announcing the creation of an online distance learning task force last year, backed by a £20 million matched-funding scheme to support centres of excellence. The terms of reference for this group focus on exploring ways of using online distance learning to attract more domestic and international students and increase collaboration between universities and colleges.”

Read the full story.

Universities say they already police compliance and infringements effectively. Matthew Reisz writes

Major concerns have been raised about the impact of the Digital Economy Bill on universities, which fear it is likely to result in a “bureaucratic burden and muddle”.

A central aim of the Bill, which is currently before the House of Lords, is to tackle online copyright infringement – something that Toby Bainton, secretary of the Society of College, National and University Libraries, said “everybody supports”.

However, there are fears that universities, which will be held responsible for the activities of their students, could be unduly affected by the proposals.

Mr Bainton said it appeared that “the position of higher education has not been clearly thought through”, adding that the sector “already has good systems in place that ought to be recognised and worked with”.

Filed Under Academic Research, Learning Tagged With Distance Learning, E-Learning, pedagogy, Times Higher Education

Microblogging in HE

January 18, 2010 By drbexl 4 Comments

“The easiest way to make sense of microblogging is give it a go! It’s not for everyone, but the majority of people who use it as part of their working practice report that they find it beneficial. Different people adopt different practices. Additionally they tend to adapt their practice at different times, locations and as their network grows.”

The above video is one a series produced  by JISC ‘Web2practice‘:

“Thinking of using web2tools for research, administration or teaching? Make a quick start with the web2practice user guides.

The web2practice guides explain how emergent web technologies like RSS, microblogging and social media can enhance your working practice.

Each guide consists of a short animated video explaining the key concepts, supported by a more in-depth printable overview of the topic, covering the  potential uses, risks and how to get started. The guides and the resources used to create them can be downloaded, modified and shared under a creative commons licence.”

Filed Under Social Media Tagged With JISC, microblogging, pedagogy, Twitter