The Wales-Wide Web

Great article by Tim O'Reilly on Web 2. I am sure half the blogosphere is linking to this - but given that (perhaps) this blog gets read by some educationalists and not just the techy crew - if you haven't seen Tim's article yet check it out.

Technorati Tags: social software

I'm off for ten days visiting the long tail of vocational educational research in Europe.

First stop is Bucharest for a project looking at training for professionals in social services and then on to Monte Gordo in the south of Portugal for two new projects linked to self evaluation. Finally a quick stop In Utrecht on the way back for another new European project.

Why the long tail? None of the projects is primarily concerned with the use of ICT for learning as such but all use ICT in some form or other for communication and publication of results.

All the project have - or will have - some kind of web presence but none have a major web site.

The issue is how can we use these web sites and tools to share and develop knowledge? Sounds a web 2 question to me.

Technorati Tags: education and training research, social software

Welcome to the MICaLL site. — MICaLL:

No time to say much. But just when I despair of the education system ever really understanding pedagogy and the use of ICT for learning, I stumble by chance on projects like this. Go have a look, it is cool.

Technorati Tags: education and training research, social software

I'm in a meeting in Romania and have little time for posting here. before I came to Bucharest I had a quick drink with my mate, Lars.

Lars had come straight from work and was hungry. His evening meal has inspired me to straight my long dreamed of project of culinary photography

Technorati Tags: food

Sorry for lack of posts of late. I've been in meetings for the last ten days - in Bucharest, Monte Gordo (you will definitely need Google maps to find that one) and finally in Utrecht. In Bremen now, off to Stockholm tonight. Internet access has been pretty patchy - hence the lack of posts. Anyway, thanks to all you loyal readers who have enquired after my health!

Many things to say - but limited time. I did promise that I would post today regarding an issue that arose at the Utrecht meeting (that old debate over blogs vis a vis bulletin boards) - but it really is a more general question.

All the meetings were concerned with European projects in the area of education and training. the first was concerned with developing new curricula for social workers, the second with guidance and participation for the unemployed, the third with self evaluation for vocational teachers and the final meeting developing communities of practice for the tourist industry.

As is the way these days all the project had promised a platform for project communication (all the projects involve partners from different European countries) and all had promised to develop some sort of ICT based 'tools' (as an aside I am getting really fed up with that word - more on this in another post).

The majority of the partners in the project are specialists in education and training - researchers or practitioners - teachers and trainers or social workers. For the first three projects I am the ICT 'specialist', in the fourth I am the evaluator and am spared that role.

What seems to happen is that we get alloted a slot on the agenda to explain what we will do. And this is where the problem starts. Usually we do not have web access or access is slow. Not all participants have a computer with them - still less internet connectivity.

So we make a presentation. Different people in the 'audience;' have different levels of knowledge and competence in ICT. Different project parters have different interest in the use of ICT.

There is no way to pitch a presentation to suit everyones needs. More than that it is an inappropriate medium for what we are trying to do. I did quite well at the first meeting - at least gave an accessible and reasonably informative 'speech' about web 2 and it seemed to interest the audience. The second I screwed up totally. The participants had already listened to too many speeches - they wanted to do something. Fair enough. I went on too much about the technology. They told me (in no uncertain terms - feedback was not in short supply) that they wanted just to know what they had to do.

I do not think this would work either. One solution would be to divide into groups - and those that want the minimum information can get that whilst those prepared to explore and learn by doing could learn that way. But the whole process of developing platforms and tools is wrong. Project coordinators and partners should realize that they have as much to contribute and as much responsibility for development as the IT 'specialists'. These things can only be designed as a co-design process. OK - there are iterative design processes that can help. But the only real answer is to organize co-design workshops as an integral part of the project meetings. That requires a proper time allocation - not just a half hour or twenty minute slot at the end of the agenda. It requires proper facilities. And most fundamental it requires participation form all the partners.

OK - end of rant. I promised I would write something and send to participants as an example of what a blog is about. think I have done that pretty well. More about all these issues over the next week,. Please feel free to use the anonymous reply button to add your comments.

Technorati Tags: e-learning design, social software

I have been working for the last couple of years on the use of ICT for learning in Small and Medium Enterprises as part of a European project. The project has included a survey in seven countries, over 90 case studies, a series of thematic studies and interviews with policy makers.

The findings are at very least contentious:

• There is little or no involvement in formal e-learning in SMEs

• Few SMEs have any form of training infrastructure, needs analysis, planning of training etc.

• formal training is carried out it is usually in response to an immediate need or more commonly due to legislative requirements

• When formal training is carried out SMEs are likely to select a training provider, public or private, based on word of mouth reputation or personal acquaintance
• Few SME managers are aware of the potential of ICT for learning

• There is a great deal of everyday informal learning taking place in SMEs using ICT

• Computers are used extensively in the workplace for administration and accounting, business to business transactions, customer communication, advertising and promotion, stock control and promotion

• The most common tools and applications used for learning are everyday business software, especially the use of the Google search engine

• There appears to be little correlation between previous qualifications and the use of ICT for learning

• There would appear to be more informal learning in workplaces with less hierarchical work organisation and where employees are given more responsibility for organising their own work

• Informal learning in the workplace is largely driven by problem solving or personal interest

• Learning usually takes place when it is needed

I have written over 50 pages of notes (some of which have appeared in this blog) which I hope to include in a book to be published next year. In the meantime I have submitted a paper to this years Online Educa Berlin 2005 conference. Online Educa does not publish full proceeding but instead publishes 1500 word abstracts of papers.

The abstract which can be downloaded from below gives a fair overview of the work. As ever I would welcome any comments.

berlinpaper.doc

Technorati Tags: education policy, non formal learning, Small and Medium Enterprises, work based learning

Wilfred Rubens TE-learning centrum: technology enhanced learning: A network of weblogs as a community of practice

Interesting article by Wilfred (and many, many thanks for providing access in two languages).

However, I have some concerns. Using web logs to support a community of practice of Edubloggers makes perfect sense - the medium is the message. But that is a very, very different thing to using web logs to using web logs to support and develop a community of practice in the tourist sector (or as we say in European english - tourist branch).

I am very doubtful that web logs - as they are currently being used - will prove a natural tool for many in that sector - or to the natural workflow and activities of people in that sector. That is not to say the web logs do not have their place - for instance for developing portfolios as part of a programme of continuing professional development or for exchanging information.

Part of the web logging game is to post regularly - I am not convinced that regular reflective writing is part of the practice of that community. This is not to say that many of the standards and social software protocols, standards and tools - now characterized as Web 2 could not be usefully and successfully developed and used. But I think we will have to be creative in how we can leverage more minimal gestures and activities which fall short of full blown blogging to develop the and support that community. In that respect it is well worth looking at geographical data - Google maps is already being used imaginatively and with some success for small guesthouses and bed and breakfasts - see for instance this map which I used to book accommodation in Cambridge. How could we use web log standards to develop communication between the bed and breakfast listed here, between the bed and breakfasts and other parts of the tourist sector and between the bed and breakfasts and potential customers?

Technorati Tags: blogging, social software

Wilfred Rubens TE-learning centrum: technology enhanced learning: Weblogs and professional development

Despite saying to me it is too much work, Wilfred keeps up the English language bogging, discussing "an interesting blog by Ann Davis. She quotes Clarence Fisher who really beliefs that blogging is powerful for learning". Al these quoting other - hope you are keeping up.

Anyway the upshot to all this is that Wilfred has a rare pessimistic moment agreeing with Anne that there are limitations to the use of blogging for professional development and that participation is likely to be limited to a few highly motivated employees.

This is a welcome breath of realism compared to the hype we have seen lately over the use of new technologies for supporting communities of practice etc.. "build it and they will come' is not a real strategy.

But I am not so pessimistic as Wilfred concerning the use of ICt for informal learning and to develop communities of practice. I think the key issue here is the nature and practice of the communities. I think that as researchers we sometimes have an overly organisational view of what these communities look like. I believe many workers in organisation are using ICT now for professional development albeit in an informal and above all episodic pattern - driven primarily by either the need to solve a problem or by personal interest. If they use their favorite learning tool - which is probably Google - and find a discussion board which is of relevance to them and if they regularly visit that discussion board over a period of time, occasionally adding ideas of their own - is that not involvement in a dispersed community of practice?

Of course they may participate in more than one community. We should talk about multiple communities and not a single one. And the membership of those communities will be constantly in flux. Communities of practice are always emergent.

Coming back to the practice - in the case I have advanced here, the use of ICT is a normal and integral part of the work practice. It does not require extra time. It does not appear as a task outside normal practice - in the way blogging does at most people at the moment.

One of the problems with weblogs is the format. What do they all look the same? What on earth is the point of the calendar on the top right side? The strength of blogs is the standards which allow for rich communication and potentially the development of communication within communities. But the technology needs further development to make it really useful for communities of practice

Nevertheless, I remain optimistic.

Technorati Tags: e-learning, education and training research, non formal learning, pedagogy, social software

Not posting so much at the moment. I am completely;y bogged down in meetings and administration.

Anyway, should anyone reading this be around - and should they like a beer and a natter - tomorrow I am in Stuttgart - speaking at an IBM seminar about the use of Open Source in education; Thursday at the European ePortfolios conference in Cambridge and Friday meeting with various people from the JISc e-Learning programme in Reading and London.

I have some time free Friday afternoon in London if anyone is about. Email or ring me.