The Wales-Wide Web

I am increasingly interested in issues of quality in teaching and learning. So this announcement of the scrapping of public sector targets reported in the Guardian has to be welcomed. It is very clear that targets do not work as a measure of quality.......has the UK government finally realised it?

Mr Burnham said: "We will avoid wherever possible the more crude approach of setting a one-size-fits-all target that is dropped down from on high ... The direction of travel is for public services to look and feel differently in different parts of the country. We want them to face downwards and outwards, having a dialogue with their local communities rather than with the centre."

Thats fine but I'm not in the least but sure what looking downwards and outwards mean. Does this mean being imposed top-down? And what form does such a dialogue mean. I fear this may be just more focus groups. And that equally does not guarantee quality

Technorati Tags: quality

Bit of strange title, but this is my presentation to last weeks Ten Competence project conference in Manchester.

The conference itself was extremely interesting and I will be adding a couple of entries over various contributions in the next few days.

Meanwhile back to my presentation. I have talked before about how school is becoming increasingly irrelevant to the way people are learning in todays society. This extends beyond issues of pedagogy and includes both curriculum and the way we organise our education systems. In the paper and presentation characterise it as an "industrial model of schooling".

Whilst new approaches to learning using social software and seeking to recognise informal learning are welcome and necessary, I am sceptical that such model projects can be generalised within the present system. Indeed, the evidence of many, many innovative projects is that without project funding and special dispensation for innovation, they cannot be sustained beyond the lifetime of the project.

The answer is not 'better projects' but a thorough going reform of our education systems, indeed a new understanding of the role and process of learning in our societies. Above all we need to deschool society. OK, I know that this may be unpopular or unpalatable for most politicians. But someone, sooner or later, is going to have to address the issue.

In the meantime researchers have a key role, not just in pointing out that the schooling system is breaking down, but in developing radical, agile and pedagogically attractive models for learning within society and provoking a wider debate on the role of learning. Click on the image below to download a PDF version of the presentation - if you would like another format please get in touch.

Technorati Tags: e-learning, pedagogy, Peronal Learning Environments

In january this year I posted an excerpt from a forthcoming publication entitled 'Commodication and the shaping of e-learning'.

You can find a short summary below. I have still not finished the English language version of the paper. But thanks to the sterling effort of Konrad Jocksch, Christiane Koeth and Lars Heinemann, I do now have a final German version (attached). would love any feedback form German language readers.

The hypothesis on which the paper was based is that the forms and uses of technologies are shaped by political and social processes. If learning is a social process, then any consideration of the development and impact of e-learning and e-learning technologies needs to examine the wider social, economic and cultural processes and discourses involved in the development and implementation of new technologies in education.

The paper suggests that three dominant policy discourses in education have shaped the development and implementation of e-learning: commodification, privatization and a restricted discourse of lifelong learning, which in turn are based on broader discourses around globalization and the privatization of knowledge. These discourses are explained below followed by examples of how they have effected the development and application of e-learning technologies. However, the development of capitalism and capitalist societies is contradictory based on dialectical development and struggle. Whilst the discourses may be dominant within the present period of capitalism and have thus shaped the development of e-learning, there are alternative and contradictory trends. Some commentators have pointed to e-learning as a disruptive technology. Furthermore, there is emerging evidence that learners themselves may be shaping technologies in different ways and for different purposes than was intended.

commodDE.rtf

Technorati Tags: e-learning

I subscribe to the excellent Labour Start List server. They run many campaigns on behalf of trade unions and trade unionists all over the world. All are important. But occasionally one of these campaigns stands out as needing every bit of publicity it can get. So please do respond - and please pass on this appeal for support.

"Back in February we launched a campaign in support of six jailed trade union
leaders in Indonesia. They were employed by a company called Musim Mas, the
world's largest manufacturer of palm oil.

As always happens in these cases, the response -- initially quite large -- has
dropped down considerably. Now only a trickle of messages are reaching the
Indonesian government. Possibly, some bureaucrat there is telling his boss,
"Don't worry -- we hardly hear any more about those jailed unionists. We can
let them rot. The world has already forgotten them."

But we have not forgotten them. The union chairperson, Robin Kimbi, and the
regional secretary, Masry Sebayang, got two years in prison. Fourteen months
terms were given to union leaders Suyahman, Safrudin, Akhen Pane and Sruhas
Towo.

Their "crime" was to exercise their mandate as union leaders. They are
prisoners of conscience.

We have not forgotten them, and we will not let this issue drop.

Last week, Amnesty International called on its members around the world to
raise their voices in protest against the jailing of the Musim Mas trade
unionists.

And unions around the world are taking up the cause.

The Nestle European Works Council, representing 80,000 company employees, has written to the company to express concern over the possible presence of Musim Mas palm oil and oleochemicals in Nestle products.

The German Food and Allied Workers NGG and the Dutch FNV Bondgenoten have echoed the public call by the Unilever European Works Council for Unilever to distance itself from Musim Mas and publicly reveal its sources for the palm oil
in company products.

And the global union federation representing food workers, the IUF (at whose
request we launched our campaign) has now begun to raise money for the struggle through its International Musim Mas Defense Fund.

Momentum is growing again. A three-month old campaign, no longer "fresh", is
attracting attention. The Indonesian government is going to have to start paying attention.

Please do these 3 simple things today:

1. Send off your message of protest:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=76

2. Donate generously to the International Musim Mas Defense Fund:

http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi db=default&uid=default&ID=3231&view_rec
ords=1&ww=1&en=1

3. Spread the word in your workplace and union. Forward on this email message!

In the international trade union movement we do not forget those who languish
in prisons for our cause.

This campaign continues.

Solidarity forever!"

Technorati Tags: labourstart

The absolutely central thing to understand here is that production logic of the industrial era is changing from centralized (central IP control, centralized production, controlled distribution, few developers) to decentralized (decentralized production, distributed costs, lots of developers, IP in the commons). The driver here is that as you benefit from the commons, you are likely to contribute something back to the commons. This is technically enabled by the licensing, which often requires that you give the next person the same rights you received in the first hand. It’s a gift economy, but driven by economical benefits. It supports free markets by creating an open market, rather than a closed market.

There are two ways of looking at this. One is to argue that Open Source and Open Content represents 'merely' a new form of market organisation under capitalism. And of course for many companies that is what it is - I am unsure mind that IBM licensing under the GPL represents a 'gift economy'.

On the other hand a lot of the work done on Open Content and Open Source is freely given and is undertaken in peoples own free time. I don't think think this is part of a capitalist market economy at all. Is this possible under capitalism. It seems to me there have always been instances of meaningful and socially valuable activities undertaken in the period of capitalism but for which no market value as such has been asked for or ascribed.

The big move in the last 10 years or so has been to attempt to place a market or exchange value on everything - including, critically knowledge. It is juts this move which has driven the attempts to extend IPR.

We should celebrate activity which takes place outside the bounds of the market, rather than try to recognise market value. (Incidentally this is why I disagree with those trying to introduce LETS systems - or barter systems for software and content development. these represent a market economy using time as cash - rather than cash itself for exchanging goods. But it is the same thing at the end of the day).

Would welcome any other opinions on this.

Technorati Tags: Open content, Open source, OSS

Belated International Workers Day greetings (no connection at home at the moment). thsi picture was taken on the demonstration in Bremen, Germany.

Technorati Tags: MayDay

Belated International Workers Day greetings (no connection at home at the moment). thsi picture was taken on the demonstration in Bremen, Germany.

Technorati Tags: MayDay

Had a bad day yesterday. Got into an argument with T-online - my internet provider who have cut off my connection at home (OK, I forgot to pay the bill).

In moment of anger I decided to switch to Nordcom - who are a lot cheaper. But, of course, Telecom controls the local loop and are making it hard to switch - it seems it will take eight to ten weeks.

This is basic economic infrastructure - it should not be left to these private companies. We have the worst of all worlds in Germany. A private monopoly hanging to the grim death to its privileged position in the market.

An email from Riina Vuorikari - speaks for itself I think. The document is attached at the bottom of this post.

"To whom it may concern,

Please find attached the answer to the community consultation regarding patents in EU.

The concerns in this document represent the views of more than 400 e-learning practitioners, teachers, learners, parents, researchers, decision-makers, e-learning providers and developer who do not want to allow the future patent policy in Europe to threaten technology enhanced learning in European education, which has become a key element in providing education to prepare Europe to participate creatively, technologically and economically on a global level.

Our views do not only seek to improve innovation and competitiveness, growth and employment in the knowledge-based economy in Europe, but also to provide better education to all learners in Europe.

On behalf of more than 400 signed e-learning practitioners, (please see them on-line and read more about our on-going campaign)"

consultation_e_learn#1FA314.rtf

Technorati Tags: e-learning, patents

Joise Fraser points to the "frenzy of e-Portfolio related activity in the UK at the moment".

She explains how "The UK Government’s e-strategy, Harnessing Technology outlined a clear commitment to ensuring learners have access to Personal Learning Space (PLS) where they can “store coursework, course resources, results, and achievements…with the potential to support e-portfolios”, available in every school and college by 2007-08", and goes on to say: "It’s proved to be a popular idea – with many institutions engaging in research and investigation, and even becoming early adopters of the currently available e-portfolio products."

'Harnessing Technolog'y is an interesting document - unusually so for an official government publication. However, whilst the policy does promote e-Portfolios, the main thrust is less ambitious.

The major emphasis is on personalisation. So far so good. But it is open to interpretation what is meant by that. My reading is that they mean primarily the ability of teachers to provide individually focused learning materials for learners and the use of intelligent agents (or something like that) to provide individual learning pathways. This falls far short of the more radical idea of Personal Learning environments and, critically, leaves control of learning in the hands of the institutions and teachers.

Still - that such a debate is even happening is good news.

Technorati Tags: e-portfolios, education policy, Persanal Learning Environments

The name that strikes fear in the hearts of Europe's elite clubs: Bolton - Sport - Times Online:

Yesterday we were campaigning against software patents. today it is against the so called G14 'elite' group of European football clubs. You may think these are disconnected. I do not. It is all about powerful elites trying to dominate our society.

Unusual to find the UK times newspaper saying something I agree with

“The voice of the clubs,” is G14’s slogan, but it is as false as the claim to superiority. G14 is not the voice of Bolton or Bremen, nor even of Chelsea, kept out by this quivering elite for daring to challenge its monopoly. It is not the voice of the World Cup or of the champions of Europe. It is not the voice of anybody who cares for football or for the level playing field. It is the voice of lawyers, of faceless political manipulators, of shortsightedness and reckless self-interest.

Above all, it is the voice of frightened little men. Frightened that they are not good enough. And on this, for once, they are right.

Technorati Tags: football

The name that strikes fear in the hearts of Europe's elite clubs: Bolton - Sport - Times Online:

Yesterday we were campaigning against software patents. today it is against the so called G14 'elite' group of European football clubs. You may think these are disconnected. I do not. It is all about powerful elites trying to dominate our society.

Unusual to find the UK times newspaper saying something I agree with

“The voice of the clubs,” is G14’s slogan, but it is as false as the claim to superiority. G14 is not the voice of Bolton or Bremen, nor even of Chelsea, kept out by this quivering elite for daring to challenge its monopoly. It is not the voice of the World Cup or of the champions of Europe. It is not the voice of anybody who cares for football or for the level playing field. It is the voice of lawyers, of faceless political manipulators, of shortsightedness and reckless self-interest.

Above all, it is the voice of frightened little men. Frightened that they are not good enough. And on this, for once, they are right.

Technorati Tags: football

Just got this email from Ray and Sara - been meaning to post about this for the last few days but the email says it all - sign the petition now!

Hi All,

In one way or other you share our interests in the field of e-learning, as a collegue or a friend, and that is why we are sending you this e-mail.

As partner in the SIGOSSEE EU funded project we were one of the organizers of the Conference on Open Source for Education. Research and Practice, which was held on November 14-15 2005 at the OUNL in Heerlen, The Netherlands. Information about the conference: http://www.openconference.net/

At that conference we brainstormed in one last session about a pre emptive position paper on no EU software patents for e-learning. One of the main issues is, as we see it, guaranteed access to information and knowledge for all.

Out of this came a petition which aims to alert European authorities and policy-makers to the dangers of software patents, and particularly to the negative impact they could have on e-learning that uses information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance education. This petition will be sent to the European Commission as an input for the “Consultation on future patent policy in Europe” by March 31st. The petition will be distributed to other European and national decision-makers to raise awareness on the issue of EU-wide software patents and how they threaten to inhibit innovation among European e-learning developers and practitioners.

If you are a concerned teacher, learner, parent, researcher, decision-maker, e-learning practitioner, developer or citizen, read this petition on-line at:

http://www.noelearningpatents.info/

Consider signing it! Let others know about it.

We aim to raise awareness and gather as many signatures as possible by Thursday 30th March 2006.

Technorati Tags: no patent law, software patents

I am busy finishing off a project application for the EU Leonardo da Vinci programme. As usual I am totally fed up with the endless repetitive questioons, with trying to understand what the questions mean and what they are looking for and with trying to match something I want to do (and think is important) with the somewhat abstract categories that EU policy deliberations dictate.

OK - EU project procedures are somewhat strange. But it is not limited to the EU. And it is an important issue. Much of the innovation - at least in the use of ICT for learning and in vocational education and training - depends on project funding. In European universities 'core' funding is being constantly reduced. Project funding is no longer the icing on the cake but a integral and important part of any innovative research programme.

There must be better procedures for allocating this funding. In this respect I must praise the UK Higher Education JISC programme. JISC issue many calls for proposals. Most stipulate that proposals can be no longer than 10 - and in some cases - 6 pages. Having also worked as an evaluator for a JISC call, ten pages is perfectly adequate for conveying an idea and activity. There is an argument that if someone cannot explain clearly in ten pages what they want to do then they have not thought out the idea properly.

I suppose the length and complexity of EU proposals operates as some kind of filter. But I fear it serves to filter out many of the best and most innovative ideas.

Technorati Tags: European_projects

I am writing a proposal for the European Leonardo da Vinci programme which is why there are few posts of late. Proposal writing deadens the brain.

As you would expect there are endless documents to plough through - guides for proposers, administrative handbooks and so son. There is also something called "Labour Cost by profile per day, selection 2006 - Euro".

This provides the maximum allowable day rate per country.

It's pretty revealing stuff - given all the hot air about a social Europe.

The maximum for a a manager in Sweden is 480 Euro, in the UK 408 Euro. IN Romania it is 72 Euro and in Bulgaria just 28 euro. In ireland an administrative worker can claim 328 Euro - in estonia 30 and Bulgaria 13 Euro.

This is not right. How can we build communities of practice which include such gross inequalities?

Technorati Tags: European_projects, polictics of education

I am writing a proposal for the European Leonardo da Vinci programme which is why there are few posts of late. Proposal writing deadens the brain.

As you would expect there are endless documents to plough through - guides for proposers, administrative handbooks and so son. There is also something called "Labour Cost by profile per day, selection 2006 - Euro".

This provides the maximum allowable day rate per country.

It's pretty revealing stuff - given all the hot air about a social Europe.

The maximum for a a manager in Sweden is 480 Euro, in the UK 408 Euro. IN Romania it is 72 Euro and in Bulgaria just 28 euro. In ireland an administrative worker can claim 328 Euro - in estonia 30 and Bulgaria 13 Euro.

This is not right. How can we build communities of practice which include such gross inequalities?

Technorati Tags: European_projects, polictics of education

This is the introduction to a new paper I have written for a forthcoming book. The paper is mainly focused on how employees in SMEs are using ICT technologies for informal learning in totally unexpected ways. This excerpt looks at different policy discourses in learning and suggests these policy discourses have shaped the form of e-learning as it is presently developed.

E-learning is a young technology and the study of e-learning is equally in its infancy. Despite this there is by now an extensive literature on the subject and learning technology is increasingly recognised as a discipline in itself. However the overwhelming majority of these studies, from both proponents and sceptics, have been technologically determinist, based on the potentials and effects of technologies on education and learning, rather than looking at the influence of learning and teaching on technology (Attwell et al).

The hypothesis which this paper is based on is that the forms and uses of technologies are shaped by political and social processes (Rauner, Heidegger). If learning is a social process (Young), then any consideration of the development and impact of e-learning and e-learning technologies needs to examine the wider social, economic and cultural processes and discourses involved in the development and implementation of new technologies in education.

Technorati Tags: education and training research, informal_learning, knowledge development, pedagogy

BBC NEWS | Education | Universities' student visa lobby:

Health warning - this blog entry is a rant.

from the BBC "Universities UK says overseas students are now a "major export industry".

"It is worth more than food and drink, tobacco, insurance, ships and aircraft," says Drummond Bone, president of Universities UK."

Dear, oh, dear - its not just the grey hair, I really am getting old. I though universities were something to do with education. How stupid I am. No wonder I am not rich. I work in an export industry. Good to know...splutter, splutter - ni more I promise.

Technorati Tags: polictics of education

Today is European Car Free Traffic day. It is a subject dear to my heart. I do not own a car - neither do I have any intention of owning a car.

To add my own little celebration to this day, here is a photo of an public bicycle tire pump (not really sure what these things should be called) which I took in Stockholm last week. And below the picture I reprint an article I wrote some time last year for the Welsh monthly paper, Seren.

Technorati Tags: ecology

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Tesco stocks up on inside knowledge of shoppers' lives:

Strange - only last Friday we were sitting at a lunch-bar in Stockholm discussing the 'big brother' use of ICT. Peter Becker was concerned at the increasing threat to personal freedom and privacy by the us of databases and data mining. I was sceptical. Ray told us how he and his friends used to swap loyalty cards to mess them around.

Looks like Peter was right. But big brother is not the government in this instance but a bleeding supermarket company.

Read the full Guardian article - its scary.

"Tesco is quietly building a profile of you, along with every individual in the country - a map of personality, travel habits, shopping preferences and even how charitable and eco-friendly you are. A subsidiary of the supermarket chain has set up a database, called Crucible, that is collating detailed information on every household in the UK, whether they choose to shop at the retailer or not.

The company refuses to reveal the information it holds, yet Tesco is selling access to this database to other big consumer groups, such as Sky, Orange and Gillette. "It contains details of every consumer in the UK at their home address across a range of demographic, socio-economic and lifestyle characteristics," says the marketing blurb of dunnhumby, the Tesco subsidiary in question."

Technorati Tags: big brother