Recent articles have been concerned with the age at which children could be allowed to use a computer. Some experts say children should be forbidden from using computers at school by the age of 9, because the premature use of technology diminishes, in the course of time, the volume and the focus of attention. Other researchers raise the issue of excessive computer and internet use by children at...
This project is the continuation of the former Leonardo da Vinci project ESP:C, a language course for chemists. ESP:C also developed examinations to evaluate the students’ performance after they have attended the course but how to define the levels was not clear at that time. The main objectives of the project are:To set up definitions based on the Common European Framework for languages as...
In 2002, the elearningeuropa.info portal was launched as a European Commission initiative to support education and training through all kinds of multimedia and technological tools. Since then, the portal has encouraged the use of high quality educational contents and dialogue and cooperation for the use of new technologies in the educational field. A lot has happened since then, and new...
When you really get down to analysing it, the promises of eLearning often have yet to materialise. The question of how eLearning can be successful becomes more urgent as we move from an “early adopter” stage to a more general offering. In a European educational market, it is critically important to gain an understanding of quality in eLearning. Many different concepts and approaches have been...
Blended learning, also known as hybrid or mixed learning, is an approach that has developed with tenacity in the field of education. It is by no means a new term or methodology. To learn and teach in a blended way has been and continues to be an intelligent way of conforming to different training needs. However, when blended learning is analysed by comparing and contrasting it with e-learning,...
Like any “new” complex phenomenon, e-Learning has been attracting, over the past decades, a lot of interest from different stakeholders in a totally horizontal manner with respect to education and training sectors. Many labels have been assigned to the act of using some kind of ICT in learning processes, from e-Learning to technology enhanced learning, to ubiquitous learning; many generations...
The notion of Communities of Practice (CoPs) has come a long way since it was coined in the 1990s. The advent of technology has meant that communities can be increasingly distributed and niche communities can be developed as people with distinct interests seek out others across the world to advance their knowledge and understanding of a domain.This edition of eLearning Papers focuses on four...
Following the Riga Ministerial Declaration of June 2006, an important ministerial event is scheduled to be held in Lisbon the 2 and 3 of December 2007 exclusively dedicated to analyze eInclusion signals and the intensification of political and policy actions (like the “2008 eInclusion initiative” and “i2010”) aimed at promoting the Knowledge Society. eLearning has an important role to...
The year 2008 has been declared as the European year of Intercultural Dialogue. One of our authors pertinently outlines: “This is but one sign of the growing awareness of the need to reflect on the multicultural dimensions of our society and work actively at overcoming the gaps and fear that often exist between people of different cultures”. Therefore, eLearning Papers wants to contribute to...
At the EDEN 2010 Annual Conference in Valencia, EDEN Senior Fellow title was granted in recognition of his contribution to the development of open, distance and e-learning in Europe and for his valued commitment and support to the evolution and progress of EDEN to:
Michael G. Moore, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
Martine Vidal, Distance et Savoirs, France
Morten Flate Paulsen, EDEN Senior Fellow Michael G. Moore and Alan W. Tait
EDEN Fellow title was granted as expression of acknowledgement of professional merit for NAP members, who have demonstrated excellence in professional practice in the field of flexible and distance learning:
Deborah Arnold, Videoscop - Université Nancy 2, France
Berit Johnsen, Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, Norway
Antonio M. Teixeira, Distance Education, Universidade Aberta, Portugal
Airina Volungeviciene, Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania
With the support and coordination of The Ulrich Bernath Foundation for Open and Distance Learning, the EDEN 2010 Best Research Paper Award was presented by President Alan Tait during the Conference dinner of the EDEN Annual Conference in Valencia, Spain, to
The Award for Leading Practice in Learning Impact was presented by President Morten Flate Paulsen and Lisa Mattson from IMS Chief Operations Officer IMS Global Learning Consortium, Imc.
The Annual General Meeting elected as new members of the Executive Committee:
Gilly Salmon, Professor of University of Leicester, UK
Costas Tsolakidis, Professor of University of the Aegan, Rhodos, Greece
Deborah Arnold, Project Manager, Videoscop - Université Nancy 2, France
Airina Volungeviciene, Head of Distance Study Centre, Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania
Ene Koitla, Head of the Estonian e-Learning Development Centre, Estonian Information Technology Foundation, Estonia
At their first meeting, right after the AGM, the new Executive Committee have elected Alan Bruce as Vice-President.
We congratulate Gilly, Costas, Deborah, Airina, Ene and welcome them warmly in the EDEN Executive and wish lots of success to Alan Bruce in his new position!
With expiration of their term of office in the Executive Committee, Alan Tait and Dangoule Rutkauskiene have retired. EDEN would like to thank them for their service in the Association.
You can read the President’s Report presented at the AGM here.
The Annual General Meeting held on 10 June in Valencia at the Annual Conference, approved the election of Morten Flate Paulsen, Professor of Online Education, Director of Development, The NKI Internet College, NKI Distance Education, Norway as President of EDEN.
Morten has served as Vice-President and, since 2007, as a member of the Executive Committee.
We wish a lots of success to Morten as President of the Association!
John Sener's criticism of Marc Prensky's proposal for education threw me for a loop. He writes, "The idea to distribute 55 million tarballs is extremely expensive and highly impractical." At first I thought he was talking about open source software, which is distributed in compressed packages canned 'tarballs'. But when I reviewed Prensky's proposal I realized he meant actual tarballs. Well, count me as among those opposed to spreading the Gulf oil spill across the entire nation by mail. But Sener's criticism, applied to software, gave me pause for thought. He writes, "such an effort would be seen as a 'Trojan horse' attempt to impose federal control over education, and face broad resistance as a result." This is, in fact, an excellent point. Software colonizes. It imposes order as surely as statutes and police. Which is why distributing 55 million tarballs would also be a bad idea. John Sener, educational technology & change, September 7, 2010 [Link] [Comment]
I got my Palm Pre mostly by accident - but I've since been convinced and intrigued by its WebOS operating system. It is, to my estimation, significantly better than Apple's iOS. WebOS uses Webkit to render web pages, a technology what itself is promising. Moreover, as the Wikipedia article states, "The webOS features significant online social network and Web 2.0 integration." So I'm intrigued, and I think there's something here that will push mobile computing well beyond the restrictive environment of Apple or even Android. Here, in the image at right, we see some signs of that. If HP (which now owns Palm) were to open-source it, we might really have something. Lee Mathews, Download Squad, September 7, 2010 [Link] [Comment]
Report surveying an number of online learning programs in education or educational leadership. Not too many surprises, including the assertion that "online graduate programs in education attract motivated learners seeking career advancement," but readers will find useful references and examples, and prospective students will get a good overview in a single package. Worth noting is a reference to the Speak Up report, which talks about "free agent learners." The report explains, "it should not be surprising that students are leveraging a wide range of learning resources, tools, applications, outside experts and each other to create a personalized learning experience that may or may not include what is happening in the classroom." George Lorenzo , Educational Pathways, September 7, 2010 [Link] [Comment]
Michael Gurstein raises the question of whether open data will favour only those with resources to use it. "What is necessary as well, is that those for whom access is being provided are in a position to actually make use of the now available access (to the Internet or to data) in ways that are meaningful and beneficial for them." He cites a well-documented case of land use data in India. But certainly keeping closed-access paper-based records can't be helping the poor; the less open the data the wealthier you have to be to benefit from the data. More from Marshall Kirkpatrick. Michael Gurstein, Gurstein's Community Informatics, September 7, 2010 [Link] [Comment]
More on ebooks in Africa - a summary of a World Bank report. Not a big study but potentially useful. "Baseline information was gathered in June on reading habits and other possible conditions that might influence affect and impact the experiences of 30 students, who were given e-book readers for one month. In July, these 30 students were brought together to share their experiences as part of a 'de-briefing workshop' designed to help guide the development of a true pilot project." Michael Trucano, EduTech, September 4, 2010 [Link] [Comment]
Most of us have had formal or informal feedback throughout our lives. The way in which we have been assessed very likely has had a fundamental effect on our learning and career progression. Assessment is one of the most important parts of learning and teaching and whether institutions get this right or wrong has a huge impact on students’ lives and careers.
JISC’s new guide Effective Assessment in a Digital Age demonstrates how technology can significantly improve the experience of assessment and feedback. As many higher education institutions are reviewing their assessment strategies, JISC is looking at the transformative effects of technology that increase learner autonomy, enhances the quality of the assessment experience and improves teaching efficiency. Also see Online resources associated with this publication
“Why do we still insist that students, who mostly use technologies such as laptops and mobile phones when researching their assignments, sit down with pen and paper and write long essays when they are assessed?” asks Ros Smith, the author of the guide. “This one size fits all view of assessment still dominates. Perhaps instead we should be thinking much more creatively and be inspired by what technology can do. There are huge benefits to be gained, for example, in giving students choice over assignment formats, allowing them either to write a 5000 word essay on a topic or to put together a video or audio piece that explores different points of view. Students disadvantaged by traditional written assessments will clearly benefit from this approach but everyone gains if the use of different media prompts deeper thought around the topic.”
Listen to a podcast with Ros Smith, author of Effective Assessment in a Digital Age (Duration 13:29) JISC EMBEDDED OBJECT
In addition, educational researchers since the 1990s have increasingly argued that assessment should be used to support learning rather than just test and certify achievement. This has shifted the emphasis from the teacher to the learner, as David Nicol, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Strathclyde, explains: “We tend to think of feedback as something a teacher provides, but if students are to become independent lifelong learners, they have to become better at judgingtheir own work. If you really want to improve learning, get students to give one another feedback. Giving feedback is cognitively more demanding than receiving feedback. That way, you can accelerate learning.”
Technology provides ways of enabling students to monitor the standards of their own work. The technology can be designed for the purpose (such ason-screen assessment delivery systems or originality checking software) or adopted from a pool of widely available generic and often open source software and familiar hardware (such as digital cameras or handheld devices). Sarah Davies, JISC e-Learning Programme Manager, says: “Technologies such as voting systems, online discussion forums, wikis and blogs allow practitioners to monitor levels of understanding and thus make better use of face-to-face contact time. Delivery of feedback through digital audio and video, or screen-capture software, may also save time and improve learners’ engagement with feedback.”
Effective Assessment in a Digital Age outlines some of the key benefits
better dialogue and communication that can overcome distance and time constraints
immediate and learner-led assessment through interactive online tests and tools in the hand (such as voting devices and internet connected mobile phones)
authenticity through online simulations and video technologies and risk-free rehearsal of real-world skills in professional and vocational education
fast and easy processing and transferring of data
improved thinking and ownership through peer assessment, collection of evidence and reflection on achievements in e-portfolios
making visible skills and learning processes that were previously difficult to measure
a personal quality to feedback, even in large-group contexts
In all our work, we support openness, sustainable technology and making innovative choices. In this spirit of progression, JISC publications will only be available in digital formats in the future. Printed copies of Effective Assessment in a Digital Age can be ordered free until end of October 2010.
A clever tool bar designed to help students with literacy difficulties to interact with text on screen is helping schools, universities and colleges to save money across the UK and internationally.
MyStudyBar is the latest initiative from the JISC Regional Support Centre Scotland North & East and consists of a collection of freeware and open source software which is specially selected to help students with literacy difficulties (planning, reading, writing, vision and voice). Although MyStudyBar is designed to support learners with literacy-related difficulties such as dyslexia, the toolbar can offer potential benefits to all learners.
Thousands of downloads from as far afield as New Zealand and Australia equal savings of more than half a million pounds as the commercially equivalent price of the applications on a single MyStudyBar download is around £120. Garth Ritchie from the Ministry of Education, New Zealand, comments that the package “will make it easier to get assistive technology to the students in schools for whom it would not be considered otherwise. [JISC’s] work has direct spinoffs for inclusive education around the world.”
The tool bar includes a range of tools to support inclusion such as mind mapping, screen masking, word prediction, talking dictionary, text-to-speech, different saving options and voice recognition. Together, these have been designed to support the complete study cycle from research, planning and structuring to getting across a written or spoken message.
Since it was launched in early 2010, thousands of individuals and organisations have downloaded MyStudyBar, from the John Moores University in Liverpool to the Fundación Todos Podemos Ayudar in Colombia. As Andrew Edis from New College Nottingham comments, “We have already distributed 16,000 USB sticks containing free and open source software from the RSC Scotland North & East, right across the college. I must say I’m impressed with this - in times of financial squeeze the fact that MyStudyBar is open source is a major plus.”
MyStudyBar has been produced by the same team at RSC Scotland North & East which created the award-winning AccessApps software suite.
Commuters, residents and shoppers who regularly tread one of London’s most famous streets are now being asked to contribute to a new online resource.
The aim is to use social networking and mobile technologies to foster a sense of community in the Strand area of central London through a technique known as life-writing.
Life-writing is a broad and creative field which explores personal life stories, and how they intersect with accounts of the lives of others. Residents, business owners and employees working in the area will all be visited by researchers from the JISC project, Strandlines Digital Community based at King’s College London.
The researchers will also visit local community centres and events, digitise materials from the King’s archives and interview staff at King’s and launch a website in the autumn to generate contributions.
Ben Showers, programme manager at JISC, said: “We urgently need to engage communities with the research going on in universities and colleges to ensure that we really maximise these publicly funded resources and findings. But the benefits go both ways - so the training provided by Strandlines and similar projects is helping to create a more technology savvy population who are more confident in contributing to the web.
“While the Strandlines project is engaging a community in the heart of London, the approach it uses will form a valuable model for similar work across the UK,” he concluded.
The project will create an online, interactive resource documenting life and work on the Strand over the past 200 years, through stories, audio and photographs. It will combine material taken from the College’s own archive, Westminster City Archives and elsewhere with people’s own photographs and memories, captured through a grassroots digitisation project.
Professor Clare Brant, project director working at the centre for life-writing research, said: “One aim of the project is to investigate the significance of the Strand in people’s life stories. Life-writing is a little different from oral history: while both value information about the past, life-writing also encourages awareness of literary and creative characteristics in the present, and how these may shape accounts of the past. At the Centre for Life-Writing Research, we look forward to learning about the Strand from others who live and work here; and to helping people explore new ways and new media in which to share their impressions of life on the Strand.”
Download a booklet about crowd sourcing and how it worksLorna Hughes, project manager at the centre for e-research at King’s, said: "Web 2.0 technologies have created new and easy ways of bringing together communities and allowing them to engage with each other. We are excited about the chance to explore how these approaches can make the Strand come alive in the digital world."
Benn Keaveney, chief executive at Age UK Westminster, said: "The concept of memory, storytelling and making use of new technology being made available for our service users is something we are already investigating, and so we are keen to see what further work could arise out of this local project in the Strand area of Westminster."
The project has been organised by the Centre for Life-Writing Research, the Centre for e-Research, the Department of Geography and the King's College London Archives and will initially run as an 11 month pilot. Partner organisations include the City of Westminster Archives Centre and the charity Age UK Westminster.
For further information, or if you would like to contribute material for the project, please contact Lorna Hughes, email lorna.hughes@kcl.ac.uk or telephone 0207 8482426.
Historic news once sung on street corners is now being captured online in a virtual resource.
4,000 ballads from 18th and 19th century Wales are launching on a website run by Cardiff University and the National Library of Wales.
The songs document the important issues of their day, such as workers’ rights and crime, as well as local festivals and village gossip.
Funded through a £66,000 grant from JISC, the project has completed a network of digital resources giving access to these precious documents.
Academic editor of the Welsh Ballads project, Dr Wyn James of Cardiff University’s school of Welsh, commented: “Ballads were the ‘daily newspapers’ for the poor throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries, and were sold cheaply and widely at markets, fairs, and villages; they communicated news on local matters and overseas events of the day.
“We have selected around 15,000 pages of rare Welsh and English language ballads and have now made them available for audiences around the world to study and enjoy.”
Ben Showers, programme manager at JISC, said: “The Welsh Ballads project puts in place the final piece of a national jigsaw of digitised ballads. Adding to the ballad collections of England and Scotland this new archive will help make this a unique and indispensable resource for researchers, students and interested members of the public.
“This project is part of JISC’s continued work to enhance collections of significance, and ensure that resources are not left in isolation, but brought together for the benefit of research, teaching and learning for everyone.”
Digitisation of the ballads collections was carried out in Cardiff University’s information services directorate and the National Library of Wales.
“With the funding from JISC we are able to put ballads studies in Wales on the world map, comparable with the best of other ballads projects in Britain and America,” said Janet Peters, director of university libraries at Cardiff. “Two rare ballads collections are now available from one website at Cardiff, jointly linked with a full catalogue and scanned pages at the National Library.”
Cardiff University also intends to make a small selection of sung audio recordings of some rare Welsh ballads available via its website later in the year.
One year after we succesfully went through iCamp project’s last official review, we are wirting down a new post for wellcoming a new version of our Handbook. This is the time for its Spanish version, issued by Win-Win Consultores, with the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Turism under its “avanza2” [...]
The iCamp partner AGH – the University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland, has published recently a Polish version of the iCamp handbook on how to use social software in education. Please click here to get the electronic version.
Since the iCamp experience was very successful in making use of new media for cross-cultural collaboration iCamp competes for the MEDEA Awards, respecively in the European Collaboration Award.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
We now received the final review report where our external reviewers commend us on our excellent work and our valuable contribution to European research in Technology Enhanced Learning.
Here are some quotes from the report, which can also be downloaded:
… In the opinion of the reviewers the products and outcomes of the project are of considerable [...]
Yesterday we were discussing our 3 years project work and our final results with Vladan Devedzic, Graham Atwell and Martin Majek, our Porject officer from the European Commission, in our final review meeting.
The presentations and discussions went extremely well, we got very constructive comments and officially finished the EC-funded period of the iCamp project very [...]
Listen to a podcast with Ros Smith, author of Effective Assessment in a Digital Age (Duration 13:29)
Subscribe to the JISC Podcast via iTunes
Download the podcast
Historic news once sung on street corners is now being captured online in a virtual resource. 
Ben Showers, programme manager at JISC, said: “The Welsh Ballads project puts in place the final piece of a national jigsaw of digitised ballads. Adding to the ballad collections of England and Scotland this new archive will help make this a unique and indispensable resource for researchers, students and interested members of the public.