Innovation through design: new approaches to learning &teaching Gráinne Conole, Open University, UK The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning Cambridge University, 24/09/09 More info, slides and references: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/ cloud/view/2282 http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/ 11190_3_JLB%20PREFERRED%20External %20Image%201000px%20wide.jpg

Outline The paradoxes between the promise and reality of technologoes Why do so many innovations fail? Connecting research and practice and towards a vision for open design Illustrative case studies: OU Learning Design Initiative & Olnet (an Open Educational Resource Network) Reflections and questions in cloudworks!

The paradoxes between the promise and reality of technologoes

Why do so many innovations fail?

Connecting research and practice and towards a vision for open design

Illustrative case studies: OU Learning Design Initiative & Olnet (an Open Educational Resource Network)

Reflections and questions in cloudworks!

Paradoxes New technologies offer new pedagogical opportunities Potential for reuse with Open Educational Resources Liberating learning beyond formal structures Open Educational Resources Little evidence of reuse Array of technologies Not fully exploited New pedagogies New learning models

Why do great initiatives often fail? Common reactions: “ I haven’t got time ” “ My research is more important” “ What’s in it for me ?” “ Where is my reward ?” “ I don’t have the skills to do this” “ I don’t believe in this, it won’t work” Common resistance strategies: I’ll say yes (and do nothing ) Undermine the initiative Undermine the person involved Do it badly Classic mistakes : Emphasis on the technologies , not the people and processes Funding for technology developments but not use and support

Common reactions:

“ I haven’t got time ”

“ My research is more important”

“ What’s in it for me ?”

“ Where is my reward ?”

“ I don’t have the skills to do this”

“ I don’t believe in this, it won’t work”

Common resistance strategies:

I’ll say yes (and do nothing )

Undermine the initiative

Undermine the person involved

Do it badly

Classic mistakes :

Emphasis on the technologies , not the people and processes

Funding for technology developments but not use and support

The solution? Connection… Institutional & national funding Embedding in strategy Aligning to technology trends Changing user behaviour Drivers and challenges Actual use in practice What’s in it for me? Evidence of impact Policy Teacher practice Research & development The learner’s experience

Bridging the gap Personalised Situative Social Experiential Reflective Adaptive Contextual Networked Immersive Collective “ Open Design” Characteristics of good pedagogy Affordances of new technologies

Open Design: a definition/approach Aims to widen access to good ideas and designs, to share practice Design for all types of learning activity Formal course Individual learning activity Informal study group activity Blurring of boundaries Teacher – Learner Formal – informal Real – virtual Principles Open Sharable Explicit: design process explicit & sharable Designers and users Builds on open source principles Assessment Learning outcomes Tasks Aspects of design

Aims to widen access to good ideas and designs, to share practice

Design for all types of learning activity

Formal course

Individual learning activity

Informal study group activity

Blurring of boundaries

Teacher – Learner

Formal – informal

Real – virtual

Principles

Open

Sharable

Explicit: design process explicit & sharable

Designers and users

Builds on open source principles

Realising “open design” Evidence base (interviews, surveys, observation, web stats, expert panels, focus groups) Development (resources, methods, tools, session types, interventions) Trialing (within the OU, workshops & conferences, project partners) Open University Learning Design Initiative & The Olnet network

OU Learning Design Initiative Design methods: schema & patterns Tools: Visualisation & guidance Events: Cloudworks: sharing & discussing

Olnet: redefining openness

Converging practices Modern technologies Modern pedagogy Web 2.0 practices Location aware technologies Adaptation & customisation Second life/ immersive worlds Google it! “ Expert badges” , World of warcraft User- generated content Blogging, peer critiquing Cloud computing From individual to social Contextualised and situated learning Personalised learning Experiential learning Inquiry learning Peer learning Open Educational Resources Reflection Distributed cognition

Modern technologies

Modern pedagogy

Web 2.0 practices

Location aware technologies

Adaptation & customisation

Second life/ immersive worlds

Google it!

“ Expert badges” , World of warcraft

User- generated content

Blogging, peer critiquing

Cloud computing

From individual to social

Contextualised and situated learning

Personalised learning

Experiential learning

Inquiry learning

Peer learning

Open Educational Resources

Reflection

Distributed cognition

Cloudworks: Harnessing web 2.0

Key concepts Clouds: Learning & teaching ideas Design or case studies Tools or resources Questions or problems Cloudscapes: Conferences Workshops Course team Student cohort Research theme Project

User profile

Activity stream

Features Dynamic list of clouds + new comments Comments on clouds + cloudscapes Can “follow” people + cloudscapes RSS feeds of cloudscapes + people Embedding: pictures, video, presentations Twitter feeds for people +cloudscapes Email alerts Activity streams

Dynamic list of clouds + new comments

Comments on clouds + cloudscapes

Can “follow” people + cloudscapes

RSS feeds of cloudscapes + people

Embedding: pictures, video, presentations

Twitter feeds for people +cloudscapes

Email alerts

Activity streams

Emergent patterns of use Events: conferences and workshops ALT-C conference , 8-11 th September 2009 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/1870 Discussions: Flash debates Is Twitter killing blogging? http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2266 Eliciting expertise Literature review of educational technologist http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/1872 Aggregating resources En Rumbo Spanish course http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/776

Events: conferences and workshops

ALT-C conference , 8-11 th September 2009

http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/1870

Discussions: Flash debates

Is Twitter killing blogging?

http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2266

Eliciting expertise

Literature review of educational technologist

http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/1872

Aggregating resources

En Rumbo Spanish course

http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/776

Open design and mediation Can we develop new innovative mediating artefacts? How can we make the design more explicit and sharable ? Designer Design Has an inherent Learning activity or OER Creates Mediating artefacts Mediating artefacts Visualisation: CompendiumLD Methods: Schema & patterns Sharing: Cloudworks User – can now repurpose

Mediating artefacts

Visualisation: CompendiumLD

Methods: Schema & patterns

Sharing: Cloudworks

Open Design in practice

Design, use, reuse Designer OER Design Creates Deposits Deposits Learner A OER Design Learner B Tutor Chooses Uses Quiz + beginners route Uses Quiz + advanced route Repurposes & deposits

Process design Prior designs & resources New designs Content: (OER repositories, etc) Designs: (Pedagogical Patterns, CompendiumLD designs) New OER & designs

Conclusions Motivation : helping teachers/designers make more innovative use of technologies to create better learner experiences Approach : development of a range of resources, tools, methods and events to support this Evidence-base and agile development : on-going evaluation and reflection to enhance understanding and drive future developments Reflection : How effective is this? Where to next? Is it transferable? How “open” can we really expect teachers/learners to be?

Motivation : helping teachers/designers make more innovative use of technologies to create better learner experiences

Approach : development of a range of resources, tools, methods and events to support this

Evidence-base and agile development : on-going evaluation and reflection to enhance understanding and drive future developments

Reflection : How effective is this? Where to next? Is it transferable? How “open” can we really expect teachers/learners to be?

Innovation through design: new approaches to learning &teaching Gráinne Conole, Open University, UK The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning Cambridge University, 24/09/09 More info, slides and references: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/ cloud/view/2282 http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/ 11190_3_JLB%20PREFERRED%20External %20Image%201000px%20wide.jpg