Holmes e twinning learning events

eTwinning Learning Events: Using Online Learning Communities for Teachers' Continuous Professional Development Brian Holmes, Lancaster University, UK With the support of Dr. Julie-Ann Sime, Lancaster University, UK Anne Gilleran, European Schoolnet, Belgium Tiina Sarisalmi, Municipality of Orivesi, Finland

eTwinning Learning Events: Using Online Learning Communities for Teachers' CPD
Background to the research
Results from the analysis of the online learning community
Tentative conclusions
Next steps
A work in progress

1. Background to the research Researching online learning communities
PhD/Doctoral Programme in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning
Distance, part-time, at University of Lancaster, UK
Two years learning in an online cohort + two years thesis
My research area: online learning communities
Influence on competence development ?
Influence of social aspects ?
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/centres/csalt/csalt/tel_docprog.htm

1. Background to the research Research domain: eTwinning
eTwinning funded by the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme - Comenius
Supports teachers across Europe
Joint pedagogical projects
Continuous professional development
Statistics reflect success*
75 000 schools
102 000 users, mainly teachers
44 000 ongoing or completed projects
* as of 1 October 2010 (EUN, 2010) www.eTwinning.net

1. Background to the research eTwinning – an online community of teachers
Moving beyond projects:
Emphasising more the relationships between teachers; social networking
Encouraging synergies with other Comenius activities
Embracing informal / peer learning
Piloting Communities of Practice (eTwinning groups) and non-formal learning (Learning Events)
Integrating social media
Network of relationships between eTwinning teachers

1. Background to the research eTwinning Learning Events (LE)
‘ Learning Events’ are short, intensive online sessions, in groups, focused on a theme and led by a subject expert
Themes relate to teaching practice, eg:
Building a successful project
Creative writing & Mindmapping
Internet safety & you
Exploiting Web 2.0: eTwinning and Collaboration
Involve teachers in hands-on learning with peers and reflection in practice (Schön, 1983, Kolb, 1984)
 focus of my research

1. Background to the research ‘Exploiting Web 2.0: eTwinning and Collaboration’
12 day event in April 2010, involving 156 teachers
Led by a teacher expert in web 2.0 tools: Tiina Sarisalmi
Activities included:
Watching videos, voting on preferences and sharing opinions
Creating a blog, sharing videos, pictures, documents, etc
Collaborating on a joint project in a small group
My research involved:
Observing the discussions in the groups
Conducting an online questionnaire at the end

1. Background to the research Theoretical framework
Cognitive presence active learners in a community
Constructing meaning through sustained communication
Essential for critical thinking
Social presence feeling a person is ‘real’
Projecting personal characteristics into the community
Directly contributes to success of learning
Teaching presence design and support for active learning
Support and enhance cognitive and social presence for the purposes of learning
Design often led by teacher
Facilitation often shared with learners
(Garrison et al, 2000, p.88) Communication Medium Community of Inquiry COGNITIVE PRESENCE SOCIAL PRESENCE Supporting Discourse TEACHING PRESENCE (Structure/Process) Setting Climate Selecting Content EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Next steps
A work in progress

2. Results from the analysis of the online learning community Increased confidence and competence Number of replies 87% felt more confident and competent in the use of web 2.0 tools ‘ The Learning event helped me see the usefulness of web 2.0 tools in the classroom and not simply for personal use ’

2. Results from the analysis of the online learning community Increased feeling of connectedness ‘ (I) admit that seeing photos (of) colleagues with whom I worked, I felt closer to them’

2. Results from the analysis of the online learning community Greater ‘sense of community’ ‘ There was a stronger feeling of community in the Learning Event than I've experienced before in eTwinning’

2. Results from the analysis of the online learning community Collaboration not easy
Some frustration with group work :
‘ Availability of the others made the individual learning (more) effective and faster’ ’ I found it difficult to work with others in the group’ ‘ My group didn't work but I wish it would – so I made a lot of the activities on my own’ ‘ I found it difficult that one member of our team wasn't willing to work collaboratively and just hanged on us’ ‘ We hadn't enough time to see a whole community develop’ ‘ I don't consider these people "friends", but contacts’ Community only partially developed:

2. Results from the analysis of the online learning community Social activities second to cognitive ones
Social aspects recognised as important:
‘ I think it is important to know a bit about the personal life of people with whom we work as that allows us to understand them, to overcome distances and to know if the person interests us or not ’ ‘ I didn't have much time to socialise, so I mainly centered my attention on scheduled activities’ But time spent mainly on cognitive activities:

Next steps
A work in progress

3. Tentative conclusions Emergence of a Community of Inquiry
Cognitive presence active learners in a community
Engaged, motivated learners
Autonomous, digitally competent
Little meta-cognition or reflection in practice
Social presence feeling a person is ‘real’ (Short et al, 1976, Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997)
Stronger in this LE than elsewhere
Little emphasis on socio-emotional aspects
Teaching presence design and support for active learning
Activities encouraged engagement
Teacher/tutor as peer
Low tutor guidance at key points
Activities mainly cognitive
(Garrison et al, 2000, p.88) COGNITIVE PRESENCE Communication Medium SOCIAL PRESENCE Supporting Discourse Community of Inquiry TEACHING PRESENCE (Structure/Process) Setting Climate Selecting Content EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

3. Tentative conclusions Recommendations
More teaching presence
Activities for meta-cognition
Reflection in practice
Increase orchestration at key points (Dillenbourg, 2008)
Increase social presence
More social activities (Kreijns et al, 2003)
Support socio-emotional aspects (Zenios & Holmes, 2010)
Peer learning
Grow a learning community
Give time to develop trust, shared values and reciprocity (McConnell, 2006)
Reinforce meta-cognition for competence development
Balance cognitive activities with social ones
Foster a community

Next steps
A work in progress

4. Next steps A revised Learning Event (LE)
Increase teaching presence
Include collaboration, competence and reflection in practice in objectives of the LE objectives
Specific activity at the end for feedback to the group
Moderator/facilitator at key points to encourage and support
Allow time for practice and reflection
12 days for the LE cognitive activities, 19 days to try out in own teaching practice, 2 days of final reflection in the LE
Encourage sharing of stories, feelings and reflections
Create a virtual staff room
A place for informal discussion and reflection in practice
Tables of small groups to foster stronger ties
Encourage a learning community and meta-cognition

4. Next steps Research: data collection and analysis
Continue with an Action Research approach
Interact with stakeholders in the design and implementation
Keep a record of discussions and decisions
Keep research diaries
Interviews
Interview volunteer teachers before and after the event
Focus group
Open discussion with a small group of teachers at the end
Discourse
Observe and analyse the online discussions

References
Dillenbourg, P. (2008) 'Integrating technologies into educational ecosystems'. Distance Education, 29 (2), pp.127 – 140
EUN (2010) ‘eTwinning Statistics Overview’, (Online, accessed 01.10.10, http:// www.etwinning.net/en/pub/news/press_corner/statistics.cfm )
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T. & Archer, W. (2000) 'Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education'. The Internet and Higher Education, 2 (2-3), pp.87-105
Gunawardena, C. & Zittle, F. (1997) 'Social Presence as a Predictor of Satisfaction within a Computer-Mediated Conferencing Environment'. American Journal of Distance Education, 11 (3), pp.8-26
Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall.
Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P. A. & Jochems, W. (2003) 'Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in computer-supported collaborative learning environments: a review of the research'. Computers in Human Behavior, 19 (3), pp.335-353
McConnell, D. (2006) E-Learning Groups and Communities. Maidenhead, Open University Press.
Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London, Basic Books.
Short, J., Williams, E. & Christie, B. (1976) The social psychology of telecommunications. London, John Wiley & Sons.
Zenios, M. & Holmes, B. (2010), 'Knowledge creation in networked learning: combined tools and affordances', Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Networked Learning 2010, Copenhagen, pp.471-479

Thank you [email_address] http://holmesbrian.blogspot.com/

Holmes e twinning learning events

by Brian Holmes on Nov 18, 2010

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