Presentation at ECER 2014, Porto

1. Designing innovative physical and virtual 
spaces for didactic experimentation
Klemen Slabina, Marina Kurvits, Mart Laanpere :: Tallinn University, Estonia
ECER 2014, Porto :: Network 6 :: Open Learning: Media, Cultures, Environments

2. Physical vs virtual learning space
 Majority of today’s schools are located in the premises
built for 19th Century’s schooling
 Do you recognize the situation:
 No power outlets for charging personal digital devices
 Dataprojector screen is over-exposed with light
 Desks are not suitable for laptops
 Classroom furniture does not support group work
 Offices of Google, Apple and Microsoft demonstrate that
harmony between physical and virtual workspace can be
achieved

3. Sandboxes for didactic experimentation
 Idea is not new: Scandinavian tradition of practice
schools, where student teachers are allowed and
encouraged to experiment with didactical ideas
 “Sandboxes” in software engineering: experimental
virtual spaces for testing new software prototypes
without affecting the stability of existing systems
(West & Gloudon, 2003)
 How about „didactic sandboxes“, to experiment
with new physical and digital setups for teaching?

4. Socio-technical systems
 Socio-technical systems consider both social and technical factors in
creating evolving computer-based systems that benefit from social
media and user-generated content (Baxter & Sommerville 2008).
 The system includes the network of users, developers, information
technology and environments in which it will be used and supported
(Scacchi 2004)
 Wheeler (2009) calls for creating “learning space mashups”
 Today’s socio-technical systems are not only about social media, these
also require changing the physical settings for better match with new
ways of collaboration, communication, work, learning

5. Examples from other countries: US
 Mark Frydenberg (2012): Aligning Open, Physical,
and Virtual Spaces in the CIS Sandbox (Bentley
University)

6. Helsinki University: future classroom

7. HIK: Centre for Educational Innovation
 HIK team: 6 staff members + 8 lab leaders
 HIK infrastructure: 8 didactics labs (whole 4th floor): History & Civics
studies, Science, Creativity, Pre-school, Languages, Technology,
Health, General didactics; hallways are also learning space
 Already labs are completely booked for regular subject didactics
courses, Fridays reserved for schools (up to 75 pupils simultaneously)
 Network: general and subject didactics academic staff from TLU, and
academic, NGO and private sector partners involved in kindergarten,
primary, high and university education development (e.g.
 Sister Centre at Tartu University, Southern Estonia

9. Research
 Participatory didactic experiments on classroom management,
student-centered approach to teaching/learning, inquiry-based
learning, active learning, collaborative knowledge building with
1:1 digital devices (iPads, Samsung Galaxy, Windows RT), Smart
TV-s, IWB, interactive table, modern biology & chemistry lab
 LEARNMIX project: towards next-gen e-textbooks (ECER’13),
supporting flipped classroom, inquiry-, project-, problem- and
game-based learning scenarios in 1:1 computing settings
 Action research networks: Education4future, Samsung Digital
Turn, practice schools, digital schools, group of university staff
(searching for evidences of the New Learning Paradigm)