1. Learning across generations: The role
of technology and design research
Charalambos Vrasidas
Executive Director, CARDET
Professor and Associate Dean for e-learning, University of Nicosia
www.vrasidas.com
www.cardet.org
pambos@cardet.org

3. Ageing Europe

4. From 4 working-age people to 2 for
every person aged 65+…
“… The demographic old-age
dependency ratio set to nearly
double over the long-term…”

5. Intergenerational learning
• Contributes to the policy areas of
community cohesion, community
safety, health, and well-being by
– bringing together different generations
through meaningful activities and
interactions,
– increasing understanding between
generations, breaking down stereotypes
and providing positive role models, and
– preventing anti-social behaviour and
challenge perceptions (Schuller, 2010).

6. ICT AFFORDANCES

7. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEbKM5lUMAAPUv3.jpg:large

8. • Society more
connected but
conflict rife
• World changing,
education must too
• New literacies
needed for society of
tomorrow
• Learning throughout
life in a complex and
changing world
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002325/232555e.pdf

9. Life Skills
Collaboration Communication Empathy
Reflection Resilience
Problem
Solving
Global
Citizenship
Critical
Thinking
Creativity

10. Important Developments in Educational
Technology in European Schools (2014)

11. Horizon Report Europe: 2014

13. Characteristics of ICT
• Personalized
• Access
• Collaboration
• Immediacy
• Connections
• Communication
• Presence
• Support

15. All Together Now
• Producing short, first-person narratives
that can be presented in a variety of
traditional and social media formats
• Provide non-threatening production
environments in which the process of
creation is valued as much as the stories
created
• Story making and story distribution
services that prioritize the power of
individual voices

16. BIG FOOT
• Mountain regions in Europe are centers of traditional
cultural and natural diversity.
• Migration of the younger population towards urban
• Bridge this gap by
establishing
intergenerational learning
and by valuating the skills
and knowledge of the older
generation of locals
• Regional sustainable
development.
• Preservation of cultural
heritage.

17. Media and Learning Debate
• It is the medium that impacts learning?
• It is the method?
• It is the combination?
• It is the technology design aspect?
• What is it?

18. Black Box Theory
Age, SES, gender, family,
friends, health, context, food,
emotions, ethnicity, etc.

20. Students who do not use computers in math lessons
score highest in mathematics
450
460
470
480
490
500
510
520
-2 -1 0 1 2
Scorepoints
Index of computer use in mathematics lessons
Source: Figure 6.7
Paper-based
mathematics
Computer-based
mathematics
Highest score
OECD
average

21. Students who do not use computers in math lessons
score highest in mathematics
• What kind of computers?
• What kind of software?
• What level math?
• What kinds of problems?
• How are scores measured?
• What instructional method is used?
• How is feedback provided?
• What other factors might influence learning?
• How is learning measured?

22. DESIGN RESEARCH

24. • “… uncovers the surprising roots
of hot button issues, from
teacher tenure to charter schools,
and finds that recent popular
ideas to improve schools—
instituting merit pay, evaluating
teachers by student test scores,
ranking and firing veteran
teachers, and recruiting “elite”
graduates to teach—are all
approaches that have been tried
in the past without producing
widespread change.”

25. Criticism of Education Research
• Jargon terminology
• Driven by interests
• Placing heavy emphasis on positivist aims
• Published in areas that very few can access
• Not presenting usable results
• Not connected to practice
• Lack of in-depth discussion and practical
recommendations

27. “Design thinking can be described as
a discipline that uses the designer’s
sensibility and methods to match
people’s needs with what is
technologically feasible”
(Kelley)

28. The Design Process
http://www.ideo.com

29. Characteristics of Design Thinking
• Creative process
• Human centered
• Situated and contextualized
• Culture and people roles (not
with ICT)
• A participatory system

30. Design thinking as a framework
encourages us to act as
LEARNING ARCHITECTS

31. Educational Design Research
• Educational design research aims to advance research, design, and
practice
• Researchers and participants collaborate to design, implement,
evaluate, and revise interventions with the aim of advancing both
practical and theoretical knowledge.
• Produce usable knowledge.
• The researchers often times assume the designer role as well,
highlighting a formative, participatory and reflective approach to
knowledge generation.
• The iterative nature of education design research in real world
contexts among researchers and practitioners is an important
aspect of the approach
– (Design-Based Research Collective, 2003; McKenney & Reeves, 2012).

32. Iterative design research
McKenny 2001

33. CASE STUDIES

34. http://boysreading.org

35. 35
http://e-reflect.wix.com/e-reflect

37. 37

38. EAThink2015 – eat local, think global

40. http://www.play2prevent.org