Social technologies and learning

in your classroom:
blogs, wikis, podcasts and more.
Miles Berry & Terry Freedman
The British Computer Society

BETT, Thursday 11th January 2007

Outline of this presentation

zWho are we?

zWhat is “social technology” broadly
speaking, and why is it important?
zSome “cool tools” and how they are
valuable in an educational context
zAddressing the wider issues
zFurther information
Who are we? Miles Berry
z Formerly deputy head and information systems
manager at St Ives School, Haslemere
z Now head of Alton Convent Prep
z Becta ICT in Practice Award for Primary
Teaching, 2006
z Primary VLEs and blogging
z Moodle and Elgg
z BCS, EdTrEP, Mirandanet, NAACE etc
z Blog at elgg.net/mberry/weblog
Who are we? Terry Freedman
z Chair of Naace, the subject association for ICT
z Independent ICT consultant
z Originated and edited “Coming of Age: An
Introduction to the NEW Worldwide Web”
z Contributor to the recent K12 Online Conference
z Member of the BCS e-learning Working Party
z http://www.ictineducation.org
z Computers in Classrooms newsletter
Social learning and social technology
z How do we learn?
z Social Constructivism
{ knowledge constructed by being part of a learning community,
and through conversation and the interchange of ideas
z Zone of proximal development
{ learning happens by working alongside someone who’s just that
bit further on the road than you are
z Community of Practice
{ Legitimate peripheral participation
{ Joint enterprise
{ Mutual engagement
{ Shared repertoire
z Social Technology
Web 2.0
Web 0.1 Web 1.0 Web 2.0

Media Text Media rich Text +

Authors Academics The Industry User community

Content Self publishing Professional Collaborative

peer production
Aims Linking, peer Readers, Community,
review customers esteem
Business Subsidy Premium content, Advertising,
Model advertising premium
features, open
source
Social Technology –
common features
zUser created
content
zComments
zTagging
zSocial networks
zUser interface
zCustomisation
zRSS
What is a Wiki?

zPBwiki, Wikipedia,
Mediawiki
zThe read/write web
zCollaboration
zVersion control
zDiscussion
zMedia filters
How can wikis help learning?

zWriting for an audience

zProofreading, fact checking
zAwareness of different perspectives
zEvaluation and Discernment – issues of
trust, ownership and authority
zSocial construction
zPolicy documents
Wikis
Case Study 1: The Flat Classrooms Project
http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com
Wikis
Level 3 develop ideas and solve problems

Level 4 combine and refine information from various

sources
Level 5 combine the use of ICT tools within the overall
structure of an ICT solution
Level 6 increased integration and efficiency in the use of
ICT tools. A greater range and complexity of
information is considered
Level 7 Pupils define, implement and refine ICT systems

If you think about it, these can be addressed through the use of any
of the applications discussed today.
What is a blog?

zBlogger, edublogs,
wordpress, elgg, …
zA place of one’s own
zChronology
zRSS Subscription
zThe blogroll
zComments,
trackbacks, pings
How can blogs help learning?

zCreating not just consuming

zWriting for pleasure
zInformal learning
zPersonalisation – choice and voice
zSelf esteem
zShared blogs
zReflection and review
Blogs

zCase study 1: Blogging in Maths (Canada)

zCase study 2: Blogging in a junior school
(UK) (Full video:
http://www.teachers.tv/video/167)
 http://www.teachers.tv/video/167
Blogs
Blogs
Blogs

Audience challenge:
are there areas where you could introduce
blogging not as an add-on, but as an
integral part of what goes on in your
classroom?
What is a podcast?

zSkype, Audacity,
itunes, ipod
zRecording, editing,
publishing, listening
zRSS (again!)
zEmbedding
zOther media –
screencasts and
video
How can podcasts help learning?

zMultimodal literacy
zSpeaking and listening!
zEngagement
zAccessibility
zLesson recording
zE-Portfolios
Podcasts

z Case study 1: Hanson Radio Podcast

http://www.hansonradio.co.uk/
z Case study 2: Shawn Wheeler’s Adventures in
Podcasting
What is photo-
sharing?
z Flickr, Photobucket,
Gallery, Coppermine
z High resolution images
z Creative Commons
z Access control
z Streams, sets, pools
z Favourites
z Comments
z Geotagging
How can photo-sharing help learning?

zAs a resource
zVisual literacy
zResearch
zRecording
zThe world through others’ eyes
zCommon interests
Photo-sharing case studies
Art Appreciation
Photo-sharing case studies
Maths
Photo-sharing case studies
Mapping
Photo-sharing

zGeotagging
Photo-sharing case studies
Local Environment
What is bookmark sharing?

zdel.icio.us, scuttle
zTagging
zFolksonomy
zBrowsing and
searching
zNotes
zThe wisdom of
crowds
How can bookmark sharing help
learning?
zSharing resources
{Pupil – pupil
{Teacher - pupil
{Teacher - teacher
zLearner responsibility
zIndependent learning
zPeer support
zCourse tags
Coming of Age 2 Extra Resources
Issues to consider

zChild protection
{Walled gardens
{Polluted streams
zData protection
zIntegration
zPortability
zAdvertising
zHosting
Harnessing Technology
z “A personal online space …
will be more than simply a
storage place - a digital space
that is personalised, that
remembers what the learner is
interested in and suggests
relevant web sites, or alerts
them to courses and learning
opportunities that fit their
needs. ”
z “Develop a collaborative
approach to personalised Scott Wilson, 2005
learning activities”
z “We want to shift the focus
from presenting content to
engaging learners in
productive learning activities.”
Every Child Matters
The 5 outcomes: SHAPE Fiction Press

z Stay safe Kathy Cassidy

z Be healthy
z Enjoy and achieve
z Make a positive contribution
z Achieve economic well-being
Personalised Learning: The Gilbert
Report
z Commitment to personalising learning in learning and
teaching
z Practices of schools that ‘buck the trend’ in boys’
achievement
z Strategies for embedding assessment for learning
z Integrate ‘learning how to learn’ into the curriculum
z Focus attention on hard-to-reach families
z What kind of ICT investment and infrastructure will
support desired new ways of working
z Schools should consider how best resources within the
school, such as the new technologies and the physical
environment, could contribute to fulfilling their
commitment to personalising learning.
About the BCS

zStand B59
zThe leading professional body for the IT
industry
zSkills for life (eg ECDL)
zSchools may offer accreditation
themselves
zVisit the stand for more information
Further reading…

zhttp://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/
zhttp://elgg.net/mberry/weblog
zhttp://www.bcs.org/