Technology-enabled learning communities

In this column are accounts of a number of key studies.  These include both international and UK studies and there is also a list of additional literature likely to be of interest to the readers of the guide.  The key studies inform the thinking behind this MESH guide in a variety of ways, both specific and general. The additional studies also have the potential to do this and will be of interest to guide readers too. In addition literature will continue to move on as the guide is published.

This video gives a quick introduction to the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). TPACK stands for the interaction between Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge within a technology enhanced learning environment.

‘I'm going to develop this idea to use on the trip next week to give a far more interactive experience. If we use ID apps for plant life and the native birds I think it will be less passive than such visits can be.’ 

‘I was also really intrigued by the photocollage work; I'm planning on using this to explore colour and texture in our forest in the future.’

McKnight, K., O'Malley, K., Ruzic, R., Horsley, M.K., Franey, J.J. and Bassett, K., 2016. Teaching in a digital age: How educators use technology to improve student learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48(3), pp.194-211.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15391523.2016.1175856

This column contains reports of a number of systematic literature reviews, which are varied in nature.  They range from a review of 145 papers about 1-1 computing devices to a review of Wenger’s thinking about communities of practice.  This range of reviews bring to bear a number of key issues in how technology can facilitate high quality social learning in online and blended environments within teacher education.  The notion of communities of practice sets the scene for this section.  

Wenger suggests three types of CoPs within the field education: those that are internal to a particular educational institution; those are external to a particular educational institution; those addressing the lifelong needs of learners beyond formal education. Furthermore he suggests that traditional learning environments could be re-envisaged as community hubs that facilitate real-world, ongoing learning (Wenger, 2011).  Such practices provide opportunities for teachers to make links with others in more expansive ways than traditional learning environments allow.

This video narrated by Dave Cormier gives an introduction to the characteristics of learning within a Massive Open Online Course or MOOC.

Koohang, A, Paliszkiewicz, J, Goluchowski, J, & Horn Nord, J.  (2016) Active Learning for Knowledge Construction in E-learning: a replication study.  Journal of Computer Information Systems, Vol 56, Issue 3 pp 238-243.