Blogs

Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology at the OU writes a fascinating blog. I quote " The OU has adopted Google Apps for education for its students. The OU's adoption is significant for a number of reasons:

1. It ain't Microsoft - there will have been strong lobbying to adopt an MS solution, so the move to Google marks a shift in the power base or at least the default assumption that it's MS who do enterprise solutions.
2.  It's the cloud - a lot of other universities use the OU as a benchmark I think. I know that when we adopted Moodle, that made the decision to go with open source easier for other institutions. A kind of 'well, if the OU is doing it, then it has to be reliable' argument can be put forward. So, just as Moodle acted as a seal of approval on open source VLEs, so Google Apps signifies a reliability of cloud based solutions. 
3. It puts powerful collaborative tools in the hands of students - I commented on twitter that Google Docs might end being the most significant educational technology around. Not because it's fantastic, but because it's there and it's easy to use. Or maybe it'll be chat. Or large email storage. Whatever it is, I think students (and tutors) will start to use the technology in ways that we don't predict or demand, but because it makes their lives easier. We have struggled to crack collaborative learning for distance students for ages - maybe Google Apps will do it in one move.
4. They are not education specific tools - although it's packaged as Google Apps for education, it is really just standard Google Apps. Like a lot of ed tech people I have argued that our role is no longer to develop bespoke educational applications, but rather to take existing tools and see how these can be used in education. Google Apps reinforces that view and makes you ask the question, 'why do I need a Virtual Learning Environment, and not just a virtual environment we use for learning?'

Learning and Teaching Scotland became one of the first education organisations in Europe to launch an iTunes U site for teachers. Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) launched a unique resource on iTunes U in the iTunes Store to support the professional development of teachers and other practitioners across Scotland and beyond. Teachers can access a free online repository of rich digital content using iTunes U, a dedicated area of the iTunes Store that offers free audio and video content from leading higher-education institutions. Teachers can watch a wide range of videos including case studies showing classroom practice, presentations from leading international education thinkers and video learning materials. This initiative puts the power of technology into the hands of practitioners allowing the free dissemination of resources, knowledge and learning. LTS, in partnership with HMIE and the Scottish Government’s ‘Determined to Succeed’ programme, hope that this new resource will engage with all education professionals in the field and will support the next generation of teachers as they implement Curriculum for Excellence. Keith Brown, Minister for Schools and Skills, said: ‘I am delighted to see that Scotland is once again leading the way in partnering education with the innovative use of technology. At a time when the Scottish Government is bringing in the biggest reforms to education in a generation through Curriculum for Excellence, it’s important we ensure that teachers have easy access to resources that help them to enhance their classroom teaching. The LTS site on iTunes U will do just that and I am sure it will be a welcome new information source for teachers.’ Bernard McLeary, CEO, LTS said: ‘This resource will benefit many teachers in Scotland and further afield. Our society needs access to information to come from a variety of sources to fit in to busy lifestyles. This is crucial if we are to continue to grow and develop education in Scotland.’ ‘Using iTunes U demonstrates our commitment to providing services for all and sharing the abundance of excellent examples of teaching in the school and early years’ sector to the rest of the world.’ Graham Donaldson, HM Senior Chief Inspector of Education, said: ‘We are delighted to be involved in what is truly a ground-breaking initiative. This exciting development will make HMIE's Journey to Excellence films and materials much more accessible to education professionals, young people, parents and others as, together, they open up learning. This enhancement of access is a real boost to the partnership working between HMIE and LTS as we work together to improve learning and teaching in Scotland.’ LTS digital content on iTunes U can be downloaded and played back on any compatible device, for example a computer, mobile phone, PDA, games console or television. Alongside the LTS Online Service and Glow, LTS on iTunes U is a powerful tool for sharing ideas and practice across the profession and promoting Scottish education around the world.

Visit LTS’s site on iTunes U at www.LTScotland.org.uk/itunesu

Ref: http://www.hmie.gov.uk/News/Publications/iTunes+U+first+for+Scottish+schools.htm

British universities could lose their leading international standing unless they become much more radical in their use of new technology, a 2009 JISC commissioned report states. The Edgeless University report, researched by Demos on behalf of JISC, suggests a slowness to adopt new models of learning will damage UK Universities world standings.

The research suggests that reductions in government funding has put universities under intense pressure as threats to funding coincide with increased student demand. The report states that online and social media could help universities in two ways, by reaching larger numbers of students and improving the quality of research and teaching.

Malcolm Read OBE, Executive Secretary for JISC, said: ‘The UK is a leading force in the delivery of higher education and its universities and colleges have been punching well above their weight for some time.

To maintain this position suggests we have to stay ahead of developments in online learning and social media and embrace Web 2.0 technologies.

The report calls for universities to make academic research freely available online. Author of the report, Peter Bradwell, said: ‘The internet and social networks mean that universities are now just one part of the world of learning and research.’

Read the report http://www.jisc.ac.uk/edge09

Read  the CLEX report and the TDA's ICT in ITT report (it's a pdf file).