From my previous post on eResearch “Reading: “The Role of LTs in supporting e-research (eResearch)” I have continued to read around the topic and find that the JISC’s strategic theme is one we all (Learning Technologists) could get involved in. Yes?

So, why aren’t we then? Is it that academic staff don’t know we could help, or that they don’t want our help or don’t think we have anything to offer? I think it is even more basic than this … I think it is all down to the time that is available.

I know that my working day is stuffed full of emails, training, workshops, fault-finding, meetings, reporting, design, liaising, etc. I also know that academics have a full diary that often does not have the ability, even in time dedicated to their research, to sit and explain what they are doing.

So, what can a Learning Technologist (LT) / Instructional Designer (ID) offer eResearch? from the JISC strategic page on what is eResearch (or e-Research as they use):

“It’s concerned with technologies that support all the processes involved in research including (but not limited to) creating and sustaining research collaborations and discovering, analysing, processing, publishing, storing and sharing research data and information. Typical technologies in this domain include: Virtual Research Environments, Grid computing, visualisation services, and text and data mining services.”

Great, just the kind of activities that us LTs can help with, in fact are already participating in but not necessarily under the name of ‘eResearch’. From my previous post I quoted that:

“It is suggested that many learning technologists could extend their roles, transferring their knowledge to include supporting e-research. A more inclusive model of the learning technologist’s role in academia could help address the potential polarisation of the profession into researchers and practitioners.”

If I could get involved in this kind of activity, this could go towards my work and evidence for CMALT membership.

Are there any LTs out there active in eResearch that are willing to talk about how they are doing it (not necessarily what they are doing if the subject is sensitive for publications, PhDs, etc)? Please get in contact, it would be good to get the conversation going.

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I’ve not spent any time with Second Life so I know I am not in any position to pass judgement on it, but I have this ‘fear’ of such a large virtual world. I read lots of posts on blogs and Twitter about the pitfalls of using it, but every now and again I find something that raises my spirits.

Thanks must go to JISC who, once again, have come up trumps with their recent “Second Life guide helps lecturers teach in the virtual world“.

“‘’Getting Started in Second Life’ answers some common questions like how to set up in Second Life, what the rules of the world are, how to plan lessons and how best to help students use it effectively for learning. The aim of the guide is to present the basics in order to help lecturers experiment, rather than them getting lost in mastering the detail of the virtual environment.”

David White, who led the project, says:

“Virtual worlds are not going to be for everyone but it’s important to understand the genuine pros and cons rather than getting a skewed picture from the media. Teaching in these environments feels more like running an event than simply using a piece of software.  This [magazine] has been created to help educators make informed choices in their use, or non-use, of virtual worlds for teaching and learning.”

As I have said a few times before in previous posts it is imperative that we, as educators and facilitators, know and understand the world in which the today’s and tomorrow’s student lives.

Follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #jiscsl09.

Second Life
Second Life is described as “a free 3D multi-user virtual world developed by Linden Labs in 2003, and is inhabited by millions of residents across the world. It is used as a platform for education by many institutions, such as colleges, universities, libraries and government entities, with over one hundred regions used for educational purposes. This guide is aimed at those who are wanting to use Second Life for teaching in further and higher education. It provides in-depth descriptions of all aspects of the immersive world for both direct useand facilitating others’ use.

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I enjoy looking through the JISC website, and each time I visit it I always find something I missed before.

This time I found this “Effective Practice in a Digital Age” and the associated video files.

The Effective Practice Resource Exchange supports users of Effective Practice in a Digital Age by providing a supplementary suite of online resources that can be updated and added to over time. These resources explore through different themes and viewpoints the elements that underpin effective designing for learning.

I would usually embed the video if I can, but the video player that JISC is using does not give this option. I strongly recommend you take the phone off the hook, close the office/study door, close Outlook and make sure all other distractions are kept at bay for the next 20-30 minutes so you can really give this the attention it deserves.

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I was reading Steve Wheeler’s latest blog entry this morning thinking “huh?”

So, a JISC report on “Edgeless University: why higher education must embrace technology” has said that;

“British universities will lose their leading international standing unless they become much more radical in their use of new technology” (to quote Steve).

I hadn’t thought it was that bad, but perhaps it is. I’ll not bleat on about the report, I’ll let you read it for yourself, but the biggest issue that it raises for me (and perhaps you too) is simply … dont’ blame the University, or even the students, if you can’t get the staff engaged!

I’ve written here before about getting tutors/educators engaged in using Web 2.0 tools and techniques, but the reason they don’t are not always easy to define;

• Willing: Are they willing to try something new?
• Able: They may be willing, but are they able to try it?
• Time: Irrespective of ability or willingness, do they have the time to sit and learn something new … even if you can demonstrate that it will save them time in the long run?
• Blinkered: Are they just burying their heads in the sand hoping you’ll go away and bother someone else instead?
• Blind: Are they just point-blank ignoring you.

Not everyone will fit so easily in the stereotypes above; I know of one example where the tutor was enthusiastic about trying something new, didn’t have the time to work it out until the students requested discussion boards and a wiki to support their face-to-face seminars.

Only time will tell and, if the JISC report is to be believed, time is running out. The report says:

“Through their institutional capital, universities can use technology to offer more flexible provision and open more equal routes to higher education and learning … this will take strategic leadership from within.”

and Steve says;

“… online and social media could help universities meet these demands by reaching a greater number of students and improving the quality of research and teaching. Online and DIY learning can create ‘edgeless universities’ where information, skills and research are accessible far beyond the campus walls.”

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