JISC case studies for learning spaces with technology

Found an interesting web page from JISC outlining a number of case studies of new learning spaces which have a distinct element of technology

Students' views on learning spaces

Over the past week we've been developing some inital methods for capturing the spaces students learn in, and then using this as a basis for getting them to be creative about the spaces they would like to see in universities to help them learn better.

There was a variety of responses, but some common themes emerged. These included preferences for fully integrated technology, through ubiquitous WIFI provision, interactive whiteboards in seminar rooms etc, but also the desire to see a lot of green space was a strong sentiment. 'Spaces for solitude' were mentioned a number of times, spaces where indivduals can go to think, reflect and contemplate. Finally, multiple-use spaces were also preferred, especially those which linked social and eating provision with learning. This is one we intend to mature and pursue to bigger things next academic year!

Linking real and virtual spces in learning

Found an interesting Futurelab power point presentation in Slideshare. Got some intersting ideas about the spatial aspects of blended approaches to learning.

Thinking about learning spaces - student views

Over the past few days I've been involved in doing some small-scale research focusing on the spaces which students learn in. From visual diaries, concept maps and interviews, it seems that students generally feel that the spaces which the university provide are received positively. The learning environment is seen as inherently collaborative in nature, whilst home spaces are seen as personal and reflective. This clear dichotomy is seen as a natural system with social learning being seen as important whilst at the university, whilst spaces such as offices and bedrooms at home are seen as a more positive space for quiet work to extend and reflect on the understanding considered in university sessions. The only space which was considered to be underrepresented in the university campus were social spaces, seen as having great potential for more informal social learning - especially where WIFI is available.

more resources

Two more resources which develop thinking about the interrelationship of space and e-learning (although only implicitly) are one from Educause called 'The Tower and the Cloud' based around the adoption of ever more ICT in HEIs, and the other is concerned with the ubiquitous access to the net and ICT and the impacts this might have on learning. Both really good reads.

I've also opened up a wiki which I hope to develop with the help of a couple of colleagues which focuses on a manifesto for learning in the 21st century - little content at the moment, but hopefully will grow quite quickly over the coming months - will consider not only the types of learning which might be desirable in schools, but the spaces which will allow those types of learning to grow.

Educause - useful resources

There are two fantastic resources at Educause which focus on elements of learning and learning spaces. The first is a free access e-book on Learning Spaces which looks at advances about leanring spaces in HEIs, whilst the second takes a look at the Net Generation and its links to learning. Both are really interesting takes on teh developing fields of leanring spaces and e-learning.

21st century schools - the development of blended spaces?

Click here for a video which considers the infusion of technology in schools, and the resultant enriching of learning spaces. Technology is forefronted in this video - do we need to give equal consideration of the spaces in which they are used?

Virtual classroom video

Click here to link to a video on virtual classrooms

Blending Learning Spaces

Having developed a blended learning approach to the PGCE course, the next step is to begin to consider the spaces in which we learn. Two obvious spaces are classrooms and cyberspace (in the form of the virtual learning environment). However, learning is far more ubiquitous than this, and therefore I've spent a week taking photos of all the spaces I think I have learned in during that time. Some are very much linked to personal, reflective spaces, such as my office at home. Here, there is varied technology, including a laptop, desktop PC, both of which can acces the internet, plus my mobile and an e-reader. Therefore, there has been learning in the form of reading, writing and course development.

However, there are other, very different spaces where learning has also occurred but in a very different sense. Classrooms have been used, and the type of learning has been far more social, but also reflective in terms of considering the learning students are achiving, and how they are achieving it. Once again, technology is central but serves a different purpose.

The types of learning which are occurring are different in different spaces, but are in many ways linked. This then suggests that as the recognition of the mutiplicity of spaces in which we learn becomes more explicit, the theories we use to explain the learning which occurs within them, and how they connect to each other must be more complex. Hence, the notion of linking blended leanring, and learning spaces, i.e. blended spaces which need new pedagogic theories to support their understanding.

Some initial results and reflections on the blended course

The students in my group have now gone off into school placements for a couple of months, but before going, we captured some of their ideas and thoughts about the course they have been following. Two immediate ideas have become apparent in their views:

1. They enjoyed keeping the blogs on geographical concepts, and in several interviews carried out with students, they commented on the essentially liminal nature of the exercise. They saw the blogs as being a positive medium for playing around with ideas and developing a deeper understanding which not only allowed them to feel more confident in their own consideration of the concepts, but which also helped them cross a cognitive threshold in relation to teaching others about their concept. Interestingly, one student actually described their blog as a 'safe' space for carrying out this liminal transition, even though it was open to the world.

2. The use of pre-session lectures online, led to a strong belief that better use was made of the face-to-face sessions. Students have also remarked that these were positive not only due to the social constructivist nature of the exercises, but that these were supported by a physically flexible learning space which allowed them to stamp their own preferences on the use of the space.

As such, very much preliminary consideration of the rich seam of data collected suggests that the blended approach has helped to transform the nature and benefits of the course thus far.