Mc² = E Learning Reflections

  Last academic session I was approached by Dr. K. Brosnan of Stirling University to collaborate on a presentation which focused on the idea of curation as an act of teacher scholarship.  Unfortunately, this session never quite went ahead owing to personal circumstances, changes in wok patterns and other commitments.  So, I thought I would take the opportunity on this sunny afternoon to write about it here in my blog.   I have to say that, until I started my MA in Online and Distance Education with the OU, I never really saw myself as a curator in any way.  That was the kind of job people do in Art Galleries or Museums.  But it was in the third module of #H880 written by Dr L. Perryman where she presented a model entitled The Anatomy of a 21st Century Educator .  And, as the module progressed, I started to realise that the role of the curator is hugely significant to what I do as an Educator in the Scottish Further Education Sector.  So, my a...

  The last few weeks have been challenging.  I didn't really expect to begin my experience as a researcher by examining my own personal values and beliefs so closely.  Don't get me wrong, I'm learning a lot.  But putting myself under a microscope and examining my own scholarship practice in this way has been something of an eye opener, particularly in coming to the realisation that my work, my reading, my blogging and the narrative I've chosen so far may come to be viewed by the academic community as autoethnography. ( " BLOG IDEAS " by  owenwbrown  is licensed under  CC BY 2.0 .) Until very recently I was unaware of the term and what it meant - thanks Vicky!  After having read some autoethnographic case studies I've come to realise that might be true.  I  may be something of a budding autoethnographer.  But I'm also learning that this can both be a badge of honour and something of an accusation at the same time. I started the week ...

Downloadable Copy of Transcription Downloadable Copy of Presentation Slides Abstract The potential of mobile technology to enhance learning and teaching practice has been recognised in various academic studies (Xiao (2020); MacCallum et al. (2017); Mohammadi et al. (2020)) and the learning opportunities afforded through the use of mobile devices are complimented by a number of learning theories including connectivism (Siemens, 2004 as cited by Manchester University, ND) and social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978 as cited by McLeod, 2019) .   In contrast however, policies on learner behaviour management coupled with issues relating to the individual and collective identities of educators have led to resistance in the adoption of mobile technology within learning and teaching practice.   Indeed removal of mobile devices is still used as a punitive action against learners where the devices themselves are deemed a classroom distraction by educators.   Yet, studies address...

Hello to all my amazing readers out there.  I hope you've all enjoyed my writings and reflections over the past weeks, but this time I'm wondering if I can ask you for some help. (A poster created for my presentation at the Open University's H818 Online Conference) I'm a literacy educator working in Scotland and I'm passionate about mobile learning.  From my own experience as a mobile blogger I wanted to create a course that would support other educators in developing their understanding of digital pedagogy, develop an appreciation for the benefits and challenges of blogging and, in combining blogging with the afforances of mobile devices, spark creative discussion which might encourage other educators to use this in their own scholarship practice or as a vehicle to promote literacy development with their learners.   As such I've created a course using the Open University's Open Learn platform which is free for anyone to access.   Here is the link to the co...

I've been thinking a lot about how blogging works, the openness of blogging and the impact a blog can make on the outside world, but today I started thinking about the question of why blog?  Where does the motivation to blog come from? ( "Why on car"   by  openpad  is licensed under  CC BY 2.0 ) Wee-Kek and Hock-Hai (2009) present an interesting theory that bloggers are motivated by the need to use the online space as a vehicle for the expression of self and extension of real-life identity into an online space.  So from the perspective of Blooms Taxonomy and Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs blogging allows learners to operate on the highest levels of both.  And yes, I suppose my blog does reflect one aspect of who I am.  It does reflect my work and the things I am passionate about. I think what interested me most about the work of Wee-kek and Hock-Hai was the fact that their work was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour.  So I st...