Critical Evaluation Of Student Experiences

Action Enquiry for School Improvement ISM3205

SID 01652831/1

Computer Supported Collaborative Work Environments: A critical evaluation of student experience

ISM 3205 SID 01652831/1

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2002

Action Enquiry for School Improvement ISM3205

SID 01652831/1

Research Area:

ICTs and their impact on education.

Research Focus: A critical analysis of Computer Supported Collaborative environments (CSC), their use in student motivation and learning experience.

Title: Computer Supported Collaborative Work Environments: A critical evaluation of student experience

Rationale: The increasing pressure from all parties to use ICT effectively in the classroom and to ‘skill’ the flexible workforce of tomorrow is felt by all teachers. The recent government initiatives such as the National Grid For Learning (Ngfl) and publications such as ‘Connecting the learning society’ and ‘Transforming the way we learn’ all point to case studies where ICT is used to great effect to enhance learning and bring a wealth of resources into the classroom. The present and past governments high hopes for a new education system with ICT at its heart is expressed in these documents.

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‘We intend to lift educational standards in Britain to the level of the best in the world. This will mean making the most of technological change. Technology has revolutionized

the

way

we

work

and

now

is

set

to

transform

education….Standards, literacy, numeracy, subject knowledge – all will be enhanced by the Grid and the support it will give to our programme for school improvement’ (Blair 1997)

The present Labour government has put together a series of strategies to try to integrate ICT into the education system. Leask (1998), as part of the Teachernet UK initiative, lists many strategies, which encourage whole system change at Local, National and School level: Local Education

Department for

Internal school

Authority (Lea)

Education and Science

processes

(Dfes) Policy development Networks INSET

Circulars Legislation Guidance

OFSTED/HMI reports Planned INSET days Work with Higher education Institutions (HEI)

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There are issues with these, like all strategies and criticism of the standard of ICT provision in today’s schools still exist. “Support for schools needing to improve their provision of information and communication technology (ICT) was found to be one of the weakest aspects of the work of the LEAs - only 5% were judged to be good, and 67% were unsatisfactory”. (Ofsted LEA findings, BBC,2001)

ICT has perhaps not delivered the promise that Tony Blair and the many case studies in glossy brochures from system suppliers or ‘national guidance’ documentation seem to have promised. It may be that like the technology adoption model itself (Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P & Warshaw, P.R. 1989), the initial phases of ICT development within our education system have to go through some trials and tribulations before making any true impact. The saturation level of home computer use and Internet connections may have more to do with ‘adoption’ of this technology than anything else. The level of home computer use has grown over the last year to 10.7 million households with access to the internet in 2002, this is 42% of UK households which is over three times the number in 1999 (National Statistics Office 2002) These statistics themselves show that as saturation of computer technology increases rapidly,

The affect of this growth will be felt in educational systems and educational culture change.

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SID 01652831/1 New emphasis on developing materials, which cater for, preferred learning styles and an awareness of successes in accelerated learning practice has caused many schools to look at their delivery methods of course materials and the phrase ‘life long learning’ is being used by every stakeholder in education from government to teacher associations. Motivation as a catalyst for a learning environment is even more relevant in a society where statistics seem to imply that disaffected truants are increasing. ‘The audit commission says some 12,000 children a year are permanently excluded from school and a further 150,000 are excluded temporarily…. The commission also says that each year a million of the 8m children in our schools will be absent without authorisation’. (Educational Guardian 2000) Are these subjects’ just disjointed thoughts or is there a commonality between them in today’s education system? What happens when ICT is used to focus collaborative work with students? Can ICT be used to effectively address some of the issues outlined above? In this study I will aim to critically analyze the use of ICT in developing collaborative communities at secondary school level.

Indicative Bibliography:

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Daniels, H. (2001), Vygotsky and Pedagogy, Routledge Falmer,UK.

ICT,Pedagogy and the Curriculum edited by Loveless, A. and Ellis, V. (2001) Routledge Falmer UK

Kember, D. (2000) Action Learning and Action Research, Kogen Page, UK.

Mconnell, D. (2000) Implementing Computer Supported Cooperative Learning, Kogen Page, UK.

Monteith,M, in IT for Learning Enhancement edited by Monteith, M. (2000), Intellect, UK.

Bowring-Carr, C. & West-Burnham, J. (1997) Effective learning in schools: How to integrate learning and leadership for a successful school, Financial Times Pitman Publishing, UK.

Distributed Learning: Social and cultural approaches to practice edited by Lea, M. & Nicholl, K. (2002) , Routledge Falmer, UK.

Research Questions/ Concern/Opportunities:

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SID 01652831/1 Concerns: 1.Time allocation of GNVQ and Applied GCSE courses are a concern for me. 2.Motivation issues of some learners on compulsory ICT courses. Opportunities: Successes in the use of accelerated learning practice and recent personal research in collaborative environments and preferred learning style have given me opportunities to reflect on the teaching and learning in my classroom and outlined possible opportunities for ICT use. Research Question: Can the use of Computer Supported Collaborative Work Environments (CSC) enable students to work more effectively and help address some of the concerns that I have shown above?

Professional Biography I have been working as a teacher for sixteen years both in the UK and the Bahamas. I have predominately worked in Sussex schools for two LEA’s and have recently concentrated my efforts into ICT education from a broad Technology background teaching Design & Technology, Food Technology, ICT and Business Education. I started using computers whilst at school. As a student in the heady computer age of 1976-83 I used old terminal keyboards and cup modems to send 20 line basic programs to the gas board mainframe to process overnight in their ‘slack processing time’. The immediacy of ICT use was not really available then, having to go back to the terminal keyboard re hook the cup

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SID 01652831/1 modem and download the print off of the processed program the next week. The usual message was ‘unknown error on line 18’. I progressed from these early idiosyncrasies to Amstrad word processors, Apricots, Sinclair spectrums, Acorn Archimedes and Apple Macs to the job I hold now which is to oversee ICT education for staff and students at a technology college. This life long interest in computers has within the last 6 years taken to higher levels with interests in collaborative working, dynamic websites and learning through the use of ICT’s. I have started to learn more about learning in the last 5-6 years than was ever taught to me on my PGCE course or imparted whilst teaching with others. I like many others were one of the embarrassed majority that raised their hand in a learn to learn campaign conference when asked “ who did not learn about multiple intelligences, basic brain science and accelerated learning on their teacher training course?” A new interest in these matters and their application through the medium of ICT’s is what brings me to this work. I also reflect on my own learning over the years and wonder what it took to make me into the ‘life long learner’ that I am today. The immediacy of modern ICT seems to be a far cry from the good old gas board mainframe days. What information shall I need to day? I discuss this with myself briefly before switching on my laptop radio networking into my home broadband connection and logging on to check email, discussion zones and news. I turn to my Internet browser and punch in the keyword search ‘home wine making’.

Literature Review:

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Action Enquiry for School Improvement ISM3205

SID 01652831/1 This study aims to look at the issues of computer use in specific relation to computer supported collaborative work environments (CSC). The effect of their use on learners and the increased flexibility they can give to increasingly pressured curriculum time will also be a focus. The attitudes and perceptions of the users and the designers of materials to be used via CSC are also critical to a successful introduction to this type of paradigm shift in education systems. I will try to outline the ‘future schooling’ ideas from various writers, which give us, a prospective view of the context within this work is being written. I have produced brief synopses of theories of thought which come in to play when thinking about my concerns. These range from ‘classic’ educational psychology and the differences in independent and collaborative learning to motivational theory. I have tried to end this review with positive case studies of CSC at work within a learning organization but because of the lack of British research this is mostly within the American education system or in higher education. Worldview and the knowledge economy We live in a world that has changed dramatically over the last twenty years due to technological advancements. It has been said that our education systems were built on a worldview, which emanates from Descartian philosophy and the age of enlightenment to Newtonian science. (Bowring-Carr & West-Burnham 1997) Our world is changing and our education systems, which are still based on 30year-old theories, are developing to match these changes, sometimes willingly

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SID 01652831/1 and sometimes not. At the very heart of all this change is learning. Learning for a post-modern society where more than one career is expected in one's lifetime and leisure activities are seen as perhaps not just important but vital to one's personal growth and both mental and physical health. The term 'life long learning' was used by the UK government in a seminal paper in 1997 ‘Connecting The Learning Society’ (DFEE 1997), as part of a New Labour government in the early nineties and this is still a mantra that is chanted by both government and nongovernment organisations (NGO) regularly. The essence of this phrase is perhaps founded in organisational management writings such as Peter Senge's 'The Fifth Discipline (1993) and Boydell & Pedlar 'The learning company' (1997). It is, in my opinion, a realistic view of how our post-modern education system is developing in the UK. Life long learning, independent learning or pupil Centered learning are all phrases that any education establishment has heard for the last two to three years, but what is actually meant by these phrases and how do we develop our students skills to fit into these new concepts of educated individuals? There is a challenge to accepted modern concepts of knowledge management through primary and secondary education. The modern concept of this is that government hierarchies produce a treatise on a common curriculum which outlines the knowledge needed by a child leaving the education system (National Curriculum). There is a groundswell of thought about such a concept and a recent set of papers on knowledge management by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests these concerns.

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SID 01652831/1 ‘We are moving into a ‘learning economy’ where the success of individuals, firms, regions and countries will reflect, more than anything else, their ability to learn’ (OECD, 2000:29). These trends, OECD point out elsewhere, raise ‘profound questions for the kinds of knowledge pupils are being equipped with and ought to be equipped with, by schools’ (OECD, 2001:29). The concept of the knowledge community needs to be adopted by our education system. Does this mean that the world that we live in has far less set rules and 'knowledge needed by a child leaving the education system' is a far less obvious collective than once was thought. 'The post modern says that knowledge is relational, is contingent upon the people within the discourse, and is vital and changing' (Bowring-Carr & West-Burnham 1997)

The world we live in economically is dynamically changing too. The flexibility in job structures can give businesses the flexibility and therefore competitive edge it needs to succeed. The technology being some of this flexibility is of course the computer generated communication infrastructure now enveloping our world. This means that you do not necessarily need to travel to work (tele-working) and you could possibly even work for a company in a different country. These concept are supported by management visionaries such as Drucker(1993), Handy(1994) and Head(1996). “Value is now created by ‘productivity’ and ‘innovation’, both applications of knowledge to work. The leading groups of the knowledge society will be

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SID 01652831/1 "knowledge workers" … The economic challenge … will therefore be the productivity

of

knowledge

work

and

the

knowledge

worker”.

(Drucker, 1993) Businesses and economies are using this in-built flexibility to cut costs and develop highly flexible business structures. Schools and their curriculums must address the economic changes that are occurring within our world, if we are to deliver an education system which is prepared for the knowledge economy of tomorrow. Attitude and perception Attitude and perception to CSC is an important catalyst for the acceptance of this type of technology into our post-modern school. We can see that if we believe in the concepts of knowledge construction and social learning that the use of CSC could be key to being the hub of a knowledge community. Students’ attitude and perhaps more importantly teacher perception and willingness to change styles of working are critical factors in the introduction to these concepts. (Gow & Kember 1993).

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SID 01652831/1 Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning is a phrase that has been used to group together some of the concepts above. 'acting together, in a coordinated way at work, or in social relationships, in the pursuit of shared goals, the enjoyment of the joint activity, or simply furthering the relationships' Argyle (1991) CSC helps to provide a framework for good cooperative learning and gives teachers with little technical expertise assistance by using readily available templates. CSC could be the catalyst for students taking control of their own learning and the ground swell of research suggesting that this type of technology is a vital empowering stage in post-modern education is convincing Behaviourism This basic understanding of acquisition of knowledge through conditioned behavior seems a little simplistic but has some historical context within educational technology use. B.F. Skinner (1953) was a key player in trying to relate the conditioned response from animals to humans. The Skinner box was an experiment where an animal such as a rat was subjected to various stimulus response tasks and these founded Skinners writings on ‘operant conditioning’. Skinner is heavily criticized today but we can see that this essentially was perhaps one of the first uses of a technological learning tool, the Skinner box. From the behaviorist era grew the question ‘will teachers eventually be replaced by machines?’ It also led to ‘media centers’ being introduced into schools and

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Action Enquiry for School Improvement ISM3205

SID 01652831/1 industrial training establishments as a source of centralized technology based development tools. Software used for Computer aided instruction (CAI) has been used for many years but is this ‘drill and practice’ solution that we see in many of the products on the educational market today developing the skills that we need in modern education?

Constructivism The main constructivist hypothesis is based on the construction of knowledge by peer interaction in cognitive development. By this we can see that constructivists such as Piaget were concerned with the knowledge construction as being a series of mental maps or schemas that an individual alters or adjusts as they develop and come across new experiences. Interaction with others was also a useful construct arena as schemas could be compared and adjusted and therefore knowledge reconstructed (Piaget 1970) Soviet socio-cultural theory The soviet scientist Vygotsky postulated the ‘ zone of proximal development’ (ZPD). This suggests that the learners’ ability is enhanced when working closely with someone who is more skilled. Their potential is increased by collaborative work.(Vygotsky 1978) Vygotsky’s work is involved in most of the work commented on below where ‘cultural tools’ are seen as essential to the type of collaborative learning that takes place. These cultural tools could be signs, language, books, diagrams, schemas, art and computers. The core of Vygotskian theory has been developed by others and is having an effect on postmodern

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SID 01652831/1 educational thought. Activity theory (Daniels 2001) is one such development where, from initial ideas by Vygotsky and Leont'ev , a theory or set of principles have emerged which seem to tie some of the above together. It is within these areas of constructivism that is perhaps the key to computer environment use. The concepts of knowledge construction in this way is one which I can relate to actual practice. The further analysis of the role of cooperation and collaboration is a key focus for this work.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) ‘The process by which the social becomes the physiological is called internalisation: the ‘individuals plane of consciousness’ (i.e. higher cognitive process) is formed in structures that are transmitted to the individual by others in speech, social interaction, and processes of co-operative activity. Thus, individual consciousness arises from the actions and speech of others.’ (Tharpe & Gallimore 1988)

Tharpe & Gallimore (1988) describes some of Vygotskys theories on the ZPD and extends these with a four stage schema that shows progress through the ZPD as follows: Stage one: Performance is assisted by more capable others Stage two: Performance is assisted by self Stage three: Performance is developed, automised and ‘fossilised’

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SID 01652831/1 Stage four: De-automasation of performance leads to recursions back through the ZPD Tharpe and Gallimore’s extention of Vygotsks’s theories help me to relate this type of theory to actual practice. I can see this model every day in my classroom and also see others and myself taking roles within each stage. I believe that a better way of thinking of these processes is as follows:

Performance is assisted by self Performance is developed, atomized and ‘fossilized’

De-atomization of performance leads to recursions back through the first loop

Performance is assisted by more capable others

We can see that I have developed two learning cycles the larger cycle depicting the normal process of cooperative/collaborative learning. The learner acquires new knowledge and reconfirms or ‘scaffolds’ this knowledge by confirmation from others. The process is then developed and repeated within different time frames

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SID 01652831/1 until eventually the process must be repeated again outside the first circle of learning as the subject matter changes or ‘new ways’ of learning occur.

Communities of practice and Situated cognition Activity theory and the work of Leont'ev and Davydov (Daniels 2001) has been developed and used by others to form understandings of socially mediated learning. Learners are part of a knowledge community. Communities or collectives have within them embedded knowledge or practices and learning is the process of entering these communities. This could also be looked on as a form of apprenticeship where the learner can take various roles within the community. This type of paradigm of learning can be seen in the work of Lave & Wenger (1991), Scardamalia (1994). This also is working within the ZPD. Saloman & Perkins (1998) describe four meanings of what we could call ‘social learning’: 1.Social mediation Here a person or a group helps an individual to learn. A teacher might help a student with a particular learning problem. A group might help a member deal with their own, individual learning. This is a key concept to the work I will carry out. The social dynamics of my teaching groups are affected by the way that they perceive each other and their relationships with others and myself. This can have affects on learning such as a student not asking for help when they require it or not answering a question in a classroom situation because they need to think it through more thoroughly.

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SID 01652831/1 2. Social mediation as participatory knowledge construction Here the focus is on participation in the social process of knowledge construction. ‘Social mediation of learning and the individual involved are seen as an integrated and highly situated system in which interaction serves as the socially shared vehicles of thought. Does this mean that the individual can just learn from his peers and does not need any facilitator such as teacher, coach or parent? I am wary of this concept of learning in isolation. Perhaps the initial intension for computer use in education was just this but I would envisage the use of Computer supported collaboration as enabling this concept and more.

3.Social mediation by cultural scaffolding Here the emphasis is on the use of tools (necessarily socially constructed) in mediating learning. Tools and artifacts such as computers and books ‘embody shared cultural understandings’. Again this seems to point to learners constructing knowledge without facilitation or guidance.

4. The social entity as a learning system The focus here is on learning that occurs in groups, teams and other collectives, e.g. the ‘learning company’. The learning that takes place in collectives concerns the development of that collective, bringing about changes in its under-lying values, beliefs, culture and norms.

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SID 01652831/1 These theories of learning within social groups are to some extent what our model of schooling is today. There is some criticism that learning that takes place here is not the same as learning that takes place in other areas of our culture. Learning in schools needs to be more realistic then, using real sources of information and up to date tools. This ‘collaborative knowledge building’ (Scardamalia 1994) is exactly what my concern is about. Could the use of an online collaborative environment within the everyday culture of my classes start to give solutions to the concerns already stated? The references above all point to the powerful need for more connected thinking between class individuals and the teacher. It is possible that this type of social interaction cannot take place within the current timetable restrictions of face-to-face meetings for one hour per week. I have already in previous work realised that there is a great potential for learners and teachers interacting and making quality ‘connections’ in a non faceto-face environment especially when is asynchronous (Thomas 2001). Learning to be a social learner is an important aspect of Salomon and Perkins thoughts on social learning. Is this a key concept within my work? Can the use of CSC help to develop social learning skills?

Motivation

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SID 01652831/1 Motivational issues within my classes are also related perhaps to the lack of time within courses. I have also found through earlier work that using online environments can motivate students.

Motivational theory has been well documented over many years. The following is a brief outline of basic concepts of motivational theory, which affect the learner and factors that could possibly be altered by the use of CSC environment. We understand motivation in its most simplistic terms but perhaps we need to look more closely at it to discover some of the effects mentioned above. Motivation can be divided into two categories: Intrinsic and extrinsic (Deci & Ryan 1985). Intrinsic motivation is a natural tendency to seek out and conquer challenges as we pursue personal interests and further our capabilities, intrinsically motivated learners do not require incentives as the activity itself is rewarding. As a classroom teacher I see this form of powerful motivation time and time again within learners who have interests in a specific topic or can make connections with a specific task. Extrinsic motivation can be seen when we do something for reward or to avoid punishment.

Motivational theorists have predominately fallen into two main categories of behaviorist and humanistic. The behaviorist view is once again, as we concluded from the work of Skinner, a simplistic one. Motivation is split into rewards and incentives. Rewards are objects or events supplied as a result of particular behavior and incentives are events, which discourage or encourage behavior.

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SID 01652831/1 From this we can see that the predominant behaviorist view is one of extrinsic motivation. This is perhaps the most common method of motivation used within a classroom situation. Learners are frequently asked to complete tasks with competition and higher grades used as an extrinsic motivational tool. Detentions or contact with parents are also used in this way. The humanistic view of motivational theory has a more complex model as described by Abraham Maslow (Maslow, 1970). Maslow focuses on the intrinsic motivational model. He talks about ‘self actualisation’ or the seemingly inherent human need to fulfill their potential. Maslow ‘s hierarchy of needs is a model, which is well used within the educational field, and programs of self-efficacy and personal development have been integrated into curriculums within areas such as citizenship and Personal and Social Education (PSE). This need to develop one’s personal skills or interests is also commented upon in ICT motivational research. In a recent report Facer shows that:

“In the home young people choose what they use the computer for and they are thus very motivated to learn to use the computer for their chosen activities.” (Facer 2000) This type of intrinsic motivation occurs in most learners when they are to some extent ‘in control’ of their use of the computer as a cognitive tool. This perception of how much control learners have over events in which they are involved will affect their attitudes to ICT use (Cox 1999). Davis, Bagozzi and Warshaw (1989)

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SID 01652831/1 developed the technology Acceptance Model (diagram below) that links the perceived usefulness of the system with ease of use and attitude towards final use. They tested this model on a sample group and concluded that perceived usefulness was very strongly linked with attitude toward ‘intention of use’ of the system

The Technology Acceptance Model Perceived Usefulness External Variables

Attitude toward Use

Behavioral Intention to Use

Perceived Ease of Use in computer system use as leading to: Cox describes increased motivation

•

A greater interest and involvement in learning

•

Greater self-esteem

•

Determination to achieve specific tasks

•

Spending more time on the learning task

•

Trying to do better than one’s peers

•

Achieving more control over one own learning (Cox 1999)

Other research findings found that after use of CSC based systems:

•

There was relatively consistent evidence of students

showing more interest in collaborative learning. •

The practices of learning and instruction changed

considerably.

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SID 01652831/1 •

Students worked in a more self-regulating way, directing

their own projects. •

The amount and quality of social interaction between teachers and students increased.

•

Students developed skills for using information technology

and basic knowledge acquisition. They learned to access extended sources of information and motivation increased.

(Vander Meijden et al 2000)

The use of CSC then is perhaps extrinsically motivational. There are some threads above which could be used to develop the social learner. Schools are social hubs and as such we have a very good opportunity to use the basic need of humans to be social and the motivational needs of any individual to develop as Maslow put it ‘self actualization’. Actions: There are a number of actions, which I intend to implement to develop strategies that may answer some of the concerns, which I have outlined.

Time allocation of GNVQ and Applied GCSE courses:

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SID 01652831/1 The development of using a curriculum delivered mainly through the use of an CSC environment would mean an anytime anywhere approach to curriculum materials and the possibility of enhancing learners use of time allocated to them within the timetable to the full. Delivery of coursework material could also be digitally handled enabling learners to post finished work for critique immediately. In built communication systems within the environment would enable feedback to be given regularly and within a broader time scale than would normally be possible within the present face-to-face situation.

Motivation issues of some learners on compulsory ICT courses: The development of the CSC environment to create ‘communities of learning’ which cross inter class and inter year group boundaries could form a motivating factor. The increased ownership of coursework spaces and availability to communicate to others asynchronously could form motivating factors that help create collaborative communities and build knowledge.

Successes in the use of accelerated learning practice and recent personal research in collaborative environments and preferred learning style:

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SID 01652831/1 Thinking time increases during asynchronous tasks and this has shown to have positive benefits on motivation and self esteem. Could increased thinking time tasks help to ‘deepen’ the learning within project tasks? Learning by doing or a constructivist approach is very much to do with vocational courses and accelerated learning practices, would using a CSC based environment allow these skills to be developed further. The use of multi-media such as graphics, audio and Video within the capabilities of the CSC environment would cater for preferred learning style and form powerful scaffolding structure tools. By using a CSC environment to implement courses in ICT as a subject area I hope to address concerns shown and form a development cycle for this type of e-learning within my institution. Methodology: Data collection methods: Data will be collected from a sample group of year 7 and 8 learners. These students are of mixed sex and socio-economic groups. Data used will be observation notes, which will be annotated through out the project period and also observational logs of changes made to the CSC environment by students. A general computer attitude questionnaire will be used to give a background understanding of the groups’ tendency toward computer use and likes and dislikes about schooling. Sociometric survey will be used to give an indication of any sociometric changes possibly effected by the CSC use. This includes the use of a survey instrument which is computer based called sociometry plus based on the work of Mareno (1960)

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Resources: Think.com will be the CSC environment of choice used within this study. I have used other forms of managed learning environments (MLE) such as blackboard and php scripted, database back ended websites. Think.com gives a purpose built interactive environment with a good range of multimedia tools and communication devices.

Ethical Issues: Parental consent will be sought from the target group as a matter of courtesy and also to enable learners to develop within the current school policy of Internet use. The target CSC environment also has a strongly developed user policy and guidelines for safe use of chat systems which are within a ‘walled garden’ security system.

Timescale: The research will take place over a period of one term lasting approximately six weeks

Data analysis:

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SID 01652831/1 The group sampled produced results, which show that they were of average attitude for their age group with regards to computer use and schoolwork. Many students felt that the use of CSC environments and working online helped them with their schoolwork and motivated them to complete homework etc. Observed use of the CSC was exponential in growth throughout the period of research. Students enjoyed being able to act as peer teachers and related the opportunity to teach other students how to use parts of the CSC environment. Work posted on the system could be easily commented on and students sometimes enjoyed the quick individual response from teachers but equally realised the importance of peer interaction and even the odd comment from other students from the wider Think.com community. Transfer of teaching materials from home to school environment was made easy using this system and some good parental interaction could be encouraged because of the ‘public’ nature of the teaching materials. Results with student motivation were encouraging with even the most dissident student using the system initially for play and later with confidence in new skills for work tasks. The sociometric analysis although ‘raw’ in nature and open to many factors that could effect results pointed to an increase in positive relationship change to students that would not normally contact each other outside of school hours or communicate at a classroom group level.

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SID 01652831/1 The elements of bias that could enter into these finding are numerous. I make no apology for a personal perhaps anecdotal view of answers to my concerns. I have tried where possible to give an objective view of the results gained although I am aware that the largest bias of all could simply be brought into the discussion by me. I am a Technologist by heart and nature I embrace technology and marvel at it’s power. I have used ICT for many years and consider myself to be at the end of the technology acceptance continuum perhaps innovating rather than adopting. This I think is a very important point borne out be the work of Gow and Kember and others on attitudes and perception of teaching staff. Are the data results biased because of factors of teacher perception?

I think a number of points within the observations that I have made are significantly backed by the literature on this subject. Although as one can see I have taken a very broad look at areas, which I felt, formed both my interest and possible answers to my concern questions. The strongest evidence base is probably both motivational and connected learning, whether this is through peer interaction or the inclusion of others in the learning whole. This idea of individuals working more efficiently and finding increased motivation in a collective is obviously well researched and perhaps is being backed up now by post modern educational thought on future schooling. The school of tomorrow will have a very different structure to our traditional model and be more attuned to the needs of both the learner as individual and the learner as part of the collective.

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SID 01652831/1 Methodology analysis

I feel that for this study the methodology I chose was a fairly simplistic one. It could be criticized for a number of reasons. Bias once again does play a part in this and I would think that again the overall factor for bias would be teacher perception. I after all have made the observations and only used very small instruments of research to provide some technical detail or background information. The original intention for this study was to make the methodology far more rigid and use a triangulated approach, which included other teachers. I feel that there is still plenty of work to do within another cycle of action to achieve this. I have predominately gained most personal knowledge from literature review reading and the comparison of these theories with observations not only during the period of study but over the last sixteen years of life in a classroom. If the study were to continue or be re run I feel that there would be a number of changes made: 1.Stricter use of research instruments such as questionnaires. 2.Involvement of other teaching staff and analysis of their belief systems and perceptions to CSC and ICT use. 3.Longer period of research as the study seemed to only really show some significant developments toward the end. 4.Tighter statistical data collection of parental involvement in CSC use

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SID 01652831/1 Conclusions: The main conclusions of the work so far seems to be pointing to a number of clear concepts: That social learning theory and its relationship with knowledge construction are promoted by using CSC. Motivational theory and other research has backed up the use of computers as a motivational lever. Accelerated learning style theory seems to be able to be easily incorporated into using class based and individual tasks via CSC. Preferred learning style theory seems to be able to be easily incorporated into the media rich environments involved in CSC use. Scaffolding This seems to be a major part within the Vygotskian root of my use of CSC. I intended to use the CSC interface to scaffold tasks for the learner. By this I mean that, as teacher, I could keep a strong focused structure on each task by using CSC tools and therefore control the learning of the users. This form of supporting structure or scaffold seems to be key. The concept of vygotskian ZPD is also the focus here as the students and I are part of this Zone. What does my data show? Some conclusions from observations of using CSC over a brief period have confirmed opportunities for various parts of a learning community to develop within their individual roles and perhaps for better partnerships. Some of the

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SID 01652831/1 individuals below have been significantly affected by using CSC based environments:

Individuals or groups affected by CSC based classroom use: Student learners Class teacher Other teachers from not only the department community but others within the school and possibly others from outside the school (direct contact with the learner) Parents through dialogue with the teacher (this could be more frequent and specifically focused on work tasks as there is a better understanding of the task at hand) Parents with dialogue with student learners(this is enhanced because of the access to work tasks and stimulus materials available through the CSC and also work of other students and teacher comments ) Learner to learner collaboration with some reciprocal teaching not only over class community but a wider community whole year group, whole school.

From this we can see that the CSC environment can be a major tool in helping create a community of good practice, which relies heavily on collaboration multidimentionally. The scaffolding systems within its structure help to focus and motivate student learners and also help to develop teacher and parent learners.

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SID 01652831/1 The possibilities for reciprocal teaching with student learners are extended and the mix of learner ability and preferred learning style is strengthened by the semi open accessibility of CSC use. The make up of this community is extended somewhat from normal traditional classroom based methods as follows:

Individuals or groups affected by traditional classroom:

Students learners Class Teacher Other teachers within the department (no direct contact with learner but more of a focus on the teaching side of things) Parents through dialogue with the teacher (very infrequently) Parents with dialogue with the student learner (parents find it difficult to compare student to student and also some times do not see the work of their children for various physical and cultural reasons)

Strategies for Change and Improvement

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SID 01652831/1 The direct outcome of observations from this study has led to the introduction of the E Learning Portal (ELP) at Ringmer Community College and the introduction to Think.com as a CSC environment to over 600 students. It confirms that much of my casual observations over some years have some sound theoretical backgrounds and could possibly not only answer concern questions directly but also form a large step for the future of the college and it’s learning community. The introduction of a new Applied GCSE again in a limited time slot gives us the ideal vehicle to use CSC and develop other forms of teaching towards a ‘coaching’ role. I have introduced the use of CSC and e learning as there are many factors that could contribute to success such as a 90% ownership of home PC with over 89% with Internet connection many with broadband. Both our primary partners and we are laying the foundations in ICT literacy and on the whole students are ready for a major cultural change in the way that they use ICT’s I feel that during the study the majority of students felt happier with their course within the limited time slot allocated to them. They enjoyed the interaction outside of school hours and this benefit of an increase in work ethos seemed to even affect the unenthusiastic. The use of rich multimedia such as sound and video helped to accelerate learning and teach to some of the preferred learning styles of the students. A better study of the effectiveness of this will be made during the coming year as the college will use preferred learning style analysis as part of their pack of base line assessment data given to curriculum leaders.

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The strategy that has been implemented is based on a strong desire to follow a postmodern education program (Bowringcarr & Westburnham) and to develop environments where ‘life long learning’ skills would grow. This development of collaborative learning communities (Lave & Wenger, Scardamalia) encompasses not only student learners but also adult learners such as parents and teachers. The entry into the ZPD (Vygotsky, Tharpe & Gallimore) is encouraged by the use of CSC and eventual development through the stages of entry as described by Tharpe & Gallimore leads to the independence of the ‘life long learner’. If I can truly capture the spirit of these theories then I will have a very valid strategy that is not only practical as in it makes best use of time and facilities but it also develops high level learning skills and problem solving techniques.

Learning Outcomes Evaluation

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SID 01652831/1 The study has increased my knowledge of a number of areas, which I use as part of my professional life. I have increased areas of understanding in social psychology, which are vital, if I am to make an impact on the environment within which I teach and lead. I have found a new interest in teacher led research and concluded that professional and personal credit can be gained from formalizing a process, which many teaching professionals do on a daily basis. I have found the process of recording this difficult and with time constraints in full time employment in a very busy role it is sometimes hard to keep a focus on what you record. I have a new perspective on the involvement of other teachers to studies like this and my findings and I have developed roles within my college in working with a cluster group of teachers on research projects and sharing developments on e learning with other professionals in education from the county of Sussex via co ordination of a local consortium schools group on increased flexibility.

The process of change is a difficult one and there will be hard times ahead I am sure when I develop my ELP project to include others from curriculum areas. I suppose this report is circular in nature and I come back to my introduction in ‘Rationale’ (p1) where I ask:

‘Are these subjects’ just disjointed thoughts or is there a commonality between them in today’s education system?’

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SID 01652831/1 I would like to believe that I have come closer to joining the thoughts and closer to a professional use of very powerful ICT for a postmodern education system.

Bibliography: Argyle,M. (1991) Cooperation: The basis of sociability, Routledge, London Bowring-Carr, C. & West-Burnham, J. (1997) Effective learning in schools: How to integrate learning and leadership for a successful school, Financial Times Pitman Publishing, UK. COX, M.J. (1999)

‘Motivating pupils through the use of ICT’.

In LEASK, M. &

PACHLER, N. (Eds.) Learning to Teach Using ICT in the Secondary School, London, Routledge.

Daniels, H. (2001), Vygotsky and Pedagogy, Routledge Falmer,UK.

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SID 01652831/1 Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P & Warshaw, P.R. (1989) ‘User acceptance of computer technology’: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science Vol. 35, No. 8 Deci,E.,& Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation & self-determination in human behaviour. New York:Plenum DFEE, (1997) Connecting The Learning Society, The government’s consultation paper. Drucker, P. (1993). Post-capitalist Society. New York: Harper Collins.

Facer,K. (2000). Screen Play: An Exploratory Study Of Children’s TechnoPopular culture, Report submitted to ESRC Gow, L., & Kember, D. "Conceptions Of Teaching And Their Relationship To Student Learning." BJEP, 63: 20-33. 1993 Handy,C. (1994) The Empty Raincoat, London: Hutchinson Head,S. (1996) ‘The New Ruthless Economy’, New York Review of Books, 29th Febururay. Hopson, Michael H. (1998).

Effects of a technology enriched learning

environment on student development of higher order thinking skills. p. 35. Doctoral dissertation, University of North Texas, Texas. Lave,J. and Wenger, E. (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge: Cambridge Press Loveless, A. and Ellis, V. (2001) ICT,Pedagogy and the Curriculum Routledge Falmer UK Kember, D. (2000) Action Learning and Action Research, Kogen Page, UK. 37

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SID 01652831/1 Lea, M. and Nicholl, K. (2002)

Distributed Learning: Social and cultural

approaches to practice : Routledge Falmer, UK. Maslow,A.H.(1970). Motivation and Personality (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row Mconnell, D. (2000) Implementing Computer Supported Cooperative Learning, Kogen Page, UK. Monteith, M. (2000), IT for Learning Enhancement (ed), Intellect, UK. Moreno, J. L, (1960). The Sociometry Reader. Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press. OECD. (2000). Knowledge Management in the Learning Society. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD. (2001). Knowledge and Skills for Life: First results from the Programme for International Student Assessment. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Ofsted LEA findings,BBC,2001, BBC News EDUCATION Helping schools to improve Pedlar M., J. Burgoyne and T. Boydell (1997) "The learning company. A strategy for sustainable development" McGraw Hill Piaget,J.(1970). The Science of Education and the Psychology of the Child. New York: Orion Press Scardamalia,M. and Bereiter,C. (1994) Student Communities for the Advancement of Knowledge, CACM, Vol. 39, No. 4. Senge,P,M. (1990) The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday Soloman,G. and Perkins,D. (1998) Individual and social aspects of learning, Review of education Research,23. Skinner,B.F. (1953). Science and Human Behaviour. New York: Macmillan.

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SID 01652831/1 Skinner,B,F. http://tiger.coe.missouri.edu/~t377/btools.html Tharp, R. and Gallimore, R. (1988) Rousing Minds to Life: Teaching, learning and Schooling in Social Context. New York: Cambridge University Press Thomas, D, P. (2001). Computer Supported Collaborative Work Environments and their effect on Meta Teaching Vander Meijden, H., Simons.R.J. & De Jong, F.(2000) Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Networks In Primary And Secondary Education, Project 2017 http://www.pjb.co.uk/npl/bp31.htm Vygotsky,L.S. (1978) Mind in Society: the development of higher psychological processes, M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S.Scribner and E. Souberman (eds and trans.) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Woodhead,C.(1997) HMCI Annual report, London: OFSTED. (6513)

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