ALTernate reality

This year's Association for Learning Technologies Annual Conference alternated between highs and lows, controversy and comfort. Let me explain: One of the most controversial parts of the conference was the opening keynote, which I and many others have already reported on. I have heard just about every possible reaction to Donald Clark's speech, some mirroring the invective he unleashed, even the profanities. Enough said.

Other (slightly less) controversial aspects included a difference of opinion from delegates about the merits of the live Twitterwall in the main auditorium. Some considered it a distraction, a few thought that it was tempting subterfuge, while many more decided they liked it as an additional amplification feature - a conference back channel if you will. My own session, a panel presentation shared with John Traxler, Frances Bell, Andy Black, Karl Royle and Mark Childs (pictured), discussed issues around ethics in Web 2.0 interventions and research. While arguably less controversial than last year's VLE is Dead debate, the symposium still attracted over 100 delegates, and there was some cut and thrust from all those involved.

Many predictably complained about the poor quality of the student accommodation offered on campus. I suppose I didn't help matters by boasting to anyone within hearing distance that my bed and breakfast room was a double en suite, with wifi, satellite TV, microwave oven, refrigerator and a private car port right outside my ground floor window. And I paid less for it too. I digress.

There were also many highlights during the conference. Besides enjoying the energy generated by a gathering of over 500 passionate, inquisitive and knowledgeable learning technology professionals and academics (heat and light were generated in equal measure), there was the opportunity to meet other like minded individuals from all over the world, and to say - Yes, I have that problem too! It was the start of many friendships, and probably a lot of future collaborations and creative liaisons too. Many met for the first time people they had connected with for months or even years online. It is always a great experience when that happens. The now traditional Fringe ALT meeting of Edubloggers took place at the Nottingham Playhouse, with impromptu debates where participants names (and surprise topics) were drawn from a bucket. We all had to think on our feet that evening.

Sugata Mitra (University of Newcastle) delivered what was promised in his Day 2 keynote. A wry, inspirational and thought provoking presentation on the promise of self-organised learning mediated through 'hole in the wall' web enabled computers. I won't say any more here, as this speech has been better documented by others elsewhere, but I will say that many people left the room smiling, relieved that keynote 2 was as divorced from keynote 1 as Cheryl and Ashley.

The individual Learning Technologist of the Year was awarded jointly for the second time in as many years. Cristina Costa representing Higher Education (University of Salford) and Kevin McLoughlin, working in the compulsory education sector (St Peter's CofE Primary School in Whetstone) shared the accolades of their peers for their leading edge work in learning technology. The team award was picked up by David White and the TALL team at the University of Oxford. The full list of awards can be found here. The conference dinner was a triumph as usual, with cooking, presentation and service of a very high standard from the local catering college students.

Unfortunately, our final keynote speaker, Barbara Wasson, could not attend the conference due to illness. In her place, 6 stawarts of learning technology sat in a panel and took on all comers around the question - what would you concentrate on as the one activity that could bring in a sea-change? Gilly (1000 years of experience) Salmon, John (my middle name is Nigel) Cook and Haydn (shouts across the valleys) Blackey and their colleagues regaled us and provoked us, and the Twitterwall rolled, live on the wall, for all to see.

ALT-C 2010 is history now. All that is left is an empty suite of rooms at the East Midlands Conference Centre, littered with plastic cups, empty dishes and discarded vendor flyers. They will be cleared up by the large team of helpers, but the true detritus of the event will be whether what has been said and done in the last 3 days actually does cause any semblance of sea-change in education, through the intervention and use of learning technologies.


ALTernate reality by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Donald .... Duck!

Donald Clark's opening keynote for ALT-C 2010 essentially polarised his audience this morning. Some loved his earthy, no-quarter given demolition of an host of established theories of learning. "Maslow's hierarchy of needs is only popular, because triangles are easy to put into Powerpoint slides" he opined. "Socrates was a bully" he claimed, and he also lashed into other long accepted and well established models, much to the delight, and also the chagrine of those assembled. What really rankled though with many of those present (and some of those watching via Elluminate) was his critique that academics do not question learning theories, not are they suffiently critical of them. (Picture above: Donald Clark appeals to the Gods of Pedagogy).

Clark argued that lectures are a relic of the medieval age, and complained that modern university teaching rooms are not tech friendly. Where are the power sockets in this room? he asked. Fair point. And how can you get students to interact when all the seats are bolted down and facing the same way? Another good question. But his outright dismissal of the lecture as a legitimate pedagogical method left many of the delegates reaching for their laptops and harsh tagging him. There was plenty of 'tweckling' from all parts of the hall, and I suppose that by now, Donald Clark has read these comments, and knowing him as I do, is ready for the next round. For he is in a fight, no doubt about it. He cited Donald Bligh's seminal book 'What's the use of lectures?', but failed to mention that Bligh goes on to describe several important ways to improve the lecture and make it more interactive and participatory for students.

Was he too opinionated? One delegate suggested Clark had given ALT-C a 'Glasgow Kiss', but that may be going a little too far. Donald certainly fuelled much disciussion, and became the human equivalent of a hand grenade tossed into an otherwise placid melange of academics and professionals. It certainly had the desired effect. He tore down a lot during his keynote, but many were left questioning whether Donald Clark actually built anything up? When asked what the alternatives were to the lecture, he didn't seem to answer substantially, to the satisfaction of those who were listening.

One final observation: Donald Clark seemed to consider it acceptable to lace his presentation with a number of profanities. It intensified as he became more passionate and warmed to his subject. However, for some in the audience, his style stifled his substance. They were more intent on the language he was using than they were on what he was actually saying. Never the less, whatever your opinion about 'the lecture is dead' rant, it caused a few waves and a lot of dissonance for the 550 or so delegates at this years event. More later. And in the meantime, to lighten the mood, above is a picture of Stu Johnson with an Apple device.

Donald ... Duck! by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.