Engage and inspire

I don't normally enjoy working over a weekend, but I'm looking forward to this one. Saltash.Net School, one of the premier technology early adopter schools in the United Kingdom is holding its annual staff conference down on the north coast of Cornwall this Friday and Saturday, and its Deputy Head Dan Roberts, has managed to get hold of some exceptional speakers for the event. Both 'slum-dog Professor' Sugata Mitra and Afghanistan war hero and double amputee Ben McBean will give keynote speeches on Friday evening, after which there will be a question and answer session, with invited panellists Stuart Ball (Microsoft Education), the blogger and journalist Merlin John, and yours truly.

The following morning, it will be my turn to speak, and I will be providing a keynote entitled: 'Teachers and Technology: The Big Picture' in which I will talk about how teachers can harness the power of new and emerging technology to inspire and engage learners. I will post my slides up on my Slideshare site after the presentation. There will be workshops later in the day led by Dan Roberts and Stuart Ball on how to use Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning, and the entire event will be searchable under the Twitter stream #saltash11. Much of the conference will also be live streamed at this site. Here is the list of people attending the conference. I'm looking foward to it.

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Engage and inspire by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

In the abstract

Writing a good abstract - a brief summary, precis or synopsis that appears at the front of an article - is important. It may be the only thing the reader sees, besides the title of your paper. This is because many event organisers only publish abstracts in conference proceedings. The same applies with journal articles - most publishers, particularly those who put up paywalls, will often allow you a free look at just the journal abstracts. The abstract is therefore quite an important device to promote your article. Get it right, and make it eyecatching, and you will often 'hook' people into reading the full article. Get it wrong, and you may lose your audience.

Several people have asked me to share my ideas and advice on writing abstracts for conference papers and journal articles. If you disagree with these suggestions and/or have alternative ones, you are very welcome to post your ideas and views below in the comments box. I'm sticking my neck out here, as there are sure to be objections about some of the following, but this is my blog and these are my ideas, and they are here to promote some discussion - so here goes:

I always write my abstract last, after I have written at least a full draft of the paper. The reason I do this is because often, my paper doesn't take its full shape until it's close to being finished, and I find it easier to write the abstract then. Alternative advice is to write your abstract first, because it can give you structure, but if you really want some scaffolding for structure, you could use sub-headings which can be removed later if you wish to do so.

There are of course many variations on the abstract, but essentially, any good abstract is fairly concise, and contains five key points (which could be written in as little as 4 or 5 sentences):

1: The background and context of the study.
2: The aims and purposes of the study; may also include research question(s) or hypothesis.
3: The method used to answer the research question(s); may also include brief details of the type and number of participants; sample size.
4: Summary of key research results/findings.
5: How the results contribute to knowledge of the field; main conclusions and/or recommendations.

So there you have it - a formula for a brief abstract that is applicable for use in the reporting of most research reports or academic studies. One final note - keep it brief, because most conference organisers, journal editors and book publishers will reject long and rambling abstracts.

Image source by Pascal Klein

In the abstract by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

You've been hailed

Increasingly, as technology becomes more personalised, it will also become more personalisable. By this I mean that not only will users be able to tailor the technology (apps, backgrounds, appearance, functionality) to their own needs, but it will also be used increasingly to appeal to their senses, and even to adjust their perceptions and behaviour. Watching a re-run of the 2002 sci-fi movie Minority Report, reminded me of this. The central character, a Pre-Crime Officer by the name of John Anderton is walking down the street, and animated advertising images are calling him out by name as he passes by: "John Anderton - you need this product today!" We assume that the embedded technology within the advertising hoardings is detecting some personal feature that identifies him - possibly the irises in his eyes - and can then call him by his name. Such advertising, if it were technically feasible (and some would argue it already is) would be very powerful, because as all advertisers know, it is the personal message that is the most influential.

The Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser had plenty to say about how ideological messages influence the perceptions of individuals. Objects, music, art (and I would add media and technology) can all be used to 'hail' the individual and make them feel as though they are personally being addressed. This process of interpellation could be exemplified in Lord Kitchener's World War One poster 'Your Country Needs You', and all of the subsequent imitations by other governments to encourage young men to enlist in the military to protect and defend their country. His stern expression and the stark message said it all. The eyes of the interpellator followed you wherever you went, and there was apparently no escape from the fact that Lord Kitchener was calling you personally to join him in the struggle against evil.

It is highly likely that such interpellative technologies as those seen in Minority Report will be realised sooner rather than later. But it is the context aware systems and their ability to educate learners that I am most excited about. Such systems will be at the core of the Smart eXtended Web, and equipped with the appropriate handheld or wearable technology, learners will be able to interact with their environments in ways never before achievable. All of this will also be very personal, and will facilitate new and exciting forms of education.

Inspired by a Twitter conversation with Manish Malik @manmalik, Simon Brookes @Pompeysie and Pat Parslow @patparslow.

You've been hailed by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Positive deviance

One of the statements I have made in recent speeches has gained quite a reaction. It contains the phrase 'positive deviance.' I've had a few questions about it so let me try to explain a little more:

In any community there are a few people who are not satisfied with the way things are done, and go against the grain. They often try out new and possibly unacceptable ideas that in the end, prove correct, or promote some positive change. So from the undesirable comes the desirable. People who are positive deviants are usually unpopular, or are considered to be lunatics, subversives or anarchists. Consider the little boy in the crowd who was the only one bold enough to should out 'The King has no clothes on!'. Nobody else dared to say it. But he saw it like it is and spoke out. This was an example of positive deviance. It brought about a change in people's perceptions. 'Some things will never change' sang Bruce Hornsby, and then he added 'Ah but don't you believe it.' Changes can be achieved even in the most conservative organisations if they are approached properly. But positive deviance can go farther than individual action.

Positive deviance can also come from collective action - or in the words of James Surowiecki - 'the wisdom of the crowd'. The current radical changes in the Middle East are being caused by collective positive deviance, in this case in the form of mass civil disobedience. Tyrants are being overthrown by the collective positive deviance of those who simply will not put up with being oppressed any more. Sadly, there has been bloodshed, and even loss of life, yet people still seem willing to make the sacrifice so they can secure a better future for themselves and their children. Positive deviance is therefore based on direct action as well as thought. “It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than think your way into a new way of acting”. Or in other words, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Teachers can be deviant in a positive way. All it takes is for one teacher to notice that something is not being done particularly well and can be done better. All they need to do is speak out, blow the whistle. It may not be acceptable to change the way 'something has always been done', but sometimes it still has to be done, regardless of the cost, if a positive change is to be made. Positive deviants get into trouble sometimes, because they disrupt the status quo - they challenge and subvert 'the way things have always been done', and they can be uncomfortable to have around. But ultimately, if we want far reaching change in our school systems, then we need positive deviancy. So do you see things that need changing? Are you disatisfied with the way things are done? And are you prepared to take the risk to make some changes, to try out new things? Are you a positive deviant?

Image source by Nigel Mykura

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

Counting the cost

When we talk about the future of learning, we talk about the future of society. Most will agree that good education contributes significantly toward the wellbeing and prosperity of society. Without a trained, educated work force, nation states are not in a position to compete within the global economy. You only have to look at any emerging nation of the world where there is poor or partial compulsory education provision to see exactly how its economy is faring. Moreover, the higher the number of people unemployed, the more drain there will be on the economic and social resources of the state. This is the main reason why successive governments load their deck so heavily in favour of improved educational provision. It is politically expedient and it is also socially and economically desirable to seek to improve the state funded education provision. And it is why most changes imposed by governments don't actually work. This is because the governments of the world often remain blinded by economic considerations, and fail to see the true value of good education. Our leaders know the price of education, but have no idea about its true value.

Education is not just about preparing children for a world of work, and it is more than an organised attempt to secure the economic future of the nation. Education is far more valuable than that. How can we ignore the simple joy of learning? How can we measure the cultural value of learning about art, music, science, faith - the world around us? What price can we place on leading young people to maturity of thought, where they become discerning and critically aware individuals, able to decide for themselves what is right or wrong in the world? How do we place a price tag on enabling children to channel their fertile imaginations into precious, creative, transformative outcomes?

The answer is, we can't ... and we shouldn't. When the world falls apart around us, what we will be left with - is what we have learnt. And while the good people of Christchurch, New Zealand, are struggling to come to terms with their tragic losses, resulting from yesterday's devastating earthquake, what will they be doing? They will be surviving, escaping, organising, caring, sharing, coping, communicating, collaborating, rebuilding, reflecting and reappraising, and drawing on many other valuable skills they have learnt. Skills that go way beyond the mere acquisition of facts and knowledge. They will be drawing upon their emotional and intellectual resources which do not result solely from immersion in a 'curriculum', but rather through their exposure to the values and mores of their community.

As the news of the Christchurch earthquake broke yesterday, many people drew on their social media communication skills to connect with each other, providing vital information and sharing news, in a virtual community that spanned the globe. They achieved this without the help of the broadcast media, who were once again hours behind in reporting from the scene. We received reports from citizen journalists, people caught up in the drama of the moment, using their mobile phones to send out their pleas for help, and their remarkable but disturbing pictures and videos of the scenes they were witnessing before them. Such actions cannot be taught. There is no curriculum that can be developed to give us an appreciation of what we should do in a disaster or a crisis, no way to teach how we can communicate human tragedy as it unfolds. We learn by doing and we learn by being exposed to these experiences. And as we learn, others learn with us and from us. As a community, we somehow survive and ultimately, thrive. Lifelong learning is what education is made of. It was never about knowing what, always about knowing how. Let us never confuse schooling with education. If we do, what will be our future?

Dedicated to the memory of those lost in the Christchurch earthquake of 22 February, 2011.

Donate to the Red Cross NZ Earthquake victims fund

Image source by Martin Luff


Counting the cost by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Lunatic fringe?

Ivan Illich once argued that schools were like funnels, a transmission system - an industrialised, impersonal process that created more problems than solutions. His alternative to funnels was to establish 'learning webs' where students could share their expertise within their communities and learn from each other as the need arose, and as their interests drove them. For Illich, informal learning was more appropriately situated than formal learning, and therefore more relevant for lifelong learning. The work of Paulo Freire holds a particular significance to this discourse - he argued that dialogue was more powerful than curriculum, because it is the essence of informal learning, driven by interests rather than the expediences of the state. Einstein was an echo of these sentiments. He once said: 'Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learnt at school'.

During a presentation in Manchester two years ago, I happened to mention that Illich's 1970s notion of deschooling society could now be achieved through new web based tools, but that we were in danger of turning the Web back into a funnel if we persisted with wholesale implementation of institutional VLEs that constrained rather than liberated learning. He is one of my favourite anarchists, I said.

In an online discussion group later, someone suggested that my mention of Illich was enough to brand me as a member of the 'lunatic fringe'. I smiled, because I wasn't offended by this, but genuinely encouraged. A similar thing happened to me during the plenary session of the ICL conference in Austria. I asked a question of one of the keynote speakers, and cited Illich's deschooling position. He lost his cool and declared "No-one quotes Illich anymore!" It's not always a bad thing to be labelled a lunatic. It often means that people just don't fully understand what has been said. It's the same when someone is labelled an anarchist. It is often used as a perjorative description, without a clear understanding of what it actually means.

The Sex Pistols sang 'I am an anarchist', but I'm not convinced they were really aware of the true connotations of their lyrics. One of the conference delegates at my Manchester presentation asked me to explain my statement that Illich was 'one of my favourite anarchists'. He asked me to say what 'other anarchists' I admired. I responded with a list of people including: Jesus Christ, Mozart, Picasso, Van Gogh, Stockhausen, Einstein, The Beatles and Dylan Thomas. A surprising list perhaps? Few of these, if asked, would have classified themselves as anarchists in the sense that they wished to 'destroy the world'. They didn't of course. Most of them were criticised for being mad, deluded, drug-crazed or drunken, but each of them in their own way broke out from the mould, enabling us to see the world in a new way. They created new concepts that made us rethink our representations of reality. To me, that is what true anarchism is. Not being satisfied with the present, anarchy is about challenging, subverting, removing and ultimately replacing the tired, creaking old structures - a kind of 'destructive creativity' perhaps. It may not all be about smashing the system. It may be about repurposing it - just take a closer look at Illich's ideas:

Here is what Illich (pictured left) actually said: “A…major illusion on which the school system rests is that most learning is the result of teaching. Teaching, it is true, may contribute to certain kinds of learning under certain circumstances. But most people acquire most of their knowledge outside school, and in school only insofar as school, in a few rich countries, has become their place of confinement during an increasing part of their lives".

Illich was not saying 'destroy school'. He was saying that the ills of the current state funded school system (read 1971, or 2011 - it makes no difference) far outweigh the good. School is creating far more societal problems than it is solving, he believed. His notion of 'learning webs' reflects his concern that we become more community focused and able to respond to changes, whilst his critique of 'funnels' shows his concern for the bland, homogenous and often irrelevant curricula of his own time and the impersonal, behaviouristic manner in which it was delivered.

On his blog, Bill Ellis provides us with useful insight into the motivation behind Illich's thesis: "Deschooling Society was more about society than about schools. Society needed deschooling because it was a mime of the school system that it engendered and that engendered it. In our current society individuals are expected to work in dull and stultifying jobs for future rewards. This they are trained to do in schools. They go to school so that they can get a job to work for future rewards".

We are seeing some green shoots. Creative curricula and personalised learning environments are the start of the deschooling process Illich called for. The formation of loose networks of practice and virtual communities, professional learning networks (PLNs) and 'user groups' on the Social Web is another. Retiring school systems that inhibit creative expression and individualism, and introducing new forms of assessment that support learning rather than measure it are also the start of the deschooling process. Using appropriate digital media that connect people into expert webs and enable them to negotiate meaning that is relevant to their own specific contexts is infinitely better than direct instruction. I can't see us demolishing the school or university building. What we should see happening though, is building the essence of all that is good from the school and university into each personal learning space, wherever that may be, and whatever form it might take. You can read more about the Deschooling Society ideas of Ivan Illich.

Images: Moon source. Illich source.

Lunatic fringe? by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Very touching

Under consideration during one of my tutorials were the affordances of touch screen tools such as Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Regular readers of this blog may remember a post I wrote last month on natural gesture interfaces entitled It's only natural. In it I reported that there are a number of ways to interface with a computer now, including touch screen, non-touch (e.g. the XBox 360 Kinect), touch surface (e.g. MIT's Sixth Sense wearable), voice activation, and a number of other operation modes, many of which are spin-offs of adaptive technologies developed to support users with physical disabilities. Even facial feature recognition has been mentioned as a future interface mode.

But it was the Apple iPad tablet and other touch screen tools such as Dell's Latitude laptop that were in our focus today. (A review of the new Latitude 2110 will feature on this blog in the near future) I speculated that it was not only the tactile characteristics of the touch screen that were important, but that haptics could also be a key factor. Non-touch interfaces will no doubt become popular in time, as has already been shown by the rapid rise in popularity of the XBox Kinect. But the Nintendo Wii remains a popular gaming technology, possibly because of the haptic feedback system built into the handset. If you hit a golf ball too strongly for example, not only do you hear the fateful sound of an overhit golf ball, and experience the view of the ball overshooting the green, you also feel the vibration in the handset, which convinces your nervous system that you have made a mistake. Although the iPad screen doesn't vibrate, it never the less provides pressure resistance feedback to the user. It is a sort of middle ground between the flexible 'give' of the conventional keyboard or mouse, and the 'nothingness' of the XBox 360 Kinect. Haptics, I think, will have a big role to play in the future acceptance of natural gesture interfaces and may influence which systems ultimately become the 'Killer App' replacement for the keyboard and mouse. People may not be as ready for the completely non-touch interfaces.

A second point we discussed was that natural gestures such as pinching, flicking and swiping are intuitive, and offer students a tactile, transparent window to manipulation of content and quicker learning. Transparent technologies are those that require learners to invest a minimum of thought and effort into navigating and operating a system, thereby allowing them more cognitive processing capablity to learn. Conversely, an opaque technology (some institutional VLEs fall into this category) is a technology that forces students to concentrate more on using the tools than they do on actual learning. The former is clearly more desirable than the latter, and iPad and iPhone type interfaces provide this transparency. Students 'see through' the technology to more easily find, organise and assimilate the content.

The third important aspect of touch screen interfaces is their capability to support learning, communication and interaction with surroundings while on the move. New and emerging applications such as Augmented Reality, GPS and 3D visualisation also have a lot of appeal, particularly for those who find themselves having to navigate through unfamiliar neighbourhoods. We will probably see a lot of new developments around computer interfaces in the coming few years, but I think Apple have nailed it with the iPad touchscreen for a while at least.

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