Technologies for Learning Literature Review [#TforL]

This piece is cross-posted on the Scottish Government Technologies for Learning Strategy Website.

 

Deciding on the themes for the literature review on technologies in learning is difficult. As many themes overlap.

Here are my initial thoughts. Feel free to rip them to pieces! – In fact, I will be offended if you don’t.

1) Why is technology in education important?

This piece will draw on literature that will describe the importance of technology in education. Including the increasing role of technology in how we work, learn and socialize. It will include past and predicted trends of how technology has changed or may change our society.

This will be a high-level overview piece that will refer to other areas of the literature review related to this project.

Geographical scale: Scotland, UK and Global.

2) How has technology has been used to improve learning and teaching?

This piece will draw on literature that will provide evidence of how technology has been used to improve learning and teaching. In particular the support of assessment is for learning strategies, improving learners motivation, promoting inclusion, increasing learners attainment, share learning achievements and providing on-line opportunities for learners.

Geographical scale: Scotland, UK and Global.

3) How has technology can be used to deliver professional development?

This piece will draw on literature that will provide evidence of how technology can be and has been used to deliver professional development.

Geographical scale: Scotland, UK and Global.

4) How can technology be used to release efficiencies?

This piece will draw on literature that demonstrates how the use of technology can release efficiencies. These efficiencies may include environmental efficiencies but also how technology can contribute to improvements in school productivity.

Geographical scale: Scotland, UK and Global.

5) What are the differences and similarities within Scotland’s technological learning landscape?

This piece will draw on literature mainly from local education authorities and describe the differences and similarities in infrastructure, network access, network speed, managed services, access to resources, ICT policies, ICT Support, ICT CPD and future ICT development plans.

Geographical scale: Scotland

6) What have we learnt from existing technology initiatives?

This piece will draw on literature that describes successful technology initiatives and developments. This will include both large and small scale projects that have develop infrastructure, introduced hardware solutions and provided professional development to teachers.

Geographical scale: Scotland, UK and Global.

7) How is digital content distributed and procured and how do learners interact with this content?

This piece will draw on literature that describes the different ways that countries procure and provide digital content to their learners. This will include user generated content, commercial content and content produced by the public sector.

Geographical scale: Scotland, UK and Global.


What do you think? What have I missed? What can you suggest?

 

Banner Image: timetrax23

Comments

[Waltatek]

Ollie - Item #6 seems to infer that only successful initiatives have something to teach us. We know that learning from failure is often the more powerful! I would suggest that we need both.
cf NGFL training?

[Doogiec]

That's a great start Ollie and I don't envy you the task. If you can get peer reviewed, statistically significant evidence of no. 2 I'll be delighted.

I'm going to risk sounding pedantic here. My only request is that you distinguish between the tools people are using and the uses to which they put the tools. Blogs are a tool, not a technology. Blogging is technology because you've done something with a tool.

So it may be worth asking:

1 - Why are tools in education important?
2 - How have tools been used to improve learning and teaching?
3 - What tools can be used to deliver professional development?
etc

A lot of these will be modern, digital tools. But only when the tools are applied to a problem do they become technologies. And one tool can result in different technologies. A hammer can be used contructively and destructively. However construction and demolition are very different technologies.

On reflection it's a very pedantic point but I think it's important so I'm going to leave it and see what other people think.