Support and further develop the Harnessing Technology Strategy

1. Harnessing Technology: research to inform the futureThe latest evidence for policy on technology to support business processes, pedagogical practice and the learner context

2. The research programme in context • Support and further develop the Harnessing Technology Strategy • Year 1 – February 2008 to March 2009 • System-wide research • Inform strategy and policy 2008 - 2014

3. Harnessing Technology Strategy system outcomes System Outcomes – Impacts of Strategy on the System Confident System Leadership & Innovation Technology Confident, Effective Providers Engaged and Empowered Learners Enabling Infrastructure and Processes • Learners able to exercise choice among flexible learning options • Tailored and responsive assessment which addresses learners’ needs • Engaging learning experiences which support deep & higher order learning Improved Personalised Learning Experiences • Education leaders understand how technology supports their priorities • Partners buy into strategic vision, & actively support implementation • Innovation encouraged, good practice shared and adopted • Providers achieve well on e-maturity criteria • Provider capability in place to support home and extended learning • Technology-based tools and resources support effective teaching • Learner entitlement is met, with all vulnerable groups supported • Technology adds value to family and informal learning • Learners use technology confidently and safely to support their learning • Systems for learner services fully integrated • High quality, tailored resources available to all learners • Infrastructure designed for efficiency & sustainability http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=37346

4. The research teams • Oxford University • LSRI - University of Nottingham / Sero • Kable / Innovation Unit

5. The research and approaches • The learner and their context – University of Oxford • Pedagogy and the curriculum – University of Nottingham / Sero • Business processes for delivery – Kable / Innovation Unit http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_mr_02&rid=14900

6. Research stage reached • Oxford University • 80 interviews with young learners • Further 20 interview with work-based and offender learners • Qualitative report submitted • Survey of 1000 learners • In-depth case studies • Final Year 1 report March 2009

7. Research stage reached • University of Nottingham / Sero • Horizon scans • Summary of trends • Report on disruptions submitted • Action research planned • Scenarios for possible futures

8. Research stage reached • Kable / Innovation Unit • Report on benefits realisation and conditions for solutions • Identified candidate technology and business process sectors • Developing business cases and cost benefit analyses • Outputs to resonate with the frontline

9. Improved personalised learning experiences

10. Improved personalised learning experiences • Opportunities offered by mobile architecture and communication devices: • Personally managed learning • Information sharing • Web 2.0 technology and collaboration • Learner’s sense of agency in learning and as collaborative co-constructors of learning

11. Improved personalised learning experiences “…It’s helped me gain confidence and provided me with the chance to sit GCSEs which a year ago I did not think would be possible.” Wigan Online Student Wigan Online Learning (WOL) seeks to provide a positive educational experience for approximately 60 Year 10 and 11 students regarded as disaffected by or excluded from other forms of education. It exemplifies personalisation of learning through a balance of online provision, face to face tutoring, and multi-agency working. www.wigan.gov.uk/Services/EducationLearning/AlternativeEducation/WiganOnlineLearning.htm

12. Improved personalised learning experiences • Opportunities offered by mobile architecture and communication devices: • Personally managed learning • Information sharing • Web 2.0 technology and collaboration • Learner’s sense of agency in learning and as collaborative co-constructors of learning

13. Improved personalised learning experiences • Key issues: • Challenge to develop the digital skills of users so they can manage and use their devices effectively and responsibly • Whether dependence on the availability of and access to particular technologies or devices affects the ability to deliver educational outcomes. • The impact of Web 2.0 and other technology trends

14. Confident System Leadership & Innovation

15. Confident System Leadership & Innovation • Innovation = invention + exploitation • Leaders’ roles in innovation • Dissemination of best practice – v – pressures of competition

16. Confident System Leadership & Innovation • Lack of opportunity for dissemination and discussion by practitioners and suppliers • Innovation impeded by the absence of a forum for discussion • Supply sector fragmentation affects consistency

17. Confident System Leadership & Innovation • New technologies and traditional practices • Whole school innovations rare • Consequences of failure

18. Confident System Leadership & Innovation • Key issues: • Effective dissemination of best practice • Culture that rewards innovation and does not stigmatise failure

19. Technology Confident, Effective Providers

20. Technology Confident, Effective Providers • Support for the expanded Children’s Workforce Network • ICT skills of next generation teachers

21. Technology Confident, Effective Providers • Key issues: • How can enablers be best equipped to support learners • Importance of increased training in and use of technology among the expanded children’s workforce and third sector organisations

22. Engaged and empowered learners

23. Engaged and empowered learners • Access to technology • Availability • Negotiation for use • Use for personal and educational activities

24. Engaged and empowered learners “Bebo, MySpace and You Tube, just looking up research for homework, a lot of homework on there, um music as well. Yeah, and sometimes games as well when it’s, you know, when I’m bored.” Male, Year 10 Use of technologies for personal and educational ends

25. Engaged and empowered learners “Well, if it was homework, then they’d say ‘oh go on’ you can go on until you’ve finished. But if I’m like on Bebo or anything, just looking at stuff then I always say ‘you can go on it now’.” Male, Year 10 “I like playing on it… my Mum and Dad always go on it and they never let me, well they do let me have a go but there’s some important stuff like their tax or something and they always take a lot of time to do it, so I wish I had my own computer so I could just go on it anytime.” Female, Year 4 Availability and negotiating access

26. Engaged and empowered learners • Family context • Young people’s digital lives influenced by shared family values and activities • Sphere where young people can develop expertise on a par with adults

27. Engaged and empowered learners “It’s quality time, you know… Because he’s always working and when he comes home you really want to talk to him about something but because he’s got so much on his mind, like computers, it’s like you just feel you can go join him in that life”. Female, Year 10 Technology as a shared activity

28. Engaged and empowered learners “…me and my dad and my little brother just like share little tricks that we’ve got. Like little shortcuts, how to do this, how to do this. So that’s how I get such a broad knowledge, because I share it with other people”. Female, Year 10 Contribution on a par with others

29. Engaged and empowered learners • Balancing risk and opportunity • Learners’ awareness of risk not matched by understanding • Role of a secure and supportive environment

30. Engaged and empowered learners “Sometimes you get emails and then you have attachments and then you have viruses in it which could probably kill your computer. …once my teenage cousin came round and they went on the computer and you know under the search… when you go to search when under it says safe search is on or off, then they put safe search off. And I didn’t know that and when I went on the computer and I typed in Michael Jackson and - there was some really scary pictures came up because – do you know Michael Jackson’s done a song called Thriller? Yeah, there’s some of the pictures of him as a werewolf and a zombie – I saw the video after that but I just went ‘Oh my God’ and I was up the night”. Female, Year 4

31. Engaged and empowered learners • Key issues: • How to establish ongoing educational programmes that keep pace with emerging activities • Understand how learners locate their learning activities within the context of multiple uses of technology • Identify what can be drawn from the situation of a supportive (often family) context for less advantaged learners

32. Enabling infrastructure and processes

33. Enabling infrastructure and processes • Forces affecting the education sector’s ICT infrastructure requirements: • Risks of reliance on a single channel

34. Enabling infrastructure and processes “It would make my life easier because my schedule is a nightmare and PDA/diary doesn’t interface with the school system so I am constantly on the phone to my PA. It also has the potential to aid communication between colleagues and streamline the administration of the school.” “Rapid dissemination of information has its advantages. Morning briefing could, I suppose, be undertaken with Blackberrys. We could all retain an up to date diary, the agenda for INSET could be pre-circulated for discussion and the poorly read school calendar would be at arm's length.”

35. Enabling infrastructure and processes • Technology to engage disadvantaged learners • Social Networking sites and 3G mobile phones

36. Enabling infrastructure and processes • Key issue: • Challenge for institutions’ network infrastructure • Implications for communications systems, resource organisations and system security • How to design for continual flexibility and change?

37. Published outputs • Available on the Becta website • Publications from each research team by end of year http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_mr_02&rid=14900

38. Discussion

39. Questions • What are your views on these issues and challenges? • Are there others you would want to raise? • What are the policy imperatives that the research must answer? • What evidence resonates with you?