The midden

These 2 posts (Part 1 and Part 2) by Tony Bates, consider the need for change in Higher Education and the role that technology has in supporting that change.
In reading Part 1, the current 19th Century industrial model of education that universities still cling on to is all too familiar.  While many will see what [...]

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One of the characteristics of HE teaching is that lecturers tend to teach in the way they were taught when they were undergraduates.  So if they were taught by inspirational teachers who saw the value of teaching, they are more likely to focus on inspiring their own students. If they were taught by lecturers who [...]

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While this handbook from futurelab is aimed at promoting discussion around the nature and purpose of innovation in schools, much of the evidence, ideas and recommendations it presents are equally valid for HE.
Transformative innovation is radical and challenging. It is the kind of innovation that challenges our assumptions about how we do things and causes [...]

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Mike Wesch’s latest Youtube video, A Portal to Media Literacy, is essential viewing for all educators. He describes so clearly why we have to change and challenge the present system of educating our young people. He is clearly a passionate teacher and someone who understands the world in which his students move.
His dismantling of the [...]

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Ken Robinson’s wonderful talk on TED

Visit his website for all things Sir Ken.

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This book gives a detailed and comprehensive coverage of how digital technologies can be used to transform our present, outdated, industrial model of education. Co-published by BC Campus and the Commonwealth of Learning, it is available as a free download. As we are aware, despite the widespread availability of new technologies, their impact on teaching [...]

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Jane Hart, head of the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies, has produced a useful list of the most popular tools used by learning professionals. The list is a mix of proprietary, open source and web-based tools. She has also grouped them by type, and given other suggestions of similar tools in each category.

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