Unit information: Learning with New Technologies in 2018/19

Unit name	Learning with New Technologies
Unit code	EDUCD0066
Credit points	20
Level of study	D/8
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Sue Timmis
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit focuses on the ways in which new technologies can be used to enhance and transform the capabilities and practices of both individuals and organisations across a range of sectors and settings. Participants will consider digital technologies and environments and the ways in which they are embedded in our everyday lives and how they can be harnessed for teaching and learning. There will be three strands to the course: reading and discussion of relevant literature and theoretical perspectives; critical analysis of a range of digital-environments through “hands on” work; evaluation of the effects of the use of a computer environment for learning or management.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Introduce key concepts to explore learning with new technologies

• Support the application of real-life experiences to theories and results from the literature

• Promote critical discussions about the use of new technologies within “learning” environments

Teaching Information

Lectures; group work; “hands-on” computer work. research-based assignment. Fifteen hours of class contact time.

Assessment Information

4,000 word written assignment which incorporates the evaluation of software for learning or management.

Reading and References

1. Bruner, J (1996) The Culture of Education, Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press
2. Barnes, S. (2000) What does electronic conferencing afford distance education? Distance Education, 21(2) 236-247
3. Crook, C. and Light, P. (2002) Virtual society and the cultural practice of study. In Woolgar, S. (Ed) Virtual Society? Technology, cyberbole, reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press pp153-175
4. Garrison, D.R. &Anderson, TE-(2003) Learning in the 21st Century. A framework for Research and Practice. London, RoutledgeFalmer
5. Gee, J.P (2007) Affinity Spaces in Gee, J.P. (2007) Good Video Games, Good Learning. Peter Lang, New York
6. O’Malley, C. (Ed) (1995) Computer supported collaborative learning, Berlin: Spring-Verlag
7. Pea, R (1993) Practices of distributed intelligence and designs for education. In Salomon, G. (Ed) Distributed cognitions, psychological and educational considerations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp 47-87
8. Pea, R. (1994). Seeing what we build together: Distributed multimedia environments for transformative communications. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 3(3), 285 -299.
9. Perkins, D. N. (1993) Person-plus: A distributed view of thinking and learning
10. In Salomon, G. (Ed) Distributed cognitions, psychological and educational considerations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp 88-110.
11. Salomon, G. (Ed) (1993) Distributed cognitions: Psychological and educational considerations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
12. Sharples, M., Ed. (2007) Big issues in mobile learning: Report of a workshop by the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence Mobile learning initiative. Nottingham: Learning Sciences Research Institute.
13. Sutherland, Armstrong, V., Barnes, S., Brawn, R., Breeze, N., Gall, M., Matthewman, S., Olivero, F., Taylor, A., Triggs, P., Wishart, J. and John, P. (2004) Transforming teaching and learning: embedding ICT into everyday classroom practice. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20 (6) 413-425.