Is it possible to be smart?addressing the inevitabilities,

opportunities and challenges of using personal smart technologies to support learning in higher education

Andrew MiddletonHead of Innovation & Professional

Development

@andrewmid

#smartSEDA

19th Annual SEDA Conference 2014Opportunities and challenges for academic

development in a post-digital age13th November 2014 -14th November 2014

NCTL Learning and Conference Centre, Nottingham

About this session Smart Learning - the opportunities, challenges

and inevitabilities of personally owned smart technologies for teaching and learning, and

Academic innovation - the capability of academic innovators to effectively transform their own practice and influence the practice of others

by developing emerging thinking using a communal agency method

InnovationChallengesOpportunities...or Inevitabilities

cc US Army

Based only on what you know please complete the

Challenge and Opportunity cards

You will use these as the basis for beginning to explore the idea of smart learning in this session

Just 3 minutes – first thoughts only

The Challenge & Opportunities method

In small groups

Compare your Challenge and Opportunity cards

Quickly note:

1.Are the statements about: teaching and learning? technical barriers? the need for leadership or support? something else?

2.How ambitious is the challenge statement?

The Challenge & Opportunities method

The Challenge & Opportunities method Examine and compare

preconceptions Establish focus Establish contextual

complexity Valuing participation Promote productive

networking Develop communal agency

Elicit the range of issues Elicit benefits

Analysing Challenges & Opportunities

PEDAGOGIC READINESSof learners and teachers

ORGANISATIONAL READINESSstrategic

TECHNICAL READINESSpersonal and institutional

AWARE AWARE AWARE

ENHANCINGACCOMMODATING

DEVELOPINGSUPPORTING

ABLE & STABLE

TRANSFORMING ADVOCATING FLUENT & FLEXIBLE

123

Challenge results: Pedagogic Readinessof learners and teachers

AWARE• Resistance from staff (Careers)• Current role. Breaking barriers/habits• Pedagogical support for iPad for teaching

ENHANCING• How can communication skills be developed via smart

technology?• Get away from the assessment=exams and essay regime

(Academic)

TRANSFORMING• Technology is fully embedded and well-used. Not a

gadget for gadget's sake (Learning Technologist)• Non-linear innovation (TEL)

1

2

3

• Quote (attribution by role)

Opportunity results: Pedagogic Readinessof learners and teachers

AWARE• Explore all available technologies rather than focussing on

one or two.• Experience of learning is more valued and integral to life

ENHANCING• Expanding student experience... Making learning more

differentiated• Collaborative learning (Learning Technologist)• [Access to] huge range of people and skills (Student)• Participating in change... • Feedback (Academic)• Liven up delivery (Careers)

TRANSFORMING• Social networkers... make shift to social learning (Ed Dev)• Open learning (PicBod/Phonar) new digital degree. Take

this into Journalism (Academic)• Considering the blending of traditional methods with new

technology (Senior Lecturer)

1

2

3

• Quote (attribution by role)

Challenge results: Organisational Readinessstrategic capacity

AWARE• To get all the staff interested... (e-learning Developer)• Myself- finding time to learn how to use the different

devices. I work P/T...• Reason to leave comfort zone• BYOD argument! ...So, do we buy students devices or

allow them to BYOD (?)• ...There must be support from above (Ed Tech)• Budget to implement technology (Faculty Dean)

ACCOMMODATINGDEVELOPINGSUPPORTING

• Scalability..: money, ethics, time, energy• Attitude ...using smart technology in the classroom

(Int. Advisor)• Time!... space to innovate... I want it! I need it! (SL)• Lack of knowledge/support for academics to integrate

[smart technology] into teaching (HoT&L)

ADVOCATING• Mindset and culture• Innovators valued as leaders

1

2

3

• Quote (attribution by role)

Opportunity results: Organisational Readinessstrategic capacity

AWARE• Smart technology should be embedded into the

physical environment with QR Codes - huge potential in our university - bilingual environment (Learning Technologist)

ACCOMMODATINGDEVELOPINGSUPPORTING

• Embracing new technology and ideas for use• Seamless solutions - Joining up the thinking and

breaking down barriers (Academic)

ADVOCATING• Learning analytics - personalise/tailor student

learning (Academic)• Timeliness as when students want to engage

(Academic)• The chance to offer more creative forms of

assessment across all disciplines (Information Specialist)

1

2

3

• Quote (attribution by role)

Challenge results: Technical Readinesspersonal and institutional

AWARE• IT infrastructure, wifi capacity and plug sockets

(Academic)• Ensure wifi coverage is robust enough• Connectivity and policy issues so our IT services can be

supportive of this and not be scared of it!

ABLE & STABLE• Institution only speaks 'Microsoft' (Lecturer)• Not all students will be able to take part if they do not

have compatible devices (Careers staff)• Is technology moving too fast..?• Robust wi-fi (Lecturer)• Access to devices within the classroom (e-L support)

FLUENT & FLEXIBLE• Variety of platforms used on student devices

(Lecturer, Fieldwork)• Not everyone has a device (Student)• Create an open media citizen-journalism app to

enhance our Journalism & Media course (Academic)

1

2

3

• Quote (attribution by role)

Opportunity results: Technical Readinesspersonal and institutional

AWARE• Increased independence and flexibility• Less dependence on the wired environment and

infrastructure

ABLE & STABLE• Apps usually free or cheap, task oriented and

simpler to support• Opportunities for learning and knowledge creation

'on demand' not within a prescribed timetable or working week.

FLUENT & FLEXIBLE• Anytime, anywhere, anyhow• Make university greener by facilitating distance

learning. Use devices to get students to study 'smarter' more autonomously, self directed.

1

2

3

• Quote (attribution by role)

13:40

Smart: mobileMeaning

portable handheld deviceson the move

being in remote, non-traditional, or authentic places

using non-wired environmentsteaching and learning in, across

and through a range of physical and virtual spaces seamlessly

enhancing formal spacesenhancing informal spacesenhancing or transforming

experience across spaces

cc Giorgio Luciani

BYOD Employees find it more

productive to use their own smart devices rather than the technologies provided for them

Personal devices bypass the constraints and protocols of provided technologies

Employees to be more productive as they work across formal and informal spaces (Caldwell, Zeltman & Griffin, 2012).

Caldwell, C., Zeltman, S., and Griffin, K. (2012). BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Competition Forum, 10(2), pp. 117-121

cc Gailjadehamilton

"the planned curriculum"

"the unplanned curriculum"

Smart: formal-informalEverywhere. Anywhere.In between and across locations…Lecture theatres, classrooms, corridors, outside, pub, home office, student rooms, workplace, placements, professional settings, international settings, online, on the move…

13:45

Where does learning happen?

Middleton (2015) 'Introducing Smart Learning' In: A. Middleton (ed). Smart learning: teaching and learning with smartphones and tablets in post compulsory education. MELSIG and Sheffield Hallam University

RICH DIGITAL MEDIA

USERGENERATED

MEDIA

BYOD

MOBILE LEARNING

OPEN LEARNING

SOCIAL MEDIAFOR

LEARNING

incorporates and multiplies

related opportunities

disruptsformal

models of delivery

disruptsone-to-many

model

disruptsdependency

on text

disrupts provided content model

disrupts provided

"classroom" model

disrupts provided

technology model

connectivity

social reach

AUTHENCITY

maturity of the technologies

affordability of software

multiple functionality

location sensitivity

personalisation

computing power

real and virtual capacity

device neutrality and interoperability

range of media

SPONTANEITYCREATIVITY

CO-OPERATION & COLABORATION

LIFE-WIDE & LIFELONG

UBIQUITY & ACCESS to LEARNING

PRODUCTIVITYLEARNER-CENTREDNESS

CONNECTIVITY

"Defining factors and attributes of Smart Learning" from Middleton (2015) 'Introducing Smart Learning' In: A. Middleton (ed). Smart learning: teaching and learning with smartphones and tablets in post compulsory education. MELSIG and Sheffield Hallam University

portability and compactness

personal ownership

InnovationComplexity and Inevitability?

cc Jenny Downing

How necessary is intervention anyway?

To what extent does change just 'happen'?

For a paradigm shift to occur conditions for change need to be in place - adjacent possibilities (Johnson, 2010)

C&O method is useful for stimulating academic innovation

Also, describes complexity Complexity requires holistic

leadership for enhancement and transformation, connecting: Pedagogic strategy Organisational strategy Technical strategy

Conclusions

Thank youemail:

a.j.middleton@shu.ac.uk