designing portals

© British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2004.Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 35 No 6 2004

747–759

Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford, UKBJETBritish Journal of Educational Technology0007-1013British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 20042004356747759Reviews

ReviewsBritish Journal of

Educational Technology

Reviews

Please note that all books from Kogan Page reviewed here are now published by and availablefrom RoutledgeFalmer:

tandf.co.uk [email protected]

2004356Reviews

ReviewsBritish Journal of Educational Technology

Using C&IT to support teaching

Chin Paul

(2004).

Using C&IT to supportteaching.

London & New York: Routledge-Falmer. ISBN 0-415-30715-5. 173 pp.£14.99.


Teaching in higher education is taken forgranted; it is rarely considered as a specialisedtask. Being a subject matter expert in highereducation does not

ipso facto

make one a goodteacher: the skills of a good teacher need to beimbibed, cultured and developed throughtraining and good practice over a period oftime. Lately, the importance of quality teach-ing has been recognised as equivalent to, if notgreater than, that of quality research. Thepresent book, published in the series of ‘Keyguides for effective teaching in higher educa-tion’ is one of four designed mostly to help newlecturers. With a focus on communicationsand information technologies, it shows how toimprove teaching and thereby student learn-ing, and provides basic step-by-step guidance.

Chapter 1—‘Why not just use chalk?’—setsthe use of technology in context by emphasis-ing that ‘students will quickly become disillu-sioned by the technology and the teachers ifthere is no clear purpose for using technology’(p. 8). The next chapter, logically, is on prepar-ing the students to learn from and with tech-nology. Chapters 3 to 11 each discuss somespecific aspect or tool of technology as used inteaching and learning. The tools covered areoverhead projection, presentation software,handouts, video, slides, interactive white-boards, electronic information resources, vir-tual learning environments, e-learning, fieldtrips and practical classes. While most of whatis discussed in these chapters can be found

elsewhere and is repeated in many other books,the author has presented information and con-cepts in a simple ‘how to’ style, though saying‘this... is not necessarily designed to be a tech-nical “how to” book’ (p. 8). Another interest-ing feature of all these chapters is the use ofcase study type descriptions on the use of thesetools in various disciplines. Last, Chapter 12describes how to evaluate teaching resources,and recommends the Context-Input-Reaction-Outcome (CIRO) approach to doing this.

The book is handy and designed well, withappropriate cartoons as illustrations. Whileone can read it quickly because of the short-ness of each chapter and the style of presenta-tion, it is always difficult to put the learninginto practice. While the use of an abbreviationshould have been avoided in the book’s title,here is a useful ‘starter’ for those serious aboutimproving the quality of their teaching.

Sanjaya MishraReader in Distance Education, Staff Training andResearch Institute of Distance Education, IndiraGandhi National Open University, New Delhi,India [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Digital academe

Dutton, William H.

&

Loader, Brian D.

(Eds) (2002).

Digital academe.

London & NewYork: RoutledgeFalmer. ISBN 0-415-26225-9.368 pp. £18.99.


Most of the chapters here are updated versionsof papers previously published in the Taylor &Francis/Routledge journal

Information, com-

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© British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2004.

munication and society (ICS)

and evolved frompresentations at a 1999 international forumon new media in higher education at the Uni-versity of Southern California. They deriveessentially from the US and, to a far lesserextent, from European experience.

In the Foreword, Asa Briggs discusses thechanging learning and managerial paradigmsin higher education due to information andcommunication technologies (IT). The editorsthen discuss the concept and ramifications of a‘digital academe’—and the following chaptersexamine the four interlinked processes of con-suming, producing, utilising and managing ITin higher education. There is extensive discus-sion on the various forms of virtuality andwhether these will transform scholarly prac-tice, or diminish quality, or lead the universitiesto become more diverse and competitive—ormore homogenous and collaborative. Thereare accounts of the Jones International Univer-sity™, Open University of Catalonia, Ger-many’s Virtual University of Applied Sciences,UK’s Open University and University for Indus-try (LearnDirect), the use of online case studiesat Harvard, an enterprise-wide informationsystem in a large UK university, and problemsencountered by students in web-based learn-ing (which your reviewer found particularlyilluminating).

In the final chapter, William Dutton concludesthat a ‘digital academe’ requires standards ofexcellence, educationalists assuming leadingroles in innovation, research into market andstudent needs, university-wide accountabilityand coordination, effective management ofcopyright and intellectual property, conflictresolution, and commitment.

The book is intended for educators, policymak-ers and the general public, and many of theviewpoints and case studies will be familiar tothose involved with IT and distance/distributed learning. As Asa Briggs observes,the contributors tend to draw upon their ownspecific experiences, offer few comparisons andare occasionally somewhat didactic. Little orno consideration is given to the globalisation ofdistance learning, the digital and educationaldivide in developing countries, how to prepareand reward staff for their new roles, institu-tional and programme evaluation and quality

assurance, and the economics of the e-university. Even more disappointingly, save forfleeting references to the Canadian VirtualUniversity and the University of Melbourne-ledUniversitas21, there is no acknowledgement ofthe not inconsiderable discourse and innova-tion in Canadian, Australian, New Zealand,Asian, African, Latin American and smallisland nations universities.

Colin LatchemOpen Learning Consultant, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Lifelong learning

Field, John

&

Leicester, Mal

(Eds) (2003).

Lifelong learning.

London & New York: Rout-ledgeFalmer. ISBN 0-415-31884-X. 321 pp.£19.99.


This book could be regarded as a reader inissues around lifelong learning. The editors arewell respected British educationalists who havebrought together a wide range of articles writ-ten by academics from Britain, Canada, theUnited States, South Africa and Germany.

The book is divided into four sections with sixto eight articles in each. The section headingsgive a flavour of the content mix: theoreticalperspectives; curriculum; international per-spectives; widening participation. The articlesprovide much food for thought and discussionand would be useful to stimulate adult educa-tors and those in training to think about theireveryday activities. There are also very com-prehensive lists of references for each articleand these in themselves would be useful tostudents.

The article by Jack Cohen and Mal Leicester,‘The evolution of a learning society’, uses bio-logical theories to promulgate the need to caterfor individualised learning. Often lifelonglearning is seen as applying only to post-compulsory education—but this book placesthe stress on truly lifelong learning by includ-ing both compulsory and voluntary education.This gives a flavour of the philosophical discus-sion that takes place in the first section.

The second section is more practically basedand discusses policy development both in the-

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749


ory and in practice, particularly with referenceto the UK. Section 3, the one on internationalperspectives, traces the theory and practice oflifelong learning more widely, through sepa-rate articles on South Africa, China, Australiaand Europe. Section 4, ‘Widening participa-tion’, has articles on a wide range of less tradi-tional approaches to learning. Mary Stuart’scontribution on ‘Inclusive learning for “activecitizenship”’ highlights some of the problemsthat arise from the formal education system inBritain. Probably all adult educators workingwith those who have dropped out of educationat an early stage will have stories like that ofMary Adams, re-told here. This anecdotal evi-dence needs to be taken seriously as the tip ofan iceberg rather than as reporting only rarecases of systems failure by educational plan-ners and policy makers.

In a short space one cannot do justice to thiscollection of articles, but it can be summed upas a basis for the discussion of the policy anddevelopment of lifelong learning for all thoseinvolved—politicians, educationalists, teach-ers, managers, civil servants, students.

Cynthia DeesonConsultant in adult open [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Designing courses and teaching on the web

Fisher, Mercedes

(2003).

Designing coursesand teaching on the web.

Lanham, MD & Oxford:Scarecrow. ISBN 1-57886-052-0. 230 pp.£24.95.

rowmanlittlefield.com

Much of the advice in Mercedes Fisher’s book

Designing courses and teaching on the web

fulfilsher objective to provide a ‘how to’ guide forteachers and trainers beginning to teachonline courses. The book is well structured andprovides many useful concrete examples ofusing online technology that practitioners canadapt and use quickly. For the uninitiated, itprovides a base from which to commencedeveloping online learning within the post-graduate phase that could be transferred tomany adult learning contexts.

The checklists for course designers signpostthe critical issues to be considered when con-templating the introduction of online learning

components as well as providing valuablereflection points for the uninitiated. Forexample:

• steps for creating your online course• key community rules• best practices

Screen grabs and other diagrams enhance thepresentation of ideas and concepts, and thecomprehensive appendices represent a signifi-cant investigation that provides useful sourcesof information and inspiration for those con-sidering developing online courses.

Although authoritative in its tone, there isnothing new in the book for those familiarwith the practices of distance education.Indeed, much that is useful reflects long estab-lished distance learning systems even thoughthis is not acknowledged or explicit in thereferences listed. The learning strategiesdescribed in the book could be enriched by ref-erence to recent literature on the choice anduse of rich media in distance learning and byreflection on recent research into learningtheory.

Robyn SmythLecturer in Higher Education, University of NewEngland, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


How teachers learn best

Fiszer, Edward P.

(2004).

How teachers learnbest.

Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Education. ISBN1-57886-070-9. 78 pp. £14.95.

rowmanlittlefield.com

My initial impression was one of disdainregarding the arrogance of the title—

Howteachers learn best

. If it is that easy and can besummarised in less than eighty pages, why hasit not been done before? Why are there so manyconflicting theories and opinions as to whatconstitutes teaching, learning and best?

In reading further, I realised that this book isquite perceptive and is about translating a con-ceptual ideology into an accepted classroomand teacher development paradigm of profes-sional development. The introduction reso-nates with me as a former teacher ‘sealed’ inhis classroom castle without interventionunless timetabled or advised.

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The data may well be limited and clearly setwithin the context and confines of a US educa-tion system, but the suggested strategies areclear and focused on the professional develop-ment of teachers. The book is not about pay,appraisal or formal teacher evaluation. Theemphasis is on peer collusion and collabora-tion: it is about being a reflective teacher prac-titioner. The setting is in a variety of formats toenable the development of a number of per-sonal skills, attitudes and classroom manage-ment techniques.

There is a limited theoretical underpinningwithin the dialogue, but this does not lessenthe validity of the content. What this poten-tially provides is an opportunity for furtherextended study and elaboration.

There is no explicit mention or coverage oftechnology or its use in the context of ateacher’s professional development. Clearlyusing online intervention and collaborationvia appropriate frameworks is a possibility. Thisbook is not about technology, however, it isabout possible reform and the management ofchange at an individual teacher level withinthe confines of compulsory education, all at avery practical level.

John O’DonoghueSenior Learning and Teaching Fellow, Universityof [email protected]

2004356Reviews


ICT and special educational needs

Florian, Lani

&

Hegarty, John

(2004).

ICTand special educational needs.

Maidenhead: OpenUniversity. ISBN 0-335-21195-X. 148 pp.£17.99.

openup.co.uk [email protected]

This book offers nine chapters from a range ofcontributors that offer practitioners andresearchers perspectives on how informationand communications technologies (IT) canpromote inclusion for those with additional(‘special’) educational needs (SEN).

From a practitioner’s perspective

Clive Lilley describes a ‘whole school approach’where IT plays a fundamental role in enablingpupils to have control over their own means of

communication and to record work indepen-dently. Alison Rees and Anna Williams presenta case study of how a tool called ‘IEP writer’has been used by teachers and schools’ SENcoordinators to produce and monitor Individ-ual Education Plans (IEPs). Chris Stevens pro-vides a historical perspective of UK governmentinitiatives from the early 1970s to the present.

Ian Hedley presents a case study of the use ofthe Integrated Learning System (ILS)

Success-maker

within a community college (secondaryschool). The author describes both the prosand cons of using the system and offers hisperspective on what the implications of hisexperience might be for other teachers. How-ever, a discussion of the extent to which the useof

Successmaker

promotes inclusion would havebeen interesting, given that the author reportsthat pupils were taken out of lessons to use it.

The chapter by Lesley Rahamin is probably theone that best reflects the title and themes of thebook. The author focuses on how IT can be atool for inclusion by presenting two contrast-ing scenarios from her own practice.

From a researcher’s perspective:

Chris Singleton presents key research findingsand case studies to illustrate how computer-based assessment (cba) can help the teacheridentify generic and specific factors that arehindering learning. However, the chapter doesnot really address the ease with which teachersmight be able to interpret sensibly the informa-tion produced by cba.

Penny Standen and David Brown explore thevalue of using virtual environments (VEs) withpupils with learning difficulties. In describingtheir own and others’ research they providearguments for the relative benefits of VEs,present evidence to suggest that there is goodtransfer of learning from the virtual to the‘real’ environment, and consider the role ofteachers in using such environments withpupils with learning difficulties.

Integrating research and practice

The book editors contribute two chapters hereand these successfully manage to integrateresearch and practice. Lani Florian gives exam-

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ples from research and practice to offer anoverview of the different ways in which tech-nology can be used to support pupils with spe-cial educational needs. On the other hand,John Hegarty suggests how findings fromresearch can be applied by IT coordinators tosupport the development of IT as a teachingtool.

Overall this book presents a useful contribu-tion to the field, integrating research and prac-tice to highlight useful case studies, guidelinesand resources for effective IT provision. A bal-anced account of the pros and cons of using ITwith pupils with additional educational needsis presented, along with a clear acknowledge-ment of the important role that teachers needto play if provision is to be effective. Not all thechapters explicitly address the theme of inclu-sion, but taken as a whole the book continuallyprompts the reader to consider the extent towhich IT can eliminate barriers to participa-tion in education.

Jane SealeDeputy Editor: Association for LearningTechnology Journal (ALT-J)[email protected]

2004356Reviews


Education for values

Gardner, Roy

et al

(2003).

Education for val-ues.

London & Sterling, VA: Kogan Page. ISBN0-7494-3944-0. 340 pp. £22.50.

kogan-page.co.uk [email protected]

This book contains an assortment of contribu-tions, promised by a sub-title which focuses onmorals, ethics and citizenship in contemporaryteaching. The writers cover approaches toteaching values, issues in education values,teacher education, research, and comparativestudies. Most deal with education in schools(and in England and Wales, moral educationand citizenship at least are part of the schools’National Curriculum).

Cairns points out that she and her fellow edi-tors have stressed ‘the demand for a sensitiveappraisal of the place in formal education indefining present and future directions in soci-ety as well as in shaping the values and identi-ties of individual learners’. Yet, as Haydonobserves, it has recently become less and lessfashionable to encourage or enable pupils to

think in appropriate ways about moral issues.However, Fisher firmly grasps that nettle, iden-tifies with the growing concern in some quar-ters at least, and sets out, through a review ofresearch and practice, to explore ways inwhich philosophical enquiry with children cansupport moral and social education in schools.His engagement with the question of whethermorality is caught or taught, while set in theparticular context of primary school educa-tion, is an issue for all readers and teachers;and his conclusion, that ‘genuine values, likeall moral points of view, are best created andtested through reflection and sustainedenquiry’ was a summary from which thisreader was prompted to move into further per-sonal reflection and enquiry.

Citizenship features strongly, as a strategic sub-ject area central to contemporary politicaldebate. But as Totterdell rightly reminds us,many teachers harbour grave reservationsabout teaching morality. Sensitively yet defi-nitely, he makes a strong case for a pedagogythrough which to address professional ethics,whose elements and practices he usefully out-lines. This contribution is followed by Tomlin-son and Little’s eleven suggested ethicalprinciples for teaching in general—whichrelate to teaching for values inter alia. This sus-tains the view of the General Teaching Councilin Scotland, quoted later, to the effect that ‘itis increasingly acknowledged that teachingrequires a well considered and reflective com-mitment to certain values such as justice,respect for others, truth and rationality.’ Thatrequirement, of course, becomes the more com-plex in the context of our multi-ethnic societyin which, as Ratuva points out, ethnic groupsdefine the normative parameters of ethnic val-ues, and in turn define the extent and characterof interaction with other ethnic groups.

Two quotations summarised the challenges Ifound here. These are the succinct summaryby Edgar Stones, in his book

Quality teaching

,that the 1973 Department for Education doc-ument

Education, a framework for expansion

, ledto ‘a sphincteral contraction in education pro-vision in Britain’. And Alexander’s assertionthat ‘the problem is how to offer a compellingmoral vision while preserving the enlighten-ment principles and values that are crucial todemocracy.’ Perhaps it is from the nature of the

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topic that I found the writers more effective introubling me with questions than in helpingme towards answers.

John CowanEmeritus Professor of Learning Development, theOpen [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Designing portals

Jafari, Ali

&

Sheehan, Mark

(2002).

Design-ing portals.

Hershey, PA & Eurospan, London.Information Science Publishing. ISBN 1-59140-108-9. 302 pp. £57.50 boards.

eurospan.co.uk [email protected]

Goodbye blended learning, networked learn-ing, e-learning, m-learning... ? As web technol-ogies become more embedded, they can startto disappear, allowing plain old

learning

toassert itself. Portals may hasten that day if theysuccessfully combine

personalisation

with

self-service

to supply the distinct information needsof all an institution’s stakeholders. Portal visi-tors should find it easy to customise their ownviews by manipulating the portal’s layout orcontent; or perhaps through the system’s abil-ity to observe user activity and tailor contentaccordingly (as with Amazon.com).

To build a portal, an institution’s major infor-mation systems have to be brought together inone robust, usable site. There are obvious sim-ilarities here with the debate around managed(or virtual) learning environments, althoughthe vision for portals seems to be even wider.According to the book, portals should extendthe institution’s boundaries in a number ofways:

• chronologically: where the passing enquirerseeking course information creates anaccount which will stay with her/himthrough initial application, study, employ-ment (as staff member or alumnus) and con-tinuing professional development;

• relationally: as all potential stakeholdergroups need to be represented—from pass-ing guests to student’s parents to commer-cial partners;

• content: as users can add channels, such asnews, to the normal provision of academicinformation and materials; and

• competitive advantage.

Jafari’s book is aimed primarily at higher edu-cation information services managers but any-one anywhere near planning a portal wouldbenefit from reading it. Perhaps you just wantto understand what all the fuss is about! Youwill find it an enjoyable read just because of thevariety of people who share with you, in a fairlynon-technical way, their breadth and depth ofexpertise and experience.

The book is well organised in three sections:

1 Designing portals; theory and practice2 Case studies of campus portals3 Vendors’ perspectives

That last section underscores what I perceiveas a slight bias against open source solutions.Ironically, I wondered how many would buy itin favour of Katz and Associates’ portal book(available free at www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/pub5006.asp). More impor-tantly, how many will heed the book’s wealthof significant advice? For example, Jafari’s‘80:20 rule’, which concerns the ratio of effortrequired to plan the portal and then to build it.Anyway, invest some of your 80 per cent put-ting a copy of this important book in the rightpair of hands in your institution.

Mike JohnsonLecturer: School of Nursing & Midwifery Studies,University of Wales College of [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Online education using learning objects

McGreal, R.

(Ed.) (2004).

Online educationusing learning objects.

London: Routledge/Falmer. ISBN 0-415-33512-4. 384 pp. £85boards.


As the preface of this edited collection of 26chapters notes, this is a manual for those whowish to know more about what is happeningin the field of learning objects and metadata. Ithink it would be hard to dispute that the booksuccessfully fulfils this objective. The views ofleading developers and researchers fromCanada, Europe and America have been col-lected together, resulting in a rich and variedperspective on the current state of thinkingabout learning objects.

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I use the phrase ‘current state of thinking’advisedly, as the book is not about the practiceof using learning objects on actual courses andprogrammes. None of these chapters evaluatesthe use of learning objects from the students’perspective, or really addresses the issues ofdesigning actual courses using learningobjects. In short, it is not a collection of casestudies from practitioners. It is also not a bookproviding a comprehensive look at state-of-the-art online education, as the blurb claims.There is more to online education than learn-ing objects, and the presumption otherwisedoes not do the authors justice.

Some of the chapters are quite critical of learn-ing object developments and there is a refresh-ing lack of ‘hype’ about almost all the writing.For example, Robby Robson’s chapter 12 openswith:

Learning objects promise to take learning to newlevels of personalization and relevancy. They promiseto offer an environment for individualized learningthat is easily accessible and enabled by the use ofreusable components over networks. Yet anecdotalevidence and informed opinion indicate that rela-tively little reuse is taking place as of yet. If onebelieves informed opinion, much less of the promisedreuse and repurposing is taking place than is desired.(p. 159)

And then Norm Friesen, in his chapter entitled‘Three objections to learning objects’, attacksthe fundamental origins of learning objects inthe object-orientated programming world. Hecalls for greater attention to educational prac-tice, and to issues of adoption of innovationand the heterogeneity of educational activitiesgenerally.

The collection also contains some unusualviews and inputs from new fields, for example,the chapter on learning objects and the theoryof signs, by Polsani, who makes the case forlearning objects as a way of reorganisingknowledge into different domains of knowl-edge. He uses Peirce’s theory of signs to pro-vide a model to inform the development ofreusable learning objects. I particularly likedthe chapter on collaborative evaluation oflearning objects by Nesbit and Belfer, as itanalyses issues of building trust in online envi-ronments. It applies the results to the evalua-tion system being developed for MERLOT, one

of the large, early, digital repositories of learn-ing objects.

The chapters have been sensibly arranged intosections that move from the basic concept oflearning objects, through design and construc-tion, to standardisation and models. The bookends with five chapters on the semantic web,educational modelling language, and instruc-tional engineering. The editor begins each sec-tion with a summary of the content covered inthe chapters, and this is useful for finding andchoosing chapters to read. He also provides anintroductory chapter which explains the fun-damentals of learning object development—the why, what and how explanations. Never-theless, I would not call this a book for thenovice or casual reader, but rather one for themedium to advanced researcher.

I liked the variety of chapter lengths—somequite short exploring essentially one idea, andothers much longer, covering a much broaderarea. The editor is to be congratulated on put-ting together such a varied collection—nodoubt his long association with the develop-ment of learning objects has provided the con-tacts necessary to bring together such a groupof authors. Inevitably there are some omis-sions in the collection—the developments atMIT, the work of the Learning Systems Archi-tecture Lab at Carnegie Mellon, and the digitalrepository research in Australia and the UK,but the book is long enough and the omissionsare perhaps testament to the growth of thefield. Several volumes would be needed just todocument current activity.

The downside of a collection of chapters in afield where the basic concept—a learningobject—is still so undefined is that the authorsare obliged to begin their chapters with a defi-nition of learning objects, a list of attributes, ora view about granularity or meta-data. Conse-quently, there is much rehearsing of the samematerials. As this is a ‘dip in’ rather than a‘read straight through’ sort of book, this repe-tition is probably necessary and perhaps evendesirable.

Some of the chapters here will no doubtbecome classics, if and when the use of learn-ing objects really takes off. In the meantime,the book documents current developments for

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readers who want to stay abreast of thinkingin this fast changing field.

Robin MasonProfessor of Educational Technology, The [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Active learning in secondary and college science classrooms

Michael, Joel

&

Modell, Harold

(2003).

Active learning in secondary and college scienceclassrooms.

Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum &London: Eurospan. ISBN 0-8058-3948-8. 171pp. £19.95/$39.95.

erlbaum.com [email protected] [email protected]

In their book,

Active learning in secondary andcollege science classrooms

, Joel Michael andHarold Modell have succeeded in their aim toprovide a foundation for further explorationand reflection of active learning. This usefulbook is suited equally to college and to second-ary school teachers in the sciences and in otherdisciplines. Unfortunately, it does not devotemuch space to the use of technology except asan aid in the lecture theatre. In particular, theabsence of any description of online strategiesthat complement or enhance face-to-faceinteractions is disappointing. In Australia, aselsewhere, much time and energy have beendevoted to producing computer-based simula-tion and multimedia programmes that aidactive learning in classrooms. Case study andproblem-based situations assist students topractise core skills. The lack of exemplars ofsuch developments is a serious omission fromthis book.

The authors offer a solid introduction to con-structivist learning approaches and assessmentin science classrooms. The context of their ped-agogical model and the related structure of thebook are explained in the introduction to thisbrief treatment of contemporary educationalthemes designed to stimulate thinking andreflection. Each succinct chapter is well scaf-folded, clear in intent, and informative. Theauthors’ pragmatic approach provides

• a wealth of useful strategies for face-to-faceteaching;

• guidance about establishing better class-room climates for learning; and

• strategies for developing students’ accep-tance of changed learning experiences.

The exemplars appear derived from thoroughresearch and practice in science teaching.They provide more than sufficient context formost teachers to use, regardless of their disci-pline. By acknowledging teachers’ possibleconcerns regarding workload, fears aboutmoving from a previous comfort zone and wor-ries with external constraints, the authorsencourage them to take on the challenge ofchanging teaching practice with thoughtfulguidance and relevant examples.

Unfortunately, the authors’ theorising aboutlearning suffers because their model is repre-sented with diagrams implying a much moresimplistic and straightforward or linear pro-cess than the one that is described. I would alsolike to have seen broader reference to learningand assessment research in higher educationand adult contexts included in the referencelist at the end of the first chapter.

Here is a useful book for both new and moreexperienced teachers working in traditionalclassroom environments.

Robyn SmythLecturer in Higher Education, University of NewEngland, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Learning technology in transition

Seale, Jane K.

(Ed.) (2003).

Learning technol-ogy in transition.

Lisse, NL: Swets & Zeitlinger.ISBN 90-265-1963-X. 166 pp.

€

75 boards.

szp.swets.nl

This book celebrates ten years of achievementof the Association for Learning Technology(ALT), a collaboration between practitioners,researchers and policymakers to promote goodpractices in the use of learning technologies inhigher education. The collection of articlesreviews the impact of learning technologies onpost-compulsory education over the last fewyears; highlights and discusses key changesand developments that are shaping activities;and considers the implications for individualenthusiasts working in the field of learningtechnologies. Four main themes emerge fromthe articles:

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755


• the individual enthusiast and his/her role ininstitutional implementation

• the institutional enthusiast and his/her rolein local and global e-learning initiatives

• finding the evidence to justify enthusiasmand underpin implementation, and

• reinventing the individual enthusiast

These themes will interest educators andresearchers (especially those adopting a cul-tural-historical perspective) who attempt toexamine and understand the evolving land-scape in the field of learning technology—where evolution is understood in the contextof growth and development. Treatment of thefirst theme highlights the evolution of theindividual enthusiast from the king of contentto project innovator to multi-skilled entrepre-neur to member of a community working toembed learning technologies into institutionalpractices. That of the second examines theroles of the institutional enthusiast as a part-ner in local and global e-learning initiatives,where institutions collaborate with oneanother to compete in the local and globalmarket. However, unlike individual enthusi-asm, institutional enthusiasm may meet upwith barriers like resistance from senior man-agers about the financial risk of bringingcourses online. For the third theme, the bookaddresses the tension between the individualenthusiast’s experimentation and the institu-tion’s need for convincing evidence to sanc-tion wholesale institutional adoption oflearning technologies. The fourth themepoints to the future directions for the individ-ual enthusiast—to push the boundaries, toembrace failures as well as successes, todeliver control of the learning experience overto the students, and to forge alliances withother enthusiasts from other competing insti-tutions. The issues raised under the finaltheme will indeed be the challenges for thefuture of learning technologies.

Cher Ping, LimAssistant Professor of Instructional Science,National Institute of Education, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Supporting information and communications technology in the early years

Siraj-Blatchford, John

&

Whitebread,David

(2003).

Supporting information andcommunications technology in the early years.

Maidenhead UK: Open University Press. ISBN0-335-20942-4. 136 pp. £15.99.


This is a monograph addressed to teachers,parents and (in general) educators of pre-schoolers and early primary school children.The authors explain how to present technol-ogy to young children as a set of toys and toolsto be used creatively—to help children not onlyto learn, but also to enjoy themselves and todevelop self-efficacy feelings and motivation tolearn.

The authors analyse several kinds of currentlyavailable technological tools—programmabletoys, interactive stories, simulated environ-ments, adventure games, environments todevelop creativity and communication abili-ties—and argue why these have considerableeducational potential to help children developgeneral abilities to think and learn, bringing toconsciousness ideas that they are just startingto grasp intuitively. The authors point out,moreover, that IT can also be mis-applied in theearly years, and that an appropriate use ofthese products entails their application in aneducational environment where adults andchildren work together and technological toolsare integrated with the usual early years prac-tices (such as play and project work).

The book is well organised and well written,easy and pleasant to read. The authors alwaysavoid the over-enthusiastic, unilateral tone ofmany books and articles on IT application, buthave a balanced view between potentialadvantages and possible drawbacks, tradi-tional activities and technology-based ones.

The authors pay attention both to pedagogicaland to practical aspects. They present a widerange of activities, explaining how they shouldbe conducted and why the result is valuablefrom the educational point of view. Several websites are also mentioned, where educators canfind more suggestions for activities and furtherinformation on the tools described. A richbibliography guides the interested reader todeepen the main aspects considered.

Giuliana DettoriResearcher at the Istituto Tecnologie Didattiche ofCNR, Genoa, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


756



TnT: texts and technology

Walker, Janice R

&

Oviedo, Ollie O.

(Ed.)(2003).

TnT: texts and technology.

Frankfurt,Oxford & New York: Peter Lang. ISBN 1-57273-456-6. 350 pp. price not known.

peterlang.net [email protected]

Three things struck me initially on reading thistext. First, how different is the language of thearts and humanities from that of the sciencesNext how, despite advances in the use of edu-cational technology, some early areas of prom-ise seem not to have been realised. And finally,to counterpoint this, how some new areasseem ripe for change as technology develops.

Texts and technology

is an edited collection ofthirteen papers. Most of these are about teach-ing and learning in the arts in higher educa-tion in the USA. The language and the style ofsome of them seem, to me, to be over the top.Others are more restrained.

Much space is taken up discussing the earlypromise of hypertext for changing the natureof academic writing and the teaching ofEnglish, and why this promise has not beenfulfilled. (Hypertext allows readers to jumparound and invites them to follow a nonlinearsequence.) Such texts seemed promising in the1990s and much was written about them.However, as one author asked in 2000, ‘Whereare these hypertexts?’ Academic texts todayare still tied to the conventions of print and thedifficulties involved in producing hypertexts,whilst not insurmountable, seem to have dis-couraged developments here.

Two chapters deal specifically with writing andpublishing electronic dissertations and theses(EDTs). One is an illuminating case history ofthe difficulties involved in creating a web-basedhypertext as a PhD thesis. It suggests that onewould have to be very determined to write athesis in this manner. The other is an instruc-tive and well-referenced account of progress inpublishing EDTs. Apparently there are morethan 50,000 doctoral theses and 100,000masters’ theses produced annually in the USA,and now there is a Networked Digital Libraryof Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) to whichmore than a hundred universities from somedozen countries belong. Most EDTs use tradi-tional print layouts but ‘whizzbang’ formatsare increasing—with colour, animation,

sound and hypertext. EDTs are, apparently,now mandatory in some universities in theUSA.

Most contributors consider in different con-texts the effects of new technology upon aca-demic writing and its implications for teachingin the arts. Some liken this to the introductionof the printing press. Others dwell more cau-tiously upon the problems that arise fromthinking that technological advances are inev-itable, and that they always lead to improve-ment. Many anecdotes suggest the opposite.The final chapter, discussing the web version ofthe

New York Times

, suggests how this oncemagisterial newspaper has traded care, and itsreputation, for speed.

In reading this text it is hard not to reflect uponsuch changes. Almost everything we do hasbeen altered in one way or another by newtechnology.

Texts and technology

makes usthink about what we have gained, what wemight possibly gain, and what we have lost.

James HartleyResearch Professor, Keele [email protected]

2004356Reviews


ICT and primary mathematics

Way, Jenni

&

Beardon, Tony

(Ed.) (2003).

ICT and primary mathematics.

Open UniversityPress: Maidenhead UK. ISBN 0-335-20942-4.169 pp. £17.99.


This book is a collection of articles by differentauthors, addressed to primary school teachers.It gives practical ideas to be implemented in theclassroom, based on school experience andresearch studies. Attention is paid to severalaspects, such as the incentives for the introduc-tion into mathematics teaching of calculators,computers and the Internet; types of activitieswith IT which encourage mathematical think-ing and enhance children’s learning; and tech-nical suggestions on the conduct of activities.An interesting paper on learning technologies,learning styles and learning mathematics isalso included.

I find excellent the idea of tackling the consid-ered topic from different perspectives, to givesupport to teachers from the conceptual, moti-

Reviews

757


vational, and practical points of view. However,the papers in this book are rather inhomoge-neous as concerns the experience level impliedof their prospective readers. For instance, somepapers give detailed instructions on the use ofa program, as if expecting readers to have littleexperience with even the most popular soft-ware tools; some other papers give hints onuseful types of exercises, without specifyingdetails for their implementation or integrationwithin a teaching scheme, as if the readers arealready quite experienced. Hence, though eachof the chapters is in itself interesting and pleas-ant to read, and will likely be of interest formany teachers, I can hardly conceive of teach-ers who would value the book as a whole.

Several good suggestions are given for web sitescontaining proposals for school exercises andactivities. Unfortunately, some typos in theaddresses compel readers to figure out on theirown how to reach those sites. Moreover, someof the activities presented are based on gameswhich are probably well known in the authors’cultural environment, but there are no detailsto help others understand the games’ function-ing and educational value; this makes suchsuggestions of little use for teachers who arenot familiar with the games in question.

Giuliana DettoriResearcher: Istituto Tecnologie Didattiche of CNR,Genoa, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Delivering learning on the net

Weller, Martin

(2002).

Delivering learning onthe net.

London & New York: Routledge/Falmer. ISBN 0-7494-3675-1. 180 pp.£16.99.


Delivering learning on the net

is a personal over-view of the issues concerning learning online.The book is aimed primarily at subject special-ists who may be thinking of implementing acourse online. The author, Martin Weller, wasinvolved in the design and development of theground-breaking UK Open University onlinecourse T171:

You, your computer and the net

. Heis an enthusiast for the technology, but he isalso very clear that, while technology influ-ences pedagogy, pedagogical concerns shouldcome first in course design.

The book is in three parts. In the first the ques-tion of ‘why use the net?’ is discussed, and theauthor argues that delivery via the net hasinherently greater potential for learning andteaching than other forms of educational tech-nology. The second part of the book looks at thechallenges involved in implementing a courseon the net, while the final section provides ahelpful conceptual framework for classifyingonline courses. Throughout, excellent use ismade of examples from T171.

The author contends that the strength ofonline delivery is the way in which interaction,and a range of media, can be delivered in amore or less seamless fashion. He arguesstrongly against models of online course designthat see the technology as a delivery platformfor information, whether in the form of lec-tures or of other material. His approach is con-structivist, and he sees the role of the net as amedium for communication as its centraladvantage for learning and teaching.

With a book that has such a broad canvas, it isinevitable that some topics receive relatively lit-tle attention. From a personal perspective Iwould have liked to see more on the need torethink assessment within online courses.Readers will find a wealth of insights that theymay wish to explore in greater depth—sugges-tions for further reading would have been avaluable addition to an otherwise very usefulbook.

Pete CannellCentre for Academic Practice, Queen MargaretUniversity College, [email protected]

2004356Reviews


Digital technology, communities and education

Also received

Please note that mention here does not precludelater fuller review.

Brown, Andrew

&

David, Niki

(Ed). (2004).

Digital technology, communities and education.

London & New York: ISBN Routledge/Falmer.ISBN 0-415-33493-4. 322 pp. £60.


In this, the latest of that very long line of‘World yearbooks of education’, the seriesreturns yet again to the theme of educational

758



IT—first visited nearly a quarter of a centuryago at the time of the greatest explosion ofinterest and practice in the field. At that time(1982), many, maybe most, writers were pre-dicting that educational computing wouldsoon (‘within a decade’, ‘by the end of the cen-tury’) allow at least developed countries to de-school, to do away with formal educationalestablishments. This book’s main introductiongoes straight into talking of the current ‘revo-lution’ in educational IT and its likely impacton communities of all sizes but, revolution ornot, de-schooling rarely raises its head now.

Interesting? Part of the ‘revolution’ we are nowgoing through is the enormous development ofonline education, assessment and training,including almost throughout the years of for-mal schooling; another part is the still plum-meting cost of incredible computing power andbroadband Internet access, again throughoutthe schools system and in a majority of homes.But the heady extrapolation of the late 1970sand early 1980s to the loss of school commu-nities is missing here, just where we wouldexpect it. Instead we have a pleasant enoughcollection of (generally readable and thoughtprovoking) papers on how twenty-first centuryIT is changing teaching, learning, assessment,and communities (including, albeit only inpassing, through effective lifelong learningsystems). But...

where

are those iconoclasticsnows of yesteryear?

2004356Reviews


Student assessment

Dunn, Lee

et al (2004). Student assessment.London & New York: Routledge/Falmer. ISBN0-415-33530-2. 305 pp. £29.99.tandf.co.uk [email protected]

The sub-title of this ‘handbook’ (front cover)or ‘comprehensive guide’ (blurb) is ‘Newdirections in traditional and online assess-ment’—very promising in view of the fact thatonline assessment is a new direction in itself.It is aimed at professional teachers strugglingto come to terms with new attitudes and qual-ity criteria, such as cost-effectiveness and flex-ibility. The four authors—from Australia’sSouthern Cross University (and, yes, thebook tends to stick to assessment in post-compulsory education)—on occasion rush inwhere... ; thus they address full square theincreased dangers with online assessment, for

example, that material assessed may not befully the property of the assessee. On the otherhand, they tend to keep well away from cor-rupt practice on the part of the assessors (suchas where teachers provide very focused hintsto some or all of their students or where teach-ers dare not fail a few or even any studentsbecause of threats).

The book is not just a reader—there are somegood examples, case studies, activities and soon to help readers keep in focus. The book alsoranges wide, as wide, for instance, as practicalexams and portfolios of work; on the otherhand, the use of IT as an assessment tool isrestricted almost entirely to online assessmentand the use of objective questions (multiplechoice questions even)—we do not find any-thing significant here on computer marking ofextended writing or on keystroke monitoringand marking algorithms to assess practicalcompetences.2004356ReviewsReviewsBritish Journal of Educational Technology

Leading and managing continuing professional development

Earley, Peter & Bubb, Sara (2004). Leadingand managing continuing professional develop-ment. London & Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA:Paul Chapman. ISBN 0-7619-4322-6. 208 pp.£18.99, boards £[email protected]

Sub-titled ‘Developing people, developingschools’, Earley and Bubb’s book, from tellinglyillustrated front cover onwards, encapsulatesthe remarkably recent realisation that teach-ers and schools can no longer bumble along,improving (if at all) almost by accident, andhoping to succeed in their chosen tasks. InBritain, for instance, it is hardly more thanthirty years since the beginnings of school-based formal and formally structured staffdevelopment allied with some kind of objectiveappraisal and promotion system, and hardlymore than fifteen years since the institution of‘Baker days’—five days per year set aside forprofessional development, cf. 190 for teaching.Admittedly, thirty years ago is beyond thememory of most current teachers and schoolmanagers—but that the lifetime to date isfairly short is shown by the great range ofstyles, systems and practices that appear underthe title of cpd. (‘God, it happened over adecade before I entered teaching and I still feel

Reviews 759


robbed,’ said one teacher recently in an educa-tional e-forum.)

Recognising all that, this (British) coverage ofhow schools may best coordinate and lead cpdtreads carefully but firmly along the whole cpdpath from its justification, through initial andongoing needs assessment, to delivery withfairness and within budget. It covers the wholerange of staff encompassed by the word ‘profes-sional’, not just serving teachers, but newlyqualified ones, temporary teachers, middle andsenior managers (including aspirant schoolheads), support staff and school governors.

The thrust, where appropriate, is on improvingthe quality of teaching and learning, and inthat light it would have been nice to see at leasta mention of cpd for external support profes-sionals (including local advisers and nationalinspectors).

The most obvious target user for the book is the(not rare) person suddenly hoist with the staffdevelopment responsibility petard. Thought-fully used, most staffrooms will include severalpeople who could benefit from thinking aboutits contents and putting some of the ideas intopractice.

designing portals

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