TELMap Feb 2013

It was great to meet with the TELMap group again, we had an expand-focus-expand-focus sort of day.

Figure 1. Working Method.

Plenty of fun with stickies, although we were trying to conceptualise how learning technologies and learning might evolve over the coming two decades we spent the majority of the day working in analogue mode. When we did move to Cmap to digitise our ideas it stubbornly refused to let us.collaborate. 

Richard provided an overview of what had been done previously as we had some new members. Below is the map that was developed in September 2012 it will open full size when double clicked. 

Figure 2. Shared vision Cmap.

Bill Oliver took us through some future aims and then set us off with 10 minutes of quiet contemplation, empty the mind and look to the future then as we approached the close of the ten mins we came back nearer the present and thought about how our ideas relate to the current state of play. 

So what did I see?

I started in what to many might be a dystopia although to me it would be a utopian future. Cities turned to dust and people moved to small scattered village locations, each family with sufficient land to cultivate a significant proportion of their own food - veg, fruit, poultry, a pig etc. supplemented by Red Dwarf style food making machines. Villages shared locally generated water, wind or earth power. That did not relate too closely to the aim but was probably a reaction to being in London - I find being in cities fairly difficult experience. 

So feeling comfortable new well outside of city life I looked at technology and its underlying function of enabling communication, these people were able to communicate with telepathic ease while wandering around their fields, I find I think best when involved in activities I love - my places to learn are; in a kayak, climbing a mountain, scrambling through a river gorge, pottering in a garden and many other non-enclosed environments. Hardware was not visible in this world and that later became a key theme in my vision of the future - liberation from hardware A word popped into mind 'Telepnology' not a very good word but one that was trying to fuse telepathy and technology. I kept wandering into thoughts about Vasiliev's Non-Aristotelian logic, Korzybski's three or more approach to logic and Zadeh's fuzzy logic, in particular how they might relate to quantum computing and the development of AI with autonomous heuristic problem solving capacity, multiple truths etc. 10 minutes is not long to look far and wide so I focused back on more practical realities but it was difficult to see in words that would be easy to express and I have ended up with an unsatisfactory diagram of what I saw. A universal pool of all knowledge that could be known, a learner moving towards graduation, a university providing access to learning and technology to link to the pool of knowledge, a university providing an assessment framework and technology to enable the assessment; a student who became a graduate. 

Figure 3. Technology supports the student with access to knowledge and learning and is integral to the assessment process.

Technology and learning - The university liberates rather than constrains, it offers open choices, the chance to change direction, it provides frameworks and pathways yet also enables the learners (student and tutor) to build their own. The pool is a pool of vast variance with infinite truths that might be 'the truth' to any individual although I do not like the notion of 'one truth' or of fixed truths. A reflection on what truth is was way outside the potential offered by the 10 mins we had; I had to mentally note some words (altruism, communal knowledge pool, variance, expertise, professional, two way interaction} and then move on. I couldn't see past a need for endorsement of learning and had to include assessment in my vision, I couldn't stay there long as I was drawn back to the nature of truth - so what do we measure - assessment of ability to construct personal knowledge, to contribute to communal knowledge, develop cogent arguments towards their truth? 

A simple traditional model is that learners get on some kind of vehicle that represents the university and they progress from A to B at which point they are endorsed as being knowledgeable. Some learners jump off and go do something else, some jump off and go join a different course. 

Figure 4. A-B journey

An alternative would be to offer diversity where there is a lot of choice and many routes to one common goal or sometimes, as below, any one of many destinations all of which are places where the learner shows their competence is commensurate with graduateness. Rather than jumping on the same train each learner is in control of their own vehicle  although tutors may offer guidance as to which choices are feasible. Modularisation limits the time at which change can be made and the number of choices that are available. That is a complex offering with many diverse modules to deliver.

Figure 5. Potential complexity of flexible modularised approach.

Ultraversity solved the complexity problem by creating a fixed set of modules but with a focus on process driven learning rather than subject or content driven learning. The complexity of delivery is attenuated by providing choice within modules rather than between modules. That was where my thoughts started from - the possibilities I 'know' can work. There were only minutes left and I was faced with feeling a shape of open learning but not having time to explore it in satisfactory manner. All i had time to see was an open topped all terrain car and a wide set of potential learning journeys with no modularisation to limit choice of route to the finishing tape although I was seeing a journey within boundaries that might be the boundary of discipline or of professional practice or whatever was the learner's intended study context. 

Figure 6. A more open and student directed journey with negotiated metrics and intended outcomes

As we started to come back to reality I had a further glimpse and of a vehicle at the centre of a field of learning, no modularisation, no boundaries to limit learning vectors just a 360 degree field and an event horizon that represents the state where institutional endorsement is attained. 

Figure 7. The open field I saw as we ran out of time. 

Somewhere in amongst that I must have had the evolution of technology in mind.

Moving from counting machines computers started to be data processing machines than to handle wider forms of information and solve more complex problems, networks developed communication capacity and that ability to handle and communicate has expanded to today's wired and wireless wi-fi, 3 and 4G that is just part of every day life. We are still linked to physical machines using mouse, trackpad or touch screen and now gesture and sound to control devices although there are animals and humans starting to control external devices with direct links to brain. There are fMRI scanners looking at active brainwaves perhaps we are going to head to a future where no gesture is needed where brain activity can be scanned at no risk and we will head towards mind and machine reaching perfect harmony.  

This convergent gravity sink image keeps finding its way into our conversations.

Figure 8. Gravity sink

 I have not been comfortable with it, although it has a lot of resonance and the concept of everything getting closer together is interesting I think learning is often a case of developing greater expertise in specific areas of understanding rather than developing convergence towards universal expertise. A quote from an academic that I read as a child in something like the Reader's Digest suggested he felt that as he had moved towards PhD then professor he was moving from knowing a little about everything towards knowing everything about a little. I feel that we are moving well way from that concept of what it means to be an expert academic, cultural and technological changes require experts to have wider knowledge. The growing acceptance that creative and artistic thinking can very valuable in developing ideas in scientific fields is one example of that.

In the version below time is not gravitating towards the bottom, quite the reverse, as time passes the field of knowledge expands upwards and outwards.  Knowledge is never perfect, there are always patches and threads of unknowing or uncertainty. Individual expertise is focused in specific areas although understanding spreads across a wide range of areas. As time passes, some aspects or what was thought to be known are shown to be incorrect or are developed further. 

Figure 9. Unsatisfactory mapping of knowledge expansion onto gravity diagram.

After a visualising session we had a few minutes to make notes and Bill asked for us to write up a record of our experience - hence the account above. 

The next session split the whole group into 2 to make discussion manageable and perhaps find stimulation through divergence then convergence. A long but stimulating and lively discussion process lead to us narrowing down on concepts and starting to look for patterns and relationships. below Li and Richard are getting very hands on with the initial sticky mapping. 

Figure 10. Li and Richard mapping sticky notes

This was the sticky assembly our group came up with. We were sort of satisfied with it, the task of fitting a complex and potentially multidimensional future onto a 2 dimensional page was bound to have limitations but the dialogue we had during the process generated meaningful inner images for me and I think for others as well. 

Figure 11. Sticky notes assembled with time (near - medium - far) across the bottom and categories up the side. 

One of the key aspects our group discussed was the evolution towards openness and choice - a learning journey that is directed by the learner with the university providing a wide scope of opportunity and endorsement of achievement. This links to the idea of Heutagogy by Stewart Hase and Chris Kenyon (2001) http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/pr/Heutagogy.html and recently covered by Lisa Marie Blaschke 2012  http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1076/2087

Amongst our key concepts were: Personalised, flexible, open, choice, self direction, tutor as guide, people and AI machines learning together in professional communities. Collaborative work and assessment of collaborative tasks, technology becoming more capable of diagnostics and less intrusive, technology evolving to be more ambient and life like or like life. 

The current vector of digital technological evolution is one of becoming both more powerful, less intrusive and more life like. Even in the very near future the development of powerful wearable devices that are multimedia capable, internet connected and powered by clothing or other independent sources will provide opportunity for significant changes in the "Who - Why - What - How and When" associated with learning processes in many contexts. 

Our vision converged on an overarching desired evolution towards flexible and affordable learning systems with technology playing an increasingly deep and pervasive role. it was also seen as desirable to maintain the tutor as a guide. This lead to a scenario of student, tutor and intelligent machines learning together in geographically remote, but socially connected, professional communities. 

Having idealised some potential future scenarios we needed to consider the perspective of the happy student we discussed at the previous meeting. By happy student we did not just see happiness in the sense of delight or laughter, although they are components of happiness we also acknowledge the importance of context and that would include some of the fundamental needs such as feeling satisfaction with the learning journey and the level of intellectual stimulation, awareness of developing expertise and developing employability skills - a set of states that would lead to a bright future. 

After lunch Bill took us through some of the findings from the previous meeting and and we discussed the maps that had been finished off by some of the team in the intervening time between then and this meeting. 

Figure 12. Bill summarising high impact drivers.

The next step was to re-examine what we had done via stickies and collaboratively transfer the concepts onto a digital map. Permissions caused some problems so we ended up with one Cmap scribe being assisted variously by members of our group in developing the map. As it stands the map is not yet finished. There is some more divergence potential as we have the ability to make copies of the original and modify the copy to our own personal vision of how the future might look. 

We are in exciting times where the application of technologies is starting to have major impact, fMRI scans allow insight into brain activity in detail that was not possible just a few years ago https://sites.google.com/site/speechskscott/OurLab. Mind is being used to control prosthetics and remote devices. Today I read that within two years all new cars will be internet connected http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21411335. The logical projection is that we are evolving towards man and machine in symbiosis or at the least harmony.

What would I like to see in hard/software over the coming year?

A link between my phone and smart glasses so I can see a heads up display while still being able to type, record etc. via the device.

A way of projecting an image from phone / tablet / laptop onto a horizontal or vertical surface (micro data projector) so others can share my view.

Better voice to text. A more robust phone with a great aerial and long battery life; slim is not better.

I started mapping some possible evolution scenarios based on some of the ideas discussed in our group,  we had limited time so were unable to go much further than identifying some key components in a fairly simplistic landscape. 

Figure 13. Themed summary of possible future evolution over the 5, 10, and 15+ year bands.

As far as technology goes we are only gazing from within the limits of what we know of and can dream of, the history of the recent expansion of digital and other technologies is littered with surprises and unexpected leaps. The overall trend towards increasing connectivity via powerful mobile / wearable/ integrated devices and the internet of things may sound unnatural but as our interaction with technologies becomes more sophisticated it is also becoming more nature like and so more natural feeling. There seems to technically be a future potential for a deep machine / man symbiosis - in our discussions we assumed benevolence but acknowledged that we may soon need to address some critical questions in that respect. 

The 'Economics' thread across the bottom of the table aspires towards a future of international equality and altruism, this was an ideal shared by all. Another trend was learning moving away from built space and into professional environments and international online places.

Note March 1st - There we were speculating about smart devices with built in projectors and when they might arrive - a month later and they are starting to emerge. http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2013/03/projector-storybook.html

Jinha Lee is doing wonderful things with 3D http://leejinha.com/SpaceTop Check out also the floating globe - ZeroN project a planet surface on it and float it.

Reflective Practice and Professional Development Planning

One valuable application of reflective practice is the improvement of every day personal practice that arises from identifying, capturing and systematically examining unexpected significant events that happen on a daily basis. Systematic critical analysis of relatively small events can be a very effective approach to practitioner problem solving and personal improvement. On first encountering this approach to learning many undergraduate students feel they are already instinctive reflective beings but once they have critically reviewed literature and experimented with critical incident theory in the workplace they start to report that they are more alert in the workplace and notice that each day is full of significant events that could become critical incidents. These may be events such as noticing body language and tonal cues that indicate an explanation has not fully made sense to pupils or clients. Reflection in action can often be a good solution at such times and can provide a cue as to when deeper reflection after the event might be needed to uncover a better solution. These events are largely unpredicted and awareness of reflective practice heightens sensitivity and helps practitioners become aware of them.

 I have met people who say it is important to think in terms of solutions not problems, this aims to stop people feeling they are drowning in a sea of problems when they could see themselves as swimming towards solutions. I do feel that a changed perspective as to what a problem is can also be valuable. In addition to rectifying problems where there is an obvious weakness that needs to be addressed there is always the task of how to get better at something we are already very good at doing. Purposeful improvement of already competent behaviour can also be seen as problem solving. Problems are something to be hunted out and addressed where-ever they lie, noticing that problems exist should not be seen as an indication of lack of competence or failure. In some organisations a blame culture can develop where problems are identified and the solution is to blame others for them, this can lead to stagnation and resentment. In the worst case scenario problems are ignored and major failure can result.   A no blame culture with a positive attitude to problem solving is key to good professional practice and a thriving organisation. Identifying a problem is the start of finding a solution and that is a vector that leads towards success.

Many workplaces have an organisational system that involves most employees in professional development planning, this often an annual cycle or target setting and learning. This can be an effective system and could be seen as a 'Do-Review-Plan-Learn-Do' cycle that has resonances with reflective and action inquiry cycles.

Do - behaviour in existing practice.
Review - identifying aspects of existing practice where improvement is needed.
Plan - setting achievable and relevant targets and the means by which they can be met.
Learn - implementing strategies through which new learning can be achieved.
Do - implement the improved practice that arose from the new learning.

 Within this over-arching cycle there is the opportunity to apply reflective practice strategies to implement a critical approach within the Review, Plan or Learn stages - reflective practice for professional development can have cycles within cycles. In addition to your main PDP targets you may have many minor development areas that arise as unplanned needs that may take a few minutes, hours or days to fullfil. Reflection and action learning may be effective strategies to apply to these as well.

 A professional development plan will often set multiple targets so there is a branching at the planning stage. If sufficient depth of learning is to be achieved it is important not to set too many main PDP targets, as a rule of thumb three targets is a sensible aim in any one year.
           

Fig 1. Basic PDP strategy.

The review stage is where reflective practice is particularly relevant, in the diagram below I have added some ideas for steps in a systematic review process. There are others that could also be relevant to augment some steps such as 'How do I feel about that?' - 'What do others feel about that?'. Reflective models offer ideas for structuring analysis of real world events. Exploring the application of models you find in the literature is a valuable means of testing theory against practice. You are likely to find yourself uncovering other questions that are valuable to a specific context. One of the important overarching learning outcomes from BA LTR modules is learning about what kinds of questions are useful to solve problems. You might find the ones in my diagram useful, there are many others that could be asked. In many of our modules we ask you to apply models that appear in literature and are widely accepted as being valuable. In order to meet module learning outcomes it is important that you carry out these tasks. Students are encouraged to show their autonomy in managing their learning by devising their own approaches to problem solving. I have started building in an active experimentation phase to some modules - this enables you to consider adoption of existing models and to build your own structures based on the foundations you meet in literature. 

Fig. 2. PDP with detailed review cycle.

Looking in more detail at the structure, each learning cycle could also be broken down by showing approaches such as those discussed by Kolb, Piggott-Irvine and others that BA LTR students will read about in the course literature. Piggott-Irvine (2000) highlights the potential complexity in her Problem Resolving Action Research model. Reflection and action based cycles can prompt new vectors that are related but tangential to the planned core learning path. For the purposes of time and word limit bound undergraduate modules we advise students to focus mainly on the main cycles in their assignments in order to provide sufficient evidence of deep analysis. Tangential paths may well be very valuable in work practice and are something that is sensible to discuss concisely in the stitching section of a module to show transfer of learning strategies and wider adoption across practice but it is important to keep to main cycles in the core patches of modules.

It is not unusual for all or at least some PDP targets to be treated as having been met after one cycle and for a different set of new targets to be identified in the subsequent annual cycle. A conscientious employee may well continue development by remaining aware of the potential for on-going improvement. Learning is a long term process hence the term 'life-long learning'. Learning is a transferable process and can extend across different contexts in the workplace and into life beyond work hence the term 'life-wide learning'. The life wide aspect was very much brought home to me in a stitching piece by a mature student in one of the first cohorts of the BA Learning, Technology and Research course. Having applied reflection in action and on action to good effect in her workplace she was also very please to be able to say she has transfered the skills to home life and was now winning all arguments between herself and her husband. Other students have mentioned using reflection to help plan decisions about where to go and what to do on holiday, how to manage financial decisions by reflecting on needs and then prioritising spending.