EdShare: Sharing for learning and teaching

A powerpoint presentation given by Hugh Davis and Debra Morris at the University of Southampton Learning and Teaching Week event 2 April 2008.

The value of using short-format podcasts to enhance learning and teaching

This paper presents the findings of a podcasting trial held in 2007-2008 within the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney, Australia. The trial investigates the value of using short-format podcasts to support assessment for postgraduate and undergraduate students. A multi-method approach is taken in investigating perceptions of the benefits of podcasting, incorporating surveys, focus groups and interviews. The results show that a majority of students believe they gained learning benefits from the podcasts and appreciated the flexibility of the medium to support their learning, and the lecturers felt the innovation helped diversify their pedagogical approach and support a diverse student population. Three primary conclusions are presented: (1) most students reject the mobile potential of podcasting in favour of their traditional study space at home; (2) what students and lecturers value about this podcasting design overlap; (3) the assessment-focussed, short-format podcast design may be considered a successful podcasting model. The paper finishes by identifying areas for future research on the effective use of podcasting in learning and teaching.

Learning and teaching with maps.

El rápido crecimiento de mapas en internet, atlas digitales y Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) exige nuevas habilidades, junto con las tradicionales como la localización de lugares utilizando un mapa. Este recurso explica a los niños y a los jóvenes cómo leer, comprender e interpretar los mapas y a los profesores la manera más eficaz de enseñar con los mapas. Presta especial atención a la forma de aprendizaje con este material que puede contribuir al desarrollo cognitivo y a desarrollar habilidades en aritmética. Describe cómo los profesores pueden planificar un programa de estudios y sugiere actividades para los alumnos desde la escuela primaria a la secundaria. Incluye todos los aspectos del uso de mapas, que abarca todas las modalidades, incluidas los globos y atlas. El texto está ampliamente ilustrado con ejemplos, incluyendo los mapas realizados por los propios niños con materiales convencionales, así como programas informáticos. Una característica particular de este recurso es la integración de mapas digitales y convencionales, de internet adecuados a las necesidades de educación primaria y secundaria. Tiene apéndice con web de organizaciones y recursos citados en el texto, bibliografía e índice alfabético.

The digital classroom : harnessing technology for the future of learning and teaching.

Basado en el Proyecto Interactivo de investigación, este libro examina e ilustra cómo las tecnologías digitales pueden transformar el aprendizaje a través del currículo. Al observar los distintos entornos educativos en los que se mueven los niños y jóvenes-la casa y la escuela en las etapas primaria y secundaria-los profesionales piensan en que las nuevas tecnologías (TIC) suponen una ayuda para planificar y apoyar un aprendizaje eficaz en las clases. También, se ofrece a los lectores, a través de ejercicios prácticos y temas para la reflexión, la oportunidad de examinar su propia práctica docente y su experiencia en relación con estas tecnologías y entender sus beneficios y limitaciones.

Learning and teaching in primary schools.

Esta guía ayuda a los profesores en período de formación inicial a superar el Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Trata temas fundamentales para el aprendizaje y la enseñanza en las escuelas primarias de hoy y en la formación del docente, tales como el comportamiento, la comunicación y la creatividad.

Unlocking learning and teaching with ICT : identifying and overcoming barriers.

En primer lugar, identifica las barreras que aún existen para la integración con éxito de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) en las escuelas, así como propone métodos y estrategias para su superación. También, muestra cómo la utilización de estas tecnologías ayuda a los niños a aprender y a mejorar sus capacidades.

Learning and teaching using digital books : opportunities and constraints

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n

Good practice guide in learning and teaching

Once again this publication is produced to celebrate and promote good teaching and learning support and to offer encouragement to those imaginative and innovative staff who continue to wish to challenge students to learn to maximum effect. It is hoped that others will pick up some good ideas from the articles contained in this volume. We have again changed our approach for this 2007/08 edition (our fifth) of the Aston Business School Good Practice Guide. As before, some contributions were selected from those identifying interesting best practice on their Annual Module Reflection Forms in 2006/2007. Brookes? contribution this year is directly from her annual reflection. Other contributors received HELM (Research Centre in Higher Education Learning and Management) small research grants in 2006/2007. Part of the conditions were for them to write an article for this publication. We have also been less tight on the length of the articles this year. Some contributions are, therefore, on the way to being journal articles. HELM will be working with these authors to help develop these for publication. Looking back over the last five years it is brilliant to see how many different people have contributed over the years and, therefore, how much innovative learning and teaching work has been taking place in ABS over this time. In the first edition we were just pleased for people to write a few pages on their teaching. Now things have changed dramatically. The majority of the articles are grounded in empirical research (some funded by HELM small research grants) and Palmer?s article was produced as part of the University?s Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching. Most encouraging of all, four of this year?s articles have since been developed further and submitted to refereed journals. We await news of publication as we go to press. It is not surprising that how to manage large groups still remains a central theme of the articles, ABS has a large and still growing student body. Essex and Simpson have looked at trying to encourage students to attend taught sessions, on the basis that there is a strong correlation between attendance and higher performance. Their findings are forming the platform of a further study currently being carried out in the Undergraduate Programme. A number of the other articles concentrate on trying to encourage students to engage with study in an innovative way. This is particularly obvious in Shaw?s work. Everyone who has been around campus lately has had evidence that the students on Duncan?s modules have clearly been inspired. I found myself, for example, playing golf in the student dining room as part of this initiative! The articles by Jarzabkowski & Guilietti and Ho involved much larger surveys. This is another first for the Good Practice Guide and marks the first step on what will clearly be larger research efforts for these authors in this area. We look forward to the journal publications which will result from this work. The last articles are the result of HELM?s hosting of the national conference of the Higher Education Academy?s Business, Management, Accounting and Finance (BMAF) Subject Centre Conference in May 2007. Belal and Foster have written about their impressions of the Conference and Andrews has included the paper she gave. The papers on employability and widening participation are the centre of HELM?s current work. In the second volume we mentioned the launch of the School?s Research Centre in Higher Education Learning and Management (HELM). Since then HELM has stimulated a lot of activity across the School (and University) particularly linking research and teaching. A list of the HELM seminars for 2007/2008 is listed as Appendix 1 of this publication. Further details can be obtained from Catherine Foster (c.s.foster@aston.ac.uk), who coordinates the HELM seminars. We have also been working on a list of target journals to guide ABS staff who wish to publish in this area. These are included as Appendix 2 of this publication. May I thank the contributors for taking time out of their busy schedules to write the articles and to Julie Green, the Quality Manager, for putting the varying diverse approaches into a coherent and publishable form and for agreeing to fund the printing of this volume.