Teacher Education Initiative Project
Final Report
1
Front Sheet
Name and address of your college
Herefordshire College of Technology
Folly Lane
Hereford
HR1 1LS
Project manager
Christine Robertson
Curriculum Team Leader (Education and Teacher Training)
Robertsonc@hct.ac.uk
Tel: 01432 365332
Names of team members
Emma Ball (E-Learning Manager)
Darren Williams, Briony Singleton, Erika Smoothy (Trainees)
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Introduction
Project Title
Developing Web 2.0 in Initial Teacher Training
Context
Herefordshire College of Technology is located in a rural area and recruits trainee teachers from a
wide geographical area. All three ITT programmes are available and each has a designated course
on Moodle which is used for communication, resources, activities and assessment. The current
cohort is approximately 90 students, with 20 in the second year of the Diploma in Teaching in the
Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). About one third of trainees are employed by the college. All
trainees have access to the VLE from home and/or their place of work. DTLLS Year 2 trainees
undertake an assignment on Curriculum Design in which they are required to demonstrate innovation
and also build in the use of ILT. However, many have little experience beyond basic software
applications and internet searching. Although e-learning is a central component of Year 1,
awareness of the materials which may be used in teaching and learning is limited. It was therefore
necessary to provide a resource which could provide DTLLS Year 2 trainees in particular with an
appreciation of the range of e-learning resources and in particular the potential for collaborative
projects using Web 2.0.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the project was to develop interactivity in teacher training through the use of Web 2.0.
This would benefit the teaching team through updating IT skills, extending awareness of online
resources and developing new methods of delivery.
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Project Objectives:
o Introduce a Moodle based interactive Web 2.0 tutorial for teacher trainees and teacher
educators, to include for example, quizzes, links to online resources, ideas for good practice
and practical activities
o Create a repository for participants to share useful web tools
Objectives for Teacher Educators:
o Update skills in order to enhance collaboration, creativity and information sharing on the ITT
programmes
o Model best practice in delivery
o Embed e-learning in programme delivery
o Support development of trainees' skills in e-learning.
Objectives for Trainees:
o Develop Web 2.0 awareness
o Extend personal IT skills
o Develop skills in delivery of e-learning
o Improve collaboration using online activities
o Use innovation and ILT in the Curriculum Design assignment.
Additional Benefits:
It was anticipated that awareness of resources and potential applications would benefit learners
across Herefordshire as trainees disseminate their skills within their own learning situations. This
would also be shared with peers and colleagues to further develop collaboration and sharing of good
practice. The college has an open access approach to Moodle and the resource would therefore be
available to all HCT staff.
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Strategies
The first step was to develop tutor skills in Web 2.0. The starting point for this was participation in a
JISC development programme, Technology for Teacher Training, which was undertaken by the
project leader. This three day event generated a huge range of ideas and materials for use in
teaching and learning. In the first instance, these were stored and tagged on www.delicious.com.
This social bookmarking site enables users to save websites and share them with other users.
Trainees were taught how to use Delicious and then set up their own accounts, which they shared
with each other and linked to the DTLLS area. This provided a safe repository which could also be
accessed by trainees while the Moodle site was under development and was an example of
collaborative participation in learning. Useful e-learning and Web 2.0 websites were saved and then
accessed by trainees, who could then work collaboratively and follow links to additional useful
resources.
The college e-learning manager, who is also part of the teaching team, took some sessions on elearning to give trainees ideas on how to use these new internet tools.
A new Moodle course was created with content covering a range of Web 2.0 themes. Topics
included:
 So what is Web 2.0?
 Communication Tools
 Blogs
 Wikis
 E-Portfolios
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



Film, photos and sound
Mobile Technology
Accessibility
The Legal Stuff
It soon became apparent that there are many useful sites which, although not strictly meeting the
criteria for Web 2.0, would also be useful to teachers and trainees. These were included in the
course as a Random Access Glossary, which can be added to by course members to share with their
peers.
Some trainees wanted to focus on e-learning in their Curriculum Design project. Although the
Moodle site was under construction, those who wanted more information were given access to the
site. This enabled the team to gain feedback on its development. Trainees were supportive of the
concept and suggested that it be made as visual as possible. Material was therefore placed in
Moodle books and hyperlinked to relevant sources to minimise the amount of text. Generic
slideshare, quizzes and video clips were included on the front page to engage attention and interest.
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Outcomes and Impact
It has become apparent, to both the Teacher Educator Team and trainees, that there is a huge
amount of material available online and free of charge to teachers. Many providers offer a limited
free service, or those working in education can sign up to a special teaching and learning area.
Filtering websites so that only the best tools are used is a huge job and is best achieved through a
project of this nature, although it is recognised that this is a subjective process. However, it avoids
trainees wasting time searching for resources which may prove unreliable or ineffective.
Web 2.0 materials can be modelled with the trainees, but it would not be possible to explore the full
range of opportunities within the timeframe of a CTLLS or DTLLS programme. The use of a self-help
tutorial is therefore a useful tool in promoting e-learning, accessible to all whatever their experience.
It is also available on demand, at a time when they need it for use with their own learners.
The use of a social bookmarking website has been of huge value to the team, as a repository for
useful websites without cluttering the course Moodle site. It also supports collaboration and
information sharing in an inclusive format. Delicious was enthusiastically welcomed by the trainees,
most of whom had not come across this before. They recognised its potential for storage instead of
using 'Favourites' on a desktop PC, as well as the value of information sharing. One trainee adopted
it as the central tool for his Curriculum Design project, as a means of encouraging learners on a
National Diploma in Art and Design to share ideas without relying on a formal PowerPoint
presentation.
Updating team IT skills has been a useful (not to mention fun) activity, leading to greater confidence
in supporting trainees with e-learning, both on programme and with their own learners. Opportunities
for further development are also under consideration for the future. This includes the use of Delicious
across the whole programme, to create a shared library of course resources. Feedback from trainees
indicates that they have had their horizons extended and that this has been of value to them in their
academic development and with their own learners.
The trainees used both Delicious and the tutorial to support their use of ILT in Curriculum Design.
The outcomes for their own learners were therefore enhanced in a range of innovative ways. One
trainee, teaching Psychology on an Access to HE programme, developed their own Moodle site to
include collaborative activities, such as podcasting and discussions. Another used YouTube to share
stop motion animations created by learners studying for a National Diploma in Media.
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The tutorial is accessible to all HCT staff through Moodle. It is also linked to the staff Share and Save
area of Moodle, which contains additional web links and resources. The aim is for the site to be
available to all staff, of whom an increasing number are interested in extending their use of elearning.
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Learning Points
The most important learning point has been identification of the range of applications of Web 2.0
available for use in the classroom. This has stimulated creativity on the part of the teaching team and
the trainees, who have presented some innovative ideas through their Curriculum Design
assignment. The use of Delicious was also essential to the project and will be extended in the next
academic year to include all modules on the programme.
There has been extensive skills development, both for the team and trainees, with new tools
demonstrated in the classroom and applied to other learning situations. An example of this is
Animoto, which was used to promote the Higher Education Awards Ceremony and was then used to
celebrate the success of a trainee’s own group of learners. This website automatically produces
videos from digital images, set to music. It has a designated education service which is free of
charge.
As the project progressed, the limitations of Moodle became apparent. It is not as visually attractive,
nor does it have the range of facilities, that other services have. However, it is a safe place for
learners, where tutors can monitor activity. The legal aspects of Web 2.0 are only just being
discussed and the project has contributed to the stimulus for a college Web 2.0 policy to protect staff
and students.
Challenges associated with the project were entirely concerned with time and personnel. The
teaching team was reduced during the year, as numbers dictated that two of the DTLLS groups
should be combined. However, additional support was provided by the E-Learning Manager who has
been heavily involved in supporting students and project development. The project was initiated at
Christmas ready for trainees to start their Curriculum Design assignment but was not operational until
the summer term. However, the material tagged on Delicious ensured that trainees were not
disadvantaged by this. The tutorial is now in place for the next cohort and for sharing with colleagues
and will be showcased at the next college staff development day. Of course, technology moves very
fast and there have been changes to Web 2.0 sites as the project developed. For example, Furl
disappeared and became part of Diigo, giving users the opportunity not only to save web pages but
also to highlight and annotate the web. If the tutorial is to remain of use, it will need routine updating.
It is hoped that this may be achieved through the planned extension of Delicious, where trainees can
identify and share resources which have been of value to them. The Moodle Glossary is an
alternative means of sharing websites and encouraging collaboration with and between trainees.
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Synopsis
This project set out to develop Web 2.0 awareness of teacher educators and trainees through the
creation of a Web 2.0 tutorial. This was supported by the use of Social Bookmarking as an interim
measure. The outcomes included skills development, collaboration, and use of new technologies
both within the teaching team and with trainees. These were applied to a Curriculum Design
assignment by trainees and to new methods of delivery by teacher educators.
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Key words
Web 2.0
Delicious
Tutorial
Moodle
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Appendix
Web 2.0 Tutorial Front Page
Delicious
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Access to HE Psychology Activities
ND Art and Design Stop Motion Animation on You Tube
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