PGCHE Theme 2: The Changing Environment of HE and the Curriculum
Session 3, 18 April 2007
The Changing Technological Environment of HE and the Curriculum
I (Bob Rotheram) will lead this session and afterwards will support related activity online
for one week.
Session outline
As you know from the Theme Handbook and from the extracts which Phil Race has
circulated, the blurb about this session says:
“Participants will be briefed on some new technologies with apparent potential for
use in HE. Each will then explore one which appears interesting before drafting a
short reflective piece on its possible use in participants’ own practice. Drafts will
be exchanged in the classroom and discussion will generate formative feedback.”
Later:
“Bob Rotheram (and perhaps other participants) will provide further formative
feedback on drafts submitted within seven days. Finished documents may be
included in the portfolio.”
So I’ll start at 1.30pm by quickly showing you some relatively new technologies
(software and at least one item of hardware) which could conceivably be useful in your
ALT practice. They may or may not be new to you. Then you all go your separate ways
till 3.30pm, probably to find a networked computer. I don’t mind where you disappear to
– your office, MetCeno, wherever.
Whilst we’re split up, you should each explore one of the technologies which interests
you. When doing this, you might think about:
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what the technology can and can’t do;
how you might be able to use it with students to meet some learning outcomes;
what preparations would be needed for it to work well;
whether the effort involved could be justified.
Start to draft a short reflective piece (500 words?) that might eventually go in your
PGCHE portfolio. Bring your rough draft back to the base room at 3.30pm. It will
probably be raw and unfinished, but that’s OK. However, it should be in a format which a
few people at a time can see, e.g. on a laptop, hard-copy word-processed document,
handwritten and photocopied… . You think this is all a bit hazy and unstructured? Yes,
deliberately! You’re experienced and resourceful students and I’m confident you’ll cope.
For the final hour between 3.30 and 4.30 we’ll be back together, discussing your
findings, looking at your rough drafts, asking questions, providing each other with
formative feedback to sharpen thinking and improve the drafts.
Post-session
Afterwards we’ll have a chance to work collaboratively, online, to refine further the draft
reflective pieces – yours and those of other students. I’ve set up a ‘Google group’ where
you can post stuff, comment on documents and have discussions. I’ll service it for a
week after the session, i.e. till 25 April, during which time I’ll do my best to comment on
drafts and contribute to discussions. After that, I’ll leave it running for a while and we’ll
see what happens. Maybe you’ll keep things going; maybe I’ll chip in from time to time.
Please understand that the post-session activity is not compulsory. Instead, it’s an
opportunity to: a) develop a good, reflective piece for your programme portfolio; b)
help your fellow students with their portfolios. You know that what goes in your portfolio
is largely up to you, so you may choose not to include anything related to this activity.
Google group
Called ‘Leeds Met PGCHE’, it’s on the web at: http://groups.google.com/group/leedsmet-pgche. You’ll be reassured to know that it’s not open to the world. I’m the ‘owner’
and I’ve withheld it from the Google Groups Directory and made it ‘invitation only’. I’m
happy to send an invitation to all registered Leeds Met PGCHE students and staff
associated with the programme. If you want an invitation, please let me have your email
address. To get things to work, you’ll also need to create your own Google account. Do
this via: http://mail.google.com.
Once you’re in, experiment with the facilities. I’ll have put some things there. Beyond
that, what can you do? It’s OK to play around, make test postings and socialise a bit.
Then, when you’re ready, move to more serious activities, e.g. asking questions, posting
the latest draft of your reflective piece, making comments on others’ contributions, etc.
I’m hoping for a healthy mix of fun and productive work.
Perhaps you think a Google group could be useful with your students and you want to
write about this. How to explore the idea for your portfolio? One way would be to set up
your own group straight away, recruit some members and devote your reflective piece to
assessing its potential – in my group, of course! Alternatively, you may prefer to wait till
the one I’ve created has run for a while and base your piece on this experience. One
snag with the latter option is that you’ll probably miss some of the opportunity for online
formative feedback from other PGCHE students and me.
Contact me
You’ll need to do this if you want an invitation to join the Google group, but feel free to
get in touch about other things as well. Here are several ways to reach me:
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Email: b.rotheram@leedsmet.ac.uk (Take care spelling my surname!)
Mobile: 07824 482506
Office phone: 0113 812 9045
Office: Room 205, Old School Board, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3ED.
Bob Rotheram
Reader in Assessment, Learning and Teaching
Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (ALT)
4 April 2007