Chair: Lars Heinemann, University of Bremen

Overview:

E-learning and collaborative software has made only a limited impact on vocational education and training. Research suggests lack of awareness of the potential of new technologies for learning, lack of competences on behalf of teachers and trainers, lack of infrastructure, limited access to appropriate learning materials and the failure to develop new pedagogies are all significant barriers to increased take up and implementation of ICT for learning in the sector.

In the past two years a new form of software application – known as social software has become prominent. Social software – often linked to opens source software and to what is now known as Web 2.0, promotes collaboration through the internet. Social software which “lets people rendezvous, connect or collaborate by use of a computer network (Wikipedia) has the potential to support social learning.

Wikipedia goes on to say: “The more specific term collaborative software applies to cooperative work systems. The study of computer-supported collaboration and Computer Supported Cooperative Work are closely associated with the software design issues.”

Stephen Downes has pointed to the potential of social software in for bringing together conversations and learning: “Social software - we need a way to support conversations and not just content, and indeed I would take that even further, we need a way to support conversations with content. This ties into the 'Blogger' of e-media; we need a way to create our words, we need a way to send our words. And learning, again as Erin Brewer suggested, we need to first of all understand, and then leverage, the principles of self-organizing networks."

Mark Hemphill has explained the use of social software at the University of King Edward island “not to orchestrate a community but to catalyze the organic processes of its members such that individual and group dynamics could emerge on their own, where each member could demonstrate the manifest will and interests of the community, and where the technical team could dedicate its time and resources to those members who would best demonstrate and endorse the benefits and power of an online community.”

Emergent social software applications for learning include the use of wikis for collaborative research and writing, web logs (blogs, e-Portfolios, the use of social bookmarking for developing dynamic course content and reading lists and the use of the Friend of a Friend protocol to allow users to form their own groups. Research is being undertaken to develop beta Personal Learning Environments.

It is notable that social software was not designed for learning. But it is our belief that it may have a greater impact on vocational education and training than formal e-learning applications. Why should this be so?

Firstly because vocational identities are formed through legitimate peripheral integration within communities of practice. Social software is ideally suited to supporting (emergent) communities of practice. Secondly because applications like web logs and ePortfolios allow the recording and reflection of all learning including work based learning and can provide a record of competence. Social software can model and reflect collaborative work flow and work processes, commonly deployed in occupational settings. Finally social software and web 2.0 emphasise the role of consumers as producers – both reflecting the form and pedagogy of vocational education and at the same time offering a new perspective on the production of learning materials.

The symposium will be based on work undertaken through the European e-Learning programme Bazaar project, which started in January 2006.

Individual papers

Paper 1 – Portfolios and Personal Learning environments – new pedagogies and approaches to learning in Vocational Education and training

EPortolios are becoming increasingly popular in higher education and in schools. However, the real potential for e-Portfolios is in the widening contexts in which learning is taking place - or is recognised to be taking place - and in the ability to bring together personal learning gained in multiple contexts. E-Portfolios have particular relevance for vocational education and training as they allow the recording of learning from the home, from work and form institutions. They also allow reflection on competences gained through learning. In the past six months researchers and developers have been considering the extension of e-Portfolios towards a Personal Learning Environment.

The last five years have seen a major uptake of VLEs by colleges and universities. The vast majority of these are large, institutional systems, which are predominantly course based providing support for content distribution, discussion and assessment, mainly through proprietary tools. There are several problems with this approach of which two are of most concern.

• VLEs are not easily customised to suit the needs and preferences of individuals
• As learners move between institutions, they may need to learn the interfaces to different VLEs.
• PLEs are not well suited to work based learning

An alternative approach would be to locate a large amount of VLE functionality with the learner either as a desktop application or an independently hosted portal. Institutions would still provide content via repositories, undertake assessment and so on, but learners would interact with these using their personal systems (Personal Learning Environment), comprising their preferred tools and ways of working.

The paper will consider the implicatiosn of these developments for Vocational education and training programmes and epdagogy, institutions and systems.

Paper 2 Future Scenarios for learning

Project acronym: BAZAAR

The major aim of the Bazaar project is to develop and support a community of practice for teachers, trainers, moderators and facilitators in the development, creation, exchange and use of elearning materials. This includes

• a) The provision of information and services for teachers and trainers in the development, creation, exchange and use of elearning materials.
• b) The facilitation of social networking and the development of social networks.
• c) The provision of opportunities to test and use different Open Source Software tools and applications.
• d) The provision of opportunities to explore and share experience and practice.
• e) The provision of opportunities to share learning materials.
• f) Research and dissemination into emergent issues and practice.
• g) Networking of projects and initiatives.
• h) The provision of peer group advice and guidance and access to expertise and help.
• i) Opportunities for discourse and communication between developers and users of elearning applications.

In the early stages of the project, the partners have undertaken a scenario planning exercise looking at the future development of elearning materials. This paper will present the results of the exercise.

Paper 3 – Supporting Communities if Practice in Vocational Education and Training

There is a wide appreciation that social learning takes place through interaction in communities of practice. Many projects are seeking to develop such communities and to use ICT to support communities of practice. Yet the experience of these communities sis often less than overwhelming. As Wilfred Rubens has said, “If our communities shall succeed, we need to create ownership, passion and a sense of urgency."

This raises many more questions about the nature of communities of practice and issues we need to resolve in a practical and applied sense.

Ettiene Wenger defines Communities of practice as follows:

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.

He goes on to qualify this with three further 'critical characteristics':

The domain:

A community of practice ... has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people.

The community:

In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other. A website in itself is not a community of practice.

The practice:

Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems—in short a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction.

Methodology or methods/research instruments or sources used:

The Bazaar project is undertaking a wide ranger of activities. The presentation in the seminar will be based on the first nine months of project work., This includes a collaborative scenario setting investigation and research into issues involved in the development and use of open learning resources. The project is also developing a sandbox application to allow researchers and teachers and trainers in vocational education and training to test social software applications in a real environment. These three aspects of the work will be presented in the symposium.

Conclusions or expected outcomes or findings:

The symposium will provide participants with access to cutting edge research on the uses of ICT for learning. Participants will be encouraged to discuss and reflect on the implications of these developments for the future development of vocational Education and training. NestaFutureLab have said in a recent report: "The logic of education systems should be reversed so that the system conforms to the learner, rather than the learner to the system."

References:

• Attwell G, (2003), The challenge of e-learning in small enterprises: Issues of policy and practice in Europe Attwell G, Cedefop, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
• Attwell G. and Heidegger G. (2002) The social shaping of work, technology and organisations as a guiding principle for vocational education and training, in Transformation of Learning in education and training, CEDEFOP: Luxembourg
• Attwell G, (2005) Recognising learning: educational and pedagogic issues in e-Portfolios, paper presnetd at ePortfolio 2005 26 - 28 October 2005, Cambridge UK http://www.eifel.org/portfolio/ep2005/eP2005presentations/PS2B_attwell_barrett.ppt, accessed 31 December 2005
• Boreham, N.; Samurcay, R.; Fischer, M. (2002)Work process knowledge. London: Routledge
• Colley H, Hodkinson P and Malcolm J. (2002) Non-formal learning: mapping the conceptual terrain. A Consultation Report, Leeds: University of Leeds Lifelong Learning Institute. Also available in the informal education archives: http://www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/colley_informal_learning.htm.
• De Corte et al, eds, (2003) Powerful Learning Environments, Pergamon Press
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• I-Curriculum, (2003), http://promitheas.iacm.forth.gr/i-curriculum/Assets/Docs/Outputs/UK%20summary%20EN.pdf, accessed 22 October 2004 Lave J and Wenger E, (1991) Situated Learning - Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge University Press,
• Nonaka, I. and Konno, N. (1998) The Concept of "Ba": Building a Foundation for Knowledge Creation, California Management Review, 40, 3, 40-54.
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• Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

Portfolios and Personal Learning Environments - New Pedagogies and Approaches to Learning in Vocational Education and Training

Graham Attwell, Pontydysgu

Future Scenarios for Learning

Raymond Elferink, RayCom, Netherlands

Supporting Communities of Practice in Vocational Education and Training

Alexandra Toedt, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich