Today, 30 January, 2018 I moderated an online session for Open Education Europa (OEE), as an OEE Ambassador, OEE Fellow and expert in the areas of Innovative Learning Spaces

It was a lively discussion duirng one hour at lunchtime, the discussion is available here

Qustions addressed were 

Space, whether physical or virtual, can have a significant impact on learning. Learning Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments: faculty, learning technologists, librarians, and administrators. Information technology has brought unique capabilities to learning spaces, whether stimulating greater interaction through the use of collaborative tools, videoconferencing with international experts, or opening virtual worlds for exploration. Together space, technology, and pedagogy empower learner success.

1. Space as a change agent 

This topic aim to facilitate discussion on that space can either be empowering or be limitation for learning and for learners as for example large lecture halls does not stimulate group discussion or dialoges, rather they can make barriers, but for example flexible learning spaces may empower and encourage actions, interactions, cross actions, and dialogues. So due to what will be achieved, learning spaces can be adapted or moderated. Learning spaces need to be expanding outside the classroom/school or university. As for example what D Cormier emphasize the society is the curricula Next generation learners requires more of just for me, and just in time learning, and more authentic, and challenge-based learning. They are also more used to Internet and social media, which have to e integrated into learning spaces, for interactions’ and cross actions.As learning spaces have an impact on and for learning, there are needs to cultivate a culture of innovate learning spaces 

2. Mind the gap (formal/informal; higher ed/working places; the society as the curricula)

This topic aim to facilitate discussion on blurring formal and informal learning, microlearning and as above on authentic learning. As learning is unstructured, it can be learned in silos Here learning spaces makes a difference, to narrow real global problems, as for example in working places with learning goals. Unstructured learning is learning with no real structure. In this kind of learning there’s no linear journey from A to B to C and so on.  Unstructured learning gives the individual students exactly what they need, which is space to grow.  They are given a clear understanding of the learning intentions and the criteria for their success. From there they forge their own paths, and the journey is continuous. It’s full of rich experiences of learning from mistakes and asking meaningful questions that lead to more delicious discoveries. In short, it’s what learning was meant to be. This approach also empower that the learners can take different approaches and or paths depending their own goals and needs, also due to pre-requisitions. Learning  by social media and through the crowd will be discussed, and how spaces can make a difference.

3. Learning spaces and evolving pedagogical approaches

This topic aim to facilitate discussion on evolving pedagogical approaches, as for example unstructured learning, flipped classroom, authentic learning, self-determinate learning, competence-based learning, but also learning by failure and more, and how spaces either can empower or limit learning. Also learning by social media and through the crowd will be discussed, and how spaces can make a difference. Evolving pedagogical approaches concerned even leadership, as learning in and through more open spaces requires a shift in mindset related to  allocation of time and resources, incentives  fundings, capacity building etc. Space, whether physical or virtual, can have a significant impact on learning. Learning Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments: faculty, learning technologists, librarians, and administrators. Information technology has brought unique capabilities to learning spaces, whether stimulating greater interaction through the use of collaborative tools, videoconferencing with international experts, or opening virtual worlds for exploration. Together space, technology, and pedagogy empower learner success.

This was my welcome address and introduction

A warm welcome everyone to the Open Education Europa Online discussion on Innovative Learnig Spaces

My name is Ebba Ossiannilsson

I am an OEE Ambassador and OEE Fellow

..and my contact details are

Ossiannilsson, Quality in Open Online Learning (QOOL) Consultancy https://i4quality.se 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. @EbbaOssian

https://se.linkedin.com/in/ebbaossiannilsson

I am a quality reviewer for the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and for the European Association for Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU). Ossiannilsson is in the board for  ICDE OER Advocacy Committee and Quality Network Europe. Is in the EC for the European Distance Education Network (EDEN), where she is  ISO representative and  even leader of  the Special Interest Group on Technology Enabled Learning and Quality Enhancement.

I am the V President for the Swedish Association for Distance Education and for the Swedish Association for e-Competence, and also member of the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS) Quality Committee

Two years in a row I have moderated and chaired the Annnual confernce on Innovative Learning Spaces Summit by LUXATIA INTERNATIONAL. Please also follow the Facebook group on  Innovative Learning Spaces

In November 22 2917, I wrote a blogpost on Blockchain, based on the report by Grech, and Camilleri, (2017). Blockchain is an emerging technology, with almost daily announcements on its applicability to everyday life. It is perceived to provide significant opportunities to disrupt traditional products and services due to the distributed, decentralised nature of blockchains, and features such as the permanence of the blockchain record, and the ability to run smart contracts. Read the full report

This is a follow up post, and the future will tell us, from experiences it is know that edcuation is not very fast to move into new technologies and digital trasformations and changes, which I have argeid in many of my own blogposts recently. This post reflects some of the thoughts by  Kernohan, in Higher Education: Policies, people, and politics, 21 December 2017, and Watter (2016), and Clark (2016) in their Blogposts.

Kernohan argues that almost all articles and reports focus on the  how questions, and explains how blockchain and bitcoins function, instead of focusing on the why questions which is more important. He stated that there are at least three limitations:

1. What is important are the downsides – and the first is inefficiency. With so many powerful computers entering the competitions, a great deal of energy is used for literally no purpose whatsoever. How much energy? Think running a medium-sized developed country for a year – that’s how much energy it takes to run the bitcoin blockchain for a year. Other chains are more efficient (Litecoin and the Etheriums) because they run their encryption competition in a slightly different way. But inefficiency also means slow transactions – minutes rather than microseconds.

2. A big problem is irreversibility – once something is on a blockchain, it stays there. If – say – you accidentally pay for something twice, you can’t just void a transaction, you need to set up another transaction to refund. Again this has an energy and time cost, but it also re-introduces trust into a trustless system. You have to rely on the person you transacted with to repay you as there are no built-in safeguards.

3. Anohter problem is artificial limitations. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are often limited as to the total possible number of coins that can exist. 

Frågan är vad högskolor och universitet ska lära studenterna i denna ovisshetens tidsålder. Det skriver Sylvia Schwaag Serger den 29 december 2017 i en debattartikel i Sydsvenska Dagbladet. Sylvia Schwaag Serger blir efter nyår blir prorektor, ställföreträdande rektor, vid Lunds universitet.

Under de senaste fem åren minst, har jag hävdat detsamma, under min tid vid Lunds universitet fram till September 2015. Emellertid togs dessa  frågor dessvärre inte på då allvar. Idag jobbar jag internationellt med de stora organisationerna, som ICDE inom området, och äve UNESCO och EU Kommissionen, samt att jag publicerar en del oftast på uppdrag (se exemplel nedan) både bokkapitel, böcker, vetensjapliga artiklar, debattartiklar och bloggar på temat om nutidens utmaningar och universitetens roll i en alltmer omvälvande tidsålder pga globalisering, digitaliering, förändrad demografi och inte misnt relaterat till UNESCOs hållbarhetsmål (SDG), och framförall mål 4, som övergripande handlar om att:

SÄKERSTÄLLA EN INKUDERANDE OCH JÄMLIK UTBILDNING AV GOD KVALITET OCH FRÄMJA LIVSLÅNGT LÄRANDE FÖR ALLA

Ledord för SDG4 är access, equity, equality, inclusiveness, quality och lifelong learning. Utbildningsfrågor ska ses utifrån behovet av kunskapsinhämtning under hela livet och då särskilt kopplat till möjligheten till deltagande i arbets- och samhällsliv. All utbildning ska främja värderingar, kunskaper och färdigheter, som bidrar till hållbar utveckling. 2030-agendan inkluderar tydligt utbildningens kvalitativa innehåll inklusive tillgången på kvalificerade lärare. Läs mer om mplen på engelska här

The DigCompEdu framework, from  Joint Research Center (JRC) is directed towards educators at all levels of education, from early childhood to higher and adult education, including general and vocational training, special needs education, and non-formal learning contexts. The development of the framework is based on the analysis, mapping and clustering of the elements constituent of educators' digital competence, as these are detailed in existing national and international frameworks, self-assessment tools and certification schemes. The reference model thus generated will be subjected to extensive stakeholder consultations and complemented by proficiency levels. As final product a self-assessment tool, which allows educators to assess their own level of digital competence, will be developed.

A digital competence framework for educators at European level could reinforce national and/or regional initiatives by providing a common understanding of the digital competence needs for educators. The objective of DigCompEdu is to identify and describe the key components of educators' digital competence and to provide an instrument for (self-)assessment, based on research and stakeholder consultations.

The Open University’s annual Innovating Pedagogy report is out. This time in collaboration with the Learning In a NetworKed Society (LINKS) Israeli Center of Research Excellence (I-CORE). It’s the sixth year they have been published thanks to Rebecca Ferguson and Mike Sharples on pushing this through. At start the intention was to make it distinct from the NMC New Horizon reports by focusing on pedagogy. The early ones focused very much on technology, but as they have progressed they have moved away from this to more pedagogy, and socially focused issues.

The ten trends covered this year are as follows