Tony Carrucan, St Michael’s Grammar School, Director of Computing [HREF1], 20 Redan Street, St Kilda, Melbourne 3182. carrutss@stmichaels.vic.edu.au
Dr Paul Lambert, Faculty of Education. University of Sydney, Civics Centre [HREF2], Faculty of Education, Sydney, 2006. Australia. p.lambert@edfac.usyd.edu.au
Since 1995, St. Michael’s Grammar School has been committed to curriculum and teaching practice reform with the integration of technology into the School. Technology has been the catalyst to facilitate a more liberal curriculum, which facilitates a range of teaching and learning styles. The emergence of hypertext and the repositioning of problem based learning have been core approaches in the ongoing development of an online learning environment. The move toward online learning and reasserting the role of the teacher has been a carefully orchestrated project which has involved the appointment of a technological partner, NEC Australia, [HREF3], extensive professional development programs and wide range of future planning initiatives.
Background
St
Michael’s Grammar School is an Independent Co-education P-12
school in Melbourne, Australia with 1200 students which is committed
to curriculum review in accordance with emerging literacies. The
School has a 128k ISDN link to the Internet (soon to be upgraded) and
a fibre optic network services the campus with ATM switching capacity
(155m/bit).
There are three networked laboratories, six intelligent classrooms, library and LOTE computer laboratories and a student notebook programme. There are over 1000 nodes/access points on the campus, which deliver high-speed access to the Internet and networked applications. Members of the school community have access to the Internet and all students have their own Internet account with password facility. In 1999, all Year 9, 10 and VCE Information Technology students will be using their own notebooks in networked classrooms.
The role of the teacher is undergoing substantial change and the School is committed to fostering this change. In 1997, all staff were provided with a notebook computer which involved an obligatory 40 hours of professional development. In 1997, staff completed 40 hours training by improving their generic computer technology skills. In 1998 and 1999, the Professional Development has been centred entirely on the integration of technology into the curriculum. In recent years, the training has occurred within the context of faculty education and the development of an online curriculum.
Much work has been done on the review and implementation of learning environments, which foster self-paced and student responsibility environments. As a consequence, a critical mass of highly competent educators cognisant with technology has been developed in the School.
All teachers are currently reviewing the scope and content of their courses and working in teams to develop digital curriculum resources which can be accessed over the School’s network. The electronic publishing of curriculum material has been designed to facilitate a range of different teaching and learning styles including distributed, flexible and constructivism modes of learning to enhance the positive aspects of the conventional classroom which has been retained in many learning topics. As a consequence of these developments, the School has been compelled to address issues of intellectual property and electronic copyright.
The Headmaster of St Michael’s, Tony Hewison, writes ‘in the twenty-first century all learning, at least at senior levels, will be flexible learning. This means that individuals will be able to access the intranet, either from a distance (e.g. home) or, as recommended by the 1997 Staff Future Planning Report, from points within the School. Flexible learning implies a total rethinking of the curriculum, rewriting it and placing it upon the network a huge task."
In 1995, the Australian Federal Minister for Employment, Education and Training, Simon Crean commented on the direction and implications of the recently established Education Network Australia (EdNA). He believed that via EdNA the distribution and dissemination of information to all educational sectors '…would change the way we communicate (and) the way we learn. (Crean 1995) EdNA together with SofWEB, have assumed an integral role in the collation and delivery of electronic curriculum resources.
Crean's vision of change in teaching and learning has its origins in the hypertextual nature of the World Wide Web. Dale Spender identifies this change with the assertion that in 'a computer based education system it will no longer be a matter of knowing information; it will be a matter of doing it. The essence will be making it as you want to' (Spender, 1995:xv). Many teachers at St Michael's Grammar School embrace this philosophy and engage delivery mechanisms such as the hypertextual nature of the World Wide Web and the dynamic connections of Storyspace, to encourage critical thinking skills. Ownership and authorship of work are important in learning processes and the hypertext environment fosters relational thinking as opposed to conventional linear responses.
The rapid development and growth of the Internet and the associated drive into educational multimedia applications have spearheaded curriculum change. There is little doubt that technology will have an impact and may shape many aspects of our life and it is fast becoming the responsibility of schools to understand and appreciate this change and enhance the curriculum to cater for the emerging literacies. Academic research in the area of emerging literacies is relatively recent with studies only beginning to identify and define these concepts.
Gunther Kress concentrates his study on the importance of visual language and the growth of semiotics due to new technologies and accessibility of multimedia applications. Kress explains that the 'change involves a greater and newer use of visual forms of representation in many domains of public communication (Kress, 1997, 54). It may be more correct to refer to this visualisation as a re-emerging literacy. The use of visuals and hypertext were present in classic literature such as Lawrence Sterne's eighteenth-century novel Tristram Shandy. Although writing has dominated as a mode of communication for nearly three hundred years it now appears that a shift is imminent. When writing dominated communication, images were secondary and simply illustrated a textual point. Both text and images are informative and the shift can be defined simply as the image being the central aspect of information.
Related to emerging literacies is the impact of technology on the evolution of language. Recent research by Collot and Belmore (1996) suggests that the presence of e-mail has developed its own electronic language. They argue that the language, which is neither spoken nor written, contains unique language elements, which are created through the spontaneous, persuasiveness and emotive nature of the discussion. At St Michael's, all secondary students use e-mail extensively. As a consequence, it has been necessary to teach the nuances of e-mail etiquette - netiquette. 'Netiquette is being considerate of the other people using the Internet, locally and around the world. It is being aware of the cultural differences that exist…' (Carrucan et al, 1996. 28)
The use of hypertext modifies the way a student reads. It is highly unlikely that hypertext systems will replace the novel. The hypertext 'novel' will perform a different, although related, function. The inherent linkages in hypertext are the defining elements of the system. The medium encourages the student to develop new skills to understand and comprehend electronic information. As educators we have been disappointed with the quality of existing electronic resources and this has contributed to the problems our students have experienced in developing these new reading skills. The computer screen does not offer the same environment as the paperback and our students have developed the skill of screening (identifying the key concepts at speed) as opposed to reading. What is important is defined by the limitations of the screen. Most of our students are not interested in scrolling down a page; instead they will instinctively drill into a site for information after screening search engines information and home pages. The dilemma for our students is that most web sites and electronic curriculum resources display conventionally designed content, which has been published electronically.
This dilemma is not new. When television was introduced, the medium was used to simply broadcast stage shows with one camera. Early programmes could be viewed as a marriage between radio plays and stage production. Correlations can be made between the use and appearance of television in the 1950's to the content and structure of information on the WWW today. Television in its infancy was employed to deliver conventional and accepted modes of entertainment. History has revealed that when the power of the medium was understood entertainment was modified and ultimately changed in line with the technology. Multiple cameras, cinematic devices and illusions together with the related technological, social and cultural developments have created a unique service, which is far removed from its humble origins.
Janet Murray, author of Hamlet on the Holodeck, [HREF4], intimates what she believes the future of storytelling. She argues that through hyperliteracy the reader will play a role, walk into an existing story and then the narrative would change according to the manner of participation. She asserts that the paperback or the cinema present situations which are 'entirely outside the control of the reader/viewer. We may fantasize along with the text or images and we certainly interpret them actively as we read or watch, but we do not control what happens next' (Murray, 1997).
Market forces are beginning to dictate the functionality and structure of the Internet and as teacher we must be aware of these changes and assume an active role in the development. At St Michael's we are reassessing and redesigning the School web pages to respond to the philosophy that the screen is the page.
St Michael's has established a vital relationship with an Australian electronic publishing house - Bite Publishing Network [HREF5]. As part of the transition toward true hypermedia resources over twenty teachers from a range of subject faculties worked with Web designers from Bite to locate educational sites and mark-up existing text books with relevant links to the WWW and/or software extension exercises. Bite incorporates this information into digital texts and 'sell' these resources on-line to. BPN have had the vision to integrate flexibility into their solution. For instance, a Science teacher may be preparing a unit of work on energy systems - they have the freedom to purchase a page or chapter from one book, add that to another electronic resource and design their own electronic text which would be purchased for the students. These hypermedia texts can be customised further with teachers adding their own links to the WWW or their own networked software applications.
It is important to stress that these electronic texts form a component of the transitional stage to publicise and educate teachers in this area. Although there is a wide range of links, the links are not labeled and the Internet is being used to electronically publish written texts. The next step is for teachers to design relevant hypertextual resources. Our teachers are now in the process of taking that next step and designing and developing hypertextual resources. We expect to market these resources worldwide.
To assist the teachers integrate technology into the classroom the School has invested heavily in intensive and exhaustive research and has now implemented Stage 1 of the St Michael’s online learning environment. The research has explored the following areas:
The development of the online Web environment was seen as an opportunity to set in place effective methodologies and practices which would ensure that current and future development in the area of online learning was targeted, contextualised, principled, and effective.
Problem Based Learning (PBL) is one of the central chosen educational approaches in the online Pilot Projects. PBL is an approach to learning in which tasks are used to motivate the learning rather than assess it. The learning environment in a PBL classroom emphasises group-based, student centred learning that incorporates generic skills (time management, goal setting, leadership, communication skills)
In the Pilot Project, PBL involves posing a problem to the students, which is specific to the environment or ecosystem that is to be studied. A base understanding needs to be given to the students to enable them to be able to direct their learning under the guidance of a tutor style teacher.
A key process in PBL is that students set their own learning agenda. For instance they may be posed a problem which will need them to investigate several areas before they can devise a hypothesis. Therefore the PBL provides the students with a series of clues, some of which can only be given contextual understanding by informed research. The students must therefore decide what needs to be researched. This research is called Learning Topics. These topics are ordered and researched collaboratively to assist the students in developing their own hypothesises. The practical component of the Pilot project provides an opportunity for the students to test and reassess research and practical hypothesises.
The student’s role is to perform the following sequential tasks:
The teacher’s role is to:
Well-designed assessment tasks reflect the importance of the process of learning as well as the final outcomes of learning. The faculties are devising assessment procedures which embrace:
The assessment modules maximise the use of:
The following are key aspects to the theoretical position adopted in the design and development of Online Learning Centre (OLC):
Learning should be an active and contextualised process where students are involved in authentic learning activities in the construction of relevant and useful knowledge. (Brown & Duguid, 1989; McLellan, 1995). Problem-based learning offers one articulation of this position.
Learning activities and supporting technologies must be responsive to current and emerging social conditions. (Papert, [HREF6], 1994)
Technological learning environments should support individuals engaged in self-directed learning activities, as well as communities of learners engaged in socially-oriented learning activities and social knowledge construction. (Scardamalia & Berieter, 1997;)
Technologies need to be designed and evaluated as they are used within a specific context. The concept of program functions needs to be replaced with the notion of system dependant affordances. (Latour, 1986; Prior, 1996; Engestrom, 1990)
The final point in the list above reflects the position adopted in the development model used to inform the activities of this project. The model encapsulates contextualised processes, where iterative cycles of design, development and evaluation occur within authentic contexts, and with the actual target user group. In this way the development model shares similarities with cyclic production methodologies such as rapid prototyping model (eg: Tripp and Bechelmeyer, 1990) with the distinction that the notion of a ‘prototype’ is replaced with the concept of evolving product states and is referred to as evolutionary product development (Lambert, 1998).
The first generation St Michael’s Online Learning Centre (OLC) was developed for trialing with a group of Year 10 and 11 students during their participation on a three day Biology/Geology field trip from the 25th to the 27th of February. Principle aims of this development included the following:
These aims were considered to represent core activities in the OLCs provision of online learning and addressed the essential need for the interchange of knowledge artefacts and dialogue.
In this project St Michael’s has set in place methodologies and practices that will guide its current and future activities in providing online learning opportunities for its students. In doing so the team has adopted an approach to design and implementation which acknowledges the context-dependant nature technological artefacts, ensuring that all development is targeted and effective.
The implementation of networked learning technologies is well past the point of being a novelty project for a small group of enthusiasts. On the contrary, the effective use of new information and communication technologies in the enhancement of education is widely seen as a national priority (Aquilina, 1998), necessary to ensure the relevancy and efficiency of contemporary learning. This feeling is echoed across developed nations and permeates the social fabric to the extent that learners, teachers, parents and industry all expect that education will actively develop its technological capabilities.
Like many other schools, St Michael’s is responsive to this social imperative and is dedicated to ensuring that the learning opportunities it provides its students are the best available and in step with changes in contemporary society. In accordance with this endeavour, St Michael’s has identified a number of priority issues, which form the backbone of its technological evolution. These are:
The belief in a central role for technology in the reshaping of contemporary education is shared by many educationalists (Dillenbourg, 1996; [HREF7], Burbules, 1996). Many consider that technology can enhance existing learning practices (eg: Scardamalia and Berieter, 1997; Brown, Ellery, and Campione, 1996), and offer new learning possibilities (Lemke, 1993 [HREF8]; Ward, 1996), in the pursuit of greater social relevancy.
St Michael’s recognises that understanding the educational potentials of new and emerging technologies involves a commitment to research and development in this area. The development of the OLC through the IBPP project is one avenue in which St Michael’s is realising this commitment.
In approaching the implementation of its innovation St Michael’s has rejected a popular view of technology, and technological design and development, that see functionalities as context-independent and immutable. In contrast, the development of the OLC is predicated on the notion that the ‘doing’ properties of artefacts are tied to their contexts of use (Latour, 1986; Gibson, 1977), or activity systems (Engestrom, 1990), and are therefore emergent rather than inherent. This has clear implications for the process of designing the OLC for it suggests that effective design must be fully contextualised to account for all the inter-dependent aspects of a human activity system, identified by Engestrom as: the individual, the community, the relationship between its members, the tools and artefacts used, and the social practices of the community. This belief is articulated in Wilson, Jonassen, & Cole’s (1993) observation that,
"the ideal design process relies on constant systemic feedback"
In accordance with this position St Michael’s has adopted a cyclic contextualised approach to the design and development of the OLC, which is represented in the model below.
Figure 1 Evaluating and Designing the Context and the Artefact (reproduced with permission, Lambert, 1998)
The model implies no set lifespan for the process, nor optimum number of iterations. The evaluative phase of the development process considers failures to realise design goals by looking at the whole activity system. The assumption here is that changing the artefact may not be the most effective approach to altering the activity system as changes to the contexts of use are likely to be equally influential in affecting outcomes. The whole system is seen as dynamic and moving interactively towards the realisation of specific design goals. Included in this model is the notion that the goals themselves, being contextually formed, are also fluid, and are reconsidered at each iteration of the process.
Design and Create Product
Install and Use
With a specific focus on learning technology research, a number of unique yet converging data collection sources have emerged as standard. These sources focus on the user, the technology, and the context, and together paint a systemic picture. The sources include questionnaires (eg: Yin, 1994), interviews (eg: Bruckman, 1997, Roth, 1996), communications archives (eg: Bruckman, 1997; Brown, Ellery, & Campione, 1996) observer/ designer field notes (eg: & Sjoberg, 1996; Bresnan, 1995), computer system logs (eg: Sherry, et. al., 1997), and artefacts (eg: Roth, 1996; Turkle & Papert, 1991).
During the first trial of St Michael’s Online Learning Centre data was gathered from as many of these sources as possible with the aim of understanding how the interaction between contextual factors influenced the trial outcomes. The following are the data collection strategies used during the trial:
Questionnaire and Interview data was analysed using a phenomenographic methodology (Martin, 1990) to reveal participant perceptions of their activities in the trial. This methodology is complimentary to the overall contextual approach to design and development.
System logs were analysed using server stat program to reveal levels of activity within areas of the site. This data was graphed using Excel to further clarify geographic activity. Logs were also interrogated for server mapped errors.
The integrated model uses a Web interface to deliver academic curriculum while facilitating different modes of Internet based communication. A Working Party from St Michael’s made recommendations on the appearance and functionality of the Web page. The School’s Web designers, OzEmail West, responded to the design parameters and computing programming which ensured that the site functions as per our specifications. (SQL database with ASP files)
Timetable data was converted and imported to facilitate customised screens. For instance when the students log onto the OLC using their network login and password, a welcome screen will greet them by name. When they search the subject catalog, only their timetabled classes will be delivered with customised academic e-mail programmed to their specific teachers.
A similar set up greets teachers but they have the option of accessing either their own classes or the entire database. This function allows them to view curriculum documents/resources in all subjects to assist in their own design and development of online classes. Teachers are able to publish work, edit and delete existing documents and collect module specific student responses.
There were two major issues, which impacted on the implementation of the innovation: Availability of time and technical requirements/impediments. Apart from the technical concerns involved in the development of the Online Learning Centre (OLC) there were a range of other technical issues, which needed to be resolved. For instance, to operate the OLC we found that our current Web browser, IE 4, experienced many access problems due to our proxy server set-up. After much work, the only answer was to install another browser, Netscape Communicator, on staff and student notebooks.
This situation was the cause of angst for staff who were forced to load a new browser, configure the browser for remote access to mail and then learn how to use the Online Learning Centre which was accessed through the School Web site. This task was further complicated by the School issuing the instructions that all teachers of Year 10 and 11 students must prepare an appropriate online lesson, which incorporated specified learning objectives and outcomes together with assessment criteria. Due to technology rollout problems, teachers were unfortunately given less than a week to complete loading of technology, familiarisation of the OLC and preparation and publishing of work to the intranet.
Some staff were further frustrated by the fact that in some instances, only a small number of their class would be attending the fieldtrip. Needless to say, stress levels were high! This was further compounded by the fact that the students attending the fieldtrip were all expected to load the additional browser, configure their remote access mail system and learn how to access and submit work via the Online Learning Centre.
Constant communications via all-staff e-mails and meetings were initiated to assist staff deal with their concerns. A helpdesk was established and three technical staff were on call to assist staff (and students) with their technical problems. Professional Development sessions were convened to assist staff in groups come to terms with the functionality of the OLC and another staff member was on-call to assist faculties and individual staff to create and publish effective online lessons.
The positive aspect was that despite the frustration and realistic complaints 90% of staff successfully loaded their lessons onto the OLC and the same percentage of fieldtrip students were able to use their e-mail and the OLC effectively when they attended the fieldtrip. The success of the staff was due to the fact that all teachers are committed to the push toward liberalising the curriculum via the integration of technology. As indicated many staff have completed sustained professional development which obviously held them in good stead in dealing with many of the hurdles. It is also important to acknowledge that the push was not coming from the technical staff but from the Headmaster and senior staff who declared publicly that the pilot project was a vital evolutionary step for the School. This declaration was made in staff meetings, notes to staff, newsletters and whole school assemblies.
To sustain the move toward a liberal curriculum, online learning environments and the continual reassessment of the role of teaching and learning will be reliant upon:
The implementation stages of the online learning environment have been successful in the development and delivery of appropriate curriculum resources. There is much work to do, however, in terms of the evolution of interactive communication in the online medium. In the short term, threaded (mediated) discussion lists and application sharing software programs will be installed to complement existing bulletin boards and academic e-mail.
The online environment must feature a wide range of asynchronous and synchronous modes of communication that serve to assist students with academic studies. The pilot project has accentuated the importance of resolving isolation problems for remote students by ensuring that the communication functions facilitate social exchange with their peers back at School. Although this is an area of concern for adult learners, the level of social interaction is a priority for adolescents.
It is proposed that the duality of communication (academic and social) are further enhanced on the OLC with the installation of emerging technologies such as video conferencing, chat, Internet enabled video-on-demand and Internet channels.
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Tony Carrucan and Paul Lambert, © 1999. The author assigns to Southern Cross University and other educational and non-profit institutions a non-exclusive licence to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. The author also grants a non-exclusive licence to Southern Cross University to publish this document in full on the World Wide Web and on CD-ROM and in printed form with the conference papers and for the document to be published on mirrors on the World Wide Web.