Editorial for proceedings papers

2011 Association for Learning Technology. © D. Hawkridge et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk/) permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.3402/rlt.v19s1/7816

Here are the proceedings of the 2011 ALT Conference “Thriving in a colder and more challenging climate”. Proceedings papers report on a piece of research, possibly in its early stages, or they can be “thoughtpieces” which state a point of view or summarise an area of work, perhaps giving new insights.

The conference has six themes:

• | Research and rigour: creating, marshalling and making effective use of evidence
• | Making things happen: systematic design, planning and implementation
• | Broad tents and strange bedfellows: collaborating, scavenging and sharing to increase value
• | At the sharp end: enabling organisations and their managers to solve business, pedagogic and technical challenges
• | Teachers of the future: understanding and influencing the future role and practices of teachers
• | Preparing for a thaw: looking ahead to a time beyond the disruptive discontinuities of the next few years.

Interestingly, there were very few proposals for the conference as a whole against the sixth theme: and no proceedings papers. Perhaps, the thaw is still perceived as being too far away to warrant any preparation yet!

Unsurprisingly, research and rigour is well represented in the proceedings but there is a problem-solving practical flavour relevant to the title of the conference. Garnett and Ecclesfield (2011) look at Boyer's often cited model of scholarship and update it for the current more open and networked environment. Jones and Kennedy (2011) argue for a more problem-driven approach to social science and specifically educational research using a pluralist approach combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies and tools. Bain (2011) revisits the role of online discussion in learning for all learners and produces a framework. Kerrigan et al. (2011) report on the successful use of a tool to support and indeed require student reflection on the feedback they have been given. It is now in use in several universities and colleges.

These four general papers are balanced by two that are specifically subject-based. Abadi and Alsop (2011) use a formal combination of activity theory and grounded theory in a practical way to improve learning of initial Java programming, a high-volume area with considerable payoff. Bacon, Windall, and MacKinnon (2011) discuss using emotional effects in the multimedia training of executives responsible for safety critical services such as fire or police, a lower volume area but again with high payoff in the light of the important role for which training is being given, and the expense of traditional methods.

Making things happen through problem solving with significant actual or potential payoff is also important, especially in the current environment. Collins et al. (2011) report on the successful use of short “photomarathons” in engaging primary school children in learning on a visit to an historical site. Kohl (2011) discusses the deployment of a voluntary plagiarism checking system which addresses this serious problem through prevention rather than post hoc detection. Smith (2011) reports on the use of a “virtual internet” to solve some of the security problems of group work in learning computer networking concepts and techniques. Gorjian (2011) describes and discusses a very carefully designed experiment that suggests that hypertext annotations in second language teaching, while improving vocabulary learning, so do primarily in the short term only. This result is sufficiently disturbing to generate an interesting discussion of the context of the experiment and why the result might not generalise.

Several papers involve collaborations but only Tan and Pearce (2011) major in scavenging in their use of YouTube videos in teaching sociology. Their discussion of the barriers to and advantages of such use has wide applicability.

At the sharp end, Strachan et al. (2011) discuss the results of a questionnaire that looked at Workplace-Based Learning from the point of view of not just learners and teachers but also from those of the workplace and external stakeholders. The results are of wide relevance in the current environment. Stewart, McKee, and Porteous (2011) discuss an integrated system for lecture capture that does not require heavy hardware or software and can be accessed from simple hand held devices.

Finally, what of the teachers of the future? Two papers offer very different approaches to teacher professional development. Cochrane and Naryan (2011) describe a new approach at a single site, for lecturers through a “social learning technologies” course which aims to produce a community of practice in the use of mobile Web2.0 technologies. In contrast, Arati, Todorova, and Merrett (2011) are looking to bring together the strange if not completely incompatible, bedfellows of government in Germany, France and the UK, in public/private partnerships with Intel. The project supports the professional development of teachers to help them use technology more in their teaching and to enable them to facilitate the acquisition of twenty-first century skills by their students.

We thus see the effects of the cold. To thrive in the current climate, research needs to be more focused than in the past on solving problems, preferably in a scalable way: that is where the payoff lies. Nevertheless, the papers remain solidly grounded in theory, properly constructed and well argued. ALT's field overall has an important role to play in “bringing on the thaw”.

David Hawkridge
Kia Ng
Steven Verjans

References

Abadi, M. K., and G. Alsop. 2011. Studying the learning of programming using grounded theory to support activity theory. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Arati, D., A. Todorova, and R. Merrett. 2011. Implementation and sustainability of a global ICT company's programme to help teachers integrate technology into learning and teaching in Germany, France and the UK. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Bacon, L., G. Windall, and L. MacKinnon. 2011. The development of a rich multimedia training environment for crisis management: Using emotional affect to enhance learning. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Bain, Y. C. 2011. Learning through online discussion: A framework evidenced in learner's interactions. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8. in September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Cochrane, T., and V. Narayan. 2011. DeFrosting professional development: Reconceptualising teaching using social learning technologies. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Collins, T., R. Joiner, A. White, and Lindsey Braidley. 2011. School trip photomarathons: Engaging primary school visitors using a topic focused photo competition. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Garnett, F., and N. Ecclesfield 2011. Towards a framework for co-creating open scholarship. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Gorjian, B. 2011. Using hypermedia annotations to teach vocabulary on the Web. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Jones, C., and G. Kennedy. 2011. Stepping beyond the paradigm wars: pluralist methods for research in learning technology. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Kerrigan, M.J.P., S. Walker, M. Gamble, S. Lindsay, K. Reader, M. Papaefthimiou, L. Newman-Ford, M. Clements, and G. Saunders. 2001. The Making Assessment Count (MAC) consortium–maximizing assessment and feedback design by working together. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Kohl, K. E. 2011. Fostering academic competence or putting students under general suspicion? Voluntary plagiarism check of academic papers by means of a web-based plagiarism detection system. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Smith, A. 2011. Development of a simulated Internet for education. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Stewart, I., W. McKee, and K. Porteous. 2011. Towards a personalised learning mesh: The implementation of a low overhead, multipath learning tool. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Strachan, R., L. Liyanage, B. Casselden, and R. Penlington. 2011. Effectiveness of technology to support work based learning: The stakeholders’ perspective. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]

Tan, E. and N. Pearce. 2011. Open education videos in the classroom: Exploring the opportunities and barriers to the use of YouTube in teaching introductory sociology. The 18th association for learning technology conference (ALT-C 2011), September 6–8, at the University of Leeds, UK. [Crossref]