Learning and Teaching in a Networked Environment

Course rationale

The pace of technological change has made the immediate and long-term future difficult, if not impossible, to predict. Teachers are forced to imagine the world

they are preparing their students to live in. In this situation, creativity becomes a vital resource for enabling uncertain futures to be embraced, and an important

attribute for students to have both for their learning and their employability in the future.

In this course, we wish to show that creativity is a social and collaborative process that can be enhanced through online and digital technologies. Filled with case studies and practical tasks, it shows teachers how they can develop an approach to teaching and learning with digital technologies that is inherently social, collaborative and creative. Including case studies and practical examples of projects and lessons throughout, the course covers:

  • Learning in a networked society;
  • An examination of sharing practices and how knowledge can be shared more effectively;
  • Potential pitfalls of virtual learning environments and public social networking sites;
  • Using digital media to plan schemes of work and lessons;
  • How to facilitate meaningful collaboration and discussion through digital media;
  • Creating online environments to enable students to share their understandings and learning.

 Bringing together key ideas about creativity, collaborative learning and ICT in the classroom, this timely book will be an invaluable resource for all teachers.

 Units:

  • Understanding creativity

In this unit, we will turn our attention to questions of creativity in education. We will begin with some examples of how creativity has been considered within various educational settings.

  • Networks, creativity and learning

What are networks and how are our lives shaped by networks? How is learning shaped by networks and the connections we are able to make in and between them?

  • Teaching and learning in a networked age

In this unit we will concentrate on pedagogy. We will explore how your ‘connectedness’ through digital media and the web can help your work.

  • Developing a networked approach to education

In this unit we will put all the ideas gathered throughout the course, and guide you to apply them in your work through a structured evaluation.

  • Tools for creating a personal learning network

We will have a look at some of the most common tools that can be used to build a personal learning network of your own.