Ed/Tech must-reads

An Education in Educational Technology from Australasian Journal of Educational Technology

Highly respected education researcher (and my former PhD supervisor) Peter Goodyear retired last year and was asked by the editors of AJET to share some parting words on the current state of educational technology research. The study of educational technology - even discussion of it, frequently - is not always looked upon in the most positive light. Some academics claim that ed tech research and implementation (and the academic and professional staff doing this work) lacks a sound theoretical (and even a moral) framework. Goodyear gently builds a thoughtful and compelling case to the contrary, that there are and should be many lenses used to create a long-lasting body of understanding of the educational technology field and that people with meaningful practical experience of working in this space do in fact have a rich appreciation of its many facets.

Talking about Lego and Lego Serious Play in Education - a Twitter (X) thread from Danielle Hinton

As my @gamerlearner handle might suggest, I have something of an interest in the use of games and play in education. I have been aware of the Lego Serious Play ‘movement’ for a little while, having dabbled when working alongside Stephen Dann at ANU. This thread from Danielle Hinton (Uni Birmingham) is perhaps the most comprehensive introduction to the broad ideas and practical application of this play-based approach to learning and teaching that I have come across. It ranges across flow theory, developing a research bid, LSP as reflective practice, and using Lego to teach referencing, to name but a few.

Making the Most of Cognitive Surplus: Descriptive Case Studies of Student-Generated Open Educational Resources from Education Sciences

It is sometimes said that you never learn something as well as when you have to teach it. This paper from Mais Fatayer (UTS) and Eseta Tualaulelei (USQ) presents descriptive case studies of two projects involving 156 students and 3 academics creating Open Educational Resources as part of coursework in a school of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering and separately in a school of Education. They speak of greatly enhanced engagement, richer curriculum development and the contribution this work has made to planning future iterations. They also note the added workload of students in some cases needing to learn new software and the need to better scaffold this in the future.