Tony Fisher

Reappraising cognitive styles in adaptive web applications

The mechanisms for personalisation used in web applications are currently the subject of much debate amongst researchers from many diverse subject areas. One of the most contemporary ideas for user modelling in web applications is that of cognitive styles, where a users psychological preferences are assessed stored in a database and then used to provide personalised content and/or links. We describe user trials of a case study that utilises visual-verbal preferences in an adaptive web-based educational system (AWBES). Students in this trial were assessed by the Felder-Solomon Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) instrument, and their preferences were used as a means of content personalisation.Contrary to previous findings by other researchers, we found no significant differences in performance between matched and mismatched students. Conclusions are drawn about the value and validity of using cognitive styles as a way of modelling user preferences in educational web applications.

Evaluating Learning Style Personalization in Adaptive Systems: Quantitative Methods and Approaches

It is a widely held assumption that learning style is a useful model for quantifying user characteristics for effective personalized learning. We set out to challenge this assumption by discussing the current state of the art, in relation to quantitative evaluations of such systems and also the methodologies that should be employed in such evaluations. We present two case studies that provide rigorous and quantitative evaluations of learning-style-adapted e-learning environments. We believe that the null results of both these studies indicate a limited usefulness in terms of learning styles for user modeling and suggest that alternative characteristics or techniques might provide a more beneficial experience to users.

Educational transformation: Is it, like `beauty', in the eye of the beholder, or will we know it when we see it?

The word ‘transformation’ is frequently used in connection with modern educational change, particularly when such change involves new technologies and ‘education for the information society’. Closer examination reveals that ‘transformation’ as a descriptor of change is used in a number of ways. In this paper I argue that, though the term ‘transformation’ suggests fundamental changes to structures for learning and teaching, some of what we see is little more than the same thing done somewhat differently. The rhetoric around the role of ICT in the process frequently carries overtones of technological determinism, with agency being ascribed to the technology. Some of these issues are examined in relation to the introduction into schools of interactive whiteboards. Whilst the notion of transformation often carries positive overtones of change ‘for the better’, this implication is open to critical examination. I problematise the notion of transformation itself and draw on activity theory to offer a better understanding of what it may mean. This necessarily includes emphasis on the roles of teachers and researchers as social agents in the process of true ‘educational transformation’.

Questioning teachers about their use of portable computers

This paper analyses case studies from the ‘Multimedia Portables for Teachers’ pilot project where two teachers in more than 500 English schools received portable computers to use at home and at school for one year to develop confidence and competence. In-depth interviews with a representative sample of 60 of the teachers revealed a disparate range of uses that reflected teachers’ needs and interests, and often were imaginative and innovative. For nearly all the teachers the project was successful on a number of criteria: they gave time and commitment, they gained confidence, they increased their number of IT (information technology) skills, and certain IT activities became a natural and regular part of their work. Gains were evident regardless of the baseline from which they were starting. Issues discussed include the use of email and WWW, prior access to computers, use by the teachers family, the value of portability, and the relationship with colleagues. Some practical recommendations are made for future schemes of this kind.

Create-A-Scape: Mediascapes and curriculum integration

The paper is a theoretical reflection on a research study of ‘Create-A-Scape’, a software resource for making mediascapes to support learning in the primary and secondary school curriculum. Mediascapes are collections of location-sensitive texts, sounds and images that are geo-tagged or ‘attached to’ the local landscape, and learners use mobile technologies, such as PDAs, to roam in a space or landscape to detect and respond to these multimedia tags. The study, commissioned by Futurelab, was conducted in the summer of 2007 in England. Its aims were to investigate the Create-A-Scape resource and present insights into its use, perceptions of use, and the implications and potential of mediascape tools for learning, teaching and pedagogy. A survey of all who had downloaded the software outlined early perceptions and use of the resource. Five selected case studies were developed through visits, observations and interviews with teachers and pupils using the resources to create mediascape activities. A cross-case analysis articulated three distinctive theoretical perspectives, namely creativity, teacher knowledge and a sense of place. The paper presents the conduct and findings of the study, develops the discussion of the theoretical framework, and considers the potential of such resources for mobile technologies in curriculum integration, and supporting learning in meaningful physical places.

From Cradle to Brave New World: The First 20 Years of Developing a Research Field in New Technologies and Teacher Education, as Reflected in the Pages of JITTE/TPE.

This article explores the development of the Journal over the first 20 years of its existence, reflecting a period of ongoing change in educational technologies and their role in teacher education and development. This exploration is undertaken through an analysis of the abstracts of articles published in the first 19 volumes of the Journal. Word clouds are used for the first level of analysis, and deeper investigation is undertaken using text mining, based on latent semantic analysis, to derive thematic clusters of articles, reflecting the changes in the wider landscape of educational technology. The authors also investigate the changing picture of widening international participation in the Journal. They conclude that, whilst some underlying themes of the Journal remain consistent, other themes reflect aspects of external changes.

Incidental Second Language Vocabulary Learning from Reading Novels: A Comparison of Three Mobile Modes

This paper reports on a study in which incidental English vocabulary learning from three mobile modes book, e-book and e-book with user modelling and adaptive vocabulary learning support was investigated. The study employed a crossover design to test for vocabulary gain from reading three simplified English novels among a group of Japanese high school students, learning English as a second language. Small vocabulary gains were noted; however there was no significant difference between the modes in this respect. Participants also gave their reactions to using the three modes. The authors reflect on some possible reasons for the results, and identify some methodological considerations.