Classroom 2.0 is a free, community-supported network. Is it a ‘beginner’ friendly place aiming to offer a supportive, comfortable place to start being part of the ‘digital dialogue’ as well as offering much for more advanced users.

More on their website.

It’s about time: Purpose, methods and challenges of temporal analyses of multiple data streams

Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago, IL, USA June 28th 2010

A preconference event of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences

Workshop overview
Recent studies of learning have involved concurrent collection of multiple types of data such as computer activity logs and online discussion, or have applied multi-dimensional coding, resulting in related data streams, which highlight the dynamic nature of learning and require analyses from a temporal perspective. This workshop will explore issues emerging from integrating data streams by identifying a set of analytic difficulties researchers face and illustrating the application of specific methods that address these challenges.

Audience
This workshop is tailored towards those interested in exploring multi-dimensional quantitative analysis of learning, conceptualized as inter-related processes occurring over time. More specifically, two groups might find this workshop particularly relevant:

· Researchers who have completed some type of multi-dimensional coding of data such as interaction analysis, and
· CSCL researchers with time-related data, such as chat and log files of actions, who wish to integrate these data analytically.

For more information and applications, please look at http://www.encorewiki.org/x/qA0v

Deadline for applications is March 15th 2010.

The organizing committee;
Britte Haugan Cheng, Ming Ming Chiu, Inge Molenaar, Vanessa Svihla, Alyssa Wise, Vanessa L. Peters and Katerina Zourou.

Each award is made for a known person based on their research potential or their track record of excellence in research, rather than for a team of people. The ESRC is seeking to support candidates who are already showing exceptional all round ability.

Awards will be made for two years and, in exceptional circumstances, for three years. Funding of up to £250 000 is available. For further information please visit: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/postgraduate/fellowships/standard/MidCareerFellowships.aspx

Strand A: Technical rapid innovation projects - to design and deliver solutions to priority user needs by widening the range of functionality the VLE can provide in an interoperable way. Projects for Strand A will be up to six months’ duration and up to £30,000 is available per project.

Strand B: Institutional pilots – for institutions to review their virtual learning environment and related systems to establish to what extent they meet the current and projected needs of the wide range of users in the institution and beyond, and implement technical work to widen the range of functionality the VLE can provide in an interoperable way. Projects for Strand B will be up to 18 months’ duration and up to £100,000 is available per project.

For further information please see: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2010/03/310vle.aspx

More information about the event is available on City Lit’s website:

The notion of the nature, role, scope and boundaries of cases has been explored both in the context of research approaches, where there is an established literature on case methods, generalisation and the relationship between cases and other research approaches; and in teaching and learning, where ‘case based learning’, problem-based learning and ‘the case method’ are used to introduce learners to complex ‘real-world’ situations.

It is clear, however, that researchers, teacher and learners understand cases differently and that cases are mobilised in creative and unpredictable ways, which do not fit established models of case methods. Cases may, for example, be used by researchers to engage practitioners or policy makers; used to identify salient elements of complex situation, or to reveal the complexity of an apparently simple one; or may be mobilised by teachers to challenge learners or to frame their engagement with ‘troublesome knowledge’.

Empirically based studies that engage with the following questions are invited:

• How are cases understood and enacted in particular settings, including those which are ‘technology rich’ and those where technology use is emergent?
• What is the nature, role and scope of cases and case methods in particular methodological traditions and/or specific pedagogical settings?
• What is the role of cases in interdisciplinary working? For example, how can Bowker and Star’s notion of ‘boundary objects’ inform case methods in interdisciplinary settings?
• What is the relationship between case methods in research and the role of cases in teaching and learning?
• How can case methods inform the development of learning technologies and the practices and discourses that accompany them?
• How do learning technologies, (including, but not solely novel web technologies) support or constrain the enactment, construction, reconstruction and learning with and from cases?

Expressions of Interest are required by 30th June 2010, with full papers to be submitted by April 2011 and publication planned for January 2012.

Full details are available here: qse_callforpapers_2010

The report contains a full review of the activities of the project from a review of technologies to workshops and engagement with groups; interviews with a range of reseachers about their networking practices and the development of technologies. The report also goes on to discuss the implications of the research and make some suggestions for development of online support environments in the future. Comments are welcome. The ESRC-funded project has strong links with TLRP and TLRP-TEL and was led by Patrick Carmichael, also a Principal Investigator on a TLRP-TEL project, Ensemble.

Although the project has come to an end, the VRE site will remain in place for the foreseeable future. The project team would like to know what users require from the site and what services provided through this site are most important to continue.

The site currently contains:

• a list of announcements relating to funding opportunities, events, calls for papers and items of interest
• a wiki, full of details of research, workshops, dissemination and engagement activities and technology development
• several interactive tools, giving access to databases of resource providers, training resources by major providers, the TLRP DSpace and a federated search linking all of this together
• fourms for discussing themes of interest
• project file store containing resources such as presentations and papers
• a list of site members

This static content will remain, but please let the team know via the site or below any suggestions for what should be continued and any suggestions for new resources.

TLRP-TEL’s Technology Enhanced Research workshop took place on 25-26th February at Warwick University. A report on the event and materials are available here.

One day conference at the Instutite of Education (IOE) University of London 12th March 2010

The British Educational Research Association (BERA) in partnership with the IOE Centre for Rights Equalities and Social Justice (CRESJ) is pleased to announce a one-day (free) conference for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) early career researchers in education.

The conference will create a space for BME researchers and post doctoral students in higher education to consider issues that affect early career BME researchers. The conference aims to promote career development through helping participants effect individual and collective change in the work place. The deliberations will be used to inform BERA and HEIs what they can do to support BME researchers further.

Further details

TEL researchers Professors Richard Noss and Celia Hoyles take part in a National Curriculum Symposium at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education on 25-27th February subtitled ‘Enriching the New Australian Curriculum: Designing a Rich Creative and Coherent Plan for Education’.

Celia and Richard appear as special guests on the symposium programme and deliver keynotes entitled ‘Rich collaborations: The case of mathematics’ and ‘What becomes learnable and teachable with digital technologies?’ respectively.

More details: http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/news/National_Curriculum_Symposium/2010_National_Curriculum_Symposium.html