21st century learning - at EnhanceLearning

This was a very enjoyable event, and the video has lots of little edits that catch the flavour of the discussion and workshops. I'm rambling on about 21st century learning - I seem to remember I'd only just arrived back in the UK.

Anyway, a well edited reminder of an enjoyable event - it's on YouTube and elsewhere no doubt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YQ45v_hceE

Island Sound radio interview

Back in 1992 (yes, 92!) I was interviewed on 'Island Sound' radio by the wonderful Phil Miles.  He asked good questions about old people and tech, about computers enhancing learning, about computer evolution and about much more besides.

That interview became a resource on a pioneering CD-ROM we produced in 1991/2 at Ultralab: "Insights for Teachers and Parents" with a mass of cutting edge multimedia applications that we'd developed,  with a host of help for teachers and parents ("how do you mark multimedia?"...)

Insights was a very special CD-ROM, but here at least is the interview: Stephen Heppell and Phil Miles.
http://rubble.heppell.net/media_forum/moovs/island_sound.mov

I'm not sure I'd change a single word if he asked me the same things today...

Death of TV

This was part of an interesting BBC Horizon programme in the last century - somewhere around early 1996, but based on work I did at Ultralab in 1994 - other Ultranauts involved too of course - what a team that was! At that time children were being demonised for watching too much TV, having no concentration, etc. The usual stuff. My work simply started with the hypothesis that children might have become quite good at watching TV, were literate enough with broadcast media to be able to watch multiple channels and may even have been bored by the "I'm only asking you to do one thing, surely you can manage that" kind of rant heard in a few classrooms.

We got groups of four, mixed age, from a mix of schools, and showed them four programmes. They could arrange the screens (small VHS/TVs) any way they liked. Short version was that they could manage 4 programmes, with great con concentration evidenced. They answered tough detail questions (no conferring!) and even meta level reflections about character and plot. Groups on average took 20 minutes to set the volume levels right so that, as one reflected "I can focus my ears on the one I'm not watching"...

Anyway, here is the core of the show - the bit I was involved with. It's a QuickTime .mov file and a bit raw - compression codecs not to be trusted in those days, I'll try to post a Flash version too, eventually! The research was recreated a bit over a year later for this show but was pretty faithful to it, apart from the programmes we showed them varied a little for © reasons.

http://rubble.heppell.net/media_forum/moovs/end_of_tv.mov

I can't believe how young I looked. Sigh.

Finally, it's clear to everyone

Liverpool to Queensland live

This is an interesting little stream of thoughts. I was in Liverpool, at the Media Education Summit, speaking to folk in Queensland Australia. I hope Ii make some interesting points - but the conversation across the world is relaxed and mails afterwards suggest it worked pretty well.

Anyway, you judge - here's the video

Making notes...

Oh this is really interesting: a group of young children in Drummore Primary School, at Scotland's most south westerly point are learning brass instruments from a video-linked teacher. Now as a former chairman of the European Teleconferencing Federation, I'm used to video-linking, but in this instance the link wasn't just a "nearly" version of face to face, it was actually substantially better: the distance from the tutor meant that the children needed to support each other and the headteacher was confident that this resultant mutuality runs into the classroom when the children are away from the link. Watching, I could see that she was quite right about that. All sorts of little practical details about how to do it effectively emerged too - invaluable.

I could write tons about this, but Alan Cameron - who has made all this extraordinary work happen - recorded a conversation we had together, reflecting on the whole experience a litle later that same day. It covers a lot more detail...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf2DhHhMOE0

everything has escaped from its boxes...

A lovely gentle conversation on top of a staircase, during breakfast, in an event in Sweden. The interview was by a group of "young business creatives" in May 2009. Click on the image to start the video...

"everything has escaped from its boxes, and it's the most delightful time..."

http://sites.google.com/a/ybc-nacka.se/intranet/podcast

The Future of Learning

For a while in the UK the government education department DfES, (which then became DCSF), articulated some extraordinary moments of clarity - and often Eileen Devonshire was at the heart of this work to open the key debates needed if government policy was to keep up with the pace of innovation in schools and industry.

One such contribution was to commission (from the talented folk at Magic Lantern) this short video about the future of learning: students, NQTs, wise old owls, Anthony Minghella (sadly missed), Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub, Sir Paul Smith, Sir Trevor McDonald, old archive footage, and all sorts. I got to narrate it - fab little buzz of video for professional development etc.

two versions here: sumptuous QuickTime or (almost as good) fast streaming compressed Flash version

Now we are talking...

Now We Are Talking is a Testra site, full of useful little provocations and conversations. On a recent trip to Australia they were kind enough to interview me on Internet Safety and a lot more besides.

Here is that interview. (scroll down the page a bit for the video - or just read the summary txt)

"nowwearetalking is about telecommunications and you. It's where you can become involved, have your say, and Telstra listens - on issues affecting all Australians and the telecommunications industry. nowwearetalking is managed by Telstra. Find out more about this site."

Space, the final frontier

As a launch of the SPACE: ADM-HEA Annual Forum 2009 CEMP was asked to assemble this short provocation about learning spaces in Higher Education. Basically it is me chatting about the issue against a green-screened backdrop of relevant images.

It's on YouTube, and is referenced in a number of places, like David Hopkins excellent blog

Anyway, here is the YouTube version 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemWMuaHjBs&feature=player_embedded

Empowering Young Learners

I'm really please with this short video. if you watch only one thing on heppell.tv, watch this...

"The Mobile Learning Institute's Film Series “A 21st Century Education” profiles individuals who embrace and defend fresh approaches to learning and who confront the urgent social challenges that are part of a 21st century experience. “A 21st Century Education” compiles in short film format, the best ideas around school reform. The series is meant to start, extend, or nudge the conversation about how to make change in education happen."

Stephen Heppell: Empowering Young Learners
In this film, Heppell makes his way through London, describing his vision for schools, meeting with kids at the Be Very Afraid conference, and exploring ideas for classroom design in a technology pilot school in Teddington

http://newlearninginstitute.org/film-series/a-21st-century-education/technology-and-21st-century-learning