Copyright and Data Protection

Copyright is the right to use ideas or information created by someone else. It can be easily and often is flouted, particularly by students who do not realise how serious an offence it is to be in breach of it. With a wealth of web-based resources available, it is easy and quick to access with minimal effort. Sifting through, to find pertinent material is undoubtedly the most difficult task.

Brindley (2009), in her role of Chief Executive of The British Library, states that ‘copyright has successfully maintained a balance in the public interest for creators and researchers for 300 years. Yet copyright is under threat in the digital age.’(p.1). She argues that it is ironic how just as technology is allowing greater access to books and other creative works, new restrictions threaten to lock away ‘digital content’ in a way that would not apply to printed material.

Brindley (2009) also warned that this may have a detrimental effect on innovation, education and research. This topic is part of on-going discussions which are taking place at The British library.

Concerning data protection, this has become more prevalent during recent years, mainly due to large corporations and even government allowing public data to be leaked. Teachernet (2009) illustrates the 1998 data protection act which states that the following enforceable principles of good practice must be adhered to:

· fairly and lawfully processed

· processed for limited purposes

· adequate, relevant and not excessive

· accurate

· not kept longer than necessary

· processed in accordance with the data subject's rights

· secure

· not transferred to other countries without adequate protection.

A more sensitive reason why parents are particularly concerned with leakage of their children’s personal details relates to an increase in paedophiles trying to secure employment within educational settings. In addition to this it brought about the dark reality that if an individual had previously evaded capture this would not be detected by such a check.

References

Brindley, L. (2009). Copyright-what is the future for education and research? [Online] [Available]. http://www.bl.uk/news/2009/pressrelease2009506.html

[5 January 2010]

Teachernet (2009). Data Protection [Online] [Available]. http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/ims/datamanagement/data_protection/

[5 January 2010]

The tools in the box are only as good as the tool using them?

In this modern age of digital technology, the options available to teachers, with regards to resources are becoming increasingly abundant. The diversity that can be incorporated into lessons, to suit many learning styles should assist in ensuring sessions are refreshing and invigorating. If learners are attentive and involved in sessions, you would certainly expect there to be a better chance of knowledge being retained, than if the individuals are less engaged through boredom and lack of inspiration. Classroom management, problem solving and learner motivation are essential skills of which without, any teacher would struggle to achieve any success on behalf of the learner.

According to Arlends (1994), class management is one of the main challenges faced by teachers and it is a basic condition of the learning process as well as being a very complex one (Arlends, 1994). Arlends (1994) further suggests that an element of classroom management can be prepared prior to the sessions or ‘the planning stage’ of teaching, but the outcome still depends mainly on the unpredictability of classroom interaction.

Moss (2009 ) recommends that teachers of the 21^st Century have a much different role than teachers of previous times, mainly due to advances in technology. She argues that due to the fact there have been so many changes in education, means students look to teachers for guidance. Moss (2009 ) believes that in order to offer this guidance teachers need to be reflective practitioners. Moss (2009 ) suggests that if teachers reflect upon their practice then honest evaluations and constructive learning can take place.

It is also worth noting that some teachers may not feel confident and therefore competent at using technology within their classrooms. Lipsett (2008) reported, on recent research collected and collated by The National Federation of Educational Research (NFER), that a sizeable minority of teachers felt they lacked the necessary skills to exploit the technology available to them. A third of teachers surveyed said lack of resources and poor reliability discouraged them and limited their use of ICT in schools. However the NFER said when compared to research conducted in 2004, the findings suggest that teacher competence in using ICT has improved overall. Using the latest resources and learning techniques certainly does not guarantee a successful session. Although more sessions are becoming learner centric, teachers still need to oversee and act as facilitators to maximise success both in sessions and overall achievements.

References

Arlends, R. (1994). Learning to Teach (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lipsett, A. (2008). A Third of Teachers Struggle with Technology. [Online] [Available]. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/jan/28/schools.uk

[2 January 2010]Moss, L (2009 ).The Role of the Reflective Teacher in the 21^st Century. [Online] [Available]. http://www.ehow.com/about_5399340_role-reflective-teacher-st-century.html [ 2 January 2010]

Moodle

Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment or a VLE. It is open source software which means it can be edited and adapted by users with rights to suit their means. Moodle is an online storage device, which is ideal for learners to access notes and projects from home and at distance.

Martens and Achten (2008 ) make clear distinctions between a VLE and E-learning. They suggest that E-learning and is a number of terms for which a VLE offers the technical solution within which E-learning can take place. Teachers do have to be aware that swamping the VLE with resources could have the reverse effect and learning may be impaired.

Wenz and Hirschberg (1997) suggest that a VLE provides the opportunity for students to observe the work of their peers, but even more than this, to perhaps use it and follow up on it. However Martens and Achten (2008 ) make it clear that in order for this exchange of information to occur, it must be ‘adequately prepared’ (p.154) to ensure this. Martens and Achten (2008 ) also emphasise that the selection and preparation of the appropriate material is paramount and any mistakes by not proof reading will be highlighted for all learners to see.

Hart (2009 ) reports that Moodle, although ‘activity-centric’ is also ‘teacher-centric’ so it is vital that teachers do not use it as merely a modern day ‘chalk and talk’ tool. Due to its ‘teacher-centricity’, the age group and corresponding level of confidence of the students should also be taken into consideration.

References

Hart, J. (2009 ). Moodle-the wrong tool for the job? [Online] [Available] www.learningconversations.co.uk/main/index.php/2009/11/13/moodle-the-wrong-tool-for-the-job?blog=5 [5 January 2010]

Martens, B. and Achten, H.H. (2008). Do you Moodle? Experiences with a virtual learning environment.[Online][Available]. http://www.alexandria.tue.nl/openaccess/metis219449.pdf [5 January 2010]

Wenz, F and Hirschberg, U (1997). Do you moodle? Experiences with a Virtual Learning Environment. [Online] [Available]. http:// www.alexandria.tue.nl/openaccess/metis219449.pdf [ 5 January 2010]

Social network

A social network is a social structure made of individuals (or organisations) called "nodes," which are connected by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

In relation to technology, fairly recently social networking has become an integral part of society, specifically for teenagers and young adults. Simmons (2008) finds that social networking can have both positive and negative aspects. For example, Simmons (2008) suggests that if social networking is used by a student to discuss class matters then that can only be a good thing. However she (2008) finds that sometimes students abuse the trust of autonomy they have been given surrounding their learning and reports instances when students have started to chat to friends on Facebook.

However some education providers have decided to incorporate sites such as Facebook and Bebo for instance into their teaching and learning in order to maintain the students’ interest and work ethic. BHASVIC (Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College) (2009) successfully implemented the use of social networking sites to help students prepare for examinations and consolidate their learning through a revision section which was devised by their teacher on Facebook called GetRevising.

Cookson (2009 ) found that the students were immediately more interested in using social networking sites to plan their revision as opposed to traditional pen and paper methods. He (2009 ) also believed that the fact that students had contributed to the creation of the revision timetable meant that they had ownership of them and subsequently would adhere to them more closely. Relating to Cookson’s findings, I decided to trial a real time discussion network called etherpad.com. I wanted to see how a group of level one students responded to having the freedom of a small private network. Unfortunately they took the opportunity to send obscenities to each other and deleted and intercepted each other’s text. Some of the aforementioned learners suggested that social networks are probably best for hours outside of college teaching hours, rather than them being used as learning resources. This certainly suggests success of this type of resource is indicative to the maturity of the learners using them.

References

Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College (2009) Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College: Using Social Networking to get Revising [Online]. Available: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/Programmes/page.aspx?o=239196 [ 5 January 2010]

Cookson, M (2009) Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College: Using Social Networking to get Revising [Online]. Available: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/Programmes/page.aspx?o=239196

[5 January 2010]

Simmons, R (2008) Responses to Online debate: the pros and cons of social networking in education .[Online]. Available: http://educationpr.org/2008/01/16/online-debate-the-pros-and-cons-of-social-networking-in-education/ [5 January 2010 ]