The arena of change - an example for and with EDEM630 in 2015

Figure 1. The arena of change with the teacher of EDEM630 at its centre

What is the arena in Figure 1?

Figure 1 is the artifact on which I am reflecting. It is my first application of of the 2015 version of Davis' arena of change with digital technologies (Davis, 2015), derived from the College version of the arena that I drew using the free online software Sketchup in June 2015. It aims to conceptualize in a type of mind map the most influential factors on my design of this postgraduate course. It also indicates in some ways the influences that the course may have on other ecologies locally and globally. 

I am at the centre with a capital T on my chest surrounded by a halo of innovations (that includes a range of technologies some of which are named elsewhere). Behind a table in this virtual classroom are illustrated 2 of the 10 or so students in the class, labeled L1 and L2.

Outside the class I have chosen to indicate a number of other working colleagues who strongly influence our behaviour. For me within the university I have indicated only my head of department and close colleague whose whose work I admire and who taught the previous course for at least 3 of these students. 

For each student I have indicated a work colleague (W1 and W2 respectively) with whom they are likely to discuss their learning and innovations. They are at a national level because the students are spread nationwide.

Many other influences are labeled on a national and global level. For now I limit identification to  the EDUsummit and OERu, because it has have had an important and ongoing influence on the development of this arena and this course respectively.

So What?

This illustration of the arena was interesting to create and caused me to reflect again how challenging it is to describe and illustrate the many ecologies within which each teacher is nested. I know that my students find mind mapping useful and so I needed to be sure that both I and they could undertake it within a reasonable time, The students in 2013 undertook it in many ways and produce a wide variety of illustrations and mind mapping modes, but rarely used the same design approach as the origional. I am glad that I have simplified it with Pinelopi Zaka's support (see Davis, Eikelmann & Zaka, 2013).

The EDUsummit that will meet in September 2015 in UNESCO Bangkok is linked to this course with my chapter (Davis, 2008) that was published in 2008 in the Handbook of Research that is the foundation of the EDUsummit. Davis, Eikelmann and Zaka (2013) was an outcome form the 2012 EDUsummit where I led working group 1 on organisational change. In 2015 I lead working group 1 still on organisational change but focusing on Smart Partnership (at the request of UNESCO).

I also know that students find reflecting on atifacts in an ePortfolio challenging and therefore chose this as a first artifact on which to reflect. I am using the three headings recommended by one of my guru's of ePortfolios Helen Barrett (2008), namely: What?, So What?, and Now What?

Now What?

Check whether this has helped me model the process for my EDEM630 students and what can be done to improve it.

I need to return to update the citations and references, because this is my first draft. I will also add a paragraph reflecting on OERu to clarify its place and influence over time.

I also encourage my students and others to ask questions, comment and critique so that I can improve the arena of change, and this particular illustration.

References

Barrett, H.C. (2008). Scaffolding reflection with adolescent and adult learners. Retrieved from http://electronicportfolios.com/reflection.html 

Davis, N.E. (2008). How may teacher learning be promoted for educational renewal with IT? In J. Voogt and G. Knezek (Ed.), International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education. (507-520) Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Davis, N.E. (2015). Global view. Section in EDEM630. Retrieved from University of Canterbury  course LMS course site for EDEM630.

Davis, N.E., Eickelmann, B. & Zaka, P. (2013). Restructuring of educational systems in the digital age from a co-evolutionary perspective, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(5), 438-450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12032 (note: all of this special issue is linked with 2012 EduSummIT)

Davis, N.E. & Mackingtosh, W. (2013). Change with digital technologies in education (#OERuCDTE). Retrieved from http://wikieducator.org/Change_with_digital_technologies_in_education

Home for the Arena of Change

Nau mai haere mai! Welcome from 2015!

This is the home page for my ePortfolio and scholarly musings on my ecological perspective on change with digital technologies in education. It is also a home example for a digital portfolio showcasing an educator's developing understanding of change with digital technologies in education and training, including both schooling and post secondary education.

Before the end of the 2015 academic year in Aotearoa New Zealand, my home, I will have reflected on at least three artifacts that are linked with my teaching of my University of Canterbury postgraduate course Change with Digital Technologies in Education (EDEM360).

My planned artifacts accompanied by reflections are:

1. My own arena as the course designer and teacher of EDEM630 in 2015
2. A review of the 'book' that EDEM630 created in WikiEducator in 2011 (Davis, 2011)
3. An example of my leadership within EDUsummit

I will be happy to receive comments and questions from my class and others too.

I conclude with most 2015 graphic of my arena for change with digital technologies in education see Figure below, which has at its centre a teacher teaching students in K-12 schools online. It is discussed in detail a chapter of my 2018 book, Digital Technologies and Change in Education: The Arena Framework, published by Routledge.