Author: Keith Aquilina

Currently my professional role is that of Education Officer (Quality Assurance) within the Directorate for Quality & Standards in Education in the Ministry of Education, Malta. After eight years teaching Computing and ICT within a state secondary school, I moved to the Department of eLearning where my role focused on the organisation of national educational events of which the national eLearning awards and conference, Malta Robotics Olympiad and student competitions. In addition to the work within the Department of eLearning, as from 2011 I have taken the role of ICT coordinator within the Directorate for Lifelong Learning where for 5 years, I was involved in the development and organisation of ICT related courses within the directorate’s adult education centres and collaborating entities. In 2012, I completed my Masters studies in Online and Distance Education from the Open University. This blog started off as an online reflective diary for my studies in the Masters in Online and Distance Education with the Open Univeristy. As may be easily deduced, my main interest is in technology, learning and anything in between. Linkedin; mt.linkedin.com/in/keithaquilina/

Week 24 – A4: Design for Learning

Reading: Beetham and Sharpe (2007) ‘An introduction to rethinking pedagogy for a digital age’. (a) How do Beetham and Sharpe view the relationship between learning and teaching? The authors acknowledge that teaching and learning are complimentary, where teaching is an activity in which students are being helped to learn. Learning naturally (informally) or through social interactions (more formal). (b) […]

Week 24 – A5: A textually saturated curriculum area: media studies

Reading: extract from Satchwell and Ivanic (2009) ‘The textual mediation of learning’ If teachers are aware of the potential of this informal media awareness of learners, they are more likely to be able to make links to it. They will also be able to enlist students’ personal engagement with the media for the benefit of […]

Week 24 – A3: Learning Architectures

reading: Wenger (1998) – Learning Architectures 1. Wenger’s four dimensions of design for learning; Participation and reification Design for practice is always distributed between participation and reification – and its realization depends on how these two sides fit together. Designed and emergent The relation of design to practice is therefore always indirect. It takes place […]

Week 23 – A7: Mycorrhize and wild fires

Reading: Engeström (2007) ‘From communities of practice to mycorrhizae’ in the stages suggested below. 1. Read the article up to the heading ‘Towards collaborative community?’ (a) What criticisms does Engeström make? Engestrom highlights the limits of Lave & Wenger (1991) community of practice. He critiques the ahistorical approach to communities of practice. Consequence of apprenticeship […]

Week 23 – A5 – The network methapor

I have found the use/explanation of this network methapor as trying to simplify (by explaining it in a very theoretical mode) a very complex term which is learning. On the other hand through my networking understanding, I can see that networking (in computing and also as a metaphor in learning), is not merely a connection […]

Week 23 – A2: Making Sense of Complexity

reading: Conole – Stepping over the edge (second part) a) Make notes on some of the key terms you use on a regular basis to describe your use of technology. Collaboration Motivation (students and own) Communication Interaction Socialisation (hmm, these terms seem to be focusing much more on the participatory methapor rather than the acquisitional […]

Week 23: A1

hmm…other terms… knowledge repositories ( as in web 1.0) artificial intelligence semantic web search engines learning objects learning design mapping tools Social networking blogging / micro blogging OER

Week 23 – A3: thinking about your learning

Think about your own learning – the resources and tools you use, where and when it takes place 1. What is your experience of being a learner? I have been learning formally( and informally) without any long break from primary schooling to date. In formal learning different contexts, environments, peer students and teachers have given […]

Week 21 & 22 – A3c: Becta report

BECTA is the UK Government agency promoting technology in education. Report This report is Becta’s update on the implementation of the UK government’s ICT strategy for education. Ministerial foreward ‘at least £10 billion has been invested since 1999. Many schools, colleges, universities and training providers are using technology in innovative ways to raise standards and […]

Week 21 & 22 – A3b NSF cyberlearning report

Report available: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08204/nsf08204.pdf Following are some main points extracted from this report; Report’s scope work spans the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and the social, behavioral, and economic sciences as they intersect with education and the learning sciences. The arts and humanities are outside the scope of this report. Focus of report is […]