Keynote presentation at President's Teaching Awards, Dublin City University, 16th April, 2014

1. A cutting-edge digital learning strategy
Teaching Matters:
Education for Change in the New Digital World
Professor Mark Brown
Director, National Institute for Digital Learning
President‟s Awards
Dublin
Wednesday 16th April 2014

2. 2 I
A piece of New Zealand…
• Cabbage Tree
• Ti kōuka (Måori)
• Cordyline australis

3. 3 I
A piece of New Zealand…
• Cabbage Tree
• Ti kōuka (Måori)
• Cordyline australis

4. 4 I
A real pioneering spirit…
Fernglen 1876

5. A spirit that continues today…

6. Part of the University‟s DNA…

7. 1. Why do teachers matter?
2. How is teaching changing?
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?
Outline…

8. Please stand up…

9. What direction is East?
Please stand up…

10. "Using new digital technology to improve
education is not rocket science... it is much,
much harder than that”
Key point…
(Diana Laurillard, 2009).

11. 1. Why do teachers matter?

12. Teachers… change lives
1. Why do teachers matter?

13. Teachers… change lives
1. Why do teachers matter?

14. 1. Why do teachers matter?

15. Teachers are…
• central to the student experience
• core to the „business‟ of a university
• essential to a strong research/teaching nexus
• important in enhancing reputation and rankings
• crucial to humanity‟s future in uncertain times
1. Why do teachers matter?

16. You can give a person a fish
and they can feed their family
for a day or you can teach a
person how to fish and they
can feed their family for a
lifetime.
1. Why do teachers matter?

17. You can give a person a fish
and they can feed their family
for a day or you can teach a
person how to fish and they
can feed their family for a
lifetime.
If you want to catch a fish
then you have to learn how
to think like a fish!
1. Why do teachers matter?

18. How do you define a good teacher?
1. Why do teachers matter?

19. Personal ethos definition…
1. Why do teachers matter?

20. 1. Why do teachers matter?

21. Evaluating
Teaching
& Learning
Facilitating
Learning
Planning &
Learning
Design
Assessing
for Learning
Professor Mark Brown
2013
Dimensions of effective teaching…
… but highly context and discipline specific!
1. Why do teachers matter?
CPD &
Leadership
for Learning

22. “Scratch a good teacher
and you will find a moral purpose”
(Fullan, 1993, p.12)
1. Why do teachers matter?

23. 1. Why do teachers matter?

24. “A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”
Francis Bacon
Questions…

25. 2. How is teaching changing?

26. 2. How is teaching changing?

27. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo&feature=youtu.be
2. How is teaching changing?

28. 2. How is teaching changing?

29. 2. How is teaching changing?
What is the annual rainfall?

30. 714 mm (28 inches)
2. How is teaching changing?
What is the annual rainfall?

31. 2. How is teaching changing?
To whom were these questions
addressed B.G.?

32. 2. How is teaching changing?
To whom were these questions
addressed B.G.?
… before Google

33. The pedagogy of abundance
2. How is teaching changing?
The economics of design, production and delivery

34. 2. How is teaching changing?

35. 2. How is teaching changing?

36. Harvesting began in 1806
The story of ice…
2. How is teaching changing?

37. 2. How is teaching changing?

38. “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in
the short run and underestimate the effect in the
long run.”
Amara‟s Law
2. How is teaching changing?

39. Learner-Content
Interaction
Learner-learner
Interaction
Teacher-Learner
Interaction
2. How is teaching changing?
Interactivity
Framework

40. Places
Tools
Spaces
2. How is teaching changing?
Learner-Content
Interaction
Learner-learner
Interaction
Teacher-Learner
Interaction
Interactivity
Framework

41. 2. How is teaching changing?

42. Learning by sharing
(Connectivist)
Learning by listening
(Instructionist)
Learning by doing
(Constructivist)
Learning by making
(Constructionist)
(Brown, 2010)
2. How is teaching changing?

43. Learning by sharing
(Connectivist)
Learning by listening
(Instructionist)
Learning by doing
(Constructivist)
Learning by making
(Constructionist)
Still has a role
even in flipped classrooms
(Brown, 2010)
2. How is teaching changing?

44. “Because no two students have the same needs
and no two teachers arrive at their best
performance in the same way, theoretical
exclusivity and didactic single-mindedness
can be trusted to make even the best educational
ideas fail”.
(Sfard, 1998, p.11)
2. How is teaching changing?

45. Acquisition
Participation
Root
Metaphors
2. How is teaching changing?

46. Acquisition
Participation
Physical Virtual
2. How is teaching changing?
Root
Metaphors

47. Acquisition
Participation
Synchronous Asynchronous
2. How is teaching changing?
Root
Metaphors

48. Off Campus
in Class
Off Campus
out of Class
Infusing innovation in teaching throughout the learning ecology
On Campus
in Class
Acquisition
Participation
On Campus
out of Class
Digital
Learning
Culture
2. How is teaching changing?
Synchronous Asynchronous

49. 2. How is teaching changing?
Time Workload
InfrastructureResourcing

50. “A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”
Francis Bacon
Questions…

51. 3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

52. 3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

53. 3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?
• Action Plan
• Strategic Plan
• National Roadmap
What have we been doing?

54. 3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

55. http://ni4dl.org
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

56. 3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

57. New Brand - Taking the best of DCU to the world!
A growing range of transnational activities and programmes in
countries throughout the world, including a strategic partnership
with Arizona State University.
TRANSNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
CUSTOMISED PROGRAMMES
OPEN COURSES AND RESOURCES
Participate in freely available open courses or take advantage of
some of our fully online study resources and public lectures on
YouTube.
ONLINE DEGREES
A growing suite of fully and partially online modules and
qualifications in areas of research excellence which address some
of the grand challenges facing the world.
We can develop customised short courses and full degree
programmes to meet your specific needs. Courses are available in
our key areas of expertise anywhere in the world.
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

58. Moodle
At the core of the digital
learning platform with
consistent look and feel.
Adobe Connect
A core tool for real type
interaction between staff
and students.
E-portfolio
A key platofrm for promoting
critically reflective, work
ready 21st century learners.
Other Tools
A range of other core and
custom tools to support a rich
digital learing culture.
Nexus
Inspire
Connect
Learning without Limits
New brand for digital learning
platform…
e.g.,
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

59. National
Institute for
Digital
Learning
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

60. National
Institute for
Digital
Learning
Open
Education
UnitDigital
Learning
Research
Network
Teaching
Enhancement
Unit
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

61. TEACHING
ENHANCEMENT
UNIT
Online
and Blended
Learning Support
Awards and
Grants
Credit Earning
Modules
Professional
Development
Workshops
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

62. OPEN
EDUCATION
UNIT
Design
of Modules
and Programmes
Open
Learning
Initiatives
Oversight of
Delivery and
Quality
Managing and
Coordinating
Brand X
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

63. DIGITAL
LEARNING
RESEARCH
NETWORK
Wider
Group of Fellows
and Associate
Members
External
Engagement
and Policy
International
Advisory
Board
Regular Events
and Visiting
Scholars
3. How will the NIDL support teaching for
change?

64. In summary…

65. • Teachers matter
• Teaching is complex
• Teaching in change to education for
change!
In summary…

66. “Some people see the world now and others
see the world how it could be and ask why
not”
JFK Kennedy
Final point…

67. Final point…

68. “He [she] who asks a question
is a fool for five minutes; he [she] who
does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
Chinese Proverb
Discussion…

69. Contact details…
Professor Mark Brown
Director, National Institute for Digital Learning
mark.brown@dcu.ie
@mbrownz
http://www.slideshare.net/mbrownz