LATIRA Learning and Teaching in the Rural Arctic Reconstructing the Field of Rural Educational Research; reflections from the LATIRA-project Þuríður Jóhannsdóttir, M. Ed researcher Iceland University of Education (KHÍ)

ICT in education in Iceland (ICT = information and communication technology) In 1992 creation of the Icelandic Educational Network which connected most Icelandic schools to the Internet very early compared to other countries The innovative practices of the early technology adopters were rather slow to spread However, those practices probably influenced government and policy makers In 1996 a national policy was created that called for effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) at all levels of schooling.

KHÍ Iceland University of Education 1500 students , now up to 1800 B.Ed. program run on-campus and Net-based, the latter program started in 1993 Graduate program: most of ca 400 graduate students are distance learners Most of the 100+ staff members teach both on campus and at a distance Through the distance education programs e- mail was adopted early at the university by most of the staff

Schoolyear More than 800 distance learners - over 50% of the students are distance learners B.Ed. Program – distance learning – first year students Primary school teacher education: 1 st year: 127 students, 2 nd year 58 students Preschool t. ed: 1 st year: 53 students Development therapists education 1 st year: 22 students Sport teacher ed. 1 st : 57 students 1 st year students in the teacher ed: 259

Course tools and conference systems we have been using Conference systems + web editors (component applications): From Webboard an increasing use of Webboard along with web-sites (open or closed). Course tools (integrated applications) 1998 Web course in a Box ( + a “home made” program) Learning space WebCT Netskólinn - course tool made at KHÍ

Research on DE at KHÍ so far Jón Jónasson, On-line distance education, a feasible choice in teacher education in Iceland? Submitted in fulfilment for the degree of Master of Philosophy, University of StrathclydeOn-line distance education, a feasible choice in teacher education in Iceland A study of the first years of Internet use in distance education in KHÍ. Describes evaluation research that was carried out during the period of the first group 1993 to 1996 One of the main reasons for offering this B.Ed. distance course was to meet the need for qualified teachers in rural areas The Internet - - used as the main means of communication

Main findings – from Jón Jónassons abstract Although many difficulties were faced running this first B.Ed. distance course it proved to be successful in most aspects. About 88% of the students that graduated from the distance course were teaching the year after. On the traditional face-to-face course about 70% of the ones who graduate each year, begin teaching. One of the interesting spin-offs from the DE-course was that many of the lecturers adapted techniques from their distance teaching and began using them in their traditional settings. In the last questionnaire administered a few months after the students' graduation 98% of them said that they would choose the same kind of study again

Inreresting to look further into Students that were teaching while studying – how they seem to have been experiencing the apprenticeship model of learning. The DE was scaffolding their enculturation into the teacher profession The importance of the student community – e.g. communicating with fellow students were the Internet – served as a helpful tool.

Research on how the use of ICT have affected the teaching? We have done some research on how the teachers use the affordances of the Internet in their teaching. Sólveig Jakobsdóttir og Þuríður Jóhannsdóttir Narrative Culture in a New Context: Constructiong Collaboration with ICT in Teacher Education How are teachers using?: Internet´s easy access to information and knowledge for themselves and their students ? the possibilties Internet affords for communication and connection making ? Internet as a easy and cheap way to publish their own and their student´s material ? taking advantage of the Internet as an international medium ?

The actual rural condition - New demands on teachers Cultural changes – transformations Multiculturalism Development in Information Technology How is this affecting the work of teachers? What skills, competences and knowledge do they need? How is the DE program corresponding to this new reality? Teacher education institutions have always had their obligations to the rural communities

The student´s context First year spring 2002 Where are they from geographically? North Iceland 18 students East Iceland 14 students West-fjords 5 students West-Iceland 9 students South-Iceland 14 students Reykjanes (30-50 km from Reykjavík) 12 students Reykjavík+suburbs 35 students Abroad 4 students 111 students registered for practice teaching – (127 registered in fall 2001)

The rural student´s perspective How is teacher-education in KHÍ (and HiTø) reacting to the new rural situation? How is distance teacher education affecting the students esp. those working as teachers while studying? a.look at what subject they are studying – how does it relate to the problems they are facing in rural school to day b.look at instructional methods c.look at the use of ICT in their studies – how does use of the Internet change their connections to people, to learning materials and so on

Content Discipline Related subjects Teaching-as-task Preparation, organisation and observations Interaction in the classroom - introduction - management of discussion - guidelines Curriculum Aims Concepts Skills Attitudes Assessment - in words - in symbols - practical knowledge - portfolio evaluation - performance achievement Initial state of the student Understanding of the contents Interest Skills Ability Learning-as-task Tasks - note-taking, recording - discussion - observations - examples Homework Field trips Learning-as- achievement Understanding Interest Skills Ability Model developed by Allyson Macdonald

Learning as a task – From the model developed by Allyson Macdonald What is the nature of the learning which goes on in distance education? Is it relevant to the intial state of the student and the demands of the workplace – the rural school in this case? what kind of learning experience is the distance education at KHÍ?

Fall 2001 –teacher students B. Ed primary school Developmental psychology 97 students – 68 finished the course ca 70% Culture and society 104 students – 83 finished - ca 80% Icelandic language and writing training 93 students – 82 finished - ca 88% Information technology 124 students – 121 finished – ca 98%

On campus sessions Usually no more than 10 days in the beginning of each term On week in August for the fall term One week in January for the spring term Used to present the organazation of the distance learning Get to know the kind of technology that is going to be used – if new to the students Teaching sessions in classes (20-30 students) Lectures for the whole course ( students)

Different models of ICT–use? Developmental psychology Open web-site + post-lists (ca 70%) Culture and society Open web-site + post-lists (ca 80%) Icelandic language and writing training Open web-site + WebCT classes with students (ca 88%) Information technology WebCT for the whole group (ca 98%)

Different kind of learning tasks? Developmental psychology (70%) Reading and reflection – teacher directed, 5 individual written tasks – final examination Culture and society (ca 80%) Reding different kind of articles – photocopies (not Internet) Dialogue on postlist or WebCT Reading parts of the students dialogue with comments from the teahers on the course´s open web Written tasks supposed to be of use for other students – published on the web in some cases (many teachers – different models)

Different kind of learning tasks? Icelandic language and writing training (ca 88%) 3 collaborative text analyses, discussion and collaborative text work. 1 individual essay on self chosen material related to teaching Information technology (ca 98%) Many individual tasks to practise skills in ICT

Different models of how commuications are used Developmental psychology (70%) Post-list where teachers answer students´ questions Culture and society (ca 80%) Postlist where teachers answer students´ questions. Students were reinforced to use e- mail for collaboration – but it was at their own initiative Dialogue on postlist or WebCT in smaller groups – structured ? (Depending on the teacher)

Different models of how commuications are used Icelandic language and writing training (ca 88%) Closed areas on WebCT for collaborative groups Real time chat enabled on WebCT Discussion board for the class, students and teachers, on WebCT Information technology (ca 98%) Disscussion board on WebCT for all the 124 students

Different models for learning Traditional delivery model Reading textbooks Getting teaching-letters from the teachers explaining the material Small individual exercises built on reading Final examination Task based model Individuals and groups are supposed to practise skills and construct knowlegde working on authentic tasks Students are reinforced to collaborate on problem solving Teachers are scaffolding via net based communication and by making different kind of resources available on web- sites

How is the use of ICT affecting the way distance students learn? Look at how hypertexts with links to different kind of resources change the nature of the text The nature of the learning tasks ? More open texts - hypertexts – which refer to real context Undermines the traditional textbook use The resources for learning easy to access How are they different from traditional resources?

Use new ICT critically Theoretical references to cultural studies Real time commuincation - what does that mean? Affordances and danger. Obscuring reality? The importance of reflection – the danger of communication being nothing but reflex in real time communication The importance of “différance”/timing – Derrida Reality - text - virtual reality; real time is not more true, Baudrillard Paul Virilos: Speed is power, how is it possible to distribute that kind of power – how can we make the speed democratic?

Use new ICT critically Theoretical references to cultural studies The edge – the center – decentralization of culture The possibilities of the multicultural rural as counteractionb to the urban speed which can be dangerous to democracy (Virilos, Derrida) Be open towards the unknown/strange to us – let us not fix the meaning but let it be floating Levinas: “Our connection to the one who is “the other” with the unknown or strange to us is the core of justice - as long as we let “the other” continue to be strange, as long as we welcome the strange on his or her own premises”

Theoretical references of interest Carolan, Brian Technology, Schools and the decentralization of Culture. First Monday vol 6, nr Marsh, Connie and Kelvyn Richards Social Inclusion and Professional Development: communities of learners – raising some questions. Journal of In-Service Education. Vol 27, nr 3: McLoughlin, C., Winnips, J. C., Oliver, R. (2000, june). Supporting constructivist learning through learner support on-line. Full paper accepted for EDMEDIA Ruokamo, Heli og Seppo Pohjolainen Distance learning in a multimedia networks project: main results. British Journal of Educational Technology 31 (2):