1 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 EDEN Conference, Naples, June 2007 The views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the EC Vision for future learning with ICT and Social Computing by Kirsti Ala-Mutka, Marcelino Cabrera and Yves Punie IPTS, DG JRC, European Commission

2 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Outline JRC IPTS, e-Applications Learning Spaces vision for future learning Emerging technologies Social computing supporting future learning Challenges Conclusion

3 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 IPTS : Part of DG JRC of the EC: 7 Research Institutes across Europe Mission : to provide customer- driven support to the EU policy- making process by researching science-based responses to policy challenges that have both a socio-economic as well as a scientific/technological dimension JRC – Institute for Prospective Technological Studies

4 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 e-Applications 2007 E-Government ICT for Health E-learning E-Inclusion ICTs for Inclusion and Quality of Life The future of eServices Lisbon & i2010 Policy goals Inclusive IS Quality of life Better public services Innovation and R&D

5 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Learning spaces vision Trends and drivers challenge existing learning and institutional models Lisbon and E&T 2010: need for modernisation and fundamental transformation of E&T in Europe Need for a new vision of Learning in the Knowledge-based Society ICTs have a particular role to play in realizing these changes => A joint DG JRC/IPTS – DG EAC Workshop held in Seville, October 2005 An overview of trends and drivers shaping the future of learning in Europe The defining elements of the learning spaces vision A discussion of the impacts for inclusion and of the realization of the vision The learning spaces vision is a holistic attempt to envisage and anticipate future learning needs and requirements in the KBS: - It puts learners at the centre of learning; - It conceives learning as a social process; - It sees learners as co-producers in the learning process - It recognises that guidance and interaction continue to be very important. - It is acknowledges that thinking about the future of learning is not just about instrumental changes but also about fundamental/normative visions on the meaning of learning and knowledge in the society

6 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Dimensions of ICT supported future learning space Connecting and social space Physical and virtual, connecting all the actors involved in learning and social networks Personal digital spaceAllowing access to materials, going back and forth without losing track, personal organization Trusted spaceTrust, confidence and reliability, knowledge of human experiences Pleasant and emotional spaceEnhancing and improving the experience, inviting to learn Learning spaceHelping to differentiate between time to learn or to do other things Creative/flexible spaceCombining learning modes and styles according to the situation Open and reflexive spaceGiving space for thinking, enabling to plug-in again whenever Certified spaceFacilitating evaluations and assessments, accreditations for achievements Knowledge management systemSharing and managing knowledge and resources Inclusive spaceSupporting access to learning equally for everyone, compensating possible disadvantages and handicaps

7 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 ICT potential for learning spaces Connecting and social – Wifi, VOIP, P2P, Videoconferencing, MySpace, Orkut, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Bebo… Personal – RSS, ATOM, Newsreaders, Google interfaces, future PLEs? Trusted – peer rating and accreditation, bookmark sharing, collaborative content (Wikipedia, Wikiversity, Amazon, Ohmynews, Rate-my-Teacher …) Pleasant and emotional – Second Life, Habbo hotel, gaming, allowing choice! Dedicated for learning – mLearning, simulations, pedagogical design is important! Creative and flexible – Podcasts, Vodcasts, 43Things, YouTube, modularity of curricula! Open and reflexive – Server based tools and platforms, wiki tools, discussion boards, open resources, blogging… Certifying the learning results – ePortfolios, LMSs, competence definitions, references to blogs in news and scientific works … Managing knowledge resources – Searches, metadata, tagging (specialized searches, del.icio.us, CiteULike, page/topic suggestions collected from user behaviour, … ) Inclusive – eAccessability approaches, different delivery and presentation media, interest-based communities (ConnectViaBooks), accommodating different learning styles!

8 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Emerging Social Computing Applications Connectivity: 180 million Skype users P2P represents 60% of all Internet traffic Increasing number of wifi hotspots, wifi sharing… 45% of total web users visit social networking sites +/- 1.8 billion web pages viewed/month in EU sites = >57 million every day! YouTube: 120million clips viewed daily MySpace: 116 million users in 3 years, More page views/day than any site on the web 57 Million blogs already exist, blogs created per day (+/- 1 each sec). 12% internet users contribute to blogs, 10% of blogs updated weekly Top blogs are amongs most referred news sites Wikipedia available in 112 langs with at least 1000 articles (229 overall) authors, 1.4 million articles in english, 15th most visited site worldwide. Collaboration platforms and tools: Wikis and blogs increasingly utilized also inhouse Free server-based applications for ing, chatting, calendar, discussion, office applications, personalized searches and interfaces… Users participate in producing services, ratings, taste: eBay, Ohmynews, Amazon, patent reviewing, monitoring bikelane offenders… Increased role of the user in supplying content, services and innovations New models for businesses, work, leisure time

9 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Social computing provides new potential for learning related tasks, such as… Searching for information (wikipedia, tagging) Following topics of interest (personalized selection of RSS feeds coming from news, blogs, bookmarks, topic sites...) Producing content (open source projects) Building new knowledge in collaboration (wiki/discussion tools) Personal reflection and getting feedback (blogging) Reaching experts and fellows for discussions, advice (topic specific sites) Showing tacit knowledge (people who read this article, also chose…) All of these are relevant both for learners and teachers Provide new possibilities also for collaboration between them, and for people to act as both learners and teachers Opening new connections between educational institutions and outside world Can be used for both organized and informal learning

10 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Challenges Question of trust –Shift from trusting the teacher to trusting communities –Question of information quality Need for new skills –Skills for learning to use the tools and to use them for learning (both for learners and teachers!) –Importance of digital information literacy! –Attitude for lifelong and lifewide learning Implementation of the promises –Interoperability of tools, resources, databases, education providers –Pedagogical models to utilise the opportunities of technologies –Relevant and available resources for learning and developing it Use of social computing in the ageing society Acknowledging learning outside formal education eInclusion –Digital, social (language, education, money…), regional divides –Addressing exclusion (immigrants, marginalised youth, …)

11 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Conclusion The unexpected and massive take-up of SC tools cannot by ignored by research and policy and has important implications for learning Moreover, ICT and social computing for learning has a strong potential to contribute to EU social challenges and the renewed Lisbon objectives, such as: –Innovative and participative learning approaches can improve the learning results, and contribute to wider participation of people in society (social cohesion) –Improved access to learning and updating skills in all phases of life and by communicating with experts improves workers skills, contributing to more and better employment –New collaboration models in learning inspired by SC models fits stronger with the interactive model of innovation and could lead to more innovation skills in Europe –Networked communities provide new possibilities for participation, taking up learning again for e.g. ageing people, unemployed, immigrants (social inclusion) Future learning needs to be considered more holistically –Learner-centred view of combining different resources, situations and types of learning, also from the viewpoints of different policies –Need for skills and access for tools and for using them for lifelong and lifewide learning! Social computing in education has a strong potential for addressing EU social challenges and to improve learning and skills in the KBS

12 Eden Conference, Naples, June 2007 Thank you!