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Excellence Gateway
This case study was produced by JISC RSC (Regional Support Centres) Yorkshire & Humber on behalf of the Excellence Gateway.
Sector relevance: Further education and Sixth Form colleges
Keywords: Improving teaching and learning, improving responsiveness to learners, curriculum development, learner support, teaching and learning, information and communication technology, media and communication, education and training, learner support, equality and diversity, life skills, basic time management, money management.
Project funding enabled Chris Tansey to try out a new approach in implementing mobile learning projects. Rather than focusing on one or two technologies, Chris adopted a 'scattergun' approach and bought one of many types of technology. This created something for everyone and ensured that the technology was used in “every single lesson, every single day”. Chris works with Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (SLDD). The technology has given the students new confidence, not only in using technology but also in working with each other. The approach has increased motivation in his students and won Chris a Handheld Learning Award.
Wyke Sixth Form College opened in 1988 and offers a range of courses, mainly for 16-19 year-olds. Wyke is based in west Hull. Chris Tansey, Leader of Wyke Foundation Learning Tier Courses, works with learners with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and students with learning difficulties and disabilities (SLDD).
The aim of the LSC's Learning for Living and Work project was to provide funding for equipment for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in order to increase their confidence, independence and opportunities for employment.
Chris Tansey wanted to make sure that the equipment purchased would be of most benefit to his group of learners. His enthusiasm for gadgets meant he was interested in many different types of technology and so, with help from the JISC Regional Support Centre for Yorkshire and Humber, he was able to put together a successful bid that included all the technologies he wanted.
Chris's approach was different. Instead of focusing on one or two types of technology, he decided to get one of many kinds of technology because he 'loves gadgets'.
This could have been unco-ordinated but the JISC Regional Support Centre for Yorkshire and Humber demonstrated the many types of technology available and how equipment can complement each other. Mobile phones, iPods, digital cameras all connect to laptops, Tablet PCs and ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs). Digital still images or videos can be manipulated on the computer or loaded on the iPod to be more portable.
Chris also involved his students in deciding which technology to buy. Many do not have computers at home so “it was things like the Wii and the UMPCs, Nintendo DS Lite and the video cameras that really excite them and they want to use them”. Chris was “reading between the lines to see what would make them come to college…bits of technology that otherwise they wouldn't be able to get their hands on”. The result was that there were many types of technology for the students to use to learn in a different way.
Chris uses the technology in all lessons: “We do use them every single day - sometimes for Maths, sometimes for creative things”. A main part of Chris's teaching is in Life Skills - basic time management, money management, getting from A to B - things that Chris says are “not so natural to these students”. He has found that the format of the technologies is particularly suited to his learners. For example, the Smartphone enables those that have problems manipulating a keyboard to use the touch screen instead.
1. Students enthusiasm for learning The students are enthusiastic about the technology and are using the equipment 'in every single lesson, every single day'. The range of equipment has meant that there is 'something for everyone' to suit their learning needs.
2. Student self-confidence has been raised Formats such as touch screen technology and the Nintendo Wii are especially suited to his students, with the resulting impact on raised confidence. Chris outlines how one particular student has benefited:
“He didn't really get on with computers. He found it very confusing. But with this piece of equipment (the touchscreen Smartphone), he uses it a lot - he says, 'it's like you can touch the Internet'. He felt he was in control because he could use his fingers to flick through and make it bigger…”
The technology no longer allows the student to be overwhelmed by the task.
3. The technology allows greater flexibility Chris comments “the different bits of equipment went together well…digital cameras are used for providing evidence and they support the laptops. We hook the iPods up to the laptops - they're mobile and can be used anywhere. We take them out with us”.
4. Improved relationships amongst the students The students work and play together using the technology, which aids their social development. Students ask to use the Nintendo Wii in breaks. Building relationships is especially important to these students. Chris outlines how “it gets them talking and interacting, building friendships, working in teams, having fun, which I believe is a huge part of learning and college life”.
5. The technology can push the students further Chris has seen what the students are capable of achieving using the technology and he is now planning a major project to bring all the impacts of using the technology together. The students will use the equipment to produce artwork and also to arrange the project. They will “work as a team, a business, and arrange everything that is involved in putting on an exhibition”.
6. Organisational impact The equipment has increased interest in his department from other parts of the college. Chris explains how “everyone was buzzing” when the equipment arrived. Financially, the technology he has chosen will not have a major budgetary impact, as software updates are low cost.
Chris's methods in using the technology won him a Handheld Learning Award in October 2008 in the Special Needs Practitioner Award category.
The full list of equipment that Chris bought is listed in the Wyke Sixth Form College study “Gadgetastic!” on the JISC Regional Support Centre for Yorkshire & Humber's inclusivity website: Excellence in Inclusivity. You can also view videos of Chris Tansey outlining how the technology, in particular the Nintendo Wii, has helped his learners.
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You can find this page and download any referenced resources from the Excellence Gateway at http://excellence.org.uk/189506.
