Social Learning Technologies

The Introduction of Multimedia in Education

Marc van Lieshout, Tineke M. Egyedi, Wiebe E. Bijker, Marc Lieshout, Tineke Egyedi, Wiebe Bijker

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781138635234
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351791663
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

This title was first published in 2001. Offering a fascinating new perspective on the processes of technical and social change, this book complements contemporary innovation studies by adopting an integrative perspective on social learning as characterized by the introduction of educational multimedia. The contributors provide insights into policy making in the fields of education and multimedia, educational practices related to the use of multimedia and wider processes of technical change. Accessible in style, the book will appeal to researchers and policy makers alike and will be of particular relevance to those interested in education, media, science and technology.

PART I

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

1 Introduction

MARC VAN LIESHOUT, TINEKE M. EGYEDI, WIEBE E.BIJKER

Introduction

Most of us have been to school. We all know what it means to be educated. We have learned to read, write and do arithmetic (the famous 3Rs). An ‘educated’ guess would be that ninety percent of the readers will have become educated by means of traditional educational tools: blackboard, textbooks and classes. Even in the face of the broad spectrum of school systems world-wide, the basics of education have been rather consistent over the past decades. The advent of information and communication technologies, however, promises to disrupt the traditional concepts of education and training, of learning and teaching. It is often stated that the new learning tools will change our perspective on learning and teaching in less than a generation. Teachers will be replaced by advanced computer programmes, pupils will learn at home and there will be no need for them to meet in badly equipped classrooms. Everyone will profit from the opportunity of being taught by the best of all teachers by means of distance learning through electronic networks. School boards will be able to follow the progress of their pupils online. Teachers do not have to spend hours and hours painstakingly correcting their pupils’ work. The burden of teaching and learning will be lessened and will be replaced by a more cheerful, pleasant and effective form of teaching and learning.

Although this vision is a highly technological Utopian one, parts of it have appeal and can not be easily dismissed as apparent mismatches with present-day developments in education and training. Political slogans such as ‘lifelong learning’, ‘the knowledge society’, etc., focus on societal changes in dealing with knowledge and learning. The traditional view on learning, as being located primarily in the first phase of one’s life and organised in concrete buildings for most of one’s young years, gives way to a disembedded form of learning, at any time, at any place, and in a manner of one’s own choosing. The emergence of electronic networks, the seemingly unlimited opportunity to share content with everybody, everywhere, feeds the view that everybody will become master of his or her own educational biography. Although we could easily dismiss such views as being grounded in a too deterministic approach of technology, we also have to recognise that, first, these visions – including their ideological base – pop up every now and then and, secondly, that they do form part of the push to re-organise our educational system. We do not deny the high and forceful pace with which new versions of software applications, next generation PCs, etc. are released (regrettably, often without genuine quality tests). Neither do we deny that the convergence of various kinds of information representation (such as text, data, stills, movies, images) with various kind of information carriers (fixed, mobile, terrestrial and space-based telecom infrastructures, CD-ROMs, floppy disks, DVDs) gives rise to an unprecedented myriad of rich information contexts. This by itself, however, does not provide a rich environment for educational uses. There is more at stake. Extra work has to be done in order to create useful multimedia uses in education. A more elaborate view is needed to understand what happens when new multimedia applications and tools are introduced in educational contexts. In this volume we shift the focus from the technology itself to the social practice in which the technology is expected to function. Both technology and social practice need to change in order to establish a good match. In this view, introducing technology is a mutual and simultaneous reshaping of technology and the social context in which it has to function. The introduction of multimedia in educational settings no doubt offers very interesting examples of this process of mutual determination. For one thing, as indicated, because the educational system is in a phase of change. There is a lot to learn from how this process takes place, and which factors determine perceived success or failure. For another, multimedia is hot. Both its content and its carriers(what kind of information is presented, is it static or dynamic, what kind of communication processes are supported, etc.) are of interest. Multimedia pops up in quite different guises. It is increasingly becoming part of daily practice. All the more surprising that the uptake of multimedia in education is still modest.

Social Learning in Multimedia

The central questions in this volume are: In what manner is multimedia used in the education sector? Which mechanisms affect the introduction, development and diffusion of innovative multimedia uses in the field of education? This volume aims to contribute to a better understanding of the problems and mechanisms that determine the uptake of multimedia in the field of education. Multimedia practices, projects and policies are presented to illustrate different aspects of the uptake of multimedia. Case studies highlight the problems that occur when multimedia is introduced in new educational settings. The cases demonstrate the need to adapt both the educational setting and the technology. They show how innovative multimedia uses develop and what mechanisms lead to diffusion of multimedia in education. Furthermore, a conceptual framework is developed to interpret and compare the cases. This provides a more general insight into practices and policies. Together, the case studies and the comparative analyses contain recommendations for ‘good practices’, hints to be taken into account and pitfalls to be avoided when implementing multimedia in education, and innovation and diffusion policies. With our analyses and recommendations, we address educational technologists, project managers who deal with educational multimedia, teachers, school boards, and policy makers in this field.

Most studies that deal with the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education have a narrow managerial, organisational perspective. They focus on implementation problems and view the ICT tool as a static object. Specific aspects of the educational setting, processes of mutual adaptation between technology and its setting, and mechanisms that underlie multimedia diffusion in the education sector remain underexposed. The contributors to this volume have a different approach. Our main expertise lies in the field of the innovation and diffusion of technology. We emphasise the importance of the broader social setting in which a technology, an artefact or a technical system is implemented. It is a sociotechnical approach. We apply this approach to innovation and diffusion processes. Our approach is unusual for the multimedia field in education and our focus is new. However, we share our focus with colleagues researching other sectors of society: our SLIM partners.

This volume is one of the spin-offs of a European project called Social Learning In Multimedia (SLIM¹). The focus in SLIM is on how society learns to use multimedia in different areas of society, such as education, the public sector, and the arts and culture sector. That is, how does the uptake of multimedia proceed in these sectors? Important topics are the identification of factors that enhance learning and the appropriation of innovations, and the transferability of experiences across sectors: that which is useful in one situation may not necessarily be so in another one. These questions and topics are also addressed in this volume. The ‘spirit of SLIM’ inspired us in the way we deal with them.

Outline of the Book

The volume consists of three parts: an introductory part, in which the state-of-the-art of multimedia in education is examined and the conceptual framework is discussed; an empirical part, in which eight case studies are presented; and an integrative part, in which the case studies are compared and analysed. Although a tight relationship exists between the conceptual framework in Part I and the analyses in Part III, and cross-references are made between chapters, all chapters can be read separately. They stand in their own right, and have their own focus and line of argument. Each chapter starts with an abstract. To allow the reader to choose his or her own way through the volume, we briefly highlight the content of each chapter.

Part I: Conceptual Framework

Chapter 2 provides an overview of current use of multimedia in education. Relevant concepts are introduced, such as the distinction between learning about, with and through ICT. The author discusses the main trends in multimedia use and pedagogy. She indicates ways in which new developments in teaching and learning can profit from ICT, and provides guidelines for incorporating pedagogy and instructional engineering in multimedia use and project design.

In chapter 3, the theoretical background of the studies is introduced. It builds mainly on theories from the fields of Social Studies of Technology and sociology. Briefly, these argue that technology cannot be isolated from the practices into which it is introduced, and that technology itself is a social practice. A conceptual framework is developed to help understand processes of multimedia diffusion in education. Innofusion (a combination of innovation and diffusion) and social learning are two leading concepts. They are explained and further elaborated in the comparative analyses of chapter 13 (Innofusion) and chapter 14 (Social Learning).

Part II: Case Studies

The second part of the book consists of eight empirical studies, carried out by SLIM researchers in several European countries. Most of the cases focus on a multimedia project. They cover a variety of issues, educational settings, and multimedia uses. The ‘learners’ addressed range from children to adults; the educational settings vary from primary school to the home and the university setting; the initiators of multimedia use are educational institutes, government bodies and, sometimes, commercial companies; the multimedia used ranges from stand-alone software for private use to communication technologies for distance teaching; and the issues of concern range from gender aspects to economic issues. Together, they offer a heterogeneous picture of multimedia use in education. We briefly outline each of the studies.

Multimedia and education as marketing strategy (chapter 4) describes how a telecom company attempts to broaden its playing field. A distance-language course for children is set up. Children are chosen because they are likely to bring favourable public exposure. Ten children from different European countries are connected by means of extended ISDN facilities. The author uses theories from the social studies of technology (SCOT and the notion of inscription). She analyses the manner in which the children are made to fit the technology. She describes how teachers abandon their initial aims and adopt the company’s aims, and shows how the public success of the project is manipulated.

Learning in Cable-School: the use of networked ICTs in an educational context (chapter 5) describes a project initiated by a cable company to connect schools to the Internet with cable modems. The company sees it as a stepping-stone for contracts with local government. The aim of the project is that teachers from different schools share their teaching material via the web. The author analyses why this does not happen. He examines the partner relationships in the project and the working context of teachers, and addresses the emergence of other multimedia uses. He introduces the term ‘social learning of independence’.

From Spice-girls to Cybergirls: the role of multimedia in the construction of young girls’ fascination for and interest in computers (chapter 6) follows a number of computer-fascinated girls in order to understand and increase young females’ multimedia use. The study summarises Norwegian policy on this matter. A discussion of gender theories is included. The author examines home and school computer use. She analyses the girls’ learning strategies and describes developments in their computer use. The chapter ends with a number of clear and useful policy recommendations on how education should go about increasing girls’ interest in computing and computers.

Distance teaching on Bornholm (chapter 7) describes a trial initiated by the Danish government. Because of the lack of suitable educational possibilities on the island of Bornholm, a distance teaching set-up is organised with educational institutions on the mainland. Videoconferencing technology is used. The authors critically examine the political context of the project, and its technical and pedagogical basis. Project developments are analysed on the degree of symmetry between sending and receiving institutions and the centre-periphery debate on economic development and education.

Teaching transformed? The appropriation of multimedia in education: the case of Norway (chapter 8) addresses Norwegian policies and experiments on multimedia in education. The authors use the concepts of ‘learning economy’, ‘domestication’ and ‘social learning’. The study discusses the role of ICT as it is perceived and shaped at different levels in education. In government scenarios, the availability of computers is a major concern. However, the study illustrates considerable differences in the way schools exploit the computer capacity available and ‘domesticate’ ICT. In order to learn from these practices, the authors plead for effective local learning economies within and between schools.

A project adrift: mechanisms of multimedia innofusion in education (chapter 9) follows the institutional wanderings of a project (IMMICS) in a Dutch university faculty. The author adopts the theoretical framework of chapter 3 and focuses on mechanisms that lead to the diffusion of innovative multimedia uses. The study shows that the project’s meaning and locus within the faculty change until it becomes associated with a specific course. The actor network involved expands, implodes and reemerges. Some actors in the faculty are meaning brokers, others are intermediary multimedia users and producers combined. The author notes mechanisms that propel faculty-wide multimedia innofusion.

Telepoly: the risk of creating high-end expectations (chapter 10) describes a broadband real-time distance teaching project between three Swiss institutes for technical education (i.e. three different language areas). The study discusses the Swiss public policy debate on the use of new ICT-related educational tools. It shows the project’s initial emphasis on realising a stable technological infrastructure (ATM). When new strategic actors become involved, these prioritise educational issues. Telepoly illustrates the difficulty of matching changing priorities, and the importance of adapting teaching strategies to the requirements of distance teaching.

Diversified hypermedia use in education: an experiment with disclosure (chapter 11) describes the use of hypermedia software in a university course (IMMICS, see chapter 9). The teachers do not prescribe how hypermedia should be used in the course. Indeed, they encourage innovative uses. The author uses the term ‘diversification experiment’ to contrast their approach with ‘verification experiments’. She examines which limits the educational setting poses on user experimentation and to wha...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Contributing Authors
• Preface
• Part I: Conceptual Framework
• Part II: Case Studies
• Part III: Comparative Analyses
• Bibliography