You are here:

MirandaNet: A Learning Community—A Community of Learners
Article

, Actis Limited, United Kingdom

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Volume 13, Number 1, ISSN 1093-023X Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Waynesville, NC

Full Text

Abstract

Traditional models of learning have reified into concepts of learning, with the teacher frozen as the embodiment of skills and knowledge that have to be passed on to students. In the United Kingdom, the New Opportunities Funding CD-ROM, produced to develop teachers' ICT curriculum competence, is the current embodiment of that viewpoint. The pace of change in industry and technology has burst through into schools. The syllabus has been expanded to the point of absurdity: the application of knowledge has become a critical issue for those who navigate these shoals as captains of industry. Just in Time has become the watchword for Learning, as it has in industry. Whereas industry has re-engineered itself, education, like Lot's Wife, looks backwards. The pace of change often means that teachers carry a train of conceptual baggage, with expectations as to what should be taught and why it should be taught (Cuthell, 2000). These conflict with students as practitioners, who battle with their teachers and academics who act as the gatekeepers over what constitute standards. Knowledge is seen as contained in artefacts, "knowledge artefacts," whereas for many students knowledge is contained within the artefacts of production: the artefacts produced (Cuthell, 1999a). The MirandaNet community consists of teachers and academics as practitioners, who embody the problems faced by their students at the bleeding edge of technology. Within this community cognition is manifested as both materiel and social. New technology is both the network for communication and also the collective memory of the community. The website acts as the repository of memory: newsletters, case studies, the forum for meetings, workshops, and conferences; the source of expert knowledge, with the posting of questions, and collaborative learning. This article examines the ways in which MirandaNet, as the social construction for how we learn and why we learn, forms the focus for life-long learning. The distributed cognition manifested within this grouping of practitioners disseminates into the wider structures of education.

Citation

Cuthell, J. (2002). MirandaNet: A Learning Community—A Community of Learners. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 13(1), 167-186. Norfolk, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 9, 2022 from .

© 2002 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

Keywords

References

View References & Citations Map
  1. Cuthell, J. (1999a). The house that Strauss built. D.I.Y. In Cyberspace: Bejeaned student br ico leurs. Computer Education, 91 , (19-21). Computer Education Group.
  2. Cuthell, J. (1999b). How do you learn? An 11-18 developmental perspective. In Proceedings of ELSIN 4: European LearningS ty les In forma
  3. Cuthell , J . (1999c) . The autonomous learner . In Proceedings of CAL99 In-
  4. Dana Press (1990) . Berkeley’s Dana Center runs a race with demand for new strategies in minority education: A wide ranging interview with
  5. Gronn, P. (2000). Distributed properties: A new architecture for leadership. Educational management& Administration, 28(3) , 317–338 London: SAGE Publications
  6. Heppell , S. (1998). The learning age: Towards a Europe of knowledge [Online]. Retrieved from the WorldWide Web February 21 , 2002:
  7. Lovink , G . (1995) . The media gesture of data dandyism CTHEORY theory ,
  8. McEady-Gillead , B. (1992). Partners in learning: Clustering students for academic success. Unpub l ished paper.
  9. McShane, J. (1991). Cognitive development: An Information Processing Approach. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell.
  10. MirandaNet Community (2002). [Online]. Available: www.mirandanet.ac.uk
  11. Piaget, J. (1953). The origin of intelligence in the child. London: Routledge& Kegan Paul.
  12. Piaget, J. (1972). The principles of genetic epistemology. London: Routledge& Kegan Paul.
  13. Preston , C . (1999) . Building online professional development communities for schools , professional associations or LEAs . In M . Leask & N .
  14. Preston , C (2000) . Life long learning in the electronic age. In M. Leask & N. Pachler (Eds.), ICT issues in schools, (pp. 190-205). London: Routledge.
  15. Rhe ingo ld (1993) . Virtual Reality. London: Quality Paperbacks Direct .
  16. Salomon, G. (1993). No distribution without individuals’ cognition: A dynamic interactional view. In G. Salomon (Ed.) , Distributed cognitions (pp. 111-138). New York: Cambridge University Press.

These references have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. Signed in users can suggest corrections to these mistakes.

Suggest Corrections to References

Cited By

View References & Citations Map

These links are based on references which have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. If you see a mistake, please contact info@learntechlib.org.

Also Read