Publications – Page 21 – Digital Learning Dispatches

By Professor Mark Brown

The reality is that our field is full of hype. Neil Selwyn (2015) puts this even more bluntly by claiming that much of our ‘Ed-Tech Speak’ is full of B.S. Currently there is a lot of hypebole surrounding the potential of digital badges, flipped classrooms, learning analytics and of course MOOCs. The overselling of Ed-Tech is not new as there has been a long history of ‘talking up’ the transformative potential of successive waves of technological innovation (Selwyn, 2015). The language of predictions, promises and latest panaceas for the problems of education is an uncomfortable truth of our field. Despite best intentions we are still prone to the ‘fickle’ and ‘faddish’ at the expense of more serious critique. This is the untold story or often underbelly of Ed-Tech. Thus, more often than not there is an ongoing cycle of hype, hope and disappointment (Gouseti, 2010).

GM_Gartner_Hype_Cycle

Over the years I have been guilty like many others of uncritically borrowing the Gartner Hype Cycle to help explain this repeating pattern. I usually illustrate the cycle by starting with the following quote from 1894 referring to the invention of the Wax Phonograph Cylinder:

“With the coming of the New Media, the need for print on paper will rapidly diminish. The day will soon arrive when the world’s literature will be available from The Automatic Library at the mere pressing of a button” (Uzanne, 1894; cited in McFarlane, 1997, p.173).

I often follow this claim up with a frequently cited quote from Thomas Edison (cited in Smith, 1913, p.24) referring to the evolution of the Vitascope:

“Books will soon be obsolete in public schools. Scholars will be instructed through the eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture”.

To further establish this pattern of bold and typically failed predictions I draw on a lesser-known quote from Benjamin Darrow (1932; cited in Horrigan, 2016, p. 9-10) referring to the potential of radio:

“The central and dominant aim of education by radio is to bring the world to the classroom, to make universally available the services of the finest teachers, the inspiration of the greatest leaders… and unfolding world events which through the radio may come as a vibrant and challenging textbook of the air.”

Of course the story would not be complete without sharing early claims related to the invention of television:

“We will undoubtedly have lectures of every conceivable kind presented to us right in our homes, when practical television arrives, possibly a year or two off” (Short Wave Craft, 1935; cited in Horrigan, 2016, p.10).

You can read more on taking the hype out of the hype cycle by going to the EDEN President’s Blog where Mark’s think piece was first published.

November proved to be a busy and fruitful month for NIDL, with many members being involved in multiple activities throughout the duration of the month. The number of MOOC leaners and courses continues to rise at an impressive rate across Europe, and this was recognised in the organisation of the second MOOC conference as part of the HOME project in Rome on November 30th. The event, which proved to be a big success, consisted of a ten member programme committee, two of which were NIDL members, Director Mark Brown and the programme chair for the BSc programmes, Dr Eamon Costello. The event featured numerous speakers across the day, covering a wide array of topics related to the field of MOOC’s.

Hold the Front Page: The Story of MOOCs in the Irish Media from Mark Brown

Two of the topic areas were chaired by Eamon and Mark. Eamon oversaw the section ‘Role media exposure on MOOC development’. This section featured two fifteen minute presentations, the second of which was presented by Mark. Mark’s presentation, Hold the Front Page: The Story of MOOCs in the Irish Media, proved to be one of the more interesting presentations of the day. Examining the traditional media coverage of MOOC’s since 2011, the information and data analysis clearly highlights their growing influence, with news coverage rising sharply in 2014. Following this section of the event, the following section, titled ‘Supporting the Selection of MOOC platforms’, was chaired by Mark.