Research Reviews

The use of digital technologies is increasing among the population, especially use of the internet via mobile technologies (mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks), including by students of all ages, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The advantages of the internet and increased capacities for communication and collaboration are inestimable. Some of the benefits to education have been well documented in research reviews here on DERN. However, even though the internet enables great benefits for learners, there are also risks, such as cyberbullying, that need to be managed. As stated in the foreword to Virtual Violence II: Progress and Challenges in the Fight against Cyberbullying, ‘Cyberbullying is a particularly damaging form of bullying and it is impossible to underestimate how destructive it can be. It erodes self-esteem and confidence, relationships with family and friends suffer, and harmful or risky behaviours come to be seen as ways of coping with pain. Bullied children are at higher risk of depression, achieving below their potential in school and dropping out of education altogether' (p. 4). Cyberbullying is a considerable risk for learners.

This first research review post for 2012 is a slight departure from the usual review of educational research. DERN has read many articles and blog posts about technology and education predicting ICT in education developments for the coming year and has dismissed most of them. Predictions of future trends in the use of ICT in education are notoriously inaccurate. A case in point is the October 2010 release of the iPad which changed the landscape and was not predicted. However, two reports stand-out because of the expertise, research and experience that have been harnessed in order to compile these in-depth reports. The first is a business report from Deloitte called Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions 2012 which is extensive, comprehensive and solidly backed by evidence to give a view of what is predicted for the coming year. Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions is in its third year and can boast a good record of predictive accuracy.

A chance to reflect on the use and impact of digital technologies and media may be useful, as we move towards the festive season, when those involved in education may enjoy a break from routine. Throughout 2011, DERN has continued to review high quality research into the use of digital technologies in education, training, the community and universities. However, the use of digital technologies in education often mirrors its use in society, so casting a wider lens and reflecting on the impact of modern media and technology, in our lives, may be revealing and insightful. Culture, Communication and Change: Reflections on the use and impact of modern media and technology in our lives is a fascinating read and a reminder of a wider overall picture of digital use than education. Culture, Communication and Change: Reflections is the report of part of a global project from the University of Cambridge.

Numerous papers extolling the learning potential of online social networks and so called Web 2.0 services have been written by educational technology enthusiasts and innovators. The capacity for creativity, interactivity and collaboration afforded by these new social networking tools would appear to be a good fit for education. However, very few articles have been based on classroom research in actual learning environments with students and teachers. A well written, at times lyrical, and pedagogically relevant study of the use of social networks to support classroom activities has been reported recently in IRRODL. Designing for Learning: Online Social Networks as a Classroom Environment focussed on ‘notions of emergence, connections and designs for learning’ (p. 1) to understand ‘students’ interactions when using online social media as a learning environment’ (p. 1) with 150 students organised in seven classes in a Victorian secondary school.

Much has been written recently in the media, journals, magazines and blogs about the use and pervasiveness of social networking sites, especially selected brand names. A quick look at a visualization of Facebook connections and friendships around the globe, by Paul Butler, is quite revealing, as to the extent of social networking use. However, quality research into the use of social networking sites remains sparse. In a recent edition of the excellent peer reviewed open online research journal First Monday, Jiyoung Cha reported on research into the Factors affecting the frequency and amount of social networking site use: Motivations, perceptions, and privacy concerns.

The use of the internet is continually increasing as access regimes, such as the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Australia, and others in many more nations, continue to improve. At the same time, access to the internet is increasing through the use of mobile devices such as cell/mobile and smart phones, tablets, ereaders and more. For example, the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA), in a 2009-2010 communications report about Australia in the digital economy: The shift to the online environment found that around 90% of Australians accessed the internet and that the most frequent users were people aged between 14 and 34 years. Access to blogs and online communities was almost equal at 35% for people using computers and mobile phones. However, what is often hard to understand is the extent to which internet services are used globally. The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) has considered the issue of how to visualise the use of the interactive internet globally. The OII has now been in operation for ten years and is a widely respected and a prolific publisher of research and papers about the use of the internet. The possibility of a global information architecture that includes education and research may begin to emerge as the semantic web, that is, the capacity to link to large interactive databases of information, grows.

Innovation in teaching and learning is about finding new ways to improve current practices. An excellent review of innovation in the use of ICT in teaching and learning was the one of the first reviews undertaken by DERN in 2010. Building innovation: learning with technologies by Professor Kathryn Moyle explored national and international policy priorities for building student’s innovation capabilities using information and communication technologies (ICT). Now another excellent research report from ITL research about innovation in teaching and learning using ICT has emerged. The recently published Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Research: 2011 Findings and Implications research undertaken in seven countries (Finland, Indonesia, Russia, Senegal, England, Mexico and Australia) was focussed on the question of educational renewal. This detailed research included 159 schools with 4,038 teacher and 159 Principal online surveys; 24 school site visits involving teacher interviews (86), teacher observations (81), school leader interviews (18) and student focus groups (33). These data gathering activities were complemented by an analysis of a number of teacher-prepared learning activities (967) and range of student work samples (3,367). The schools in this multinational research collaboration were spread evenly across the seven countries (24 in each) and a mixture of innovative and traditional schools were selected.

Research into children’s use of the internet with its attendant opportunities and risks has been the focus in Europe for the EU Kids Online project across 25 countries. Parallel research in Australia, modelled on the European project, has provided solid comparative information about the balance of opportunities and risks for children who use the internet, aged between 9 and 16 years of age. The Australian report of a survey of children and their parents titled Risks and safety for Australian children on the internet: Full findings from the AU Kids Online survey of 9-16 year olds and their parents documented by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation and accessible through Australian Policy Online, detailed the initial findings from the survey and interviews of 400 children and one of their parents/carers, over the period Nov/Feb 2010-2011.

The pervasiveness in society of digital and mobile media continue to spread unabated and even young children, including toddlers, have become important users. Research into the use and effects of digital technologies with young children, especially in the age range 0 to 8 years, is not as prolific as one would expect, given the large amount of learning that occurs with young children. In 2003, and again in 2005, the Kaiser Family Foundation studied the use of digital technologies and young children from 0 to 6 years of age. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports have now been expanded by a new report published by Common Sense Media. The new study by Common Sense Media called Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America which can be assumed to mean in the United States of America, contains a number of surprising findings. ‘A survey of 1,384 parents of children age 0 to 8 years old’ (p. 15) was completed and analysed. Respondents without access to digital technology were provided with a computer by the researchers to ensure a more comprehensive response across income levels. The report refers to digital media meaning ‘console video games, computers, cell phones, handheld video game players, video iPods and iPads and other tablet devices’ (p. 15) and mobile media meaning ‘cell phones, video iPods, and iPads and other tablet devices’ (p. 15) for the purposes of the survey.

The use of Google, commenced in 1996, and Wikipedia, started in 2001, has changed the way that people search for information. Continuing resource investments have been made to libraries in order to constantly improve their collections of books, magazines, newspapers, ebooks and ejournals, videos, music, maps, oral history and websites. A question that is likely to arise is about the place and value of libraries in education, in a networked world. Although one can understand the concern among librarians about the increased popularity of Google and Wikipedia, the differences may be quite stark. For instance, the expertise that librarians utilise for deep searching does not seem likely when searching online. In a recently published article of an exploratory investigation into the queries and search terms used in a large library and on Google and Wikipedia, the results demonstrated a number of differences. Searching where for what: A comparison of use of the library catalogue, Google and Wikipedia published in the open online journal Library and Information Research is revealing.