Improvised use of technology

Opening up learning through improvised use of technology – a research collaboration between the VLL and the University of Eastern Finland

The purpose of the research is to open up dialogue between the University of Nottingham and the Universities of Eastern Finland about collaborative research and development of the use of technologies to support improvisation in teaching and learning. The Visual Learning Lab (VLL) and The Information and Communication Technology Research Group(Tietotekniikan opetuskäytön tutkimus- ja kehittämisyksikkö) (ToTY) at the University of Eastern Finland have independently undertaken development and trialling of projects concerned with the use of technology in improvised learning settings. These trials have been in higher education institutions in the two countries concerned and more widely in educational settings in developing countries. We have reached a point in our work where collaboration and consolidation offer the possibility of making substantial progress. ToTY and VLL have started the process of collaboration and an exchange agreement exists between the two centres. We would now like to explore the iterative process of product development and educational development through partnership with a major manufacturer of technologies. The research project as a whole intends to combine the concept of innovative uses and development in technologies, improvisational learning and human interaction in a cultural ecological frame to address some fundamental yet largely ignored issues in current educational practice. The research aims to:

• To provide a better understanding of critical factors relating to conceptions, motivations and experiences of learners in a variety of contexts as improvised users of technologies;
• To inform future development strategy and practice, both within education and the technology industry, through the provision, use and evaluation of a series of tools, materials and approaches to illustrate the factors above;
• To conceptualise the improvised use of technologies in education as well as provide models and techniques to improve current teaching and learning practices.
• To collect some pilot data and extract preliminary findings which can be used to expand our understanding more broadly in different cultural settings.

 To find out more about this project, please contact Dr RuoLan Wang