Measuring the Impact of the School-wide Digital Innovation
Conference:
ECER 2016
Format:
Paper

Session Information

06 SES 01, Digital Innovation and Challenges

Paper Session

Time:
2016-08-23
13:15-14:45
Room:
NM-Theatre M
Chair:
Petra Grell

Contribution

The government of the Republic of Estonia accepted in 2014 the Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020, which has set five ambitious aims, one of these being the digital turn towards 1:1 computing in classrooms. The concept of digital turn is based on the theory of multi-level perspective (Kemp & Rip, 1998) on socio-technical transitions (Geels, 2010). According to this theoretical model, slow and incremental changes take place on the macro level (e.g. 4G mobile communication, multimedia-capable smart phones, ubiquitous social media). On the micro level, the niches of radical innovation are created by groups of technology enthusiasts (e.g. early bloggers and podcast authors). Increasing pressure from macro and micro levels eventually undermines the existing meso-level (institutional or societal) socio-technical regime, resulting with transition to the new regime. Regime is defined as a stabile set of "practices, rules and shared assumptions, which dominate the system and its actors” (Romans et al, 2001). The current socio-technical regime that is dominant in Estonian schools is based on the use of desktop PC-s in computer labs. Our previous research has demonstrated (Laanpere, 2015) that in 90% of Estonian schools students can access digital technology only in computer labs, while to use of personal digital devices such as smart phones and tablet computers rarely takes place. This old socio-technical regime poses a series of limitations to pedagogical, information management and knowledge building practices.  Until recently, the dominant policy of fostering the digital innovation in schools was based on awareness raising through massive teacher training about new pedagogies and technologies. As it has been demonstrated by Moore (1991) and Rogers (2003), such measures seem to result with adoption of new socio-technical paradigm only among innovators and early adopters, while majority (up to 85%) of teachers will not change their everyday practices.  The Digital Turn envisaged by the Estonian Strategy of Lifelong Learning 2020 is taking a different approach, approach, focusing on the school as a unit of innovation through socio-technical transition. The aim of the current study was to design and validate an instrument for scaffolding and evaluating the socio-technical transition towards 1:1 computing in classrooms, BYOD model and open learning environments. We have relied on ideas of Michael Fullan (2012) by focusing on three domains that should be addressed by the whole-school policy on digital innovation: (1) digital infrastructure, (2) pedagogical innovation, and (3) systemic change management and leadership. Through the three phases of iterative design-based research, we have created a 5-level self-assessment framework that helps schools to measure their maturity regarding the socio-technical transition. 

Method

With the financial support from Samsung Electronic Baltics, the Centre for Educational Technology (CET) at Tallinn University designed and implemented an innovative 2-year training programme for 8 pilot school teams in 2014 and repeated it with another 12 pilot school teams in 2015. The content and structure of the Samsung Digital Turn programme was designed by the team of researchers from the CET in line of the new national strategy for lifelong learning, aiming at whole-school policy towards one-to-one computing in classrooms using Bring Your Own Device approach. The process of selecting the pilot schools was highly competitive, only one out of 5 applicants ended up being selected. The final group of 20 pilot schools included both large and small, urban and rural, Estonian- and Russian-speaking schools from all regions of Estonia. Schools were selected mainly based on their track record in digital innovation and the project idea for local digital turn project. While some schools aimed to replace printed textbooks with digital learning resources, the others used mobile devices for outdoor learning, exploratory learning in science lessons, re-designing formative assessment or developing and assessing key competences through digital storytelling. The research design was based combining two approaches: multiple case study with mixed methods research (Yin, 2014; Creswell 2003) and design-based research (Sandoval & Bell, 2004). The researchers of CET visited each pilot school for one full day and collected vast amount of data through observations, interviews and documents. As a result of an iterative design-based research, an original data collection instrument DigiMirror was developed and validated within the Digital Turn programme by the CET researchers. DigiMirror is an online self-and peer-assessment tool for measuring and validating the maturity of the Digital Turn in a given school.

Expected Outcomes

While all 20 pilot schools completed successfully their Digital Turn projects, assessment of their socio-technical transition using DigiMirror tool demonstrated differences in the width and depth of the change that has taken place on the school level. The school's digital maturity assessment framework and accompanying online tool DigiMirror proved to be useful in the process of change management.We strongly believe that such research-based tools provide a perfect interface between the community of educational researchers and innovative schools. This interface has a potential to increase the contribution of educational research on policy-making and everyday educational practice on the school level.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2003) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Sage. Fullan, M. (2012) Stratosphere: Integrating Technology, Pedagogy, And Change Knowledge. Toronto: Pearson. Change, Vol. 2, 327-399. Battelle, Columbus,Ohio. Geels, F.W., 2010. Ontologies, socio-technical transitions (to sustainability), and the multi-level perspective. Research Policy 39 pp. 495-510 Laanpere, M. (2015). Creative Classroom survey on the status of digital turn in Estonian schools. Online: http://www.bcskoolitus.ee/creativeclass/?portfolio=survey Moore, G. A. (1991). Crossing the chasm: Marketing and selling technology products to mainstream customers. New York, N.Y.: HarperBusiness Rip, A., Kemp, R. (1998) Technological change. In S. Rayner and E. Malone (eds.) Human Choices and Climate. Rotmans, J., Kemp, R. and van Asselt, M. (2001) More evolution than revolution: transition management in public policy. Foresight, 3 (1) pp. 15-31. Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press. Sandoval, W. A., & Bell, P. (Eds.). (2004). Design-based research methods for studying learning in context. Educational Psychologist, 39(4). Yin, R. K. (2014). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Author Information

Mart Laanpere (presenting / submitting)
Tallinn University
Centre for Educational Technology
Tallinn
Tallinn University, Estonia
Tallinn University
Tallinn
Tallinn University, Estonia
Tallinn University, Estonia

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