All My Presentations

University of Hong Kong Education Faculty Postgraduate Research Conference 16.5.15: This study is an investigation into an emergent group of educational technology professionals, pedagogical technologists, that are found in increasing numbers in schools and that are responsible for facilitating changing teaching and learning practices through technology. Through a multi-level, ecological framework which comprises relevant school organizational levels and units, interactions and roles, the study specifically examines how a school’s design for a technologist role influences a technologist’s ability to influence the school ecology by introducing, sustaining and scaling a technological innovation. A qualitative, grounded data collection and analysis approach was adopted for this study’s methods. Rich data came from iterative, and increasingly focused interviews with selected technologists. Additional data were collected through iterative observations of technologist interactions with schools stakeholders, school documents and artifacts, and interviews with school stakeholders who interact with technologists. Interview transcripts, observation notes and documents were descriptively coded for organizational levels and units, routine and other interactions, roles involved, and technological innovations. Interaction data were further analyzed for outcomes, conflict, regularity and compulsion, and connectedness within and between school levels and other interactions. Four cases of pedagogical technologists in private international schools in Hong Kong and in Singapore were selected based on the variety of technologist role designs and interactions, and cases were bounded by a technologist’s interactions for a selected technological innovation during a school year. A pedagogical technologist’s success in sustaining and scaling technological innovation generally did not come from ad hoc, voluntary, individual interactions, but by initiating regular, compulsory interactions, particularly with teachers, within an organizational structure or level. Success and breakdown in a PT’s sustaining innovation were also attributable to interactions which were tightly coupled with lessons, and in which mapping an innovation to curriculum was a focus. Schools should involve technologists not only in technology decision interactions but also curriculum decision interactions. This draws attention to the importance of strategic plans in aligning interactions for technology integration across levels, and either articulating interactions for technologists at lower organizational levels or empowering technologists to create interactions or to appropriate existing interactions within or between those levels. In these ways, technologists can have great impact on their school ecologies.

Finally, this research symposium got back to its select roots: audience members were VIPs, in attendance at either my request or our supervisor's invitation. We did not open the symposium to all students. We had new members in the audience and these new members challenged my research and refreshed my thinking. I think we will continue this research student symposium. At the same time, the research student coordinator -- she attended yesterday's symposium at my invitation -- and I may create another, monthly student symposium for the entire faculty student body. Stay tuned.

30.6.14 - Professor Nancy Law's research students gather to share and to critique each other's research. I share my conceptual framework, research questions, cases, analysis and organization of findings, and a final, tenuous big thoughts.

This study explored how pedagogical technologists (PTs), as coordinators of pedagogy and technology, contribute to changes in teaching and learning practices through schools’ social networks. How PTs support technology integration is not understood well because the establishment of the PT as a staff position is recent in schools. Literature on PTs is scarce. The PT role may reflect changes to how schools provide support to technological pedagogical change. As technologies continue to change schools, more schools may consider supporting technology integration through PT staff positions.  This study frames schools as complex adaptive systems. It adopts ecological and networks perspectives to understand innovation. To better understand changes to teaching and learning practices in schools, and the PT’s contribution to these changes, this study specifically explores PTs’ ego networks in schools. In other words, this study examines to whom the PT is connected in the school, and in what way. Two PT ego networks in two schools were constructed from unstructured and semi-structured interviews with PTs and other school stakeholders, participant observation at events, and document analysis. Data were collected over two years. Data were coded according to individual people, their official school roles, events, the foci of these events. The study identified relationships between each PT and other people and foci at several points in time. It traces the path of an innovation through a PT’s ego network. The study proposes several degrees and types of PT centrality in school networks based on the flow of innovation through a PT ego network. It also recommends specific interaction mechanisms and relationships to strengthen PT ego networks and school social networks for technological pedagogical change.

This study frames schools as complex adaptive systems. It adopts ecological and networks perspectives to understand innovation. To better understand changes to teaching and learning practices in schools, and the PT's contribution to these changes, this study specifically explores PTs' ego networks in schools. In other words, this study examines to whom the PT is directly connected in the school, and by what events, whether formal or informal. Two PT ego networks in two schools were constructed from unstructured and semi-structured interviews with PTs and other school stakeholders, participant observation at events, and document analysis. One school is an international school in Hong Kong. The other is an international school in Singapore. Data were collected over two years. Data were coded according to individual people, their official school roles, events, and the foci of these events. The study identified relationships between each PT and other people and foci at several points in time. It traces the path of innovations through a PT's network of people and events in a school. The study proposes several degrees and types of PT centrality in school networks based on the path of innovation through a PT ego network. It also recommends specific interaction events and relationships to strengthen PT ego networks and school social networks for technological pedagogical change.

University of Hong Kong Education Faculty Postgraduate Research Conference 10.5.14: This study explored how pedagogical technologists (PTs), as coordinators of pedagogy and technology, contribute to changes in teaching and learning practices through schools’ social networks. How PTs support technology integration is not understood well because the establishment of the PT as a staff position is recent in schools. Literature on PTs is scarce. The PT role may reflect changes to how schools provide support to technological pedagogical change. As technologies continue to change schools, more schools may consider supporting technology integration through PT staff positions.  This study frames schools as complex adaptive systems. It adopts ecological and networks perspectives to understand innovation. To better understand changes to teaching and learning practices in schools, and the PT’s contribution to these changes, this study specifically explores PTs’ ego networks in schools. In other words, this study examines to whom the PT is connected in the school, and in what way. Two PT ego networks in two schools were constructed from unstructured and semi-structured interviews with PTs and other school stakeholders, participant observation at events, and document analysis. Data were collected over two years. Data were coded according to individual people, their official school roles, events, the foci of these events. The study identified relationships between each PT and other people and foci at several points in time. It traces the path of an innovation through a PT’s ego network. The study proposes several degrees and types of PT centrality in school networks based on the flow of innovation through a PT ego network. It also recommends specific interaction mechanisms and relationships to strengthen PT ego networks and school social networks for technological pedagogical change.

Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong Conference 28.2.14 - This article highlights the tension between cohesiveness and incoherence in operationalizing categories of educational technology professionals. I review literature on learning technologists, educational technologists, e-learning technologists, information and communications technology coordinators and information technology coordinators and address to what degree these educational technology professionals are similar units of analysis by applying a multilevel model of comparative education. I tease out cohesiveness and incoherence within and between these categories by geographical and organizational levels, non-locational demographic groups and aspects of education and society. A degree of cohesiveness in operationalizing educational technology professional categories is shown when educational technology professionals are framed as technologists and technology coordinators. However, ambiguity and incoherence are demonstrated within these categories, particularly when attempting to locate an educational technology professional at precise intersections of geographical and organizational levels, non-locational demographic groups and aspects of education and society. This presents an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to clarify educational technology professional categories and to develop new categories. This article raises methodological implications and the need to establish valid constructs. It also raises the question of whether such categorization is necessary and worthwhile in an age of technological and professional change.

NVivo workshop February 12 2014 Time: 13:00-14:00 Venue: Knowles Building 110 Workshop Content: Overview of NVivo features: source classifications and attributes; nodes; relationships; queries; and models Details from organizer: As I am using NVivo a lot these days for my research project, I'm running a workshop for anyone interested in this software. I will demonstrate five features: source classification and attributes; nodes; relationships; queries; and models. This workshop will be in Knowles Building 110 on Wednesday, February 12th from 14:00-15:00. I have cross-posted this event with the Facebook group for Education Faculty research postgraduate students. Therefore, this is an opportunity for inter-faculty knowledge exchange.

Through a case study methodology, this research examines how a PT changes teaching and learning practices in the primary section of an international, religious school in Hong Kong. The PT had arrived at the school and left after one year. Data were collected during that year, through several interviews with the PT, and one interview with the school principal. The PT’s interactions in the school were also observed. This study adopts an ecological perspective to understand innovation and complexity in schools. Data were coded by following theoretical propositions. The study identified prominent actors, or species, in the school ecology, and relationships between the PT and these species. Data show conflict between the PT and several school stakeholder bodies, but collaboration between the PT and the school section principal, in changing the school’s physical infrastructure, professional development, financing, curriculum and strategic plans. This study recommends longitudinal research in this school ecology and general ways to sustain PTs in school ecologies. 

I might take two questions next time instead of three to save time. I might want to write down people's answers too and refer to them in explaining my research problem, questions and methods!

ICER 16.10.2013 -- This paper explores a mutually beneficial partnership between an educational technology specialist and stakeholders of an information technology research centre in an education faculty in a Hong Kong university. It addresses the research question of how this particular entrepreneurial strategy changes technologies and pedagogies within a complex ecology of changing HEIs and schools. It discusses the impact and possibility of this type of partnership in facilitating technological and pedagogical changes within HEIs and schools. This paper begins with a background of technological change drivers, trends and challenges in HEIs. It then presents a case of a Hong Kong HEI research centre's entrepreneurial strategy to form a mutually beneficial partnership with an educational technology specialist from an international school in Hong Kong. The case encompasses several entrepreneurial strategies. A discussion of the particular relevance of each strategy in the case to addressing HEI technological trends and changes follows. The broader implications of these strategies on the (self-regulation) unbundling of academic life, changing HEI governance (administration) and the rise of para-academics and educational technology specialists for building communities for technological pedagogical change are discussed. Recommendations for their adoption by education stakeholders to facilitate and to sustain changing practices at university and in schools are made.

ICEM 2.10.2013 - This paper presents a multi-tiered framework for introducing and expanding a change in technology and pedagogy in schools. The framework entails working with different bodies of stakeholders primarily by training squads of ICT champions. The framework can be scaled to widen an innovation's scope within a school by including an increasing number of school stakeholder bodies, or grade-levels. It addresses the need to reimagine student learning and teacher professional development as collaborative learning to build sustainable, accessible and scalable communities for technological pedagogical change. The framework is data-driven, supported by a case of ICT champions introducing a grade-level iMovie curriculum innovation into an international primary school in Singapore. In one instance, a group of student ICT champions interacts with students and teachers. In another, a group of teacher ICT champions interacts with other teachers in the school. In the third instance, an ICT champion regularly trains all teachers at grade-level in Team Time meetings. Based on the case data, school conditions for successful application of the framework, including the external and internal conditions for individual and corporate ICT champions are identified and discussed.

Professional identity is framed in terms of situated competence, performance and recognition. Three cases were developed to draw attention to how a neophyte specialist becomes recognized in a pan-Asia, international school educational technology community, how a female specialist develops a counter-recognition for identity in the same community, and how a specialist develops a counter-recognition within a school community. This project delivers practical knowledge of competencies and performances in these communities for recognition and non-recognition, recommendations to support these specialists in their communities, and areas for further research. 

CITERS 10.5.2013: This presentation explores the professional identity of an educational technology professional, and, particularly, how a gender identity can impact the professional identity. Professional identity is framed in terms of situated competence, performance and recognition. A case of a female educational technology professional in international schools in Asia was developed to draw attention to the prevalent competencies and performances in that community, how gender identity impacts the recognition, and how this person develops a counter-recognition to professional identity in the community. Practical knowledge of performances, rival theories of recognition and recommendations for further research on gender are presented.

Hughes Hall academic evening 8.5.13: This presentation identifies a range of competencies and performances to be recognized as an educational technology specialist in a community. The presentation also identifies a range of competencies and performances that are not recognized in the community. This is done through a review of cases of educational technology specialists in international schools in Asia.

Oxford STORIES 12.3.2013: This presentation explores the continuity and change of scholarly journals in a digital age. It considers scholarly journals' enduring purposes and characteristics while surveying trends, emergent features and challenges in developing journals. Two cases of student-run, scholarly journal initiatives are presented. The cases from the Faculties of Education at the University of Cambridge and the University of Hong Kong illustrate how journals are evolving not only in presentation and content but also in how they review and publish content. The presentation concludes with discussion of the promises and pitfalls of this evolution, and with thoughts on the future of scholarly journals in view of increasing technological change.

Hughes Hall Hat Talk 13.2.13 - This talk explores the professional identities of pedagogical technologists in schools. A pedagogical technologist is a person who helps teachers and other stakeholders in a school to use technology to best support student learning. Findings from three cases of pedagogical technologists in schools in Asia will be discussed.