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Papers by Nathan Hutchings
Journal of the Queensland Society for Information Technology in Education, 2011
This presentation outlines an approach to implementing a Learning Management System (LMS) in a Se... more This presentation outlines an approach to implementing a Learning Management System (LMS) in a Secondary School environment. The LMS that will be discussed is the open source GNU licensed Learning Management System Moodle. I will be drawing from upon my own experience of implementing 3 Moodle’s in three different schools over the past four years. The level of detail will not be overly technical but at a level hopefully suitable for those curious about LMS and especially open source solutions like Moodle. By the end of this paper you will gain an understanding of what processes are necessary to successfully install a Moodle LMS at your school. Even if you are not considering installing Moodle or already have a LMS at your school this paper may provide ideas about how to improve your existing practices or even consider migrating to Moodle.
Quick Journal of the Computer Education Group of Queensland, 2010
The purpose of this essay is to describe how to create a positive learning environment that elici... more The purpose of this essay is to describe how to create a positive learning environment that elicits high levels of motivation and attention in learners, within a classroom context that recognises student knowledge as socially constructed. Initially the importance of student motivation ...
The overarching aim of this essay is to forward the idea that distributed leadership which occurs... more The overarching aim of this essay is to forward the idea that distributed leadership which occurs within a digitally networked environment supported by information communication technologies (ICTs) is an ideal setting in which to approach the seemingly never ending and problematic cycle of educational change (Cuban, 1988; Elmore, 1996; Caldwell, 2006; Hargreaves, 2009). The rapid and now almost ubiquitous presence of ICTs and increasing convergence of networked, handheld and portable devices will inform the discussion about change (Goodson, Knobel, Lankshear & Mangan, 2002; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007;Beare, 2010). The problematic cycle of educational change I will argue is systemic and symptomatic of an incommensurability of competing paradigms in educational structures; these competing paradigms being schools operating within, and constrained by, traditional hierarchical organizational structures and cultures in contrast to schools who embrace a networked learning organization approach. Having discussed the impasse caused by two differing paradigms that “talk through each other” pg (Khun, 1996, p.148) the idea of distributed leadership will be described as a way to break through the impasse. The key to breaking through the impasse is trust, increased intergenerational understanding and devolution of traditional structures and application of distributed models of leadership within a digitally networked environment supported by ICTs (Harris, 2009; Ferres, Travaglione & Firns, 2003). In closing, the ideas discussed will be applied to a brief analysis of the recent rapid development and successful deployment of an information communication technology strategy at an independent Brisbane secondary school.
This article explores the competing demands between work and the domestic sphere for a mid level ... more This article explores the competing demands between work and the domestic sphere for a mid level leader in a secondary school context. The research was conducted at an Australian private secondary school. The researcher used reflexive analysis to explore his lived experience within the contested space between the work and domestic spheres; then conducted an abridge literature review encompassing the topics, work life balance, the gendered workplace, career progression and the family; and finally, developed an online survey using the Moodle learning management system which collected survey data from a total of 61 respondents, 38 female and 23 male. The study found that the domestic sphere is still highly gendered; the work place is the primary consumer of time and effort which is possibly draining the meaning from work and resulting in high employee turnover and low productivity (Chalofsky & Griffin, 2005). The study recommends that further research be conducted to ascertain further details about the contested space between work and domestic spheres before the creation or modification of workplace policies designed to support improved outcomes for employees and employers.
Before designing or implementing any changes to educational systems reformers need to study the h... more Before designing or implementing any changes to educational systems reformers need to study the history of educational reform. Vast amounts of time, human effort and money have been continually thrown at trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of schools with little lasting effect. Despite reformers past efforts Cuban (1988) asserts that the fundamental structure of the classroom has changed very little in the last hundred years. Elmore (1996) also argues that despite large scale education reform efforts success has been limited and efforts to extend these limited successes to a larger scale have been unsuccessful. This paper discusses a way to view change within education.
Global trends such as transnational markets in capital, labour and knowledge create tensions and ... more Global trends such as transnational markets in capital, labour and knowledge create tensions and disadvantage not only for poor migrant and third world workers but also for dual income working families. The domestic sphere like the world of work is also effected by issues such as economic uncertainty, work intensification, demands of continual professional studies and the difficulties of balancing all these pressures while raising a family.This paper explores these issues with reference to recent literature.
QUICK: Journal of the Computer Education …, Jan 1, 2010
The Education Revolution in Action 3: …, Jan 1, 2010
This essay will discuss the importance of understanding and supporting the growth and development... more This essay will discuss the importance of understanding and supporting the growth and development of online learning communities in secondary schools. The theoretical approach that will be used to frame the discussion will be Social Constructivist with specific reference to Vygotsky’s key concepts of Zone of Proximal Development, Mediation of Meaning and Language and Thought. Before discussing Vygotsky and Social Constructivism the impact of the Internet upon education and society will be canvassed including the recent emergence of a more socially interactive Internet, Web 2.0. Following this, Vygotsky’s key theoretical concepts will be outlined then what constitutes a community of practice will be defined. In addition, online communities and online communities of learning will be described in detail.
After having outlined the societal and educational impacts of the Internet, discussed key Vygotskian concepts, described communities of practice, online communities and online communities of learning Vygotsky’s key theoretical concepts will be used as a lens to focus on future research possibilities of online learning communities within secondary schools.
Why is educational change an unfinished project, in a state of continued failed recursion, leavin... more Why is educational change an unfinished project, in a state of continued failed recursion, leaving those involved in a state of exasperated confusion? Many policy makers have been highly critical of prior educational change, “schools, they argue, have changed for the worse.” (Cuban, 1988, p.71). To find an answer, or at the very least describe why educational change has failed, the analysis of educational change needs to encompass the concepts of school culture, school structure and how power manifests, transforms and guides change within schools. The examination of cultural and structural elements within schools informs the analysis of how, and who does the work within schools. However, describing work that occurs within schools, and the structure within which work occurs, only partially explains educational change. A detailed analysis of educational change also requires more than descriptions of how things are done within schools. A full analysis of educational change requires an investigation of power. The inclusion of an analysis of power within educational change is vital because power legitimates and drives change. An analysis of power informs us why educational change occurs not just what is to change and who is to change it. But, before commencing a detailed analysis of educational change it is necessary to discuss the problematic nature of educational change.
Talks by Nathan Hutchings
Trying to teach students how to program php without actually using a web development stack is a b... more Trying to teach students how to program php without actually using a web development stack is a bit pointless. However, trying to simulate a webserver environment in a secondary school is fraught with difficulties caused by over enthusiastic filtering software. This presentation will demonstrate how I have taught basic php development using open source portable USB based webserver applications over the past three years and some of the difficulties I encountered along the way. If you teach IPT, ITS or have an interest in how programming is taught using these technologies you will find this presentation of interest. I will cover, installation, general settings, directory structures, common student pitfalls and give a demonstration of a basic dynamic web template using MySQL and Php.
The Digital Revolution has passed but have we really delivered on the required change needed to m... more The Digital Revolution has passed but have we really delivered on the required change needed to make education relevant in the 21st Century? This presentation will forward the idea that as educators and leaders we need to focus on the 'Communication' part of ICTs to prevent techno-fetishism and become aware of the structures that constrain change. The theoretical approach of seeking, defining and bringing to awareness the incomensurabilties of existing 'ways of doing' ICTs in secondary education will be discussed as a means to target what is to be changed. The use of online social networks will also be forwarded as a key tool to create gravitas for change and the communicative modality of choice for observing the ongoing sense of crisis being experienced within education in other parts of the world.
This presentation is a case study of the implementation of a campus wide Moodle, provision of lap... more This presentation is a case study of the implementation of a campus wide Moodle, provision of laptops for all teaching staff and more recently a 1 to 1 student laptop program. The implementation created a complete change in how teaching and learning is delivered at St Johnn's Anglican College, a secondary school in Brisbane. The complexities of this implementation were heightened due to the geographically dispersed nature of the physical and logical networks in which Moodle and supporting IT infrastructure had to operate. During the period of change Moodle proved to be a stable and central tool to support teaching and learning at the College. The human resources, training needs and pedagogical changes required will be discussed. This presentation would be of interest to those involved in the planning and implementation of a Moodle in an educational setting.
Journal of the Queensland Society for Information Technology in Education, 2011
This presentation outlines an approach to implementing a Learning Management System (LMS) in a Se... more This presentation outlines an approach to implementing a Learning Management System (LMS) in a Secondary School environment. The LMS that will be discussed is the open source GNU licensed Learning Management System Moodle. I will be drawing from upon my own experience of implementing 3 Moodle’s in three different schools over the past four years. The level of detail will not be overly technical but at a level hopefully suitable for those curious about LMS and especially open source solutions like Moodle. By the end of this paper you will gain an understanding of what processes are necessary to successfully install a Moodle LMS at your school. Even if you are not considering installing Moodle or already have a LMS at your school this paper may provide ideas about how to improve your existing practices or even consider migrating to Moodle.
Quick Journal of the Computer Education Group of Queensland, 2010
The purpose of this essay is to describe how to create a positive learning environment that elici... more The purpose of this essay is to describe how to create a positive learning environment that elicits high levels of motivation and attention in learners, within a classroom context that recognises student knowledge as socially constructed. Initially the importance of student motivation ...
The overarching aim of this essay is to forward the idea that distributed leadership which occurs... more The overarching aim of this essay is to forward the idea that distributed leadership which occurs within a digitally networked environment supported by information communication technologies (ICTs) is an ideal setting in which to approach the seemingly never ending and problematic cycle of educational change (Cuban, 1988; Elmore, 1996; Caldwell, 2006; Hargreaves, 2009). The rapid and now almost ubiquitous presence of ICTs and increasing convergence of networked, handheld and portable devices will inform the discussion about change (Goodson, Knobel, Lankshear & Mangan, 2002; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007;Beare, 2010). The problematic cycle of educational change I will argue is systemic and symptomatic of an incommensurability of competing paradigms in educational structures; these competing paradigms being schools operating within, and constrained by, traditional hierarchical organizational structures and cultures in contrast to schools who embrace a networked learning organization approach. Having discussed the impasse caused by two differing paradigms that “talk through each other” pg (Khun, 1996, p.148) the idea of distributed leadership will be described as a way to break through the impasse. The key to breaking through the impasse is trust, increased intergenerational understanding and devolution of traditional structures and application of distributed models of leadership within a digitally networked environment supported by ICTs (Harris, 2009; Ferres, Travaglione & Firns, 2003). In closing, the ideas discussed will be applied to a brief analysis of the recent rapid development and successful deployment of an information communication technology strategy at an independent Brisbane secondary school.
This article explores the competing demands between work and the domestic sphere for a mid level ... more This article explores the competing demands between work and the domestic sphere for a mid level leader in a secondary school context. The research was conducted at an Australian private secondary school. The researcher used reflexive analysis to explore his lived experience within the contested space between the work and domestic spheres; then conducted an abridge literature review encompassing the topics, work life balance, the gendered workplace, career progression and the family; and finally, developed an online survey using the Moodle learning management system which collected survey data from a total of 61 respondents, 38 female and 23 male. The study found that the domestic sphere is still highly gendered; the work place is the primary consumer of time and effort which is possibly draining the meaning from work and resulting in high employee turnover and low productivity (Chalofsky & Griffin, 2005). The study recommends that further research be conducted to ascertain further details about the contested space between work and domestic spheres before the creation or modification of workplace policies designed to support improved outcomes for employees and employers.
Before designing or implementing any changes to educational systems reformers need to study the h... more Before designing or implementing any changes to educational systems reformers need to study the history of educational reform. Vast amounts of time, human effort and money have been continually thrown at trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of schools with little lasting effect. Despite reformers past efforts Cuban (1988) asserts that the fundamental structure of the classroom has changed very little in the last hundred years. Elmore (1996) also argues that despite large scale education reform efforts success has been limited and efforts to extend these limited successes to a larger scale have been unsuccessful. This paper discusses a way to view change within education.
Global trends such as transnational markets in capital, labour and knowledge create tensions and ... more Global trends such as transnational markets in capital, labour and knowledge create tensions and disadvantage not only for poor migrant and third world workers but also for dual income working families. The domestic sphere like the world of work is also effected by issues such as economic uncertainty, work intensification, demands of continual professional studies and the difficulties of balancing all these pressures while raising a family.This paper explores these issues with reference to recent literature.
QUICK: Journal of the Computer Education …, Jan 1, 2010
The Education Revolution in Action 3: …, Jan 1, 2010
This essay will discuss the importance of understanding and supporting the growth and development... more This essay will discuss the importance of understanding and supporting the growth and development of online learning communities in secondary schools. The theoretical approach that will be used to frame the discussion will be Social Constructivist with specific reference to Vygotsky’s key concepts of Zone of Proximal Development, Mediation of Meaning and Language and Thought. Before discussing Vygotsky and Social Constructivism the impact of the Internet upon education and society will be canvassed including the recent emergence of a more socially interactive Internet, Web 2.0. Following this, Vygotsky’s key theoretical concepts will be outlined then what constitutes a community of practice will be defined. In addition, online communities and online communities of learning will be described in detail.
After having outlined the societal and educational impacts of the Internet, discussed key Vygotskian concepts, described communities of practice, online communities and online communities of learning Vygotsky’s key theoretical concepts will be used as a lens to focus on future research possibilities of online learning communities within secondary schools.
Why is educational change an unfinished project, in a state of continued failed recursion, leavin... more Why is educational change an unfinished project, in a state of continued failed recursion, leaving those involved in a state of exasperated confusion? Many policy makers have been highly critical of prior educational change, “schools, they argue, have changed for the worse.” (Cuban, 1988, p.71). To find an answer, or at the very least describe why educational change has failed, the analysis of educational change needs to encompass the concepts of school culture, school structure and how power manifests, transforms and guides change within schools. The examination of cultural and structural elements within schools informs the analysis of how, and who does the work within schools. However, describing work that occurs within schools, and the structure within which work occurs, only partially explains educational change. A detailed analysis of educational change also requires more than descriptions of how things are done within schools. A full analysis of educational change requires an investigation of power. The inclusion of an analysis of power within educational change is vital because power legitimates and drives change. An analysis of power informs us why educational change occurs not just what is to change and who is to change it. But, before commencing a detailed analysis of educational change it is necessary to discuss the problematic nature of educational change.
Trying to teach students how to program php without actually using a web development stack is a b... more Trying to teach students how to program php without actually using a web development stack is a bit pointless. However, trying to simulate a webserver environment in a secondary school is fraught with difficulties caused by over enthusiastic filtering software. This presentation will demonstrate how I have taught basic php development using open source portable USB based webserver applications over the past three years and some of the difficulties I encountered along the way. If you teach IPT, ITS or have an interest in how programming is taught using these technologies you will find this presentation of interest. I will cover, installation, general settings, directory structures, common student pitfalls and give a demonstration of a basic dynamic web template using MySQL and Php.
The Digital Revolution has passed but have we really delivered on the required change needed to m... more The Digital Revolution has passed but have we really delivered on the required change needed to make education relevant in the 21st Century? This presentation will forward the idea that as educators and leaders we need to focus on the 'Communication' part of ICTs to prevent techno-fetishism and become aware of the structures that constrain change. The theoretical approach of seeking, defining and bringing to awareness the incomensurabilties of existing 'ways of doing' ICTs in secondary education will be discussed as a means to target what is to be changed. The use of online social networks will also be forwarded as a key tool to create gravitas for change and the communicative modality of choice for observing the ongoing sense of crisis being experienced within education in other parts of the world.
This presentation is a case study of the implementation of a campus wide Moodle, provision of lap... more This presentation is a case study of the implementation of a campus wide Moodle, provision of laptops for all teaching staff and more recently a 1 to 1 student laptop program. The implementation created a complete change in how teaching and learning is delivered at St Johnn's Anglican College, a secondary school in Brisbane. The complexities of this implementation were heightened due to the geographically dispersed nature of the physical and logical networks in which Moodle and supporting IT infrastructure had to operate. During the period of change Moodle proved to be a stable and central tool to support teaching and learning at the College. The human resources, training needs and pedagogical changes required will be discussed. This presentation would be of interest to those involved in the planning and implementation of a Moodle in an educational setting.
This session explores an approach to implementing a Learn Management System (LMS) in a Secondary ... more This session explores an approach to implementing a Learn Management System (LMS) in a Secondary School environment. The LMS that will be discussed is the open source GNU licensed Learning Management System Moodle. I will be drawing from upon my own experience of implementing 3 Moodle's in three different schools over the past four years. The level of detail will not be overly technical but at a level hopefully suitable for those curious about LMS and especially open source solutions like Moodle. By the end of the session you will gain an understanding of what processes are necessary to successfully install a Moodle LMS at your school. Even if you are not considering installing Moodle or already have a LMS at your school this session may provide ideas about how to improve your existing practices or even consider migrating to Moodle.
To ensure readability and assist with debugging programs students are to follow the standard deta... more To ensure readability and assist with debugging programs students are to follow the standard detailed in this document. Students are to follow the standard in the sequence presented.