Preface: Against the Grain or like a Hamster on a Treadmill?

Background to the Series

"Media Education Publications" of the Media Education Centre, Department of Teacher Education, is the continuation of an earlier series called OLE Publications, created in late 1995. Its purpose was to provide a forum for teachers and researchers to publish articles in English, French or German on themes and topics connected to two European Union-based open and distance learning (ODL) projects, coordinated by the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. The two projects were the OLE Project (Open and Distance Learning in Teacher Education to Promote the European Dimension; 1995-1997, and the APPLAUD Project (A Programme for People to Learn At University-level at a Distance; 1996-1998).

The Media Education Publications series consists of articles dealing with media education, modern information and communication technologies (MICT), telematics, computer-mediated human communication (CMHC), distance education (DE), open and distance learning (ODL), flexible learning (FL), dialogic communication and comparative education with a special view to the European dimension.

Background to the Present Volume

The present volume of the Media Education Publications series aims at looking into some current trends in media education, modern information and communication technologies (MICT), open and distance learning (ODL) and science and technology education. The authors discuss a number of topical issues, connected to an emerging information and communication society, teacher education, communalism and dialogic communication as well as teaching, studying and learning. The main theme in this publication, however, is the analysis of the notion and content of media education.

The authors' attitude towards the topics they discuss could be called critically enthusiastic. They seem to be convinced that the areas they look into are important and worth researching. At the same time, the writers' undertone is appropriately critical, as it should be. A good critique also always contains the discussion of possible threats, the "cons" of the matter in question. Some of the major issues discussed in this publication call for further comment from the editor.

One of the key issues behind much of the discussion is the concept of an information society. As stated in some of the articles in this publication (cf. e.g., Tella et al. 1998; Tella 1998), an information society is an umbrella-like term that covers a number of different phenomena. One of the extreme viewpoints (Stachon 1998) argues that all societies are and have been knowledge-based societies, because the survival of human beings has always depended on knowledge and communication. This argument is interesting but does not perhaps take into sufficient account the fact that it is the relation between an individual and his or her access to the enormous amounts of information that has changed, together with another fact, which is the increased level of collaboration needed in work life. The time of lone wolves is not over, of course, but co-operation, collaboration, communalism and dialogism are some of the new prerequisites that cannot be neglected.

Even if several variations of an information and communication society are briefly introduced in this publication, the main focus will not be on virtual society frameworks. As a foretaste--or instructed by omniscient hindsight--one figure will be presented in this respect, viz. Agres, Edberg & Igbaria's virtual society framework (1998, 72). The basic definition of a virtual society, based on Agres, Edberg & Igbaria's work (1998, 72) will be given by Tella (1998, in this publication), namely, cultures based on the logical rather than the physical. From the point of view of the articles presented in this publication, it is interesting to notice that many components of the virtual society framework will be discussed, though. For instance, as Agres, Edberg & Igbaria (1998) speak of two main components, that is, driving forces and issues, many of these will be touched upon by the writers of this book. Global economies, for instance, are related to globalisation, enlightened population may refer to the requirements the school system has to face, namely providing all citizens with adequate know-how in information handling skills. Telework and CSCW (computer-supported collaborative work) will be discussed by Tella (1998, in this publication). Issues associated with communities and learning organisations will also be discussed. The tension between individual and world is highlighted in Passi & Vahtivuori's (1998, in this publication) ideas of individualism vs. communalism.

FIGURE 1. VIRTUAL SOCIETY FRAMEWORK (AGRES, EDBERG & IGBARIA 1998, 72).

Agres, Edberg & Igbaria's framework (1998) is an evolutionary model that aims at conceptualising an entity hierarchy for virtual societies. Its strength is that it attempts to summarise many of the relevant features that need further research. In this sense, it is a thought-provoking catalyst and thus worth citing and being analysed in the context of media education.

All the authors of this publication are teacher educators either in initial teacher education or in in-service teacher education. Therefore it is only natural that many of the reflections are mirrored in teacher education and the Finnish school system. Nummi & Ristola, for instance (1998, in this publication) remind us of the aim the Finnish Ministry of Education (Ministry of Education 1995) set a few years ago, namely that all Finnish schools should be networked by the year 2000. In the major co-authored article in this publication (Tella et al. 1998), this aim is being assessed. The authors remark that in 1997, 65% of all schools were already networked and that more than 1,000 primary and secondary level schools (out of 4,800) already had a home page on the Web in 1997. Sinko & Lehtinen (1998, 30-32), however, in their interim report about the status quo of ICT in Finnish schools, show figures that do not bode well for the future; even if 75-80% of lower and upper secondary schools are networked in 1998, the situation is worrying as far as hardware goes. They continue that against current belief, the situation in Finnish upper secondary schools is inferior to the average in EU countries. In the UK, for instance, secondary level institutions have one machine per 9 students (target: 1 machine per 6 students), while in Finland in 1998 there is one machine per 12 students (target: 1 machine per 8 students). Sinko & Lehtinen (1998, 31) also criticise the fact that teachers' ICT in-service education is completely the responsibility of the municipalities. -- The argument presented in this publication is somewhat different; we argue (Tella et al. 1998, in this publication) that more attention should be paid to knowledge strategic planning by the schools and the municipalities.

On the other hand, it is also easy to show off with statistics in which Finland comes first. For instance, the Top Ten list of the number of Internet access points consists of all the Nordic countries, the USA, Canada, Australia and a number of others. The highest figure comes from Finland with her 5.52 Internet access points per 100 inhabitants.

FIGURE 2. THE NUMBER OF INTERNET ACCESS POINTS PER 100 INHABITANTS IN 10 COUNTRIES (ITU WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION INDICATORS DATABASE. NETWORK WIZARDS, 1997).

Admittedly, these figures do not directly correlate to the quality of use of these points but are still indicative of many present-day trends. From our point of view, these kinds of statistics are important, as a growing number of activities related to media education is concerned with access to the Internet and the WWW. Technology facilitates networking but it alone "does not guarantee the viability of the virtual society, for the technological power must be used intelligently and deliberately by an informed population" (Agres, Edberg & Igbaria 1998, 72; cf. also Mononen-Aaltonen 1998, in this publication).

During the past few decades, one megatrend in education has emphasised co-operation, collaboration and experiential learning. These play an important role in this publication as well. Even if on the whole, they contain positive things and have contributed to the development of the teaching-learning interaction most beneficially, we should also bear in mind that their basic values are not always necessarily the ones Finnish culture has in the past appreciated as such. Ryffel (1997) points out two caveats in experiential learning, when analysed from a cross-cultural (or transnational) perspective. The first caveat is concerned with commercial materials which tend to be written primarily for native English speakers in mind. The second caveat is about the basic values embedded in the principles of experiential learning:

"The second caveat is that experiential teaching is primarily based on U.S. values--for example, learner centeredness, teacher as facilitator, learning by doing, verbalization, peer interaction, self-disclosure, and small-group work. Although similar notions are popping up elsewhere, many of these are part of the North American educational experience. In addition, many of these activities assume trust and risk taking among the participants because many experiential exercises by their very nature make students vulnerable. It is important to remember that a large portion of the world comes from collectivist cultures where relationships and harmony are of prime importance, maintained through indirect or less direct communication. Students from such cultures may have initial difficulty articulating opinions that could threaten group harmony, such as discussing sensitive, personal issues with others with whom they do not yet have a relationship. Strategies that guarantee students a rather safe environment for exploring potentially sensitive topics are therefore desirable." (Ryffel 1997, 29-30)

What has this to do with media education and modern information and communication technologies? Quite a lot, I would argue, as modern telecommunications can be used to create experiential learning situations, especially when constructivist or social constructivist learning is encouraged. In these situations it might be advisable for teacher educators, teachers and tutors to remember that not all students benefit from all the features embraced by this approach. True, most educators would agree that the majority of the principles mentioned by Ryffel (1997), for instance, are worth using in classrooms and in lecture halls. Yet Finland has belonged--and she still belongs--to the high context cultures, in which indirect communication is highly thought of. When social presence or telepresence is being discussed (Tammelin 1998, in this publication), the above characteristics also need to be borne in mind and to be reconsidered.

One final comment about the content of the articles in this publication. Kynäslahti (1998, in this publication) analyses the highly sensitive nexus of time and place and poses the intriguing question of where we really are if we--or at the very least our communication--become independent of time, place and location. Castells (1996, 464) proposes an idea of timeless time as a label for the dominant temporality of our society. Timeless time, in Castell's terminology, occurs when "the characteristics of a given context, namely, the informational paradigm and the network society, induce systemic perturbation in the sequential order of phenomena performed in that context" (Castells 1996, 464). Timeless time, being always accessible, acting like a hamster on a treadmill, do they not tell something about our own time? About that aspect of an information and communication society, about modern information and communication technologies, witnessed by most of us, that make us feel that using technology does not liberate or emancipate us from inauthentic labour; rather, dealing with time and coping with heightened expectations of what can be done by and with technology is about to create a situation where human resources and technology become incompatible, because technology is too efficient and leaves no space for a human being to breathe, to be alone, to think. Is presenting this kind of idea going against the grain or is it one of the survival skills we should teach all our students? Coping with learning and working situations in which everybody expects us to react more and more quickly (cf. Tella's comment on Chomsky and Bourdieu, 1998, in this publication). This is one of the issues that probably needs more analysis than has been given to it in this publication. The faster the communication and the more efficient the technology at our disposal, the less time we have to react, to reflect, and to think about what we would really want to say to people who try to contact us. Timeless time is very aptly put; it summarises some of the threats we are facing in an information and communication society unless we realise and learn how to use technology wisely and in a humane way.

It should be borne in mind that, first of all, media education is not about technology; it is about media, education, human-to-human interaction, dialogic communication, culture, arts. Media education is about things that take time. We should learn again how to respect the old saying "Take your time". Technology comes second, but yet at its best it helps us strive for our first credo.

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Introducing the Authors

I would now like to introduce the authors and their articles in this publication.

Seppo Tella, Marja Mononen-Aaltonen and Heikki Kynäslahti, in collaboration with Tomi Nummi, Anu Passi, Riikka Ristola, Janne Sariola, Sanna Vahtivuori and Petra Wager deal with two major topics. First, they analyse the way towards a communal curriculum through intensive dialogic discussions, literature reviews and finally concretising their plans regarding knowledge strategies. Second, and in perfect harmony with the first goal, they envision an ideal Media Education Centre, in which the best ideas and ideals could be carried out. This article is a major contribution to the present volume, and even more as it highlights the main emphases as felt and expressed by several members of the staff of the Media Education Centre. The article is complemented with a selected list of references concerning strategic documents in the Finnish context as well as at the European and international levels.

Seppo Tella analyses the concept of media education from several viewpoints (Education, Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, Culture and Technology). He also highlights some of the key terms and concepts that appear regularly in the research literature. Gradually, in his article Tella moves from a rigid classification towards a more flexible rhizomatic metaphor.

Heikki Kynäslahti launches a new concept of 'eduscape' while discussing some of the megatrends in media education and modern information and communcation technologies, such as the time-place nexus, transnational culture, globalisation and deterritorialisation.

Marja Mononen-Aaltonen analyses the notion of a learning environment, relating it to a dialogic interpretation. One of her main arguments is that the characterisation of learning environments must emerge from research. She concludes that in an information-rich and knowledge-intensive society the most important feature will most probably consist of theoretical knowledge, a source of value and of growth to every human being.

Maija Tammelin looks into different roles of 'presence'. She distinguishes between telepresence and social presence and gives a number of examples of how social presence manifests itself in a network-based learning environment.

Seppo Tella, Heikki Kynäslahti and Jukka Husu first analyse how the school, traditionally, has been the place where teachers and students meet each other. Their primary argument is that ICT has enabled to establish virtual educational environments called 'virtual school', 'virtual classroom', 'virtual university',for instance. Moving from traditional schools towards more sophisticated forms of schooling necessarily calls for considerations of both the context of present school and of the possible contexts, or recontexts, of virtual schools. The authors see the emergence of the virtual school as a paradigmatic change within the school institution.

Anu Passi & Sanna Vahtivuori deal with some salient differences between co-operative, collaborative and communal learning. The Sharans' Group Investigation is presented as a model of collaborative learning. Their article then focuses on the construct of communalism, especially in the framework of a school-based project between four EU countries.

Tomi Nummi & Riikka Ristola build a three-level model of networking in teacher education (physical, social and pedagogical networking). Their article is grounded on current research findings gathered from the LIVE project, in which they both work as researchers and tutors. The writers see the skill of creating functional networks as a challenge for future teacher education.

Jusri DeVries & Seppo Tella discuss the role of the faculty member in a distance education setting and argue that distance education requires new skills and attitudes different from those required in a "traditional" classroom. Since many educators are unfamiliar with this innovative educational setting, training concerning both the technical aspects of the system and the strategies for teaching students at a distance would benefit both teachers and students. Their article combines experiences gained especially in Canada, the United States and Finland.

Jari Lavonen & Veijo Meisalo introduce some current research activities connected to their LUONTI project. While highlighting some of the crucial focuses in science and technology teaching at the moment, their article also deals with certain fundamental issues related to teaching and learning, such as co-operation, good school practice and assessment.

Sólveig Jakobsdóttir, Sigurjón Myrdal, Haukur Ágústsson and Nickolas A. Kearney discuss on-line distance education tools and materials. They outline some pedagogical needs that could drive the design of powerful new tools or help educators select from the range of distance education authoring tools already available.

On the whole, this publication is a product of multidimensional co-authoring and collaboration, which, hopefully, will contribute beneficially to the development of media education as well as teaching and learning in general.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the authors of this publication. Also, I would like to thank all of you who contributed to the illustrations of this publication. Most of the figures in the first co-authored article were generated in hectic group discussions by several members of the staff of the Media Education Centre, as explained in the article itself. The original illustrations were then drawn by several persons, of whom I would like to mention Riikka Ristola and Petra Wager in particular, without, however, forgetting that also Anu Passi, Sanna Vahtivuori and Tomi Nummi contributed to the final versions of these figures. Some of them were slightly modified by Seppo Tella, who also rendered the Finnish-language originals into English, and finally by Kari Perenius, who redrew some of the other figures in this publication, although the basic work was always done by the authors of the respective articles.

I am deeply indebted to Kari Perenius, for taking good care of the technical side of the publication. The new format (B5), together with a lot of illustrations and the number of authors, brought about a legion of small or big technical problems that Kari was able to solve in his professional way.

I am most grateful for having the chance to add this publication to the present series of the Media Education Publications of the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education.

Helsinki, August 15, 1998

Seppo Tella

Director of the Media Education Centre
Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki

This publication has been prepared with the assistance of the Commission of the European Communities within the framework of the SOCRATES programme.

References

Agres, C., Edberg, D. & Igbaria, M. 1998. Transformation to Virtual Societies: Forces and Issues. The Information Society: An International Journal 14 (2), 71-82.

Castells, M. 1996. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Volume I: The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford: Blackwell.

Ministry of Education 1995. Education, Training and Research in the Information Society: A National Strategy. Helsinki: Art-Print Painotalo. [http://www.minedu.fi/infostrategy.html]

Ryffel, C. 1997. From Culture "Teaching" to Culture "Learning": Structures and Strategies for Increased Effectiveness. In Fantini, A. E. (ed.) New Ways in Teaching Culture. New Ways in TESOL II: Innovative Classroom Techniques. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Bloomington, IL: Pantagraph, 28-35.

Sinko, M. & Lehtinen, E. (eds.) 1998. Tieto- ja viestintätekniikka opetuksessa ja oppimisessa: Osaamisen haasteet ja tietotekniikan mahdollisuudet. (Information and Communication Technologies in Teaching and Learning: Challenges for Learning and the Potential of Information Technology.) Väliraportti. (An Interim Report.) Tulevaisuusvaliokunnan teknologiajaosto. Teknologian arviointeja 2. Eduskunnan kanslian julkaisu 2.

Stachon, K. (ed.) 1998. Näkökulmia tietoyhteiskuntaan. (Aspects of a Knowledge Society.) Helsinki: Gaudeamus.

Tella, S., Mononen-Aaltonen, M., Kynäslahti, H. in collaboration with Nummi, T., Passi, A., Ristola, R., Sariola, J., Vahtivuori, S. & Wager, P. 1998. Towards a Communal Curriculum: Strategic Planning and the Emerging Knowledge of Media Education. In Tella, S. (ed.) Aspects of Media Education: Strategic Imperatives in the Information Age. Media Education Centre. Department of Teacher Education. University of Helsinki. Media Education Publication 8.

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Table of Contents

Media Education Publication 8

Preface by Seppo Tella

Tella, Seppo, Mononen-Aaltonen, Marja, Kynäslahti, Heikki in co-operation with Nummi, Tomi, Passi, Anu, Ristola, Riikka, Sariola, Janne, Vahtivuori, Sanna and Wager, Petra.
Towards a Communal Curriculum: Strategic Planning and the Emerging Knowledge of Media Education.(The figures as PDF files)

Tella, Seppo.
The Concept of Media Education Revisited: From a Classificatory Analysis to a Rhizomatic Overview.

Kynäslahti, Heikki.
Considerations on Eduscape.

Mononen-Aaltonen, Marja.
A Learning Environment--A Euphemism for Instruction or a Potential for Dialogue? (PDF)

Tammelin, Maija.
From Telepresence to Social Presence: The Role of Presence in a Network-Based Learning Environment.

Tella, Seppo, Kynäslahti, Heikki & Husu, Jukka.
Towards the Recontext of the Virtual School.

Passi, Anu & Vahtivuori, Sanna.
From Co-operative Learning Towards Communalism.

Nummi, Tomi & Ristola, Riikka.
The LIVE Project--Developing Pedagogical Networking through Teacher Education.

DeVries, Jusri & Tella, Seppo.
The Role of Distance Education Instructor: Attitudes, Skills, and Strategies.

Lavonen, Jari & Meisalo, Veijo.
Current Research Activities in the LUONTI-Project.

Sólveig Jakobsdóttir, Sigurjón Myrdal, Haukur Ágústsson & Nickolas A. Kearney.
On-Line Distance Learning Environment and Tools to Create It: Design Based on Theory and Practice.

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Information about the Authors

Ágústsson, Haukur
is Head of Distance Education, Verkmenntaskolinn a Akureyri (Akureyri Vocational College), Reykjavik, Iceland. The program uses computer communication exclusively. Haukur Ágústsson has been very active in international work within the fields of Distance Education, Adult Education, and Computer Usage. For instance, he has been involved in the IDUN project and other projects run by the Nordic Council of Ministers. He is a member of the SCIENTIER Seminar on ODL, which aims at forming a comprehensive policy in ODL within the EU. He is also an alumni of the ASC Salzburg Seminar.

DeVries, Jusri
MFA, is Co-ordinator of Distance Education & Instructional Development at the Department of Art Education of the Helsinki University of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Northern Arizona University, USA. He is the Chair and Contact person for the Distance Education Network of the European Association for International Education E.A.I.E.. He taught several interactive TV courses which connected up nine sites in Arizona, Europe, and Australia. Additionally, he has produced numerous instructional materials that are in use in several universities in Canada and the US. He has also published and given speeches and workshops on topics related to distance learning and telematics in many international conferences and universities.

Husu, Jukka
is a researcher and a doctoral student at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. He has specialised in problems connected to teachers' pedagogical thinking, virtual school, and teacher education.

Jakobsdóttir, Sólveig
Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Distance Education and ICT at the Kennarahaskoli Islands (University College of Education), Reykjavik, Iceland. She is a specialist in IT and IT-based educational applications. Her research has focused on school computer culture, the use of ICT and ODL in education, and on gender differences in relation to computer use. She has worked actively for the Applaud project co-ordinated by Professor Seppo Tella.

Kearney, Nicholas A.
is a Director of Studies at Florida Empresa - Language School, the Florida Centre de Formación (Florida Education Centre), Valencia Spain. He is a teacher of English as a foreign language at all levels, general, ESP, and "business". He is also a course designer and has given talks on different aspects of EFL teaching.

Kynäslahti, Heikki
is a researcher and a doctoral student at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Helsinki. His main research interests deal with the use of MICT in rural education and with inter-institutional networks of schools. He has also researched the concepts of virtuality, the virtual classroom, the virtual school, and deterritorialisation. Further, he has worked on the problems related to ethnographic research in virtual environments. He is also a lecturer and a tutor in media education courses.

Lavonen, Jari
Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer in Science Education at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. He is an active author and educator in the field of IT and physics and technology education and, together with Professor Meisalo, an initiator of the LUONTI project.

Meisalo, Veijo
Ph.D., is Professor of Didactics of Mathematical Subjects at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. Professor Meisalo has been very active in the field of IT, ICT, physics teaching and technology teaching as well as teachers' initial and inservice teacher education. He has also co-authored teaching materials for schools as well as for teacher education. Professor Meisalo is a member of the Steering Group of the Media Education Centre.

Mononen-Aaltonen, Marja
is a lecturer in Foreign Language Education at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. She is a teacher of Russian and English, and a co-author of several textbooks and workbooks in these languages. At the Media Education Centre, she is an associate national co-ordinator of the European Union based project APPLAUD. She also participates in other EU projects that focus, among other things, on the impact of modern information and communication technologies (e.g., The Impact of ICT on the Role of the Learner). As of May 1998 she has also worked for the FLE (Future Learning Environments) project, carried out in co-operation with the Helsinki University of Art and Design. She is responsible for initial (pre-service) teacher education courses at the Department of Teacher Education. Her main areas of interest focus on foreign language education, foreign language textbook production and evaluation, dialogic and cross-cultural communication, and media education.

Myrdal, Sigurjón
is Associate Professor at the Kennarahaskoli Islands (University College of Education), Reykjavik, Iceland. He was the Director of (the network-based) Distance Education at the College 1992-1996. In 1983-1991 he was the Dean of Academic Affairs at Kennarahaskoli Islands. He holds degrees in Sociology from Iceland and Sweden and in Education from Iceland and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.

Nummi, Tomi
is a project co-ordinator at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. His main responsibility has been to co-ordinate different Media education courses in initial and in-service teacher education and to co-ordinate co-operation between several universities that take part in these courses. He has also been a lecturer in media education courses and been involved in various MICT (modern information and communication technologies) research and developmental projects, such as LIVE and EuroLand. In the autumn of 1998, he will lecture on distance teaching education at the Media Education Centre.

Ristola, Riikka
is a research assistant at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. Her main responsibility is research and developmental work in the LIVE project. She is also a lecturer and a tutor in media education courses.

Passi, Anu
is a research assistant at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. Her main responsibility has been research and developmental work in the EU-based Kauniainen project. She has also been a lecturer and a tutor in media education courses. In the autumn of 1998, she will co-ordinate media education courses at the Media Education Centre.

Sariola, Janne
is a lecturer in Distance Teaching Education at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. He has long been working in initial and in-service teacher education. His special areas of interest are videoconferencing and various applications of open distance learning. For the past few years, he has been responsible for the distance teaching practice in the different sections of the Department of Teacher Education. He has been actively promoting the LIVE project as an initiator, a teacher and a researcher. In the autumn of 1998, he will be working at the National Board of Education.

Tammelin, Maija
is a senior lecturer in English and Business Communication at the Department of Languages, Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration (HSEBA). She is also the leader of the departmental "Telematics in Foreign Language Learning" project and a member of the Steering Group of the Centre for Innovative Education at HSEBA.

Tella, Seppo
Ph.D., is Professor of Media Education and Professor of Foreign Language Education at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. He is also Director of the Media Education Centre. He has co-ordinated two European Union projects in open and distance learning (OLE; APPLAUD) and taken part in several others (e.g., FETICHE; European Observatory of Educational Innovations; The Impact of ICT on the Role of the Learner). At the Centre, he co-ordinates several projects, e.g., LIVE (Learning in Virtual Learning Environments), FLE (Future Learning Environments), carried out in co-operation with the Helsinki University of Art and Design, and IMPACT (the Impact of ICT on the Role of the Teacher), carried out in co-operation with the National Board of Education and the Faculty of Education of the University of Oulu. His main areas of research focus on telelogically-defined media education, modern information and communication technologies (MICT), telematics and open and distance learning (ODL), dialogic and cross-cultural communication, CALL (computer-assisted language learning), and foreign language learning methodology. He is responsible for initial (pre-service) and in-service teacher education courses at the Department.

Vahtivuori, Sanna
is a research assistant at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. Her main responsibility has been research and developmental work in the EU-based Kauniainen project. In the autumn of 1998 she will work for the FLE (Future Learning Environments) project, implemented in co-operation with the Helsinki University of Art and Design. She is also a lecturer and a tutor in media education courses.

Wager, Petra
is Assistant at the Media Education Centre of the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. Her main responsibility is to do research for the IMPACT project (the Impact of ICT on the Role of the Teacher), carried out in co-operation with the National Board of Education and the Faculty of Education of the University of Oulu. She is a lecturer and a tutor in media education courses.

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Abstraktit

Tella, Seppo, Mononen-Aaltonen, Marja, Kynäslahti, Heikki in co-operation with Nummi, Tomi, Passi, Anu, Ristola, Riikka, Sariola, Janne, Vahtivuori, Sanna and Wager, Petra. Towards a Communal Curriculum: Strategic Planning and the Emerging Knowledge of Media Education.

Mediakasvatuksen (media education) professuuri perustettiin Helsingin yliopiston kasvatustieteelliseen tiedekuntaan 1.8.1996. Mediakasvatuskeskus aloitti toimintansa kuukautta myöhemmin mediakasvatuksen tieteenalaa tutkivana ja opetusta antavana yksikkönä. Tässä artikkelissa pohditaan tietostrategia-ajattelun kautta mediakasvatusta tieteenä ja Mediakasvatuskeskusta toimintayhteisönä. Pohdinta lähtee siitä nopeasti kehittyvästä ja muuttuvasta aikakautemme milieustä, jonka puitteissa mediakasvatuskin on saanut syntynsä. Elinikäinen oppiminen ja uudenlainen yhteisöllisyys ovat näihin kehityspiirteisiin liittyviä ilmiöitä kasvatuksen alueella. Artikkelissa kartoitetaan teoriatasolla myös yhteisöllisen opetussuunnitelman lähtökohtia.
Artikkelissa ennakoidaan myös uutta opettajuutta ja opettajan muuttuvaa roolia tieto- ja viestintäyhteiskunnassa sekä pohditaan opettajankoulutuksen uusia haasteita erityisesti mediakasvatuksen näkökulmasta. Keskeinen painotus asetetaan tiedolle ja tiedon synnylle, joita tarkastellaan Popperin kolmen maailman teorian kautta. Tietostrategiaa ja sen toteutusta pohditaan eri lähtökohdista käsin ja artikkelissa annetaan myös käytännön ohjeita tietostrategian teosta. Lopuksi hahmotetaan ja visioidaan Mediakasvatuskeskusta mahdollisimman hyvänä tutkimuksen ja opetuksen toimintayhteisönä.
Avainsanat: Mediakasvatus, tieto, strategia, tietostrategia, yhteisöllisyys, opettajankoulutus, oppiminen, opettaminen.

Tella, Seppo. The Concept of Media Education Revisited: From a Classificatory Analysis to a Rhizomatic Overview.

Artikkelin tarkoituksena on analysoida mediakasvatuksen käsitettä. Alustava aiempi analyysi esitetään ensin (Tella 1997c). Artikkeli pyrkii edelleen valaisemaan yhtäältä eri tieteiden ja tieteen- ja tiedonalueiden välisiä suhteita ja toisaalta niiden suhdetta mediakasvatukseen. Tavoitteena on luoda luokittelu tai yleinen tarkastelutapa, jota mediakasvatuksen piirissä toimivat henkilöt voivat kommentoida. Tämä luokittelu muuttuu myöhemmin artikkelissa risomaattiseksi yleiskatsaukseksi.
Yksi analyysin keskeisiä havaintoja on se, että mediakasvatuksen käsitteellinen alue on laajentunut sisältämään suuren joukon toisista tieteistä tai tiedonalueilta tulevia käsitteitä. Samaan aikaan muutama megatrendi on tullut esille, nimittäin viestintä ja välitteisyys.
Avainsanat: mediakasvatus, viestintä, välitteisyys, opettajankoulutus, virtuaalipedagogiikka, didaktiikka, kognitiivinen kasvatustiede, kognitiotiede, kognitiivinen psykologia, oppimispsykologia, sosiologia, filosofia, kulttuuri, opetustekniikka, tieto- ja viestintäyhteiskunta.

Kynäslahti, Heikki. Considerations on Eduscape.

Artikkelissa pohditaan lyhysti mahdollista 'eduscape'-käsitettä. Eduscape nähdään ylipaikallisten koulutuksen virtojen eräänlaisena 'paikkana'. Käsitettä tarkastellaan deterritorialisaation ja space of flows -käsitteiden pohjalta. Ajan ja paikan suhde sekä globalisaatioilmiö liittyvät myös eduscapeen. Deterritorialisaation lähtökohtana esitetään Deleuzen ja Guattarin filosofisia pohdintoja, mutta käsitettä tulkitaan enemmänkin siinä muodossa kuin sitä käsitellään transnationaalin kulttuurin tutkimuksessa. Space of flows on lainattu Castellsilta (1996) liittyen yhteiskunnan, paikan ja tekniikan suhteiden tarkasteluun. Globalisaatio nähdään yksilöiden ja ryhmän näkökulmasta, eli maailmanlaajuisten ilmiöiden ja paikallisen tason vuorovaikutuksena.

Mononen-Aaltonen, Marja. A Learning Environment-A Euphemism for Instruction or a Potential for Dialogue?

Oppimisympäristön käsite esiintyy useasti kasvatustutkimuksen ja -teorian diskurssissa samoin kuin kansallisissa kasvatusalan kehittämistä koskevissa dokumenteissa. Tutkijoiden ja kasvatusalan edustajien kesken ei kuitenkaan ole yksimielisyyttä siitä, mikä oppimisympäristö on. Se on läheisesti sidoksissa konstruktivistiseen ajatteluun ja modernin tieto- ja viestintätekniikan kehitykseen. Oppimisympäristöstä on erilaisia näkemyksiä, joista kukin tuo mieliimme erilaisia kuvia opetuksesta, oppimisesta ja opiskelusta. Tässä artikkelissa tutkitaan kolmea oppimisympäristön metaforaa: oppimisympäristöt ekosysteemeinä, oppimisympäristöt paikkoina ja oppimisympäristöt tilana. Artikkelin johtopäätöksenä on, että sen sijaan että etsisimme ekosysteemeistä, paikoista tai tiloista vaihtoehtoja luokkahuoneille ja olemassaoleville kasvatuksellisille, pedagogisille tai didaktisille käytänteille, meidän tulisi pikemminkin määritellä oppimisympäristö dialogina. Tämä auttaisi meitä ymmärtämään oppimisympäristön potentiaalista arvoa ja sen roolia opetuksen ja opiskelun suunnittelussa informaatiorikkaassa ja tietointensiivisessa yhteiskunnassamme, jonka tärkein piirre todennäköisimmin on teoriatieto. Dialogismin viitekehyksessä artikkelissa argumentoidaan dialogisen oppimisympäristön ja dialogisen pedagogiikan puolesta.
Avainsanat: oppimisympäristö, dialoginen oppimisympäristö, dialogi, dialoginen pedagogiikka.

Tammelin, Maija. From Telepresence to Social Presence: The Role of Presence in a Network-Based Learning Environment.

Artikkeli tarkastelee läsnäolon käsitettä sellaisena kuin se ilmenee telematiikkaa hyödyntävässä opiskelu- ja oppimisympäristössä. Artikkeli pyrkii määrittelemään, mitä tarkoitetaan erityisesti etäläsnäololla (telepresence) ja sosiaalisella läsnäololla (social presence). Etäläsnäolon käsite on laajentunut nykyisin sisältämään teollisuuden kauko-ohjausjärjestelmien lisäksi yhteyden virtuaalitodellisuuteen sekä myös ihmisten väliseen vuorovaikutukseen. Sosiaalinen läsnäolo liittyy monien tutkijoiden mukaan laajempaan sosiaaliseen kontekstiin, joka kattaa esimerkiksi opiskelumotivaation ja sosiaalisen vuorovaikutuksen. Artikkelissa annetaan esimerkkejä siitä, miten sosiaalinen läsnäolo voi ilmetä telematiikkaa hyödyntävässä ympäristössä. Lopuksi artikkeli korostaa sitä, että jos halutaan edistää sosiaalisen läsnäolon ilmentymistä, on tärkeää ymmärtää, minkälaisia ominaisuuksia eri telemaattisilla medioilla on.
Avainsanat: etäläsnäolo, sosiaalinen läsnäolo, telemaattiset mediat, verkottuvat oppimisympäristöt.

Tella, Seppo, Kynäslahti, Heikki & Husu, Jukka. Towards the Recontext of the Virtual School.

Tieto- ja viestintätekniikan lisääntynyt käyttö virtuaalisten opiskeluympäristöjen luomisessa on asettanut kasvatusalalle haasteita pohtia näiden 'virtuaalikoulun', 'virtuaaliluokan' ja 'virtuaaliyliopiston' nimellä kulkevien elektronisten luomusten todellista luonnetta. Tässä artikkelissa tutkitaan virtuaalikoulun käsitettä ja virtuaali-adjektiivin taustalla uskoaksemme olevaa virtualiteetti-ilmiötä.
Koulu on traditionaalisesti ollut paikka, jossa opettajat ja oppilaat kohtaavat toisensa. Se on paikka, jossa institutionaalinen opetus-oppimis-prosessi tapahtuu. Väitämme, että on aika siirtyä traditionaalisista kouluista kohden vaihtelevampia ja elaboroidumpia koulutusmuotoja, joita tässä artikkelissa kutsutaan virtuaalikouluksi. Tämä edellyttää sekä nykyisen koulun kontekstin että virtuaalikoulujen mahdollisten eli rekontekstien (recontexts) pohdintaa. Väitämme edelleen, että virtuaalikoulun synty edellyttää sen paradigmaattisen muutoksen ymmärtämistä, joka tapahtuu kouluinstituutiossa sekä käytännön että käsitteellisellä tasolla. Uskomme, että tarkastelemalla tätä ilmiötä voimme ymmärtää paremmin virtuaalikoulua ja ennakoida tulevaisuuden kehitystä.
Avainsanat: virtuaalikoulu, virtuaalisuus, tieto- ja viestintätekniikka, koulu, opetus, oppiminen, rekonteksti.

Passi, Anu & Vahtivuori, Sanna. From Co-operative Learning Towards Communalism.

Artikkelissa tarkastellaan yhteistoiminnalliseen ja yhteisölliseen opiskeluun liittyvien käsitteiden merkityksiä ja keskinäisiä suhteita. Tarkemman analyysin kohteena on Sharan & Sharanin (1992) ryhmätutkimus. Ryhmätutkimus nähdään yhtenä yhteistoiminnallisen opiskelun kehittyneimmistä suuntauksista sekä askeleena kohti yhteisöllisyyttä. Ryhmätutkimusta verrataan akateemisen tiedeyhteisön työskentelyyn, jossa oppijoiden välinen dialogi ja yhteisöllinen tiedonrakentaminen ovat keskeisiä. Artikkelissa luodaan myös lyhyt katsaus yhteistoiminnallisen ja yhteisöllisen opiskelun teoreettiseen taustaan.
Avainsanat: yhteistoiminnallinen opiskelu, yhteisöllinen opiskelu, yhteisöllisyys, ryhmätutkimus.

Nummi, Tomi & Ristola, Riikka. The LIVE Project-Developing Pedagogical Networking through Teacher Education.

Artikkelissa luonnehditaan koulujen sisällä ja kesken tapahtuvaa verkottumista. Päätavoitteena on kehittää edelleen LIVE-projektin teoriataustaa ja keskittyä opettajankoulutuksen verkostomalleihin. Mediakasvatuskeskuksessa kouluvuonna 1997-98 toteutettujen kolmen tapaustutkimuksen perusteella esitetään opettajankoulutuksen kolmitasoinen verkottumisluokitus. Opettajat, joilla on yhteinen intressi, halua yhteistyöhön sekä pysyvä ja toimiva telemaattisen viestinnän mahdollistava fyysinen verkko, voivat saavuttaa pedagogisen verkottumistason, avoimen ja etäopiskeluympäristön, jossa spatiaalisesti erillään olevat opiskeluryhmät muodostavat yhteistoiminnallisen virtuaaliluokan. Opettajankoulutuksen haasteena on sekä perus- että täydennyskoulutuksessa kasvattaa huomispäivän verkottumisen hallitsevia opettajia, joilla on taito luoda pedagogisia verkostoja.
Avainsanat: pedagoginen verkottuminen, opettajankoulutus, virtuaalikouluympäristö, avoin ja etäopiskelu.

DeVries, Jusri & Tella, Seppo. The Role of Distance Education Instructor: Attitudes, Skills, and Strategies.

Etäopettajan roolia akateemisen työyhteisön jäsenenä on tutkittu huomattavan vähän. Tätä on kuitenkin tutkittava ja selvennettävä, jos tehokkaan opiskeluympäristön luominen on tavoitteena. Etäopetus, samoin kuin etäopiskelu, vaatii uusia taitoja ja asenteita, jotka eroavat "perinteisessä" luokkahuoneessa tarvittavista. Koska monet kasvattajat eivät tunne tätä innovatiivista opetusympäristöä, sekä opettajat että opiskelijat hyötyisivät järjestelmän teknisestä koulutuksesta ja etäopetusstrategioiden opettamisesta.
Avainsanat: etäopettaja, akateeminen työyhteisö, rooli, opiskeluympäristö.

Lavonen, Jari & Meisalo, Veijo. Current Research Activities in the LUONTI-Project.

Artikkelissa kuvataan lyhyesti modernin opiskeluympäristöprojektimme LUONTI-projektin (Luonnontieteiden opetuksen teknologiset innovaatiot) lähtökohtaa ja teoreettista taustaa. Projektimme aloitus syksyllä 1995 perustui ajatukseen, että moderni tieto- ja viestintätekniikka johtaa tilanteeseen, jossa opetuksessa ei enää jaeta yksittäisiä faktoja vaan siinä autetaan opiskelijoita keräämään, prosessoimaan ja arvioimaan informaatiota tehokkaasti ja samalla jäsentämään sitä. LUONTI-projektissa tutkimme ja kehitämme uusia innovatiivisia ja joustavia materiaaleja ja laitteita erilaisia koulutyyppejä varten. Tuotamme tietokoneohjelmia, käyttöliittymiä ja mittalaitteita koululaboratorioihin, opettajan oppaita ja myös koulukäyttöön tarkoitettuja oppikirjoja. Opettajille on myös tarjolla täydennyskoulutusta, jossa havainnollistetaan lähestymistapamme joustavuutta.
Avainsanat: LUONTI-projekti, moderni tieto- ja viestintätekniikka, teknologiaopetus, koululaboratorio, täydennyskoulutus.

Sólveig Jakobsdóttir, Sigurjón Myrdal, Haukur Ágústsson & Nickolas A. Kearney. On-Line Distance Learning Environment and Tools to Create It: Design Based on Theory and Practice.

Artikkelin kirjoittajat osallistuivat 1997 Euroopan yhteisöjen multimediayhteishakuun tarkoituksena laatia pedagogiseen lähestymistapaan pohjaava ja verkko-opiskeluympäristöön sopiva ohjelmankehitin ("Verkko-opetustietopenkki"). Vaikka hakemus ei päässytkään hyväksyttyjen muutamien projektien joukkoon, uskomme, että kehittimen toiminta-ajatus on hyvin perusteltu ja että tehokkaita ohjelmankehittimiä tarvitaan yhä etäopetusmateriaalien suunnittelijoiden ja kehittelijöiden käyttöön. Uskomme myös, että verkko-opetuksen ja opiskelun suunnittelun pitäisi ohjautua yhä enemmän kasvatustarpeista kuin teknisistä innovaatioista. Tässä artikkelissa luonnostellaan pedagogisia tarpeita, jotka voisivat ohjata verkko-opiskeluympäristöjen suunnittelua ja niiden luomiseen tarkoitettujen työvälineiden kehitystyötä. Tarkoituksena on edellään auttaa kasvattajia valitsemaan nyt jo olemassa olevien työvälineiden kesken.
Avainsanat: ohjelmankehitin, verkko-opetus ja -opiskelu, etäopetusmateriaalit.

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Available at the Media Education Centre,
Department of Teacher Education,
P.O. Box 38, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland

Marja-Liisa Lonardi
fax +358 9 191 28114,
phone +358 9 191 28112

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