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Christina Preston
Website: www.mirandanet.ac.uk/resesearchchexchange
Blog: www.mirandanet.ac.uk/researchexchange/
Personal Statement | ICT Details | Recent Projects | Publications | Publications Page on MirandaNet
Personal Statement
Christina Preston, Founder of MirandaNet, has long been an advocate for using advanced technologies both as a catalyst for change in teaching and learning and as a force for international understanding between teaching professionals. In 1998 she won the European Women of Achievement Award for humanitarian efforts in developing the Anglo-Czech alliance with the Chair of Czech Miranda, Bozena Mannova. MirandaNet Fellows have established linked professional development e-communities in countries like China, Chile, Czech Republic, Mexico, South Africa and Friesland. More information about Christina is found on the Founder page, where there are further links to the MirandaNet Vision and to Christina's CV and Current work.
ICT Interests
View www.mirandanet.ac.uk/researchexchange for recent research
Capacity in multiliteracy proves a new perspective on knowledge and communication that extends beyond language. Specifically multiliteracy competence includes visual, audio, kinaesthetic communication and representation in linguistics, and more broadly the humanities and the social sciences.
An understanding of the breadth of multiliteracy opens up opportunities for educators to develop and reward students who may have a better grasp of these performance literacies than reading and writing. On the one hand a multiliterate approach to the curriculum in school may provide an important new route into tackling reading and writing proficiency; on the other hand, teachers’ sophistication in this area will provide students with the knowledge they need to protect themselves in an internet environment that can be dangerous. Continuing professional development for teachers in the power of multiliteral engagement would seem to be essential to ensuring the full growth of each child’s capacity”.
Recent Projects
You can click into our publications and into a series of research subjects on www.mirandanet.ac.uk/researchexchange that have been developed by MirandaNetters. These are: action research;building communities of practice; and, concept mapping as a research tool;
See below for a short outline of these subjects
Action Research: the main principles In this space we discuss the how you set about action research and the MirandaNet and World Ecitizens publications by teachers and pupils who are engaged in curriculum exchange across the world. There is also a section on the courses we run for educators where we use action research as the main process for learning.
Building communities of practice In this space the methods we have used to develop the MirandaNet Fellowship and sixteen other communities of practice is the topic of dicussion. The aim of these community, that take many ideas from the medieval trade guilds, is to support colleagues who want to make greater use of opportunities that digital technologies offer to make teaching and learning more enriching for students. Becta called the community the ‘Facebook’ of ICT professionals in international education although the aims are more than social- it is about sharing knowledge. UNESCO called MirandaNet the Robin Hood of ICT CPD because teachers teacher each other at no cost. Etienne Wenger (1998) first defined this kind of informal learning group as a ‘community of practice’. He said to MirandaNet members, in an un conference called a MirandaMod , that he sees our efforts to apply our knowledge as a means of influencing educational policy at local national and international levels as the next logical stage in his own developing theory.
Concept mapping as a research tool MirandaNet fellows have been exploring the hypothesis that an analysis of a Multi-dimensional Concept Map (MDCM) provides educators and researchers with different and possibly richer and broader insights into understanding of an issue – in this case that of digital technologies in education – than written responses alone. ‘Multi-dimensionality’ refers to the characteristics of multimodal hand-drawn or digitally produced concept maps, namely multi-layering and (remote) multi-authoring.
Critical incidents: experience as research data This is a space where we would like you to contribute a short anecdote in the comments section about an incident that changed your attitude to computers- for any time from your youth. We have quoted some examples so you know what to do and some information about ethnography which is the overall research strategy where critical incidents can be identified.
MirandaNet ventures
One MirandaNet venture is the MirandaNet e-journal written by teachers for teachers The MirandaNet e-journal is designed to provide practising teachers with a professional platform where they can publish their evidence and create a knowledge base This e-journal that is peer reviewed has been popular with teachers on practice-based courses and is a significant factor in raising the standards of course work (www.mirandanet.ac.uk).
An other venture is World ECitizens, a charity which has been established by the Fellows to provide a web-space where young learners can map the world they dream about. The project is called Etopia - mapping the world WE want (www.worldecitizens.net). World Ecitizens (WE) has a website for children’s publications - a response to global upheavals caused by the War on Terror. It aims to encourage understanding between people’s cultures and communities and to share across the world the fascinating diversity within nations. (www.worldecitizens.net).
Publications
Publications under themes
This list is divided into research topics: Braided Learning- building knowledge between professionals; Professional Development programmes: Industry Education partnership; Innovative Approaches to using Multimodal Concept Mapping; Landscape of ICT CPD: World Ecitizenship. Some publications are repeated under more than one heading as appropriate.
Braided Learning; building knowledge in professional e-communities
Preston, C. and J. Cuthell (2011in press) MirandaMods: from practice to praxis in informal professional learning contexts. Research on e-learning and ICT in Education: Technological, Pedagogical and Instructional Issues”, published by Springer Springer revision (draft)
C.Preston (2009): MirandaNet Symposium; New Rules for Engagement: communities of practice, professional development and technology C. Preston, H. Constable, S. Blandford, M. Leask. B. Manova. S. Younie, L. Vainio. Proceedings CAL09 Brighton
C.Preston (2008) MirandaNet Symposium; Teachers building theories about teaching and learning with digital technologies. Christina Preston, Marilyn Leask, Sarah Younie, H.Constable. Proceedings BERA 2008 Manchester
Preston, C. (2008). Braided Learning; an emerging process observed in e-communities of practiceInternational Journal of Web Based Communities. Special Issue on Online Learning Communities in Context Guest Editors: Dr. Ove Jobring and Associate Professor Piet Kommers Volume, 4.2
Preston, C. (2007). Braided Learning: promoting active professionals in education. New International Theories and Models Of and For Online Learning. C. Haythornthwaite. Chicago IL, USA, First Monday.
Preston, C. 2007 An interactivist e-community of practice using Web 2:00 tools.
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International (SITE) part of The Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education Conference (AACE) SITEO7 proceedings. San Antonio, Texas, USA; March 26-30, 2007.
Preston, C (2005) Social Networking between professionals: what is the point? A chapter in Self-regulated Learning in Technology. Edited Stephans, K, R. Carneiro and Underwood, J. Enhanced Learning Environments TACONET Lisbon, Portugal, Shaker Verlag.
Innovative professional development programmes
Preston, C. and J. Cuthell (2011 in press) Chapter_2 (draft) Research on e-learning and ICT in Education: Technological, Pedagogical and Instructional Issues” Springer http://korinthos.uop.gr/~hcicte10/publications.html
Preston, C. and J. Cuthell (2009 ). The MirandaMod: an emerging collaborative strategy for professional change. www.becta.org.uk. Becta. Coventry.
Preston C. and J. Cuthell (2009). From practice to praxis – through work based teaching and learning , WLE Centre, Institute of Education, University of London. London.
Preston, C. and J. Cuthell (2009). New professional cultures : braided gatherings in The Third Space. 3rd WLE Mobile Learning Symposium. N. Pachler. Institute of Education, University of London, www.wlecentre.ac.uk.
Preston, C. and J. Cuthell (2009). Towards collaboration: knowledge creation in Web 2.0 environments A preliminary analysis of community discourse of learning in MirandaMod 2, a developing and autonomous professional context .” Becta
Preston, C, B. Mannova and Lengel, L (2004) Building communities of practice in “New” Europe a chapter in A Brown, and N Davis (eds): Digital Technology, Communities and Education: World Year Book of Education – 2004 Routledge Falmer
Industry Education Partnership
Preston, C. (2011 in press). ICT industry and education partnership: a driver for change in teaching and learning. Becta. Coventry.
Preston, C. (2006) Which resources work in practice in schools? What will our markets look like in 2011? Hodder. Danesford House, Marlow, Surrey
Innovative approaches to using concept mapping.
Preston, C. (2011 in press). Towards collaborative judgment: research into building teachers’ communities of practice. www.becta.org.uk. Becta. Coventry.
Preston, C. (2011) Gaining insight into educators’ understanding of digital technologies: three models for the analysis of multi-dimensional concept maps. Doctorate in International Education, Institute of Education, University of London library.
Leask, M. and C. Preston (2011) ICT Tools for Future Teachers: Becta, Coventry. Published http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110125093509/http://research.becta.org.uk/
Preston, C. (2009). Exploring semiotic approaches to analysing multidimensional concept maps using methods that value collaboration. Handbook of Research on Collaborative Learning Using Concept Mapping. P. Torres and R. Marriott. Hershey, Pennsylvania/USA, Information Science Reference.
Landscape of ICT CPD
Allen, A. Preston, C. Payton, M. and Pickering, S. (2011) E-safety guidance for the FE & Skills Sector, Becta Coventry.
Leask, M. and C. Preston (2011) ICT Tools for Future Teachers: Becta, Coventry. Published http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110125093509/http://research.becta.org.uk/
Pachler, N, C. Preston, J. Cuthell, A. Allen and Pinheiro Torres (2011) The ICT CPD Landscape in England, Becta http://www.wlecentre.ac.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=363&Itemid=87
Davis, N., C. Preston, and I. Sahin (2009a). ICT teacher training: evidence for multilevel evaluation from a national initiative. British Journal of Education Technology (BJET). Volume 40. Issue 1 (January 2009 ) (Published Online: Feb 5 2008 12:00AM): 135–148.
Davis, N. E., C. Preston and I. Sahin (2009b). Training teachers to use new technologies impacts multiple ecologies: Evidence from a national initiative’. British Educational Research Journal (BJET). Volume 40. Issue 5 (September 2009)
Preston, C. and Cuthell, J. (2007) Professional educators’ perspectives on ICT CPD: Past, Present and Future, WLE centre. Institute of Education, University of London.
Preston C. 2007 The development of personalised learning in e-communities in Pictures of Personalisation: A global view of the personalisation of learning, Ed. Angela MacFarlane, DfES and BESA
Preston, C (2006) Keynote Interactive Learning Communities: researching the role of interactive whiteboards and other digital tools, Transforming teaching transforming learning, transforming lives March 24th Monterrey, Mexico
Preston, C (2006) The power of practice based research: teachers informing policy: March 2nd NACCE Annual Conference. Torquay
Preston, C. and Cuthell, J. (2005) Teaching in ICT rich environments – using e-learning to create a knowledge base for 21st century teachers. A chapter in Leask, M and Pachler, N (eds) (2nd edn 2005) Teaching and Learning using ICT in the Secondary School, London, Routledge.
Preston, C. (2005) invited symposium paper: Learning to use ICT in classrooms from teachers’ and trainers’ perspectives: the innovatory methodologies used to evaluate the UK ICT. Technologies into Learning Environments, SITE 2005 16th International Conference, Phoenix .Arizona, US, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, US. Mar 1st-5th
Preston, C. (2004). Learning to use ICT in Classrooms: teachers’ and trainers’ perspectives: an evaluation of the English NOF ICT teacher training programme (1999-2003): summary, full evaluation report and emergent trends for teacher educators and staff-trainers. London, funded by the Teacher Training Agency www.mirandanet.ac.uk/tta.
Preston, C. and Danby, M. (2004) Who are the supply teachers?
Research into the characteristics of supply teachers and their professional needs.
www.selecteducation.co.uk http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/associates/select.htm
Preston, C. and Danby, M. (2004) Building professional capacity in new media skills –
An evaluation of the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) for Educators
www.astonswann.co.uk, www.educatorsecdl.com,
http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/associates/astonswann.htm
World Ecitizenship
Preston, C. 2008 Becoming a World Ecitizen: Keynote: Proceedings of 2nd Beijing International Forum on Citizenship Education for Children and Youths.
Preston, C (2006) A World Ecitizens’ perspective: a socio-cultural approach to learning in e-communities Doctoral School Summer conference, Institute of Education, University of London 24th June
Preston, C (2006) Accredited Action Research and World E-Citizenship, February 10th Westminster Academy, London
Preston, C (2006) Giving teachers’ a professional voice 19th January Iowa University, Education Department seminar
Preston, C (2006) Using digital tools for teaching and learning. 11th January BETT06 Olympia. London
These are in draft
Multimodal mapping and work-based learning: draft paper
Using concept maps as a tool to create communities of practice
Mobile Learning
Braided Learning
Citations
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