Where to from here? A wicked problem

A great deal has changed in the ICT space for our schools over the last two years - the rise of social and mobile media, the use of cloud services for the effective and efficient delivery of agile infrastructure, and the interest and influence of large national and multinational companies - to name a few.

At the same time there's been a more gradual but just as profound change in society and culture as a result of the pervasive and often invisible ICTs. The trends and expectations I see in my role can be summarised as follows.

New approaches are required. This challenge has the characteristics of a ‘wicked problem’.

It is a moving target and is socially complex. It involves changing values and new behaviours.

It challenges current boundaries and policies, questions assumptions, and there may be no single ‘solution’.

 

To understand wicked problems I like the analogy of playing a ball game.

You are focussed on the ball and reaching the goals...
You build personal and team skills and become strategic.

Then the goals move - but you are not distracted and remain focussed on the ball...

You sense the ground shaking under your feet - but you skilfully adapt and approach the goals.

You kick a brilliant goal and raise your arms! But all is quiet...

As you look around you notice that half the players have gone...
The stadiums are largely empty.

The crowd are watching a new game being played on a different field some distance away.


The use and support of digital media for education is a wicked problem.

Photo: Creative Commons - Wikimedia

Social Media Use Snowballing

In my current digital media role it has become apparent that existing support models for our digital media channels are no longer sustainable – or even desirable in some cases.

The uptake of social media for example has been dramatic - a 1,000% increase in official Facebook use in a little over two years. And that's just Facebook.

Key changes over the last couple of years include:

• Decreased access to public websites
• Increased use of and dependency on, school intranets
• Dramatic increase in the use of social and mobile media
• Increased public expectation that Google search should provide basic contact information
• Increased disatisfaction with PDF newsletter access on mobiles

 



Website access is moving from desktop to mobile and public access to websites has dwindled.
This pie chart from last year gives a graphic view of the public access to different online department information channels. School satisfaction with traditional public websites has dropped to 45% while satisfaction with public Facebook pages is 90%.

During school closures earlier this month more than 80% of public access to updates was via mobile devices. There were nearly half a million views across school Facebook pages and the official school closure blog in 3 days.

Average monthly views of official public Facebook posts across the department are approaching 1,000,000. YouTube video views have more than tripled over the last two years.

In what ways do we need to change support models to accommodate these rapid shifts?
How much time and effort should we spend on traditional websites?

Website analytics indicate only a small percentage of our information is regularly accessed.
What are the new purposes and audiences for traditional websites?

Do we need to revisit our social media risk management processes and resourcing?

Do we need to question some of our fundamental assumptions about how we resource online digital media?

What new opportunities are there with a communication channel that has one million views a month?

Spreading my social media wings

I've decided to learn about some new social media services. Across the department Facebook has become well established while Twitter and LinkedIn are catching up fast. YouTube and FlickR are well used but for the distribution of content rather than participative engagement.

However in general, the proportion of students using these services to engage with the department is low. It's not that they aren't using Facebook it's just that "Facebook is for connecting with mum, dad and other older people."

So a few months ago I signed up to SnapChat, Instagram, Seene and a few other services to experience their diverse digital media, rich sub-cultures and Terms of Service.

Instagram appears to have the greatest unrealised potential as far as the department is concerned particularly with the use of 15 sec video.

Whe social experience for these services is almost entirely based in the mobile app it's possible to embed  objects in pages such as this blog. (However your browser may not agree - I've had the most success loading this page with Chrome.)

A video posted by Roger Stack (@regor2013) on Feb 25, 2015 at 1:35am PST

Seene is a service that provides the beginnings of a very engaging 3D photo environment that may have particular application in education. (Move you mouse over the picture.)


A key element with the new social media services that I've been playing with is that media is quick to capture, display and comment on. Another is that they are very creative and engaging visual experiences.

The positive supportive communities that I have joined have encouraged me to improve my creations, inspired me to try new things and celebrated my progress.

Risk and Opportunity in Cloud Services

Finding an optimal balance between the risks and opportunities of cloud services and storage can be challenging. Risk associated with information security, privacy and sovereignty must be considered as well as the opportunities for access to engaged learning, cost savings and agile development.

The Tasmanian Information Security Policy Manual outlines a framework based on a risk management approach that requires government agencies to implement policies and procedures that are proportionate to the level of risk.

A Guide to Implementing Cloud Services: Better Practice Guide shows how appropriate risk mitigation strategies can protect data according to its level of security classification.

Advice such as Cloud Computing Myths address some misconceptions which can lead to a loss of opportunity if information management is unnecessarily restrictive.

The challenge then, is to use cloud services that are optimal for the security classification of the data in question while maximising the opportunities afforded by cloud services.

 

Locking all education data into computing services and storage that are best suited to 'x-in-confidence' information is expensive, restrictive and reduces the possibilities for innovation in the provision of IT services for learning.

 

On the other hand storing 'x-in-confidence' data in social media services can be high risk.

 

The following mapping is a little simplistic but it shows how there could be room to choose 'best practice' third party cloud storage as well as social and mobile media where the terms of service are sufficient to meet needs.

 

 

By selecting the appropriate storage for each level of information security required we can make the most of the opportunities that cloud computing services bring while carefully managing the risks.

 

This risk management also includes best practice password management.

 





Social Media and Cloud Services in the Classroom

 



The above snaps are from a great presentation by Tassie educator @anthonycoe on social media in the classroom focussing on engaged learning and effective communication using Socrative, Twitter, Facebook, Google and other SM.

It prompted me to think again about the classroom use of cloud storage through social and mobile services. 5 years ago most education departments, through their own IT Services, managed the risks associated with security, privacy and reliability of online data transfer and storage.

Today teachers and students can choose from a wide range of social and mobile services to enhance learning. What factors should be considered when looking at the cloud storage that these services use? How do we balance the educational opportunities with the appropriate information management controls?

The use of cloud computing is widespread and while most people don't know where their financial, insurance, health, legal or retail data is stored many would trust that the organisations with which they choose to do business follow best practice cloud computing standards and procedures.

Some initial research into cloud services commonly used in schools shows that they are probably suitable from privacy and security points of view for the kind of data commonly being transferred and stored.

 

These cloud computing services employ a number 'best practice' information management procedures and adhere to the European Safe Harbour privacy protection standards:



• Multi-factor authentication (at least two factor) sign on
• Encrypted storage
• Secure transmission
• Remote wipe (from mobile devices if lost)

What guidelines would help teachers and students make appropriate cloud computing choices for both learning and life?

The transfer and storage of higher risk data that is 'x-in-confidence' (legal, private medical, commercial, research...) needs deeper consideration.

At the end of the day the greatest risk to data privacy and security is probably password management - but that's another post.

Learning as a Service?

I'd like to explore the usefulness of a 'learning as a service' metaphor in thinking about learning technologies. Technologies are often applied to implement existing conceptions of learning.

Some technologies can disrupt learning and teaching but often underlying assumptions and existing cultures and expectations often remain the same.

Today some learning technologies use 'software as a service' and 'infrastructure as a service' models that distribute technology resources and knowledge in new ways to meet industry and end-user needs.

Can these 'as a service' IT metaphors also challenge and inform our thinking when applied to learning?

Software as a Service (SaaS) has the following characteristics: On demand, customised, distributed, responsive, integrated, collaborative...

In the IT industry the service-oriented principle is about decoupling services from appliances, modularisation, discoverability of services, technology independency, freedom from context...

These characteristics appear to have much in common with contemporary directions in learning: personalised, just-in-time, just-enough, any-where, any-time, any-one, collaborative, responsive, holistic...

Do new service provision possibilities appear if we use a 'learning as a service' metaphor when thinking about using digital technologies for the provision of learning, teaching and assessment services?

Are there different ways of distributing learning resources, learning environments, learning tools, support, facilitation, teaching... that meet learner and system needs?

Does a 'learning as a service' model suggest

• decoupling learning services from systems, institutions, places, courses and levels
• providing individuals, homes and communities with direct access to learning services
• providing individuals free access to just-in-time and just-enough learning bites
• using open badges to invite discovery of journeys to further learning and skill development
• default education licensing of teacher and learner learning artefacts and resources through AusGOAL
• provide learner access to high-end learning services such as virtual labs, 3D printing, immersive environments...
• gaining revenue through fee-for-service accreditation and learner support
• provision of an authenticated 'education/learner' online identity
• campus/home/work place/community learning service portability and increased capacity through BYOLT (Bring Your Own Learning Technologies)

Is the 'learning as a service' metaphor a useful bridge between current trends in IT and education?

Where does the application of this metaphor break down when applied to learning?

Systemness - Working and learning together

Yesterday I think I witnessed something new in my education career.

In the past I've participated in many educational 'launches and lunches': several curriculum reforms, two vocational education reframings, three education restructures, several ICT strategies and numerous learning/teaching/assessment professional learning programs.

In each case these generally involved meeting with leaders, practitioners and researchers in the area in focus.

Yesterday I saw all of the department's senior management meet in one place - Schools, Colleges, LINCs, CFCs, Skills Tasmania, GETI, Learning Services, Curriculum Services, Business Support Services, IT Services, Marketing Services, Legal Services, Policy and Planning, and more... You can do that in a small state.

'Learners First', the new DoE Strategic Plan 2014-2017 was launched by the Premier, the Minister for Education and the Secretary for Education.
But new to me was to hear the invitation to "work and learn together across the whole agency". No new big reform or restructure or framework (apart from a new funding model). Just the notion of a whole department coherently working and learning together - and in partnership with those outside the organisation who can help.

Working together and in partnerships isn't new to the department - there are many great examples as the following opening video demonstrated. But doing this in a coherent, focussed and systemic way using proven collaborative processes is now possible.



Michael Fullan (@MichaelFullan1) led several sessions talking about the success of open and transparent collaborative approaches involving integrated teams focussing on achieving agreed outcomes. He also outlined the success of New Pedagogy and Deep Learning programs in raising achievement in 21st century literacies including literacy and numeracy.

Geoff Masters (@GMastersACER), CEO of ACER spoke about effective partnerships. The Professional Learning Institute launched an extensive range of 2014 professional learning options for the whole agency.

The Secretary spoke about education for Tasmanians and Tasmania - a whole of agency approach that puts learners first.

In addition a whole of agency eStrategy (staff link only) is under development.

Our challenge then, is to coherently work and learn together as a whole agency focused on the 2014-2017 Learners First Strategy.

To me this sounds and feels different from the top down or bottom up reform agenda we have seen in Australia and overseas. Michael Fullan believes that as a system we now have the collective capacity to succeed in the systemic and sustained improvement of whatever we focus on.

He spoke of 'systemness' as the ability to identify with parts of the system beyond one's normal role. My challenge is to think about my participation within and beyond both the Marketing Team and my 'Digital Media and Engagement' role. And for that matter within and beyond the state...