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543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
1 School on the Cloud D5.3
Cloud-based Education:
Scenarios for the Future
October 2016
SchoolontheCloud.eu
School on the Cloud: Connecting Education to the Cloud for Digital Citizenship
tal Citizenship
543221-LLP-1-2013-1-GR-KA3-KA3NW
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
2 School on the Cloud D5.3
Deliverable Title: Cloud-based Education: Scenarios for the Future, Working Group 4
Deliverable Nr: 5.3
Date: October 2016
Version: 3.0
Dissemination Level: Public
Author: Prof. K. Koutsopoulos (Leader WG4: i-Future)
Contributors: Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris (European University, Cyprus), Irene Pizzo (CESIE, Italy)
Project Title: School on the Cloud (SoC)
Project Nr: 543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
Project Start Date: January 1, 2014
Duration: 36 months
European Commission: Lifelong Learning Program - ICT Key Action 3 European Project
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission, Lifelong Learning
Programme of the European Union. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any us which may be made of the information contained
therein.
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
3 School on the Cloud D5.3
“School on Cloud: Connecting Education to the Cloud for Digital
Citizenship”
European Commission: Lifelong Learning Program
ICT Key Action 3 European Project
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
Cloud-based Education: Scenarios for the Future
Working Group 4: Deliverable 5.3
Author: Prof. K. Koutsopoulos Leader WG4
Contributors: Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris (Ch.7) Irene Pizzo (Ch.6)
Due date of deliverable : May 2016 (Version 2.0)
Final date of deliverable: October 2016 (Version 3.0)
Start date of project : January 1, 2014
Duration : 36 months
Dissemination Level : Public
Abstract: As technology has become an agent of immense change, it has forced upon the
education system Cloud Computing which in the future will have significant ripple effect. The
description and evaluation of these effects represent one of the principal goals of the School on
the Cloud Network and is expressed in this document whose main objective is to review Cloud
based futures and methodologies. That is, responding to the need for examining future
enhancements of this technology on education this document presents a review of state-of-the-
art research on the future of Cloud based education and elaborates on foresight methods and
their application within the working plan of the School on the Cloud Network.
With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
4 School on the Cloud D5.3
Summary
The purpose of education is to successfully prepare students for the future and therefore
education by its nature is a future-facing activity where all assumptions about and
aspirations for the future of education should underpin the concerns of the major
educational stakeholders such as the learners (what to study in the future?), the teachers
(what teaching methods that will best equip students?) and the administrators (what school
administrative actions are appropriate to face the future?). This goal is the objective of this
document whose aim is to develop scenarios built around carefully constructed "stories":
based on: trends, changes and challenges as well as experts concerns, towards a balanced
thinking about a number of possible alternative futures.
The document in addition to the introduction (chapter 1) and conclusion (chapter 10) has
three parts: The first one examines the European educational system, from a point in view as
to how its future is shaping and the major issues that need to be considered (chapter 2).
These issues will change future teaching and learning both in terms of trends and changes in
society, technology education innovations and all aspects of education (chapter 3).
The second elaborates on a foresight methodological framework in accomplishing the SoC
foresight efforts (chapter 4) and an elaborate description of the three methods chosen for
the network's foresight exercises, their application as well as their results, more specifically,
the Brainstorming approach (chapter 5); the Six Thinking Hats technique (chapter 6); and the
Delphi method (chapter 7).
The final, third part, presents the constructed scenarios which were aimed at discussing
different possible futures of education and taking the form of short stories of possible
futures, imagining how the education could look after 2025 (chapter 8). In addition, these
scenarios, based on trends and challenges reported in the literature and expressed by
experts' opinions, will determine our education system and thus their future expectations
should be taken into consideration for the new school on the cloud (chapter 9).
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
5 School on the Cloud D5.3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary ................................................................................................................. 4
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 7
1.1. Background ......................................................................................................... 7
1.2. Justification .......................................................................................................... 9
2. THE EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ................................................. 10
2.1 The Network Centered Knowing Paradigm ......................................................... 13
2.2 Cloud Computing. ............................................................................................... 15
2.3 The School on the Cloud .................................................................................... 17
2.4 The Pedagogical System in Europe ................................................................... 18
3. TRENDS AND CHANGES ................................................................................. 19
3.1 Trends in Society ................................................................................................ 19
3.2 Trends in Technology ......................................................................................... 21
3.3 Trends in Innovations ......................................................................................... 23
3.4. Trends in Education. .......................................................................................... 28
3.5 Provisions of Cloud Computing .......................................................................... 29
3.6 Trends in Schools ............................................................................................... 32
3.7 Trends in Learning .............................................................................................. 33
3.8 Trends in Teaching ............................................................................................. 37
3.9 Trends and Changes in Education Stakeholders ................................................ 38
3.10 Changing of Other Educational Elements ......................................................... 40
4. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SoC FORSIGHT ................. 41
4.1 Foresight: Methods Chosen ................................................................................ 42
4.2 Definitions ........................................................................................................... 43
4.3 SoC's Future and Its Values System. ................................................................. 43
4.4 Methodological Approach ................................................................................... 45
5. APPLICATION OF THE BRAINSTORMING APPROACH........................... 46
5.1 Process ............................................................................................................... 47
5.2 The Brainstorming Persona ................................................................................ 47
5.3 Application .......................................................................................................... 49
6. APPLICATION OF THE SIX THINKING HATS APPROACH ...................... 49
6.1 The Six Hats Technique. .................................................................................... 49
6.2 Objectives ........................................................................................................... 51
6.3 The Process. ...................................................................................................... 51
6.4 Application of Six Thinking Hats. ........................................................................ 53
6.5. The Results. ...................................................................................................... 55
6.6 Possible Future Scenarios. ................................................................................. 59
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
6 School on the Cloud D5.3
6.7 Concluding Remarks .......................................................................................... 61
7. APPLICATION OF THE DELPHI METHOD ................................................. 61
7.1 Delphi Definition and Historical Background ....................................................... 61
7.2 SoC Foresight Procedure. .................................................................................. 63
7.3 Questionnaires' Application ................................................................................ 65
7.4 Analytical Presentations of the Result ................................................................ 68
7.5 Concluding Remarks .......................................................................................... 86
8. FUTURE SCENARIOS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING .......................... 87
8.1 Scenarios Design ............................................................................................... 87
8.2. Scenario 1: The story of Luc the Future School Learner ................................... 89
8.3 Scenario 2: The story of Chrisanthi the Future School Teacher ......................... 92
8.4 Scenario 3: The story of Jen the Future School Manager................................... 94
9. FUTURE EXPECTATIONS ............................................................................... 98
9.1 Future Expectations in Technology .................................................................... 99
9.2 Future Expectations for Policy Making.............................................................. 101
9.3 Future Expectations for Research .................................................................... 102
9.4 The future Expectations of Uncertainties .......................................................... 104
10 CONCLUSIONS: THE FUTURE SCHOOL ................................................... 104
10.1 Personalized ................................................................................................... 105
10.2 Holistic ............................................................................................................ 105
10.3 Integrated ....................................................................................................... 105
10.4 Technological ................................................................................................. 106
10.5 Knowledge - Centered .................................................................................... 106
10.6 United but not uniform .................................................................................... 106
10.7 Active .............................................................................................................. 107
10.8 Revised ........................................................................................................... 107
10.9 Facilitative ....................................................................................................... 107
10.10 Collaborative ................................................................................................. 107
10.11 STEM focused .............................................................................................. 108
10.12 Multimodal .................................................................................................... 108
11. REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 109
Appendix I ........................................................................................................... 116
Appendix II ......................................................................................................... 118
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
7 School on the Cloud D5.3
1. INTRODUCTION
Cloud Computing, the focus of this report, is a major technological breakthrough with
a huge potential for education. Through Cloud Computing, high specification state-of-
the-art software technologies can be accessed at any time, any place (Cheng,
Huang, & Lin, 2012). Thus, Cloud Computing provides powerful software and
massive computing resources where and when needed, allowing learners to interact
productively with their teachers and with each other in both formal and informal
education situations, and to become creators and developers of knowledge. Given its
huge affordances, Cloud Computing has become a very popular and powerful
educational trend (Joshi, 2015). Cloud Computing has been increasingly and widely
used in the field of education (Shi et al., 2014). It is projected that this trend will
continue, with Cloud technologies playing an even more vital and powerful role in the
educational field in years to come.
1.1. Background
This report presents the findings of the foresight exercises conducted by the Working
Group 4 (WG 4) of the School on Cloud: connecting education to the Cloud for digital
citizenship network (SoC). The main goal of SoC is to connect education to Cloud
Computing and to explore how education should respond to new ICT developments,
in the form of Cloud Computing, that are rapidly transforming the world of education.
That is, to narrow the existing divide between education and Cloud Computing by
developing guidelines for the education sector, by encouraging collaboration and
knowledge exchange as well as examining future enhancements of this technology
on education. The last goal is the main objective of this document whose goal is to
formulate scenarios for the future of European education. Moreover the report's
findings are hoped to push the boundaries of traditional research on education and
help resolve the complex societal challenges Europe is facing on Cloud based
education, which enables pedagogic innovations and collaborative policy
approaches. For this purpose, it links very diverse educational stakeholders having
various practitioners' views and policy making concerns, through foresight exercises,
together with the knowledge existing in the literature.
It should be noted that today's Cloud capabilities are already a remarkable catalyst
for creativity, collaboration and innovation, providing opportunities that would have
been impossible to imagine a couple of decades ago. If one had predicted at that
time that today's students can freely access images from any place on the world,
interact with persons from everywhere on earth and search practically an infinite
volume of data with a simple click on their PCs, one would have been taken for fool
(European Commission, 2009).
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
8 School on the Cloud D5.3
As a result, the need to thoroughly examine and evaluate the interface between
education and Cloud Computing, exploring how teaching and learning should
respond to new ICT developments, in the form of Cloud Computing, as well as
examine how education will be transformed in the immediate future was a major
concern for many ICT experts and educators. Some of them had an opportunity in a
meeting for ICT in education in Spain on April 2012, to discuss them. These
discussions resulted in an idea for a School on Cloud proposal which was submitted
and approved creating the School on Cloud: connecting education to the Cloud
for digital citizenship network (SoC).
The aim of this network is to overcome the existing divide between education and
Cloud Computing, but looking at this issue is not an easy task as you might have
been led to believe. Although the future of teaching and learning is expected to be in
the Cloud, there remain many issues to be resolved, but most importantly their future
has not be studied or documented together as they should. That is, although there is
a rich production of research projects and applications on the future of Education or
of Cloud Computing examined separately, the literature has yet to provide answers to
the combined issue on the future of education based on Cloud Computing. In other
words, presently there is a need for examining the future of Cloud based Education,
which has to address both areas as they are combined and interact.
In response to that need and within the SoC framework for a combined approach to
Cloud based Education, the Working Group 4 (WG 4) has been established and is
charged with examining “Future scenarios for Education on the Cloud”. The goal of
this group is to examine a series of issues related to the future of the interface
between education and Cloud Computing. More specifically, the objectives and
deliverables of WG 4 are to:
Review the state-of-the-art research on the Cloud and produce a research
report on the state of the art and methodologies of “futures” thinking (Deliverable:
D5.1). This deliverable has been produced and accepted by the internal and
external evaluators and its results are guiding the following tasks of the WG.
Prepare and run a workshop on futures at the second summit conference
(Deliverable: D5.2). The workshop has taken place at the meeting in Palermo Italy
and has provided the data required for the next deliverable.
Use the data from the partners' conference contribution to the SoC foresight
exercise, which was focused on the major issues affecting the future use of the
Cloud Computing in education, to create a report on scenarios for the future
(Deliverable: D5.3). The report at hand is the deliverable required and its aim is to
develop scenarios built around carefully constructed plots based on trends and
challenges as well as experts concerns, towards a balanced thinking about a
number of possible alternative futures.
At the final project meeting, a presentation should be given, titled «The Future
of Education on the Cloud» (D5.4), presenting the outcomes of the research
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
9 School on the Cloud D5.3
(D5.1), the foresight exercise (D5.2) and the report of the future scenarios
developed (D5.3).
1.2. Justification
The purpose of education is to successfully prepare students for the future and
therefore education by its nature is a future-facing activity where all assumptions
about and aspirations for the future of education should underpin the major
educational stakeholders such as the learners (what to study in the future?), the
teachers (what teaching methods that will best equip students?) and the
administrators (what administrative actions, such as curriculums, are appropriate to
face the future?). Therefore we cannot continue educating our students in ways that
address education needs of the past (Fullan & Langworthy, 2013). As Wellman
(2015) has said "At this point we appear to have 19th century curriculum, 20th century
buildings and organizations and 21st century students facing an undefined future".
That is, the world has changed in ways that we are not always able to understand
and accept, but nevertheless we need to prepare students to face these changes. As
a result, it is not surprising that around the world, there are foundations, public and
private partnerships, government initiatives and commercial entities leading calls for
a redesign of the 21st century education.
Moreover it is not less surprising to the education community that a new, fresh,
authentic and unbounded educational approach is required to educate students for
the complex and challenging future (Gialamas et. al., 2013). This implies that there is
a need for the conception of changes in teaching and learning, which can be
expressed in two clear and unambiguous questions: what the education system
should be, and it is related to the European trends and challenges in education? And
how can we go about determining it, which is connected to the role of ICT in the form
of Cloud Computing?
It should be self-evident that in order to establish the right approach in answering
these questions, it is necessary to understand the issues that underline the reality of
the European pedagogical system and the role the ICT, in the form of Cloud
Computing, plays in it. That is, there is a need to first discern the existing education
system in order to detect the important issues requiring attention and then formulate,
using the appropriate methods, the scenarios that can provide answers as well as
suggest possible solutions.
This approach will be followed in this report. More specifically, the report provides:
A discussion of the principle issues that underpin the European pedagogical
system
A discussion of the elements that characterize Europe's trends as they relate to
the future of teaching and learning
A discussion of the elements that characterize Europe's challenges as they
relate to the future of teaching and learning
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
10 School on the Cloud D5.3
The methodological framework for the SoC foresight exercises.
The initial foresight application of the Brainstorming method.
The application and results of the Six Thinking Hats foresight method.
The application and results of the Delphi foresight method.
A set of future scenarios for teaching and learning in the context of the SoC total
foresight effort, and a set of projections of educational developments over the next
fifteen years.
A discussion of the challenges that these scenarios and projections imply for
the design of future teaching and learning.
2. THE EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
In examining the European educational system, from a point in view as to how its
future is shaping, four issues can be discerned. The first issue is: which are the basic
concepts related to teaching and learning, in order to address the required changes
in the future. Even a cursory review of the innumerable reports and policy decisions,
including those by the European commission which has adopted a strategy for
«Unleashing the Potential of Cloud Computing in Europe», shows: on the one hand
there is a need to find a way in designing an environment of engagement with
creativity and innovation, which should be the educational norm for all educational
institutions, or provide the necessary educational unity so that all schools will have
equal treatment. That is, all academic institutions have to be provided with equal
educational opportunities and experiences in order for the education process to shift
in ways that alter the approaches we catalyze learning and innovation. In other
words, to design a system that has a norm of what should be available to all
education institutions or create a pedagogic unity in order for the European
educational environment to become efficient.
This position, however, is based on the notion that the way to the future and progress
in education is only towards an efficient educational system determined and
operating within a global neo-liberal economy (Friedman, 2005). And it is towards this
economic theory that the European Union exhorts education stakeholders, mobilizes
them, justifies investment in new technologies as well as rationalizes curriculum
decisions. There are two forms of discourses to that position: from those who accept
the neo- liberal economy and consider technology-enhanced learning as an essential
modernizing tool for education (Negroponte, 1996; Lego, quoted in Jenson, 2006;
Prensky, 2005; Heppell, 2009), but who themselves are subject to critique from the
area of sociology of the future (Bell, 1997; Adam & Groves, 2007), from critical
studies in education (Gough, 2000; Robertson et al,. 2007) and from economists
(Stiglitz, 2006). The other and more important criticism comes from those who are
concerned with resisting the uniformity imperialism leading to inevitable and universal
educational approaches in the present and in the future. The idea of a uniform,
singular and inevitable trajectory in the face of which education stakeholders in
association with local conditions have no role to play, has been the subject of critique
from various fields. By testifying to the need of diverse alternative trajectories (the
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
11 School on the Cloud D5.3
end goal remains common, but the way to achieve changes) now and in the future,
many researchers who contribute to the educational technology field are arguing for
non-uniformity approaches to the future (for example, Gee et al., 1996; Apple, 1997).
As a result, on the other hand, there is a need in creating an educational system
which can inspire all school units to develop the means to transform their own identity
into a powerful tool in designing their teaching and learning practices or curriculum
structures. An identity which is expressed by each educational institution's needs and
expectations and is determined by the language, the culture, the particular
conceptual structures of education and other factors which can be found among the
diverse ethnic, cultural and regional groups that inhabit the European continent. In
other words, there is a need to find the ways to design the individuals' personal and
communal learning space based on their identity, in order to move away from
homogenization and a non-effective educational environment. An environment that
represents the driving force that presently shapes (actually it is intensified with
policies such as the bologna accord), the European education scheme.
Therefore, the idea of education as a singular, inevitable trajectory in the face of
which educational stakeholders and identity factors have no role, is not acceptable by
a growing number of scientists working on present and future education studies
(Beare & Slaughter, 2001; Inayatullah, 2008). Moreover, the notion of empowering
education stakeholders and communities to envisage and take action to build
alternative and identity desirable futures has started to have many supporters. A
characteristic example is the initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Fablab that aims to create the means to build new educational futures in the hands of
communities, learners and educators. This position can become clear by
paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln that "the best way to predict the future is to invent it,
by taking into account identity factors".
The second issue is: what is the conceptual basis upon which these two fundamental
needs and their attendant changes can be attained. In response to that, it should be
pointed out that the Networked Information society, which needs to be interposed in
education in the form of the Network Centered Knowing paradigm (Koutsopoulos &
Kotsanis, 2014), is unleashing two powerful forces on teaching and learning. Both of
these can be available to practically every educational institution and are related to
their access to high-speed networks. The first force empowers education
stakeholders of any school, anywhere to have an easy access and use of ICT in the
form of Cloud Computing. As a result, all education stakeholders can discover,
consume and produce information resources and services and thus the educational
system can provide the needed unity in teaching and learning. The second force
provides ubiquitous access to open content and standards as well as techniques for
virtualization, making it possible to leverage education through identity related
programs in unprecedented ways. What appears to be emerging is the need for an
education system where its stakeholders have at their disposal teaching techniques,
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
12 School on the Cloud D5.3
learning practices and many educational related services which allow them to design
their own programs, negating the need for educational uniformity.
The third issue is related to the means required to achieve, within the network
information society and the required educational paradigm, the concept of unity
without uniformity. It is suggested that Cloud Computing, which is the fundamental
instrument in a Cloud based educational environment, can fulfill all the earlier
mentioned educational requirements. Indeed, Cloud Computing represents a
fundamental change in the way computing power is generated and distributed. The
literature (Johnson, 2012; Bradshaw et al., 2012) indicates that this technology can
be a powerful way to apply a new educational approach. Moreover, as IBM (2012)
has declared “with cloud computing in education, you get powerful software and
massive computing resources where and when you need them (and we may add in
any way you desire), in order to apply new educational approaches ... Cloud services
can be used to combine on-demand computing and storage, familiar experience with
on-demand scalability and online services for anywhere, anytime access to powerful
web-based tools”. That is, it can support an educational system providing a Cloud
based education with all the attendant benefits to educational stakeholders.
Finally, the last issue raised is: what is the educational environment within which to
work or how to practically apply to the classroom the concepts presented previously.
The results of several Cloud based education projects (Donert & Bonanou, 2015;
Malmierca. et. al., 2015: Lazaro et. al., 2016) indicate that these objectives are
achievable in a new school, the School on the Cloud (SoC). The reason is that as
learning becomes increasingly digital, online access becomes the necessary vehicle
for the emerging Cloud-based developments (Donert, 2013) and thus offers an
educational system, which is not only an efficient (provides unity), but also an
effective (avoids uniformity) way to access and administer education. That is, the
new School on the Cloud provides an approach that aligns with the way we should
think, share, learn and collaborate as it is determined by the network information
approach that is limited nowadays, but will increase in the future and determines
many aspects of our activities, including education. In other words, the new School
on the Cloud can offer an opportunity to transform the role of education stakeholders,
as they help young people to access any learning at any place and any time from any
teacher with the right expertise, but within an identity determined framework.
From this examination it should be evident that in the European pedagogical system
there is a set of conditions that need to be achieved for a successful future. More
specifically, there is: a need to work within a susceptible to pedagogical conditions
educational paradigm; to utilize a new methodological approach which can provide
the instruments to be able to do so; and to apply a learning environment which
provides the framework to achieve the previous tasks. All of these paradigms have
as a common denominator the notion of integration that can be achieve through
Cloud Computing. These needs and their characteristics (shown schematically on
Fig.1) are examined in the next sections of this report.
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
13 School on the Cloud D5.3
Figure 1: The Education System
2.1 The Network Centered Knowing Paradigm
At the onset, it should be declared that at the centre of the pedagogic approach
towards teaching and learning should be the concept of unity without uniformity. But
this leads to the position (Koutsopoulos, 2015b; Miguel & Lázaro, 2016) that not only
the traditional Teacher Centred instructing paradigm, representing an instructing
approach, as well as the much herald present approaches to education, defined as
the Student Centered learning paradigm focused on a constructivism based learning,
are now absolute and the immediate future belongs to the Network Centred knowing
paradigm where knowledge is achieved through integration and is based on Cloud
Computing. More specific, it is suggested that in the last few years teaching and
learning, through two parallel changes in the way education is perceived and is
practiced, have gone through two paradigm shifts (Fig. 2), as Kuhn (1962) considers
them, and are briefly examined next.
BASICCONCEPTSINEDUCATION
EDUCATIONALNORM
IDENTITYBASEDDESIGN
NETWORKINFORMATION
SOCIETY/PARADIGM
CLOUNDCOMPUTING
SCHOOLONTHECLOUND
OPERATINGFRAMEWORK/PARADIGM
EDUCATIONALENVIRONMENT
EASYACCESS
UBIQUTUSACCESS
CLOUNDBASEDEDUCATION
SAMEOPPORTUNITIES
TOALL
LOCATIONISNOTAFACTOR
UNTY
WITHOUTUNIFORMITY
APPLICATIONINSTRUMENT
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
14 School on the Cloud D5.3
Figure 2: Paradigm shifts in education
For a long time the traditional Teacher Centred instructing paradigm was the
exclusive environment within which the education system operated. This paradigm
was characterized by a mono-disciplinary environment (education was the exclusive
realm of educators) within which a «fragmented» approach to educational needs and
obligations was prevalent and where the teacher alone transmitted information to
students who passively listened and acquired facts from the simple transmission of
an instruction based curriculum.
This paradigm has been replaced (the first paradigm shift) by the Student Centered
learning paradigm representing the prevailing nowadays educational environment.
In this paradigm learning is expressed in the form of a set of separate relations,
interdependences and interactions leading to a multidisciplinary framework in
education, which is focused, as previously, in a descriptive way on both individual
learners and on learning itself. But this notion of a descriptive-multidimensional
education requires computer technology which is based in a world of computers and
interactive software (Dede, 2008), leading to a constructivism approach in practicing
teaching and learning.
Both these approaches cannot satisfy the present complex and challenging
conditions and even more so those that will prevail in the future education
environment (Koutsopoulos & Kotsanis, 2014; Koutsopoulos, 2015b). As a result, a
new Network Centered knowing approach is needed (the second paradigm shift),
which requires an interdisciplinary approach leading towards the integration of
all possible learning actors and approaches in order to overcome the
compartmentalization of knowledge. However, such a regard of teaching and
learning establishes a holistic education which requires prescriptive learning (the way
Mono-disciplinary
Fragmented Learning
Multi Disciplinary
Descriptive Learning
Inter Disciplinary
PrescriptiveLearning
TeacherCenteredInstruc ng
StudentCenteredLearning
CommunityCenteredKnowing
CONCIDERINGEDUCATION NATUREOFLEARNING PRACTICINGEDUCATIONPARADIGM
NATUREOFTEACHING
Instruction Traditional
Intergrated Cloud Computing
ConstructivismComputer
Technology
543221–LLP–1–2013–1–GR-KA3- KA3NW
15 School on the Cloud D5.3
students should learn) as well as encompasses all stakeholders in different ways,
with the use of Cloud Computing.
2.2 Cloud Computing.
In order to appreciate the Network centered knowing paradigm's contribution towards
fulfilling present and future pedagogic requirements the concept of Cloud Computing
needs to be to fully understood as well as been realized how its components can be
utilized in the operation of such an educational approach. There seems to be many
definitions of Cloud Computing around. The global management consulting firm of
McKinsey found that there are 22 possible separate definitions of Cloud Computing,
none of them dealing with educational concerns. In fact, no common standard or
definition for Cloud Computing seems to exist (Grossman, 2009; Voas and Zhang,
2009; Fadil, 2015). However, despite the many definitions and the various terms
suggested by many computer experts and Cloud users, the concept of Cloud
Computing can be described as an ICT technology that can be fully represented as a
three dimensional space consisting of the characteristics axis, that includes: On
demand service that includes: Network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity
and Measured service; the type of service axis that includes: Infrastructure,
Platform and Software; and the form of deployment axis that includes: Private,
Community, Public and Hybrid (NIST, U.S Department of Commerce, 2013;
Koutsopoulos & Kotsanis, 2014), creating in this way a framework whose axes are an
integral part in designing an educational system, which can meet pedagogical needs
of the future (Koutsopoulos, 2015a).
In addition, this necessary for today's and for the future's conditions Network
Centered knowing paradigm, which promotes Cloud based education, represents a
framework which can successfully serve and support with the same resources and
the same opportunities as well as provide the means to design according to local
needs and conditions all education institutions. That is, Cloud Computing offers an
ideal environment for the fundamentally important unity without uniformity concept in
education.
Indeed Cloud Computing represents an instrument which can successfully serve and
support: multitasking, flexibility, the ability to handle a large number of applications
and to meet changing demands, as well as access to stored files, e-mails, databases
and other applications from anywhere at request. It represents a familiar and
appropriate tool for today’s education participants (the first generation to grow up
within the digital technology era). Moreover, it can support with the same resources
as well as provide the same opportunities to all major education stakeholders
(students, teachers and administrators) no matter where they are located and thus
qualifying as an ideal environment of educational unity. Thus, Cloud Computing
offers unimaginable capacity, among others, in using technology to connect people
across vast distances and store and share information in ways that provide access
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virtually from anywhere (Ferrari, 2015; Donert and Bonanou, 2014). This report in
examining Cloud Computing, without ignoring the existence of sizeable attendant
issues (i.e. cost, security, law issues etc.) that must be addressed, it focuses on the
issue of location as it relates to education.
With regards to the future role of Cloud Computing it should be noted that “Cloud”
refers to machines located in large data centers, which raises a host of interesting
questions about the role of location in shaping the impact of Cloud Computing and
the level of services available to education stakeholders located at any education
institution (either in a school at the centre of a city, in a remote village or in a Roma
reservation area). Cloud Computing by centralizing information and computing
resources (quite contrary to the imagery that the name «Cloud» evokes) transects
location constraints imposed by users and the Cloud itself. Moreover, Cloud based
education although situated on the opposite end of the distance education spectrum
with Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance (Moore, 1991), and avoiding most of
its shortcomings (Hill et al., 2009), it shares the basic principle that cognitive space,
functioning to overcome physical distance between learners and instructors, or
teaching/learning methods or materials, or curriculum etc. is an acceptable and
beneficial approach to education. As a result, the unusual combination of the great
abilities offered by Cloud Computing and the ubiquity in providing Cloud based
education, negate the necessity for physical closeness of the educational factors and
the need for locally available educational recourses, thus raising serious questions
about the universal value and utility of location in education.
For a balanced approach, however, the issue of location in education should be
considered in terms of the dictum «Geography matters but not Distance». More
specifically, on the one hand as ICT developments, in the form of Cloud Computing,
will be continuously diminishing the «need of presence» in remote interactions. Such
interactions are developing not only between families, friends and co-workers, but
also between education stakeholders. The notion of being «together apart» is
becoming a familiar aspect of working, interacting and entertaining as well as in
educating ourselves. That is, the separation of «information resources» from physical
locations with the coming of Cloud Computing has become «natural», resulting in the
diminution of the importance of location.
On the other hand, Geography still matters because Geography will continue to
influence the access of individuals and groups to digital networks, because location
will continue determining in most cases their pricing, infrastructure, legal constraints
and regulation. Moreover, the «face to face» interaction will retain its importance,
especially in terms of the social and educational aspects of our lives, given that
physical proximity is paramount for most of us. For example, people will continue to
use «place» and physical location as a marker for identity, which as it was shown it
plays an important role in education among other areas of human endeavors.
In sum, when someone familiar with Cloud Computing will be asked the question of
the role of location in education, he will surely chuckle and reply something akin to:
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«The location of the Cloud user and of the Cloud itself is irrelevant. Anyone is able to
tap into the power of the Cloud, located at any place, from anywhere». This answer,
while technically and empirically accurate, misses an important issue, namely: Cloud
Computing negates the necessity of considering location as a factor to reckon with,
at least when considering «non-typical» (i.e. rural and remote schools) and
consequently the need to impose upon them «uniform» teaching and learning
practices or curriculum structures that developed centrally and applied in "typical»
urban schools.
2.3 The School on the Cloud
The basic principle that «Technology changes, Education survives» signifies the role
of education as a societal necessity now and in the future and the need to explore
their potential implications to education. It has shown that ICT changes, in the form of
Cloud-based technologies (Pallis, 2010; Koutsopoulos, 2015a), provide the power to
fundamentally change how education should be approached and practiced, creating
the need for a new school, the School on the Cloud.
However, the new School on the Cloud in order to achieve such goals has to address
the following two key questions: How should education respond to Cloud-based
technologies? What is the impact, now and in the future, on education stakeholders
and teachers? Results from the limited application of the School on the Cloud
educational approach has shown that it brings many benefits to education as well as
accelerates trends and developments at the interface of Cloud Computing and
education (Armbrust et. al., 2010; Donert and Bonanou, 2015; Malmiera et al., 2015),
which in turn increase the ability of stakeholders to adjust or alter their educational
objectives. Basically, these applications of Cloud technologies in the classroom
indicate that in answering the two questions, in essence their work reaffirm the need
for the changes mentioned previously as well as create the foundations in applying
them. The School on the Cloud is not anymore a novice application of Cloud
Computing to education, which promises to deliver many exciting things. It is already
a reality and there are many successful implementations (Johnson, 2012; Bradshaw
et al., 2012; Malmierca, 2015; Donert and Bonanou, 2014). The School on the Cloud
is a new and different school that has been born, is partly operating now and is going
to stay with us at least in the foreseeable future.
In addition, the operation of schools on the Cloud offers a range of resources and
services such as infrastructure, service's solutions, the introduction of new processes
etc. (Bradshaw et al., 2012). The School on the Cloud as a Cloud based approach it
provides to every educational institution the conditions to have equal opportunities,
recourses and possibilities (norms in education). Moreover, these schools by being
on the forefront of Cloud Computing technology provide to education a series of
innovations which offers to the teaching and learning system the ability to be
adjusted, altered or revised using identity factors. That is, to design the way in which
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education institutions, students and teachers are able to use equipment, applications
and subjects' content and thus to overcome uniformity constraints (IBM, 2010).
In sum, the School on the Cloud offers to its students a series of very important
competences, which allows them to face the developing pedagogical requirements,
such as:
Digitalization: Refers to their ability to efficiently, confidently and critically use the
new ICT technologies in order to search, sift, organize, manage and evaluate
information, in an efficient and targeted to their individual needs approach.
Learning: Is related to students' ability for learning to learn. That is, students are
motivated to pursue their own learning progress and knowing how to process
information, they are assigning meaning to it and converting it into knowledge.
Understanding: Is associated with students' global understanding. That is, by
overcoming uniformity constraints they can acquire the competence of
understanding in order to be able to analyze the surrounding world, be social and
part of the universal society.
Collaborating: Corresponds to a crucial skill that needs to be learned and
practiced from early on in education, and Cloud based education can support it.
That is, students need to learn to: listen, respect, negotiate and even accept ideas
express by others, understand and work in teams and different roles and finally
participate in communal activities.
Updating: This skill refers to the ability of students to use the recourses of the
Cloud in order to be prepared for the continuous changes and developments as
well as continue updating such skills as: autonomy, lifelong learning, flexibility,
innovation, creativity etc.
Communicating: The use of Cloud Computing in terms of learning and practicing
foreign languages helps students put emphasis on using them as a means for
communication with other people and not on grammatical or syntactical
correctness per se.
2.4 The Pedagogical System in Europe
The way education is perceived and is practiced nowadays in Europe does not
correspond to the present and future needs, the very nature, and the role of the
major stakeholders and generally to the future of education. Yet it should be clear
that education in the immediate future should move towards the new network
centered paradigm, which in essence forces Cloud Computing as the main
educational tool. An instrument which provides the present day Z generation
(students which have been born in the 21st century) not only the required
competences to face today’s and tomorrow’s world and common to all the students,
but in a uniformity free environment a fundamental requirement in the education of
the future.
The final question, which is related and to the issues posed in the beginning of this
section has to be: is the School on the Cloud just another education fad or the only
way to deal with the basic issues facing education? Considering it merely either as a
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fad or the ultimate education truth, however, misses the deeper contribution of the
School on the Cloud as the true base upon which to develop, construct and apply the
new Network centered knowing paradigm in educating students in a holistic way for
the complex and challenging future.
3. TRENDS AND CHANGES
No one questions that society is rapidly entering a new era in which the economy, the
societal institutions and structures as well as education are changing at an
accelerating pace. This new era is going to change teaching and learning so
dramatically, that both the ways in which education prepares students and the
reasons for pursuing learning will be quite different than they are today. Many factors
will be contributing towards this future and they can be discerned from trends in
society, technology, schools with the use of Cloud Computing, innovations etc. These
trends we expect to substantiate the ability of the education community to use these
changes to adapt the whole system of education. That is, the basic dictum that
“Technology changes, Education survives” signifies not only the role of education
as a societal necessity, but mainly the need to understand and discerned trends and
changes, in order to explore their potential implications to education. The future of
education inevitably is affected by many trends, among which the most profound are
the following:
3.1 Trends in Society
From the previous discussion, it should be evident that although Cloud Computing is
not simply a novice technology that promises to deliver many exciting things. It is
already a reality and there are many educational implementations of it. Nevertheless
evaluating the maturity it has reached, its present and anticipated pace of growth as
well as its trends are not easily attainable objectives, but they are achievable as long
as there is a good grasp of them. That is, in order to fulfill the objective of evaluating
the future scenarios for Cloud Computing based education there is a need to
examine trends and developments and their implications as well as their limitations at
the interface of Cloud Computing and education. Following is such an examination of
the trends which are emerging from developments in society, in technology and in
education.
In terms of societal trends, the literature (Molebash, 2013; Facer and Sandford,
2010; Cliff et al. 2008; Goodings, 2009; Horst, 2009; Jewitt, 2009; Reich 2009; Riley,
2009; Young & Muller, 2009) shows that in our society the following long-term
developments have become particularly important in challenging our assumptions
about education and its future.
3.1.1 Towards Denser, Deeper and more Diverse Information Landscape:
Nowadays we "know more stuff about more stuff» because our ability to gather,
store, examine, archive and circulate more data, in more diverse forms, about more
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aspects of ourselves and our world, is and will keep increasing more than ever
before. The reasons are many but simple and are related to social trends towards:
«accountability and security, the decreasing cost and increasing availability of digital
storage capacity, the development of new forms of genetic information, the ability to
digitally tag almost any physical object, space or person, the ability to represent
information in diverse modes» (Sultan, 2010).
3.1.2 Towards Constant Connectivity: The ability to be constantly connected to
knowledge, resources, people and tools is a reality for persons in countries with an
advanced technology and infrastructure. In the very near future it will be available to
all in every place. Individuals will have the capacity to remain in ‘perpetual contact’
with diverse networks, communities, institutions and persons, both physical and
virtual.
3.1.3. Towards personal cloud: As a collateral development of the previous trend
there is and will continue to be a rise in mobile and personal technologies and a
lowering of barriers to data storage. As a result, individuals increasingly are or soon
will be likely to ‘wrap’ their information landscape around themselves rather than
managing it through institutions.
3.1.4. Towards Working and Living Alongside Machines: As I was writing these
lines, I communicated with a computer on the other end of my telephone line who
fixed my Wi-Fi which had stopped working. Nowadays we have become increasingly
accustomed to machines taking on more roles previously occupied by humans,
across both professional and manual occupations as well as in homes and
workplaces. As a result, it becomes increasingly normal to accept the presence of
«machines» in our lives, but at the same time it raises significant ethical and practical
issues and generates public debate relating to questions of dependence and
autonomy, as well as of privacy and trust, particularly with regards to sensitive data
and critical systems. These dilemmas are of particular importance to education.
3.1.5 Towards a Multicultural Society and Schools: Demographic trends follow a
divergent path in the developed and the less developed countries, resulting at the
first level in mass population moves between them (legal and illegal immigration) and
on a second level the creation of a multicultural society which in turn results in
multicultural schools.
3.1.6 Towards a Knowledge Society and Economy?: Today's society operating at
the interface of demographic and technological changes has polarized experts into
believing that the future is either in the development of a ‘smart’ economy based on
knowledge and innovation or that knowledge economy is utopian. That is, on one
hand technological developments lead into a knowledge society and economy where
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highly competitive R&D activities and knowledge work are the driving forces. On the
other hand, the same factors it is believed to enable centralized groups to manage
ever greater numbers of people across dispersed locations. These developments
may bring an end to current hopes of a universal, democratic ‘knowledge economy’
and a rise in massive inequalities.
3.1.7 Towards a Digital Native Society: Digital natives, those born after 1990, are
characterized as having access to networked digital technologies and the skills to
use them. Their lives (social interaction, friendships, civic and other activities) are
mediated by digital technologies and they have never known any other way of life.
However ‘digital natives’ will, like their parents before them, need to learn to use the
new technological advancements that keep coming. For example, in an age when
news often spreads virtually through social media, most experts feel it is critical that
young people learn how to analyze and evaluate the authenticity of the myriad of
messages they encounter every day. As a result, substantial changes in the
distribution of educational resources will be required to fulfill the educational needs of
this population cohort who will be required to learn the rest of their lives.
3.1.8 Towards the Dictum "Geography matters but not Distance": As
technological developments lead to a ‘sense of presence’ in remote interactions, and
as such interactions are developing between families, friends and co-workers, the
notion of being ‘together apart’ is becoming a familiar aspect of working, interacting
and entertaining ourselves. That is, the separation of ‘information resources’ from
physical locations will become widespread resulting in the diminution of the
importance of location. On the other hand, Geography will continue to influence the
access of individuals and groups to digital networks, for physical geography
determines their pricing, infrastructure, legal constraints and regulation. Moreover,
the «face to face» interaction will retain its importance because many, especially
educational and social aspects of our lives, are paramount for them.
3.2 Trends in Technology
Technological changes that have an impact on our lives have started some time ago,
but their important characteristic is that they will be continuing operating, developing
and increasing their influence in our society and in education in particular (Molebash,
2013). As a result, the suggestion of Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the Federal
Reserve Board who said in 1997 that «One of the most central dynamic forces [in the
economy] is the accelerated expansion of computer and telecommunications
technologies...clearly our educational institutions will continue to play an important
role in preparing workers to meet these demands», still holds today. Among the most
important trends that will influence education in the immediate future are the
following:
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3.2.1 Technology will Continue to have an Impact on Education: The rate of
technology change and growth has been exponential and is not likely to decrease.
Technology nowadays is widely used at all levels of education, influencing teaching
and learning methods and expectations. Technological innovations are changing the
very way that schools teach and students learn. For academic institutions, charged
with equipping graduates to compete in today’s knowledge economy, have to employ
among others online and distance learning, sophisticated learning-management
systems, multi-modal teaching, changing curricula and spawning rich forms of online
research and collaboration. As a result, technological innovations will continue to
have a major influence on teaching and learning methodologies in the near future. In
fact, technology will become a core factor in determining the nature, the form and the
structure of education.
3.2.2 Moore's Law will Continue to Operate: Gordon Moore, the cofounder of Intel
Corporation in 1965 suggested (half in jest) that technology doubles in processing
power approximately every 18 months and at the same time the price for that
technology declines by about 35% a year relative to this power. This trend of
increased power at lower cost, known as Moore's Law, has been operating since that
time and it is likely to continue in the immediate future.
3.2.3 Metcalfe's Law will Continue to Operate: The combination of better, faster
and cheaper computers and the increased bandwidth has caused a boon in the
network community. Based on this, Bob Metcalfe, inventor of the Ethernet, suggested
that the power of a network increases proportionally by the square of the number of
users, which is known as the Metcalfe's Law. That is, as the power of the computer
increases, so do the capabilities of communications and media, including glass
fibers, copper wires, and wireless communication systems. This trend which started
some time ago is expected to continue at least in the immediate future.
3.2.4 Technology Fusion will Continue to Operate: A few years ago there was a
sharp distinctions between computers, photos, publishing, TV/video, and
telecommunications. Now the distinctions between these media are blurring.
However, as Molebash (2013) has put it "Bringing them together results in the whole
having greater impact than each individual part...". Given that in education most of
these media are extensively utilized, this merger is considered as the most significant
trend in education and technology. As a result, technology fusion has and will
continue to have a significant impact on education.
3.2.5 Cloud Computing will Continue to be Integrated with Teacher Education:
The final challenge is related to teacher education and training. In most cases of
schools which are connected and equipped with technology, the teachers lack the
skills or formal education they need to empower students to pursue their own
interests and free class time for more experiential forms of learning. As a result, the
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challenge is to provide teacher education and/or training as how to integrate digital
pedagogies in their teaching in order for their students to best learn with digital tools
and methods.
3.2.6 Technologies will Continue to be an Integral part of Education:
Technologies have changed the nature and the ways of education, because they
shape, change and enable new approaches in accessing, understanding and
creating knowledge. Therefore, it is crucial that the fundamental education
stakeholders: first obtain the necessary skills to find, process and manage
information and to confidently, efficiently and critically use technologies to achieve
their objectives and second continuously update these skills in order to support the
other stakeholders(i.e. teachers their students) for a safe and efficient use of the
relevant technologies available.
In addition, however, technologies have certain requirements that need to be
observed. It is important that education stakeholders learn to safely and responsibly
use them inside and outside the classroom and therefore more knowledge and
support is needed for effective pedagogical strategies for the use of ICT in schools.
3.3 Trends in Innovations
The benefits of innovations applied to the education system as recourses (i.e.
centralized and optimized, sharing, on demand, ability to evolve, etc.) will provide the
system with the ability to revise the way in which education institutions, students and
teachers are able to use equipment, applications and subjects' content. Following
science-fiction author William Gibson who once said, «the future is already
here» several initiatives have been taken in the last few years providing such
technological innovations to teaching and learning. Among them the most interesting,
based on Cloud Computing techniques and technologies, are the following (IBM,
2010):
3.3.1 Creating Intelligent Classrooms: Cloud Computing by providing the
recourses for a set of tools and applications will contribute in creating a classroom
with a quality and effectiveness of teaching that can be considered intelligent. Among
such tools and applications the following are the most interesting:
Access to courses, syllabuses, documentation and information, regardless of the
location of the learner, which can be in the classroom, in the school’s yard, at
home, travelling, or in the library.
Access of students (individually or in group) to the same learning subject content,
which allows for a much sought after collaboration between students.
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Access on an individual basis (personalized) to the learning resources which best
suit the individual student’s needs and learning difficulties. Providing of course
freedom of choice by the student (which includes guidance by the teacher).
Access to the teaching recourses of one institution to students and teachers from
another (close or further away) so that they can share material, practices etc.
Access to real time assessment results of tests, exams and homework, which are
centrally available. Such a tool, in addition of providing immediate identification of
each student’s needs and difficulties, more importantly it provides the means to
place current results in a personal or other contexts (i.e. to compared them with
fellow students, as well as with the student's, the teacher's and the school's
academic history).
3.3.2 Creating Virtual Classrooms: ICT in the form of Cloud Computing by
providing the necessary communication and collaboration tools can help bring down
the walls of the classroom and give rise to the virtual classroom, because it can
promote exchanges, group work and inter-school projects. More specifically it
enables:
Students of the same age located in distant institutions, towns or countries to
share in the experience of any class being taught online.
Teachers in a certain location to teach classes in a different school, town, country
or even continent, complete with the required material.
Researchers can have instant access to research and discoveries from any a
parallel or linked center around the world.
That is, platforms and contents hosted in the Cloud enable: students to approach
topics in a wider context; teachers to create collaboration spaces or forums where
they can interact and invite colleagues to join in; and research activities or
discoveries to be approached simultaneously by scientists of any specialization and
from any part of the world.
3.3.3 Creating Virtual Labs: innovations such as Cloud Computing by offering the
resources for processing, calculating and simulating can contribute in creating virtual
labs. More specifically, students and teachers can carry out in a virtual form the
simulations or experiments they need or want in any subject (chemistry, physics,
geography, economics, and other sciences), and in any degree of difficulty (from the
simplest to the most complex).
3.3.4 Creating Virtual Contents: New technologies in the form of Digital IWB's
(interactive whiteboards), they can help create a virtual reference system of content
that remains in the public domain and thus avoid the pitfalls of using nothing but the
costly commercial content. But mainly such a system can provide teachers with the
choice of using a content as is, have alter it to meet their needs, adapt it to the local
conditions, or finally use it to supplement their own. The opportunity to share this
virtual content, together with the input from the local teachers will have a favorable
effect, both on the diversity and quality of the content, as well as on the ability of all
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schools to access quality content that they have not had the resources to develop
themselves.
3.3.5 Creating eTwinning for teachers and students. eTwinning started very
recently as a teachers network in Europe, in contrast with: Facebook which is still a
US-centric website for university students; Twitter which is addressing a few hundred
special minded web fanatics and Google which is focused on making money as a
search engine. eTwinning started as an initiative of making teachers and indirectly
schools collaborate through the use of ICT, which indicates that in the future students
might need to also participate. So what Professor Derrick de Kerckhove, had said
that, “it’s all about connected intelligences”, might become a truly integrated school
educational network.
3.3.6 Creating Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial Intelligence is the capacity of
computer systems or software to imitate or simulate intelligent human behavior. As a
result Artificial Intelligence will be increasingly function as a utility to facilitate many
services and not as a general purpose application with which users will interact,
without losing its ability to be at the service of individuals, including all the
educational stakeholders.
3.3.7 Creating Augmented Reality: This newly promoted digital reality is an
enhanced view of reality created by integrating in real time computer-generated
sensory input, such as sounds, images, graphics, and video, on top of a user’s
physical surroundings. As it continues to develop augmented reality is expected in
the future to play an important role in education, because teaching and learning lies
at the interface between computer and students' generated material.
3.3.8 Creating Intelligent Administration: Cloud Computing provides effective tools
for management, assessing performance and managing resources, which allow
school administrators to perform three important functions:
Analytical Monitoring of students’ progress and teaching programs, which in turn
makes it possible for courses to be adjusted more quickly, helping the student and
redistributing teaching resources to suit needs.
Performance monitoring in the cloud, allows administrators to deal with data and
information in a centralized way and from multiple establishments, which allows
the important to management benchmarking. In this way school administrators can
re-energize teaching policies, as well as better inform, using a series of criteria,
students and their parents.
Performance management or education lifecycle can be achieved using the
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) form of cloud service which enables administrators
to save data related to students, including information from several different
establishments and to process them centrally, in order for the data to be
accessible to everyone everywhere. This is important, in terms of consulting
outside office hours, for teachers who work in a many schools, when campuses
are located far apart and for teaching networks.
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3.3.9 Creating Innovative Research Environment: Cloud Computing can provide
researchers the tools to gain access to abundant information that is increasingly
widespread and scattered all over the world. That is, in order for researchers to be
able to operate and be effective, they need to gain access to information and use it
properly, which can be made possible by centralizing the resources in the cloud.
More specifically, Cloud Computing provides the tools for the:
Creation of Communities and Collaboration Schemes. This scheme between
researchers sharing common or complementary interests, can undoubted have a
stimulating effect on research efforts.
Creation of Shared Calculation Infrastructures. This timeshare approach,
adapted to the concept of virtualization and the cloud, leads to a common pool of
resources accessible to every researcher who needs them.
Creation of Centralized Research Data from a Variety of Sources. This
approach enables the results to be used faster, leading to a speedier progress
from the moment the data are processed by analysis and software application.
3.3.10 Creating New Teaching and Learning Tools.
In recent years, with the rapid development of emerging technologies, the integration
of Information and Communication Technology has increasingly attracted the
attention of education stakeholders, in the form of teaching and learning tools.
Educators are turning their attention to various technological tools that can be used
as learning objectives or contexts, to develop new learning environments, to modify
existing resources, to engage with specific groups of learners or decide alternative
strategies for teaching and learning. Some of these tools are:
Virtual Reality (VR) Teaching and Learning Tools: VR is shaping up to be one
of the most important technological innovations in shaping teaching and learning,
for it represents an educational tool on how the technology could change how
students learn and are taught. That is, it is the technology which allows students to
test educational experiences that could alter the trajectory of their studies and their
lives as well as teach complex problems in a different way than traditional
education methods of today. As a result it is expected that there the demand to
bring VR into the classroom, so that students would be allowed to learn
experientially will increase steadily.
3D Printers as Teaching and Learning Tools: 3D printers represent, among
other achievements, a complete educational paradigm shift. Indeed, as students
print and then print again and keep on printing, because of their adventuring
nature they reach a point in time when they realize, ‘It is of no value to me
something that already exists (a copy), I want something that doesn’t yet exist'. As
a result, and in response to discovering needs, it is of no surprise that 3D printers
have taken a place in education, by helping students bring their ideas to life and
most importantly put their hands on concepts that previously experienced only in
textbooks. 3D printing is already being used effectively in schools fostering the
ability of students to create an object to solve a problem (especially in developing
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countries). Making 3D printed objects with a purpose will increase tremendously in
the future. It is expected that this technology will increase its education use as
these devices become affordable and the barriers in adapting them continue to
drop.
Devices to Connect to the internet (The Internet of Things Concept): In the
modern mobile world, the attention of education stakeholder by necessity shift
their focus on the students who are surrounded by a large network of mobile
devices and on the constant increase in the number of connected technologies
students use daily. Technology is rapidly unlocking new uses for connectivity,
changing not only how our students are networked, but also how The Internet of
Things Concept will become part of the education system.
The Internet of Things Concept applications for education are still at an initial
stage, although a limited number of schools and universities are a tapping into this
technology to create environments that students might not be able to experience
otherwise. But the most important is its potential, because this technology looms
across a variety of applications with an ever increasing speed as part of education
for consumers and in part based on their permanent necessity of being connected.
Wearables as Teaching and Learning Tools: It has been said that the art of
being able to learn anywhere, at any time, should also include any ‘how’. That gap
in learning can be filled by wearable devices which give students more
opportunities to be connected learners. That is, wearable technology has been
pushing the boundaries of what students are able to create anywhere, anytime
and on any subject. In addition, wearable’s can also provide many benefits to
educators, because they offer more options in their effort to monitor and engage
with their students during their teaching, as well as communicate with other
educators, giving them more options for collaboration.
Machine-Learning Techniques: The devises which are based on machine-
learning techniques can perform many tasks that are rapidly becoming more
sophisticated and are improving towards becoming true thinking machines. In
terms of education they could change the traditional role of technology in
education, because the robotics can serve in an actual hands-on role in the
classroom. Today these robotic toys have mainly an important impact on changing
how special-education students learn in the classroom. In the future, most experts
agree that such robotic toys will increasingly serve as counselors and playmates to
children with various learning disabilities like Autism. As Patterson in an EdTech
blog (2016) has written “There are hundreds of other great ways to use these
robots to support student learning. My advice is get one and put it into the hands
of students — see what they can do. Build challenges and celebrate failure.
Learning can be hard but fun and these robots make integration easy”.
Co-presence Technologies: These technologies utilize audio and video
instruments to create a feeling to education stakeholders of being together across
distance. Examples include an in-room hologram of a teacher who is in another
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classroom or school location and a robot with audio and video displays and
sensors that can move around in one classroom while being controlled by a
student in another classroom or school.
3.4. Trends in Education.
As it was mentioned previously there have been significant advances in Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) in the form of cloud computing that continue
unabated up to now. As a result, there is an increasingly perceived vision that cloud
based education (designed and provided in the form of optional, tailored services,
with operators and teaching establishments pooling their resources) will soon be the
single most important path towards future education. In other words, it is suggested
that the education because of the use of cloud computing in the immediate future will
be affected by the impact of several influential trends as follows:
3.4.1 Education Needs to Change to Respond to Economy and Society:
Learning objectives need to change to take into account future competence needs,
which are determined by societal conditions in general and economic demands in
particular. As a result, a major challenge for the education system in the future is to
cater to the needs and requirements that are imposed upon education by the
economy and society.
3.4.2 Education Needs to Change towards Knowledge: A fundamental challenge
for the future in education will be for students to learn how to safely and responsibly
use technologies in school as well as in their lives. However, in order for that need to
be met more knowledge is needed for effective pedagogical strategies in the use of
Cloud Computing in schools. In other words Cloud Computing has to provide
improved or new ways to increase access to various forms of information and
connections between people or more and better knowledge.
3.4.3 Education Should be Focused on Competences Rather Than Memorizing
Knowledge: EU has accepted a set of key future competences as well as set of
future skills for problem solving, collaboration, negotiation, innovation and self-
management. In addition European teachers have in many instances confirmed the
importance of these key competences and skills as future educational objectives,
Moreover, other educational stakeholders identified that developing one’s personality
and managing one’s place in a changing world and society, together with awareness
of the environmental challenges they represent the crucial future educational
objectives necessary for developing one’s competences over the course of a lifetime.
3.4.4 Education Needs to Change to Become Authentic: Authentic learning is also
an important challenge for the future in education and is concerned with bringing real
life experiences into the classroom. That is, authentic learning has to become a
necessary pedagogical strategy establishing or upgrading a fundamental concept,
namely: help students to engage in seeking some connection between the world as
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they know it exists outside the school and their experiences in school. Cloud
Computing can provide the tools to create learning scenarios incorporating real life
experiences familiar to students, that can bring authentic learning into the classroom
and prepare them for the real world. The upmost challenge of such practices of
course is to "help retain students in school and prepare them for further education,
careers, and citizenship in a way that traditional practices are too often failing to do»
(E.U. Horizon Report, 2014).
3.4.5 Education Should be Compatible with Identity Factors: Encouraging
individual institutions to develop their own teaching and learning practices or
curriculum structures is important because is the only way for them to be in par with
the rest institution in educational attainment and performance. Therefore, educational
approaches should be tailored to the identity needs, learning styles and preferences
of each institution and thus facilitate the common educational expectations. As a
result, support for institutional development, educational practices, learning
objectives and assessment procedures should be revised and should not be uniform
or standardized. Various ways and sources of learning should be provided and
supported so that students in each institution can create a learning journey based on
local factors. That is, educational institutions should take responsibility not for the
common learning goals, but for the ways to achieve them.
3.4.6 Education Should be More Active and Connected to Real Life. It is
universally accepted that the younger generation should learn to grow up as part of
the society and be aware of what takes place around them. This is the only way to
become responsible and independent global citizens, which is the essence of
education. As a result, education in the future should become more active and
constructive, with an emphasis on authentic learning as well as learning by doing.
Because when education focuses on the social interaction of students with other
learners, teachers and third parties they will be connected to real life, nature, work,
and life in the local and global community.
3.5 Provisions of Cloud Computing
Although Cloud Computing is part of the technology due to its importance to
education it is treated in this report separately. Experience and the literature (IBM
2013; Gaytos, 2012; Sultan, 2010) shows that there is a range of resources and
services available to education via Cloud Computing, whether they concern
infrastructure, services, solutions or the introduction of new processes. That is, Cloud
Computing will become the fundamental instrument in a Cloud based educational
environment by bringing many benefits to education of which the following are
considered the most commonly referred and important (Koutsopoulos, 2015b).
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3.5.1 Savings: The Cloud will result in general and in education in particular in a cost
effective use of ITC resources, by reducing the cost through the:
Sharing of IT Equipment which are centralized in the cloud and thus deliver
economies of scale and eliminate the need for costly local infrastructures.
Sharing the Provision of software licenses, management skills, physical security
for servers usually are under- or over-sized and not used to their maximum
potential.
Reduction in the Size and Complexity of the number of machines and programs
installed and utilized at each site, for the cost of licenses and maintenance is less.
Decrease in the Number of Applications that are installed and run in the
computers at each site, for the Cloud provides access to an unlimited number of
users.
Cost of Services this is based on the actual use of resources (pay-per-use
billing).
Savings in Human Resources for the technical staff required to manage in-
house machines is minimum.
Freeing up the Capex budget, for the Cloud involves the operational expenditure
model (Opex).
3.5.2 Flexibility: One of the main benefits of Cloud-based teaching and learning is
that it will prevent individual investments in equipment, programs etc. The reason is
that the centralized infrastructures of cloud computing promotes flexibility in various
ways, including the following as they were reported by IBM:
Speed of Adjusting to Change: Centralizing and standardizing the available
resources enables faster upgrades in line with technological progress and/or
changes to demand and requirements.
Smooth Adjustment to ICT Resources: With cloud Computing due to the
flexibility of the infrastructure and the ease of accessing resources based on
needs (since, with cloud-based ICT, a new version of the application or any
application software can be more easily distributed to users (e.g., servers, storage
space, calculating power, application authorities, content) and made available to
them.
Flexibility in Implementing Teaching Content: With Cloud Computing students
are able to draw from the whole of the content available, as well as find the
information and tools they are looking for that are appropriate to their stage of
education. This is particular useful for personalized learning, a customized
teaching process that meets the needs and specific difficulties of each student (or
each profile of student).
Flexibility in terms of the Number of Machines Needed: Cloud architecture can
potentially support every type of client hardware and application (albeit with a
number of exceptions, depending on the service-provider).
Self-service Potential: Particular useful for students, teachers and education
establishments; and
Flexibility of Learning: Cloud Computing is providing easy access to courses and
content at any time, any place; options to learn outside the school itself, as well as
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outside of the school calendar (holidays, ongoing learning after-
school/postgraduate training) (IBM, 2010).
3.5.3 Effectiveness: Cloud Computing by promoting a dynamic exchange and
participation between teachers, pupils and students, their social network and parents,
leads first into finding the appropriate to the stage of education information and tools.
But more importantly it leads into an effective learning and teaching process. That is,
Cloud Computing provides a more productive students' learning because it helps
them among others, towards the rise in their level of understanding and achievement,
increasing chance of success, gaining a clearer view of the realities of their future
working life, etc. In terms of teachers and administrators Cloud Computing provides
them with the tools to pool and implement effective management practices.
3.5.4 Sharing: Cloud Computing provides the means in every institution to avoid the
duplication of resources that exist elsewhere. That is, skills, good practices,
applications, teaching content and infrastructures can be pooled and shared.
Moreover, the sharing of equipment leads into harmonizing and making it easier to
support resources, as well as avoiding the problems of incompatibility or the difficulty
of integration between various tools and systems. Finally sharing teaching material
and subject content avoids educational inequalities and the present day issue of
“poorly performing” or “second-rate” schools and thus promises fairer access to
educational and learning resources. Overall, Cloud Computing sharing capabilities
can provide a major input into:
Bridging the digital divide.
Promoting a new way of making education more accessible.
Ultimately reducing digital social inequalities.
3.5.5 Real time Access: Cloud Computing can allow students and teachers to
access in real time useful and free information from anywhere in the world in a matter
of seconds. In education, this holds a special importance for it provides teachers and
students a fundamental tool in the learning process, that of constantly updating their
stock of information.
3.5.6 Reduces the Risk of Obsolescence: For all practical purposes Cloud
Computing can provide an “anti-obsolescence” insurance against technological
changes, because it can cope better and more efficiently with their increasingly rapid
development. In addition it can ensure the constant upgrading of all documents for it
can be done in a centralized and systematic way, at a single central point.
3.5.7 Reduces Users' Carbon Footprint: Cloud Computing benefits are not, as
most computer experts think, only related to how many its users can save as well as
provide them with the other educational advantages mentioned previously. Users of
cloud computing are more likely to significantly reduce users' carbon footprint. In an
era (the year 2015 was the warmest year since temperature records are kept) where
the need for educational establishments to become more sustainable, there is an
increasing value in improving the institutions’ carbon footprint and energy costs. As a
result, virtualized services such as those offered by Cloud Computing should be
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considered an important contribution towards that goal and an added benefit of that
educational approach.
3.5.8 Default Web Server: Cloud Computing as it was mentioned can provide a
solution to the limitations of shared hosting and the high expense of dedicated
servers. In this way, hardware is virtualized and managed by a hypervisor that is able
to administer servers as well as create partitions of CPU, memory, storage and
network. Since each education stakeholder gets their own virtual server, it appears to
them as if they have a dedicated server. As a result, the use of cloud computing can
be considered as default web server.
3.6 Trends in Schools
School attendance has becοme obligatory and in a specific knowledge transmission
way, for the last century in all Western societies (Murtin & Viarengo, 2008). However,
recent developments in education, in the form of Cloud Computing, suggest that as
learning can take place where and when we need them and in any way we desire,
the role of schools has changed and still is evolving. Changes in the teaching and
learning approaches, the learning materials and the information conceptualization
have been creating a new school, which should be providing:
3.6.1 21st Century Competences: The literature indicates that the future of teaching
and learning will be towards new competences. As a result some people will need to
update their skills and some others to re-skill. In other words, the future school will
need to foster skills that are «generic, transversal and cross-cutting» (Redecker et
al., 2011), in order for learners to actively engage in lifelong learning.
3.6.2 Deinstitutionalization: A very important trend in the operation of school is the
shift from formal to informal education. With the coming of ICT technologies, in the
form of Cloud Computing, learning cannot be exclusively confined to the classroom.
That is, teaching and learning is becoming an educational activity which: first it is not
bound to any specific educational institution or to any location within them and
second it is not dedicated to predetermined periods in life. The reasons are simple:
Schools have to be responding to future labor market requirements, and thus to be
flexible and responding to individual learners’ needs. In other words, teaching and
learning inevitably will span the period from pre-school to post-retirement time and
will increasingly take place at home, at the workplace and at other institutions
(OECD, 2001). As a result, the new school will actually bring what it can be termed
the deinstitutionalization of the school, associated with informal education.
3.6.3 Technological Innovation and Use of New Technologies: The most
important shift in our schools is the increasing development of new technologies and
their appropriation in teaching and learning. As Mutka et al., 2010 have wrote, "it is
difficult to imagine the future of learning environments without ICT (and we might add
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in the form of cloud computing) at the forefront or in the background". Indeed,
portable applications such as tablets and mobile phones as well as new
communication applications such as collaborative and social networking sites are or
very soon will become standard tools across all schools. The reasons are that
technological applications: facilitate access with amplified diversity of resources; they
allow users to connect through online content: they have become models of
collaboration; and provide complex digital competences juxtaposed with new
communication skills. Because of these reasons, in the new school attainment of
digital competence to use such technologies in a desirable and targeted priority is of
paramount importance.
3.7 Trends in Learning
The use of Cloud Computing in the classroom will have in the immediate future an
impact on the fundamental elements of classroom education (the subjects taught and
the learning methods in attaining them), as well the changing role of several
influential factors as follows:
3.7.1 The Fundamental Subjects need to Increase: In terms of the teaching
subjects it is suggested that Cloud Computing will become the 4th fundamental
subject that students should master (after reading, writing and arithmetic). That is,
education will be transformed into a process consisting of providing an additional
subject that is commoditized and delivered along with the traditional subjects of
reading, writing and arithmetic. In other words, in this educational process students,
in addition to learning how to read, write and do arithmetic calculations, they need to
be efficient in using the Cloud to access all forms of educational material, based on
their requirements without regard to where these are coming from or how they are
delivered. In other words, the new (computing) subject, together with the other three
fundamental ones, will provide a new teaching and learning approach which is
essential to meet the basic needs of the 21st century student.
Therefore, what is suggested is: first, despite the advancement of modern education
approaches the basic subjects will continue to be provided to all students, because
they provide them with the necessary dexterities that later on in their lives will allow
them to accomplish the necessary daily life tasks. Second and most important in the
basic school subjects Cloud Computing should be included. That is, ICT in the form
of Cloud Computing should be taught to students together with the other three
fundamental subjects. Thus, this vision of the foursome set of fundamental subjects
will transform the entire education structure in the 21st century into a different form of
education.
3.7.2 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): The World Economic Forum has
moved a step further from the previous suggestion. More specifically, it proposed that
because the future economy will transform the workplace simply by been digital,
there is a need for the traditional academic learning to be supplemented not only with
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ICT skills, but with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). In other words, students
must learn to be adept at collaboration, communication and problem-solving, which
are some of the skills developed through social and emotional learning and are
necessary for the 21st labor market.
3.7.3 Students Need to Change to Complex Thinking and Communication: This
is also another challenge related to students. The web, big data, modeling
technologies and a series of other innovations make possible to train students in
complex and systematic thinking, which in turn have an impact on communication
skills. The challenge for the future is for students to be able to master modes of
complex thinking and the capacity to connect people with other people, using Cloud
technologies. In other words, this challenge requires an ability to understand the
bigger picture and to make appeals that are based on logic, knowledge and data.
3.7.4 Changing in the Learning Process: Policy makers, researchers and plain
everyday experience indicate that with the advent of the 21st century a fundamental
transformation of education is needed to address the new dexterities and
competences required. Indeed several studies (i.e. European Commission/ Horizon
Report Europe: 2014 Schools Edition, European Commission/Ala-Machida et. al.,
2010 and Beyond Current Horizons Programme/Facer and Sanford, 2010/ World
Economic Forum, 2016) have shown that future developments, related to required
skills and competences, will change schools over the next 20 years. Among these
changes the most important are:
Learning will Focus on Four Object Competences: In the future, in order to
focus on knowledge the most important basic future skills will be analytical and
critical dexterities, problem solving, collaboration, negotiation, innovation and self-
management, which, however require Languages (good handling of reading and
writing), Mathematics (ability to calculate) and the help of Cloud Computing. That
is, the four fundamental subjects approach is considered crucial for developing
one’s competences over the course of a lifetime.
Learning will be Tailored to the Needs of Individuals or Personalized
Learning: In the future, in order to encourage individual learners to develop their
own talents and interests, the educational approaches should be tailored to their
individual needs, learning styles and preferences. But, such a goal can only be
achieved only using Cloud Computing which can provide the students with the
necessary skills and competences for a personalized learning, which in turn allow
the rigid walls of the classroom to be transform into the random, moving shape of
the internet. It should be noted that truly personalized learning will continue to
increase its utilization, despite the efforts of many vendors who force products on
us that aren’t really personalized.
Learning will be Based on a New Vision: A broader concept than the previous
one was introduced by Redecker et. al. (2011), who have suggested that a three
axis vision of personalization, collaboration and "informalization» (informal
learning) should and will be at the core of teaching and learning in the future. That
is, these three principles for organizing learning and teaching will be the guiding
force in the school of future, which will be characterized by lifelong and life-wide
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learning and shaped by the ubiquity of Information and Communication
Technologies in the form of Cloud Computing.
Learning will shift: A process that started a few years back, continues now, but it
will take a new integrated form in the immediate future will continue to find ways to
shift from teacher-directed, transmission-oriented, passive classrooms to
environments in which student voice and agency are both honored and enabled.
Thus creating more engaged, student-directed learning opportunities.
Learning will be Active and Connected to Real Life: In the future, in order for
the younger generation to learn to grow up as part of society and be aware of what
takes place around them, learning is required to be active and constructive and
take place in social interaction with other learners, teachers and third parties. In
this way, student's learning will be connected to real life, to nature and to the local
and global community.
Learning will be Towards Open, Flexible and Networked Relationships: In the
future, to limit barriers to students in order to participate across institutions,
cultures and educational settings, it requires: the development of compatible
personal learning records owned and managed by the students themselves;
interoperable systems and standards that will enable students to demonstrate
attainment and experience across diverse settings; the arrangements and tools
that will enable students to take advantage of learning opportunities across
different providers; and the means to support students and teachers to navigate
the future complex environment effectively. Of course none other than Cloud
Computing can provide students and teachers the ability to accomplish each one
of those as well as their combination.
Learning will be Meaningful and Authentic: In the future, learning will be based
on access and participation to the world’s global information commons and
learning communities. That is, students can find additional ways to use digital
learning tools to do meaningful, authentic work instead of traditional, artificial,
"decontextualized» classroom assignments. As a result, educational institutions
will be forced to recognize the power of students by that access and participation.
Online Learning will Continue to Gain Acceptance: Online learning has been
part of the university education for a long time and its use is increasing unabated.
However, this trend is now extending to the lower levels of education which are
rapidly adapting to the new technologies. In essence, online learning has enjoyed
a renaissance over the last few years and has sparked an explosion of
development, new ideas, and experimentation. Online pedagogical models are
proliferating all over the world and in all levels of education. For example, in
Europe, the European Commission’s “Opening Up Education» has put into place
several initiatives to stimulate their development. The major reason online learning
is expected to transform teaching and learning are:
o It is less expensive to deliver than classroom-based education because it
does not require physical plant.
o It is accessible to learners anytime and anywhere.
o It appeals to the Net Generation’s unique needs and expectations in many
ways.
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o More students using digital learning tools do more meaningful work.
Finally this trend is especially important to institutions with a public-service
mandate, for they consider online learning a key to advancing their mission of
placing education within reach of people who might otherwise not be able to
access it. Basically, educational institutions are leveraging advanced technologies
to put education within reach of many more individuals than any other time in
history. This trend is more likely to be strengthened in the future.
Learning will be Changed by how Social Media are Used: There is no doubt
that presently there is a shift underway, which will continue to be pushed forward
and it is related to the way social media are utilized in teaching and learning.
Social Media services for both teachers and students are changing all the time,
along with the attitudes towards them, creating new opportunities and challenges.
Mobile Learning will Continue to Gain Acceptance: Mobile education anymore
is becoming increasingly acceptable to all levels of education. Basically, as the
benefits of mobile learning are increasingly recognized in the education sectors,
learners will increasingly be equipped with mobile devices for learning and training
purposes. In the future Mobile learning will dominate learning due to the ever
increasing capability of mobile devices to enhance learning through multimedia
consumption, creations tools and speech recognition.
Hybrid Learning will Continue to Gain Acceptance: As students become
familiar with and adept at using the internet, classroom pedagogical approaches
increasingly include hybrid learning strategies and this trend is expected to
continue. Hybrid learning models by using both the physical and the virtual
learning environments allow teachers to engage students in a broader variety of
ways extend their learning day and increase the focus on collaboration within the
classroom. On the other hand, these models when designed and implemented
effectively, enable students to use the school day for group work and project-
based activities, while using the network to access readings, videos, and other
learning materials on their own time, leveraging the best of both environments.
Non- Formal Learning will Continue to Gain Acceptance: As citizens continue
to be active and focus on the kinds of self-directed, curiosity-based learning, then
the trend toward a non-traditional, non-formal learning will continue to increase.
That is, as more people are able to connect to the internet and pursue inquiries at
their leisure from wherever place they choose, there will be an increasing
acceptance of this form of learning as well as formalizing it. In addition, there is a
realization that non-formal learning has great value for students as well. Many
experts believe that blending outside learning experiences into formal education
will create a dynamic environment that fosters experimentation, curiosity, and
creativity and most importantly a propensity for learning that will endure throughout
a student’s lifetime.
Learning Through Gamification will Continue to Grow: Recently, gamification
is becoming less focused on games and more on learning. Moreover, gamification
not only has taken this positive direction, but it exhibits an exponentially
development growth, thus becoming a valuable tool in the hand of educators. As a
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result, learning through gamification represents another important tool available to
education in the future.
Network learning will Determine the Design of a Curriculum: Such a
curriculum would enable students to learn to work effectively within social
networks and to develop strategies to establish and mobilize social networks for
their own purposes. That is, students should be provided with tools, resources and
skills to, among others, to be able to: manage information, develop experience of
working remotely, explore the human–machine relationships, be involved in socio-
technical networks etc. However, such competences and dexterities characterize
Cloud Computing and certainly can be utilized to fulfill future development.
3.8 Trends in Teaching
3.8.1 Trends in Teaching Methods: The previous discussion clearly indicates that in
the learning and in the digital landscape in which education is operating, comparable
teaching trends are present to fulfill the new needs for subjects and learning
(Vuorikari et. al., 2010). Some of those are:
Collaborative Teaching: The existence of collaborative applications tools such as
wikis, videoconferencing, interactive whiteboards and social networking, on one
hand are encouraging students to collaborate between themselves and on the
other they are enabling teachers to participate in the same lessons. That is,
collaboration can also be established not only between pupils, but also between
students and teachers as well as with others outside the classroom. The last
network opens up teaching to outside contributors, such as a specialist in a
subject being studied who might, for example, be a parent or colleague of a
parent.
Collective Teaching: Another trend in innovative teaching is the collective one,
which enables several teachers to participate in the same lessons with other
teachers, resulting in the virtual presence of several teachers for the same subject.
Personalized Teaching: With the rapid advances in technology (before we have
completely assimilated "Web 2.0", we are heralding "Web 3.0") the new teaching
environment, which enables teachers to spontaneously manage metadata,
structure and filter data and disseminate knowledge, it can provide alternatives for
the selection of the teaching content that matches the profile of every individual
student.
Parents' Teaching: The Involvement of parents in the teaching process is not
only desirable, but attainable. For example, portals or solutions along the lines of
digital work spaces (DSW) certainly enable parents to follow the academic
progress of their children, using comparative data (i.e. evaluating data from
students of the same age from other institution, areas or even countries). The
availability of this kind of information can serve as a springboard at first level for
the interaction with teachers and in a second level for their direct involvement in
their children's' education.
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3.8.2 Trends in Teaching Applications: Given the environment education is
operating, the most important teaching application trends are the following:
Real-time Assessment: Another trend in teaching is the use of technology in
applying innovative systematic and regular assessments in order to monitor and
track the activities and educational progress of each student. The results of the
assessment can then be send to a central point to be analyzed and assessed
leading to recommendations in real-time. This assessment approach certainly will
change the nature or purpose of traditional exams and tests.
Predictive Analysis: A collateral to the previous trend is the notion of gathering
information and applying analytical diagrams that make it possible to assess a
student’s progress on a day-to-day basis, which however at the end enables
teachers to have quick and easy adjustments to their teaching material (i.e., the
type of exercises being used) as well as the method of supervision and guidance
used. Of course, the ultimate goal is to create a dynamic educational process
designed to reduce the risk of failure or dropping out. Because all involved in
teaching know that having assessment data in real time, it is possible to predict
student's failure and identify the signs if someone is going off the rails or is losing
his motivation at school. In this way the teacher can be immediately aware of the
situation and can take the necessary actions.
3.9 Trends and Changes in Education Stakeholders
3.9.1 Teachers Need to Change to Become Part of the Changing Process:
Another challenge is the one faced by teachers who should be confident dealing with
technologies as part of their work in the future. That is, teachers have to create a
daily working environment that encourages innovation and new learning approaches.
In doing so, they become part of the changing educational process, which not only
enhances their professional development, but also promotes educational innovation.
It is crucial for all teachers to be confident with technologies as part of their work in
the future. For example teachers should familiarize themselves with eTwinning,
which is an effective practice enhancing teachers’ professional development and
promoting educational innovation.
3.9.2 Teachers Should Become Lifelong Learners Themselves: Various short
term teachers' training approaches have always been part of modern education.
However, in the future teachers' training should be understood as a lifelong learning
task and be supported as part of their daily work. That is, teachers should be
required to continuously update their knowledge of their students’ learning needs and
taking advantage of the technology available to adjust their teaching methods
through networking and the use of cloud computing, which allows them to observe
their peer experience.
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3.9.3 Teachers Must Change their Role: All the trends mentioned previously can
become a reality only when teachers are trained to exploit the available resources
and tools to support the new tailor-made learning pathways and experiences, which
are motivating, engaging, efficient, relevant and challenging. That is, teachers must
become capable of:
Guiding students in the new «time-space» that is created.
Guiding and advising them in their various methods of learning (including via
social networks, online discover, etc.).
Acting as referees to avoid bad habits (e.g., filtering unsound knowledge gleaned
from the internet or from “friends” on social networks).
Basing their teaching on collaboration between students and promoting their
more energetic participation in classes, something that is fuelled by
unencumbered access to information.
In addition, teachers will be increasingly expected to be adept at a variety of Cloud
Computing approaches for content delivery; learner support and assessment; to
collaborate with other teachers both inside and outside their schools; to routinely use
digital strategies in their work with students and act as guides and mentors; and to
organize their own work and comply with administrative documentation and reporting
requirements. In other words, with the coming of Cloud Computing teacher training
has to go beyond the present paradigm of teacher preparation (Caroll & Resta,
2010), or to reinvent it, in order for prospective teachers to experience this new
learning environment.
Finally, a teacher facing networking tools that enable them to network and
collaborate with other teachers from anywhere, at any time is an important factor to
be concerned with. In other words, such a development in the profession of teachers
is a significant aspect, which cannot be ignored when discussing the future of
education.
3.9.4 School Administrators Must Adapt: The administration of any institution has
to adapt and reflect the new ways of teaching and learning. Educational changes are
constantly bringing new conditions that need to be imposed and become operational,
such as:
New forms of curricula.
Assessment approaches and networking.
New practices that work, find ways to share, make visible and learnable their
results.
Both, top-down and bottom-up approaches to make changes happen.
Support Innovation in all educational and administrative aspect of an institution.
Facilitate the monitoring and dissemination of good practices.
3.9.5 Leaders Need to Change to have a Holistic View: This challenge concerns
the education leaders who in the future need to have a holistic view of the education
process, by taking into account aspects such as skills, attitudes, regulations, IT
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resources, time resources, links between schools, parents and community as well as
social support. Leading a school in the future will require a holistic approach,
whereby all aspects of education and all stakeholders as well as their
interrelationships are part of a successfully led institution.
3.9.6 Policymaking Need to Change towards Universal Participation: Policy
makers are also facing an important challenge, for they have to change the way
policymaking has been practiced up to now. More specifically, policies should be
developed by taking into account the viewpoints of all education stakeholders,
including especially the education practitioners. Towards that objective networking on
a European level is important for accelerating change. For example, eTwinning
participants can take part in developing the future of Twinning through community
spaces, and thereby contribute to the development of educational policies and
strategies in Europe. In general Cloud Computing can help in developing policy
making strategies.
3.9.7 Changes in Organizational Should Allow and Encourage Innovation: From
all education stakeholders those that invariable need to take the maximum numbers
of issues into account are the school administrators. That is, the leader of a school in
any institutional decision has to consider aspects such as skills, attitudes,
regulations, IT resources, time resources, links between schools, parents and
community, and social support for change. In addition, he has to utilize networks that
enable practices to be shared with others and adapted efficiently in similar
circumstances.
3.10 Changing of Other Educational Elements
Cloud Computing with the recourses it can provide to educational elements, it can
force them to adapt to new developing situations, which in turn will change their role
in the education process. Among them the most adept to change are:
3.10.1 Transforming of Knowledge: With the emergence of new technologies,
teaching strategies and pedagogical approaches will undergo drastic changes as to
the transfer of knowledge. That is, even the current change in teaching context
(internet versus the blackboard) clearly implies a new relationship with knowledge,
namely that knowledge is now easier to access and can be used differently. As a
result, there will be a notable difference between teaching an individual and running
flexible learning communities. The reason is that virtual communities will operate in
different ways, depending of course on the area of learning and the people involved,
than a single individual. This means that students might be in the same classroom,
but operating in virtual networks and the knowledge that each one will be receiving
will be very different from each other.
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3.10.2 Social Media: Technological developments have brought about changes in
the way people interact, present ideas and information or in other words have
brought to our lives social media. By the end of 2014, the agency «We are Social»
declared that there were around 310 million active social media users in Europe,
accounting for 40% of the continent’s population. A large part of them are students
and teachers who routinely use social media to communicate with each other on
school matters and keeping up to date on assignments. That is, social networks will
continue to have a different role for the education shareholders, who will be using
them as professional communities of practice, as learning communities and as a
platform to share information about assignments, content and interesting stories
about topics students will be studying in class.
3.10.3 Open Education Resources: Cloud Computing is an efficient conduit for
open educational resources (OER),which can be described as materials that can be
freely copied, freely mixed with other material, and free of barriers to access, sharing,
and educational use. The last few years the use of these materials in the education
environment has change considerably not only in terms of their constant growth in
breadth and quality, but mainly as a matter of policy in schools, especially in the
many disciplines in which high quality educational content is more abundant than
ever. That is the role of OER has been changing as it relates to the creation,
circulation, and standardization of educational resources (UNESCO, OER Paris,
declaration, 2012).
3.10.4 Data-Driven Learning and Assessment: Another important change that
Cloud Computing has brought about is the role of data sources in the education
process. There is a change in using data sources for personalizing the learning
experience, for ongoing formative assessment of learning and for performance
measurement, which have led to the development of a new role of data sources and
a relatively new field named data-driven learning and assessment. The goal of this
field is to build better pedagogies, empower students to take an active part in their
learning, target at-risk student populations and assess factors affecting completion
and student success. In this way teachers get crucial insights into student progress
and interaction with online texts, courseware, and learning environments used to
deliver instruction.
In sum, because the world of education will follow and be influenced by those trends
and changes, it will bring changes and developments in the way education is revised
or innovated and will be presented later.
4. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SoC FORSIGHT
Presently there is an outburst of foresight initiatives from academic institutions as
well from private and government units. However, all these efforts suffer from two
important shortcomings. First, most of them have been oriented towards economic or
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defense disciplines (Sandford & Facer, 2007). Second, in the few recent
educationally oriented foresight projects the future of education is examined without
regard or separate from specific technological, educational etc. factors. The foresight
effort reported here provides an educational application where the combined
existence of the future of education and Cloud Computing is presented. In other
words, the examination of the future of Cloud based Education addresses both areas
as they are combined and interact.
Another issue is that this report represents a forward-looking analysis to support
policy decisions and is based primarily on the examination of the emergence of
important trends and changes in schools, society, technology and innovations and
their implications to education. However, these factors on one hand interact with
education in a complex way and their «effects» are not immediate and direct, but
rather they take place after a substantial time delay (European Science and
Technology Observatory, ESTO, 2001). On the other hand, policy-makers do not or
cannot afford to wait until the situations are clarified, the effects are clear and the
results are practically final, in order to take the necessary decisions. Therefore, a
careful methodological framework is required of the activities conducted by the SoC
network members before, during and after foresight exercise, to reach the proposed
scenarios, in order to be able to harmonically resolve successfully these two
opposing conditions and thus the proposed scenarios and policies to be accepted.
In sum, the methodological framework of SoC futures-oriented work is directed on
one hand towards exploring the implications of potential future developments for
educators, learners and administrators and on the other towards Cloud Computing as
an educational technology field. Therefore, the basic question methodologically that
needs to be answered is: what might be the implications of Cloud Computing on
future changes in education, and what does this mean for teaching and learning over
the coming 15 years?
4.1 Foresight: Methods Chosen
In the SoC Foresight approach, it was decided to apply three methods: the Delphi
method, the “six thinking hats” technique and a brainstorming approach. The first two
were applied in the Palermo SoC's expert’s workshop and the last on the various
working groups' meetings.
Delphi Method: This method, sometimes called and Delphi survey, is a relative
straightforward process aiming at collecting and distilling knowledge from a group
of experts through the use of a series of questionnaires. Each round give feedback
for making a new series of questionnaires until a consensus is reached.
Six Thinking Hats: This method is utilized to go through decisions from different
perspectives, enabling participants to move outside their habitual intellectual
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pattern and thus provide them with a more rounded view of the topic under
consideration.
Brainstorming: It is a method, used in groups in order to support creative
problem-solving, the generation of new ideas and greater acceptance of proposed
solutions.
4.2 Definitions
In this report, as in many others dealing with issues of the future, two terms are used
extensively and although they are well defined in the literature their use is not always
appropriate. As a result and for reasons of clarity it is considered important to provide
a definition of these terms to remove even the slightest misunderstanding, because
they represent the central part of the report.
Foresight: Is the attempt to map projections of recent and current developments
into the future and to explore their potential implications. That is, foresight is NOT
some forecasting by experts, neither a prophecy nor a prediction, but it is a range
of methods that allow key stakeholders, including decision and policy makers, to
share a vision and to extend the depth of knowledge base for decision-making so
as to organize long term thinking.
Scenarios: Is the attempt to work with those who are concerned with the future's
inquiry and its implications to generate a set of plausible divergent future worlds
that can be productively used to test out current strategies. That is, scenario
formulation is not just a foresight exercise, but mainly a tool to challenge the
assumptions of any given or inevitable future.
As a result, the formulation and later the interpretation of the SoC scenarios were
intended to address the conditions existing today in teaching and learning in order to
create an innovative Cloud based education. That is, the scenarios that have resulted
from the SoC foresight exercise should be considered plausible systematic visions of
future education possibilities that can be used for decision making as well as
exploring the future impact or developments of Cloud Computing. This approach is in
accordance with the literature on future research (Janssen, et. al., 2007; van der
Duin and Huijboom, 2008).
4.3 SoC's Future and Its Values System.
As it was mentioned previously one of the major goals of the SoC network was to
inquire into possible future trajectories due to socio-technical-educational changes.
Its task was: To understand what the education system might look like in 2025 in
order to anticipate the demands that will be placed on teaching and learning taking
as a focus not "the future» in its entirety, but specifically the intersection between
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education and Cloud Computing. The specific objective was: "The group will use the
partner conference to examine significant issues affecting the use of the Cloud in
education and create and develop a report on scenarios for the future (D5.3). The
aim is to develop scenarios (stories) built around carefully constructed plots based on
trends, towards the balanced thinking about a number of possible alternative futures."
In order to attempt to understand and create future developments and their
implication to education, there is a need to define the future upon which to base
these scenarios. In other words, it is necessary to determine, accept and take into
consideration during the scenario developments a set of concepts/beliefs for the
future society and a set of principals upon which to build the scenarios. It should be
noted that these are mentioned here not only to provide a context to this report, but
because these concepts and principles, should become a part of the discussions and
representations of the education future in general.
4.3.1 Future Society: The SoC network believes that the future society will be
characterized by the following:
Local but under Global conditions Society: Society is changing due to
globalization and the requirement for complex functioning in many diverse and
multiple dimensions. People need to work, develop and seek happiness locally
under a global influence. As a result, there is a demand for a different type of
citizen, which in turn requires a different student in our schools.
Knowing Society: A Society in which the real-time and real-world ability to
continuously track, measure, and interpret (to know) and react to the current state
of phenomena at any scale at any time through data capture and analysis (today
known as “Big Data”). As a result, knowledge becomes the primary source of
economic, social and political power at any scale.
Remixing Competencies: Competencies should continue to be a combination of
knowledge, skills and attitudes, necessary for all individuals for personal fulfillment
and development, active citizenship as well as social connectivity under global
communities. As a result, there is a demand of cultivating the remix of
competences, according to the new needs, where «high order» level of knowledge
should be «creating», of skills should be “collaborating” and of attitudes should be
«respecting» ourselves, others and the environment.
4.3.2 Principles: The SoC network believes that the future scenarios should be
guided by the following:
Principle 1: Any scenario for future education should aim to challenge present
assumptions/beliefs rather than present a predictive model. That is, the aim of
examining the future cannot be simply reduced either into a set of predictions of
what «will happen» or what we «want» or «will make» happen, as though that a
multitude of factors do not intervene or shape our actions. Rather, it is best to
explore future in terms of as though this were beyond the intervention of
individuals (Bell, 1997).
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Principle 2: The future has to be determined within a holistic framework; it cannot
be determined solely by its technologies (Cloud Computing). The majority of
policy-makers, industry representatives and even some researchers have been
solely use a Technological determinism to determine the future. However the
literature strongly supports the notion that social change such as education is the
combined result of technical and social factors (Wertsch, 1991; Latour, 1993;
Deleuze & Guattari, 1988; Woolgar, 2002).
Principle 3: Building future scenarios is a linear process whereby knowledge from
the literature and practical experience, based on the accepted value
system/paradigm, determines the basic principles involved, which in turn is leading
into the formulation of future scenarios that in the end are put into practice by
specific actions.
4.4 Methodological Approach
The formulation of the scenarios followed the well-known and traditional foresight
application. Namely, their design has started with an examination of future needs and
opportunities under various educational conditions based on an extensive
bibliographical work (Koutsopoulos, 2015b) as well as the suggestions of SoC's
participating experts. This extensive examination and analysis resulted in a set of
questionnaires used in foresight exercise, which in turn led to scenarios that were
formulated as appropriate narrations (storytelling) of future educational classroom
conditions, learners’ activities and tools as well as school operation in response to
the use of Cloud Computing.
That is, the SoC methodology consisted of two parts: the foresight exercise and the
scenario development. In terms of the foresight effort it was rested basically on the
application of the Delphi method (the other two methods: the six thinking hat and the
brainstorming were complimentary to Delphi and were used in the scenario
formulation). It was based on a number of questionnaires whose questions were
related to factors considered appropriate to the three major education stakeholders
(Τable 1). The SoC foresight was applied in the following 5-step approach.
LEARNERS TEACHERS MANAGERS
TRENDS TRENDS TRENDS
COMPETENCES/
LABOR NEEDS
COMPETENCES/
LABOR NEEDS
COMPETENCES/
LABOR NEEDS
TECHNOLOGIES TECHNOLOGIES INTERACTION/
COMMUNICATION
Table 1: Factors examined in the questionnaires
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The first step was based on the main findings of the review of the state-of-the-art of
the research in teaching and learning and in ICT, in the form of Cloud Computing.
This review was then complemented by an analysis of the main policy orientations on
Cloud Computing for education in Europe, identifying relevant trends and normative
policy visions. The second step was focused on formulating the set of key uncertain
developments that may drive the future of education, to accomplish that an analysis
of the main trends (societal, technological, educational and innovations) was
conducted. The third step was based on the previous steps. That is, in order to face
the increasing number of challenges in education in Europe, expert knowledge is
required which was solicited in the form of a questionnaire addressed to such
experts. The fourth step, probably the most fundamental to the success of the
foresight was the administration, in two phases, of the questionnaires to the SoC
participants at the foresight workshop. The fifth step that concluded the foresight
effort was the qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses, an assessment
necessary in deriving conclusions for the scenario formulation.
The scenario design adopted as part of the SoC's foresight exercise was: first,
evidence-based, as it builds on the trends emerging from a literature review; second,
expertise-based, as it included the views of experts which by definition are the
participants of the other three WG of SoC (learners, teachers, administrators)
gathered in Palermo Italy in the Expert Workshop; third, interactive, as it incorporates
inputs in person at the workshop; and fourth creative, as it is based on the "creative-
thinking» that came out from the brainstorming activities and the application of the six
thinking hats, following Popper's suggestions (2008).
5. APPLICATION OF THE BRAINSTORMING APPROACH
Brainstorming is a widely applied method, used in groups in order to support creative
problem-solving, the generation of new ideas and greater acceptance of proposed
solutions. Basically, its goal is to reduce inhibitions about generating “wild» ideas and
thus stimulate creativity and innovations. Given that this particular foresight exercise
is focusing in determining different future possibilities and creating new strategies it
was used to generate ideas on the future of education in relation to the development
of Cloud Computing and on creating corresponding scenarios.
The main advantages of this method are:
Fast.
Collaborative.
Cheap.
Well known.
Proven successful technique.
Producing unconventional thinking and solutions.
However, it can be characterized as inadequately underlying thinking, if it used
exclusively and there are no other foresight methods used to support it. And that was
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the reason that in the SoC network foresight it was used together with the six
Thinking Hats approach as an input to the Delphi method.
5.1 Process
The application of the method followed the next steps:
The participants were divided into three groups, in relation to the major education
stakeholders.
For a successful utilization of this method, the task of each relevant group was
exemplified with the use of a persona (a fictitious archetypical representative of
learner, teacher and administrator).
Encourage “out of box» thinking.
The participants of each group were asked to develop a joint statement describing
the stakeholder under consideration. For example, the following issues represent a
good example of describing education:
o Teaching and learning needs.
o Teaching and learning challenges.
o Teaching and learning strategies.
o The role of education stakeholders.
o The role of technology.
o Other possibilities.
Afterwards all the ideas produced by the groups were ranked according to the
participants’ priorities and the results they became the input to the Delphi technique.
5.2 The Brainstorming Persona
In order to show the form and structure of brainstorm personas those suggested for
use in the Soc exercise are presented next. It should be noted that the participants
were members of the three WG's of the SoC network. They were asked to participate
in the brainstorming exercise of SoC because by definition they are aware and have
examined the subjects of SoC and the brainstorming technique. The exercise had
only one question requiring up to three answers (changes),namely: What do you
believe will be the main changes to school education due to Cloud Computing?
Thus the focus of each Working Group (WG) was:
The "Average» grammar or high school student for WG2.
The "Average» grammar or high school teacher for WG3.
The "Average» grammar or high school administrator for WG1.
The "Average grammar or high school leader for WG1.
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The participants stated their opinion in terms of the role of Cloud Computing as it
relates to their learning needs, objectives and strategies in order to enhance the
activities they are good at and improve those that they face difficulties with.
The «average» persona examined by each WG, were:
5.2.1 Average grammar student: Kostis is a 7 year-old grammar school student
who likes to play computer games, to entertain him with play station and play football.
In class he can't sit still, be quite and listen to his teacher. He needs corporal
movement and can be considered hyper-active.
How i teacher will provide education for Kostis in 2025?
This persona can be accessed and used at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itAv2MWWWn8
5.2.2 Average High school student: Sylvia is an excellent high school student who
likes all the school subjects, but she is very good in math and physics as well as
languages. She has a steady boyfriend and likes to travel and read books. In class
she is bored to death, does not socialize with her classmates and she treats students
and teachers in an arrogant way stemming from the fact that she is good in
academics.
How i teacher will provide education for Sylvia in 2025?
This persona can be accessed and used at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifV65YzjOq8
5.2.3 Average teacher: Panos is a 41 year-old high school teacher who loves his
job and he is a very good teacher, for his students admire him, enjoy his lessons and
they are very successful in his subject at the university entrance exams. His major
concern is that the approach he has been using for so many years cannot keep them
interested. On the other hand every year the new students pose less basic skills than
the previous ones.
How will Panos provide education for his students in 2025?
This persona can be accessed and used at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt4WYtG-Iac
5.2.4 Average administrator: Karl is a 53 year-old principal at a high school for the
last 20 years. He is considered very successful for most of his school students pass
the university entrance exams. He is very friendly and accommodating with the
teachers and the parents. He believes in planning of any activities and he wants to
be sure that any innovation will be for the benefit of his students who are his only
concern. The school student either they are indifferent or afraid of him.
How will Karl run his school in 2025?
This persona can be accessed and used at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9D1AuJSWiQ
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5.2.5 Average Leader: Sophie is a 38 year-old education leader who has lots of
creative ideas about education. She is considered very dynamic and a thinker about
the future of education. She is highly motivated and well organized, communicating
online and face-to-face. She believes that education needs to change its
stakeholders and be changed and expresses herself widely to promote and
encourage innovation and change.
How will Sophie persuade others her ideas and opinions are the ways schools should
be run in 2025?
5.3 Application
The results of the discussions of the participants that took place in a workshop in
Porto Portugal and were related to the three first personas have provided a better
understanding of the issue of Cloud based education and has helped constructively
the main SoC foresight effort, the Delphi method.
6. APPLICATION OF THE SIX THINKING HATS APPROACH1
6.1 The Six Hats Technique.
Six Thinking Hats is the proven technique from Edward de Bono, the creative
thinking guru. This technique focus on enhancing the structure of thinking so that
group decision making and idea evaluation can be dramatically improved.
The Six Thinking Hats use parallel thinking as an alternative to (and not a
replacement for) traditional ways of thinking. However, this way of thinking is often
much more productive than adversarial thinking, discussion or debate. There are six
different coloured hats that can be put on or taken off to indicate a mode or strand of
thinking. Only one hat is worn at any one time by the individual or group (in parallel)
allowing more thorough, expansive thinking, increased creativity, and decision-
making.
The Six Thinking Hats is a time-tested, proven, and practical thinking tool. It provides
a framework to help people think clearly and thoroughly by directing their thinking
attention in one direction at a time (white hat facts, green hat creativity, yellow hat
benefits, black hat cautions, red hat feelings and blue hat process).
1 ©All rights reserved – Edward De Bono Foundation
(http://www.edwarddebonofoundation.com )
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It's a simple mental metaphor. Hats are easy to put on and to take off. Each hat is a
different colour which signals the mode of thinking. In a group setting each member
thinks using the same thinking hat, at the same time, on the same thinking
challenge—we call this focused parallel thinking.
During each critical thinking discussion meeting the facilitator determines which hat
should be worn in any specific part of the discussion and at the end of the discussion
session stakeholders should have a better understanding of the problem from
different approaches and thus reach creative and innovative solutions. The
hats(types of thinking) used in the SoC foresight exercise were the following:
Blue Hat: This is the process control plan where the meeting leaders manage
difficulties during the discussions. It makes sure that the guidelines of the six
thinking Hat process are applied. This is used to drive the thinking process to
better routes.
White Hat: This Hat represents the facts and the information available about the
problem or the argument. While the group was dressing the White Hat, information
and data about the object of the exercise are collected.
Yellow Hat: In contrast to the black Hat, the yellow Hat supposes to reflect the
sun or an optimistic attitude. The stakeholders think from an optimistic point of
view about the problem or suggestion. It helps to spotlight the advantages and
benefits of the suggestions. So the trainer motivated the groups in find the positive
aspects of the subject under examination.
Black Hat: Wearing the black Hat drives participants to think about the problem or
suggestion cautiously and defensively. The aim of this part is to identify the cons
of the suggestion and the disadvantages and why the suggestion may not work
based on logical reasons. The question asked during the discussion are “what are
the risks?” and “why is the suggestion not working?”
Red Hat: This emotion Hat presents the stakeholders feelings about the problem
and their gut reactions toward it. The target of using this Hat is to understand the
different emotional reactions such as love, hate, like and dislike. The red Hat does
not aim to understand the reason behind these feelings. The questions asked
during this part are “what do you feel about the application of concept?” and “what
is your gut reaction toward that?”
Green Hat: This represents the creative thinking part of the discussion. During the
critical thinking discussion, this Hat fuels the stakeholders’ thinking to a more
innovative thinking creative solution for the problems or look to the suggestions
from a creative perspective.
Finally, the overall benefits of The Six Thinking Hats approach are:
Better, more productive thinking and ideas.
Improved communication, collaboration and understanding.
Increased levels of creative thinking and fresh ideas.
Shorter, more productive and effective meetings.
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6.2 Objectives
The Six Thinking Hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps
people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved. Essentially, the method
is easily accessible, succinct, well-structured and easy to follow. As a result, it has
been a very interesting experiencing for the School on the Cloud partners, because
the application workshop ensured them a round view of the analysis of Cloud
systems and their future scenarios. Generally speaking the Six Thinking Hats helped
them to:
Look at problems, decisions, and opportunities systematically.
Use Parallel Thinking as a group or team to generate more and better ideas as
well as solutions.
Make meetings much shorter and more productive.
Reduce conflict among team members or meeting participants.
Stimulate innovation by generating more and better ideas quickly.
Create dynamic, results oriented meetings that make people want to participate.
Go beyond the obvious to discover effective alternate solutions.
Spot opportunities where others see only problems.
Think clearly and objectively.
View problems from new and unusual angles.
Make thorough evaluations.
See all sides of a situation.
Keep egos and "turf protection» in check.
Achieve significant and meaningful results.
The SoC workshop was focused on the two major of the points mentioned above.
Namely, how to stimulate innovation by generating more and better ideas as well as
see all sides of the situation related to the future application of Cloud systems in
education.
6.3 The Process.
6.3.1 General: The workshop on the Six Thinking Hats was applied to the three
different SoC Working Groups (i Learner, i Teacher, i Manager). In addition, each
workshop started with the division of each group into three sub-groups. At the
beginning of each workshop the trainer asked each sub-group to build the
“educational centre of the future”, imagining on how it could be or have to be in the
future. They had to realise it using recycling materials that the trainer gave them.
Then, the participant of each subgroup had to explain to each other how they built
their educational centre of the future and how they would image it. Finally, the
process through the Six Thinking Hats has started where there was only one main
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question to be analysed and related to the interest of the WGs, namely: What is the
role of manager/teacher/learner working in a Cloud based education?
It should be noted that the trainer was "wearing» the Blue Hat, which stands for
process control, for all the workshop duration, in order to manage the group dynamic
and guide them through the six Hats.
As for the choice of Hat sequence there is no single correct six Hats sequence. The
sequence can vary with the subject and with the group. A decision is made on the
sequence and then it is used. The blue Hat wearer usually manages the thinking
process based on a previously agreed or decided on the spot sequence.
6.3.2 The Use of the Tool: The first question to be asked in the application of the
technique is: How and When to use the Imaginary Thinking Hats? For the SoC
exercise it was decided to use the systematic use. In this approach the Hats were
used in a sequence, one after the other, in order to explore the subject thoroughly.
Each Hat may be used as many times as required in the sequence, but at the same
time not all Hats need to be used. The systematic use was utilized in the SoC
exercise because of the following circumstances:
Those taking part in the thinking process had strongly held and different views.
There was a rambling discussion that was not getting anywhere.
The subject of cloud based education needed to be discussed thoroughly.
6.3.3. The Idea Generation: In the SoC effort, for the idea generation process they
were followed both the Conversational and Meeting uses.
The benefits of Conversational use are:
Creates structure in important conversations.
Allows all sides to be heard.
Helps more easily to different type of thinking when stuck in a conversation rut.
In conversation, one of the most frequent uses of hats is simply asking a person to
switch from one hat to another. This will help to view all sides of a topic in
conversation.
Meeting Use.
The benefits of Meeting use are:
Provides a road map for a thinking agenda.
Promotes robust, full-coloured thinking.
Reduce meeting time by up to 50%.
Ensures all meeting attendees participate.
Promotes teamwork and respect for individuals.
Rules to be follow:
o Using the designated hat (everyone makes an attempt to use the hat has been
designated).
o Encouraging all to participate.
o Blue Hat prompting.
o Only the blue hat interrupts.
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o Directions, not descriptions (the hats are not a description of what is
happening but a direction for thinking behaviour).
o Handling conflicts (In meetings, there should be no disagreements during the
use of the hats).
6.4 Application of Six Thinking Hats.
This technique was applied as part of the SoC Foresight exercises (all the rights are
protected by the Copyright and reserved to the Edward de Bono Foundation), to
complement the Delphi method in probing educational scenarios related to the Cloud
based education. It was accomplished in the following steps:
6.4.1 First step: The process started by providing the participants with basic
information about:
How the method is structured and used as well as the use and purpose of the
different hats.
The fundamental issues in using the “Six thinking hats” method in learning about
education in future.
6.4.2 Second step: This was the most important part of the method's application. It
was concerned with going through decisions from different perspectives, namely
applying the thinking processes expressed by the different Hats:
White hat: The members of all Working Groups of the
SoC were first asked to put on their white Hats and
define cloud based education in the future. In this Hat
participants were asked: What we know about Cloud
computing? What is it? That is, in this ‘Hat’ the members
discussed what they know, what they do not know and
what they want to find out. During the application
information and data about cloud computing has been
collected. At the conclusion of the participants'
discussion, the instructor used case studies in education
to explain the method and the results.
Yellow Hat: The yellow Hat was used to bring out the
advantages and benefits of Cloud based education in the
future. That is, in this ‘Hat’ the participants were
expected to produce ideas and expectations about Cloud
based education in future. So the trainer motivated the
groups in finding the positive aspects of Cloud based
education. It should be noted that the application of the
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Yellow Hat is a very difficult task, because many
participants may be critical and not objective.
Black Hat: When the participants put on their black
Hats, the disadvantages of cloud based education in
future were discussed. As a result, in this ‘Hat’
statements were generated related to such issues as the
feasibility, the funding etc… of the future plans or of
various courses of action. That is, the participants were
asked for these plans and actions: what are the
weaknesses? What might go wrong with them? So that
no fatal flaw and risk can surface before anyone
embarks on them.
Red Hat: In the red hat activity the participants were
asked to discuss what they would do as well as think
what they might do to improve the cloud based
educational system. By asking a participant “what do you
feel about the application of cloud based
education?” and “what is your gut reaction toward cloud
computing? An opportunity for discussion was provided.
Green Hat: This Hat was focused on creativity and, as a
result, the participants consider whether they should
change the design of their new ideas concerning cloud
based education.
Blue Hat: The Blue Hat stands for process control. This
is the Hat worn by people chairing meetings. When
running into difficulties, because ideas are running dry,
they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When
contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black
Hat thinking, etc. In the case of cloud based education
this hat proved to be the most beneficial
6.4.3 Third step: Finally the results of the “six thinking Hats” application were
presented. That is, each working group shared their findings and then discussed their
group activities with the rest of the other teams.
In general, the groups in each session had the chance to develop new ideas and
think about future scenarios of cloud based education. So the chairman clarified to
the groups that being creative does not mean to be an artist, but being able to create
new ideas! (See picture 1)
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Picture 1: iTeacher working group Six Thinking Hats method
6.5. The Results.
The application of this technique focusing on the thinking processes expressed by
the different Hats provided the following for each hat results.
6.5.1 White Hat: With this thinking Hat, the focused was on the data available. That
is, participants examined the information available about Cloud based education and
determined what they could learn from it. This is where they analysed past trends
and tried to extrapolate from historical data. The following facts and information of the
problem were available:
Process of education.
Tool to organize learning objectives and information.
Availability of data for personal and staff purposes and school infrastructure.
Know the budget needed.
New projects and school networks.
Information for administrative issues and local community.
No rules and regulations.
Know education process, learning and teaching.
Know how to organise information.
Know the students, team, parents etc.
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Be open minded, flexible.
Be connected – networking.
Keep costs low.
Sharing.
Design the programme my pupils need (identity-based).
Facilitate open data.
Judgements and predictions based on data.
Enable the flow of information.
Connect external and internal data.
Monitoring and maintenance of information.
Filter and share information.
Measurement, indicators - provision of responsibility for information.
6.5.2 Red Hat: «Wearing» the red Hat, the three groups looked at intuition, gut
reaction, and emotion. Also they tried to think how other people will react emotionally.
In addition they tried to understand the responses of people who do not fully know
their reasoning. The emotions and feelings about the Cloud based education and
their gut reactions toward it were:
Successful.
Efficient.
Useful.
Effective.
Linked/connected.
Satisfactory.
Open-minded.
Adventurous.
“Hero”.
Happy.
Effective.
Excitement.
Playful.
Interested.
Frustrated.
Angry.
Not satisfied.
Realistic.
Under-achieved.
Under-control.
Frightened.
Challenged.
Feared.
Frustrated.
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6.5.3 Black Hat: Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans «tougher» and more
resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a
course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as
many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see
problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties. In terms of
cloud computing in education the following negative aspects were considered:
Budget constraints/ mismanagement, lack of resources and (initial) finance.
Lack of competences (e.g. collaboration, workload).
Lack of motivation.
Rigid application of rules, regulations.
Safety, ethical issues.
Digital divide (groups), exclusion.
Stuck in a virtual world.
Loss of Control, privacy problems, data not safe.
Non-flexible role.
Economic issues.
Opposition of teachers, policy makers.
Barrier between teachers and learners.
Unsustainable projects.
No leadership from the top (policy).
6.5.4 Yellow Hat: The yellow Hat helped the participants to think positively about
Cloud computing. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helped them to see all the benefits
of the decisions and the value in them. Yellow Hat thinking helps to keep going when
everything looks gloomy and difficult. The positive aspects of cloud based education
were:
Open minded.
Flexibility/instant-contemporary use/ accessibility.
Connection /networking /sharing.
Cost reduction, benefits over costs more, efficiency.
Transparency.
Learning analytics (meta-data).
Provide materials in easy way/learning many different things.
Information flow (admin-schools).
Sharing ideas, good practises.
More engagement/cooperative/coordination/knowledge.
Interdisciplinary, positive praxis, interactive, adaptive.
To know how to curate information.
Responsive teachers and personalised learning.
Make life easier, provide solutions.
Empowerment of learners.
Provide new knowledge.
Change the management vision.
Coordinate stakeholders.
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New methods of control.
Changing paradigms - new technologies.
Teach the teacher - adapt the education system.
Find support/finance.
6.5.5 Green Hat: The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where participants
develop creative solutions to issue of Cloud based education. It was a freewheeling
way of thinking, in which there was little criticism of ideas. New ideas, alternatives,
possibilities were generated by the participants, as well as many solutions to 'Black
Hat' problems.
6.5.6 Blue Hat: The Blue Hat represents management of difficulties. The exercise
started and ended in each session with the Blue Hat. The Blue Hat can be thought of
as bookends. At the beginning, the blue hat determined the focus and sequence of
Hats; at the end the Blue Hat summarised the thinking and planed the next steps.
A summary of the results of the application of the Six Thinking Hats technique that
took place in the second SoC annual conference at Palermo Italy and run by the
CESIE institute, included three groups of participants, is shown in Table 2
HATS GROUPS
WHITE HAT INFORMATION
RED HAT EMOTIONS
BLACK HAT BARRIERS
YELLOW HAT OPTIMISTIC
GREEN HAT CREATIVITY
GROUP 1
data for personal, staff
data for their purposes
data for school infrastructure
budget projects and school networks
information for administrative issues and local community
satisfaction
control
exciting
adventure
open-minded
“hero» happy
safety, ethical issues
telecom problems
digital divide (groups)
stuck in a virtual world
economic issues
control
exclusion
reduce costs
transparency
learning analytics (meta-data)
provide materials in easy way
information flow (admin-schools)
sharing ideas, good practice
coordination
learning many different things
more engagement
interdisciplinary
cooperative
connectivity
not schools - education
differentiation
inclusion
exclusion
give opportunity for teachers to stand out as creators
changes (out of stereotype)
flexibility
GROUP 2
know regulations
know education process, learning and teaching
know how to organise information
know my students, team, parents etc.
be open minded,
successful
efficient
useful
effective
linked/connected
frustrated/angry
not satisfied
realistic
workload
budget mismanagement
lack of competences (e.g. collaboration
lack of motivation
rigid
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flexible
connected - networking
keep costs low
sharing
design the programme my pupils need (identity-based)
underachiever
application of rules/regulations -
non-flexible role
GROUP 3
INFORMATION- ROLE
facilitate open data
judgments based on dats
enable the flow of information
connect external and internal data
monitoring and maintenance of information
filter and share information
predictions based on data
measurement, indicators provision of
responsibility for information
Feelings
frightened, challenged,
excitement, fear, frustration,
satisfaction, playful, angry,
happy, interested
CRITICAL JUDGEMENT
data not safe
loss of control
opposition of teachers, policy makers
barrier between teachers and learners
unsustainable projects
lack of resources and (initial) finance
no leadership from the top (policy)
benefits
instant
more knowledge for all
contemporary
accessible
sharing
responsive teachers
makes life easier
provides solutions
personalized
interactive, adaptive
benefits over costs
cheaper, more efficient, positive praxis
creativity
empowerment providing new knowledge
changes lead, manage
vision coordinate stakeholders
new methods - control, direct
changing paradigms new technologies
teach the teacher adapt the education system
find support/finance
Table 2: Results of the Six Thinking Hats Application
6.6 Possible Future Scenarios.
In the application of the Six Thinking Hats technique, the groups had the chance to
develop new ideas and think about future scenarios of Cloud based education
(Picture 2). The trainer clarified to the groups that being creative does not mean to be
an artist but being able to create new ideas!
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Picture 2: Possible Future Scenarios.
Based on the previously discussed application the following series of future scenarios
by the participants of all the groups and related to the Cloud based education were
developed.
Empower people with confidence/interaction/solving problems.
Give team’s self-management and leadership.
Connect people and create flexibility.
Create new role model, shift (changing) paradigms.
Meet the needs of other users (in terms of data / information literacy).
Adapt technology to education aims.
It should be the short term investment of money to buy up property or upgrade
computers and books.
Connectivity/changes (out of stereotypes).
Not schools – education.
Give opportunity for teachers to stand out as creators.
Educate people to work with the Cloud.
Have an EU policy approach.
Focus on the de-industrialisation of education.
Need intelligent leadership - intelligent management based on information brought
to leaders and managers by the Cloud.
Evolutionary thinking will be adopted - adaptation to the Cloud.
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Have to co-create vision (i.e. involve all stakeholders).
Need to have clear indicators of success - what data is required and how
presented?
Need data literacy skills for managers and leaders.
Must create an information platform - sharing data with others so that (good)
decisions can be made.
Helping people make use of the information will be vital.
Breaking the barrier between real-life and school life.
Flexible and co-created leadership.
Collaborated school organisation - connected also to the external (real) world.
Build community of leaders.
Imply leaders as learners.
A single platform for managers/leaders - with all data needs supplied.
Leaders/managers given the freedom to express themselves.
Important is getting rid of “classes” - need a good mix of approaches.
Differentiation, inclusion/exclusion, flexibility.
6.7 Concluding Remarks
The main conclusion of the Six Thinking Hats in terms of Cloud Computing and
education was that: there should not be followers of an approach, but followers of the
changing process that allows people to have access to different information and to
manage such information at different levels and for different objectives and results. It
should be noted that the processes, the results and the conclusions of the Six
Thinking Hats technique have provided powerful insights, which helped tremendously
the main SoC foresight Delphi method.
7. APPLICATION OF THE DELPHI METHOD
7.1 Delphi Definition and Historical Background
Delphi, the most popular and widely accepted method used in foresight and other
futures studies (Hsu & Sandford, 2007; Torres, 2005), is a qualitative research
method with quantitative elements that belongs to the subjective-intuitive methods of
foresight. It relies on the judgment of a panel of experts about emerging trends and
future developments in a given field for which there is limited information (Rowe &
Wright, 1999). The method systematically combines expert and tacit knowledge, to
(hopefully) arrive at an informed group consensus about the likely occurrence of
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future events (Stag, 1983). It is “an adaptable research technique employed as an
iterative and interactive process» (Skulmoski, Hartman, & Krahn, 2007), which is
conducted in two or more rounds through the development and administration of a
series of carefully designed, sequential questionnaires.
In the first round of the Delphi process, experts anonymously complete an open-
ended questionnaire, where they indicate their views of likelihood of certain
developments taking place. This initial survey round aims at the generation of ideas
and/or brainstorming (Skulmoski et al., 2007). Experts’ views are then collated and
fed back to panel members for further comment. Participants are encouraged to
reflect on the responses provided by their peers, as well as their own answers and, if
applicable, to modify or refine their initial judgments based upon the collective views
of the group (Mitroff & Turoff, 2002). Typically they are asked to expand, detail or
rank their responses. The process can be repeated a number of times before final
results are collected. In all rounds of the Delphi study, some degree of anonymity is
maintained through reliance on written responses. Although participants interact and
cooperate among each other throughout the study by reassessing their own previous
iterations (Linstone & Turoff, 2011), this is done anonymously in order to minimize
the influence of group dynamics (Guzys et al., 2015). A central working group carries
out the whole Delphi process.
The Delphi technique is intended to provide a general group perspective on the
future rather than a sharp picture. It is based upon the assumption that, despite being
uncertain, the future can be approximated by individuals whose experience and
knowledge enables them to make informed judgments about future contingencies.
Delphi aims at digging out new and fresh viewpoints and ideas from experts, and at
making experts reflect and comment on those ideas for future development. It is built
upon the premise that forecasts (or decisions) from a structured group of
knowledgeable individuals are of richer quality than those the limited views of
individuals or unstructured groups.
Delphi was developed at the beginning of the Cold War in the USA by Project RAND
to forecast the impact of technology on warfare. It took its name from the legend of
the Oracle at Delphi in ancient Greece, which implies "something oracular, something
smacking a little of the occult” (Dalkey, 1968 in Adler & Ziglio, 1996, p.5). Kaplan,
Skogstad, and Girshick (1950) referred to the 'principle of the oracle' as “a 'non-
falsifiable prediction', a statement that does not have the property of being 'true' or
'false’”(p. 94). Many similar studies were patterned after the RAND study. First
applications of Delphi were in the field of science and technology forecasting. The
objective was to combine expert opinions on likelihood and expected development
time, of the particular technology, in a single indicator. Later, the Delphi method was
successfully applied, with various modifications and reformulations, in other areas,
especially related to public policy issues (e.g. economic trends, health), and to
business forecasting. The Delphi method has also been used as a tool to implement
multi-stakeholder approaches for participative policy-making in developing countries.
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In educational settings, it has been used since the early years following its inception
(e.g. Clarke & Coutts, 1970; Cyphert & Gant, 1970) and continues to be widely used.
For example, the New Media Consortium, for example, uses the Delphi method to
uncover trends and set priorities regarding ICT in education (Johnson et al., 2016).
Traditionally, Delphi aimed at a consensus of the most probable future by iteration. In
modern applications of Delphi, the main aim is not necessarily to gain a consensus,
but to find/create well-grounded ideas and views of possible future states of the topic
under study. Modern Delphi’s pay special attention to divergent views so that as
many relevant ideas, factors, trends etc. can be considered in decision-making
(Nworie, 2011).
Delphi is flexible enough to be applied in a variety of situations and to a wide range of
complex problems for which there is often no other suitable means of analysis, being
particularly useful for long-range forecasting where expert opinions are the only
available source of information (Stevenson, 2010). It can be used to evaluate the
spread of opinion as well as consensus points (Linstone & Turoff, 1975). The iterative
approach followed is conducive to independent thinking and gradual formulation of
reliable judgments or forecasting of results. Experts’ judgment generates information
usable by all the stakeholders involved, including policy makers. It allows analyses,
rankings, and priority-setting, thus making longer-term thinking and decision-making
possible. Finally, the technique can be easily enhanced by the use of other foresight
approaches, which may act as a supplement and input to the Delphi method itself
(Stevenson, 2010).
7.2 SoC Foresight Procedure.
The results of a comprehensive literature review on the state-of-the art related to the
Cloud and its educational applications, as well as the results of the Working Group
meetings, and the discussions among the partners helped formulate the form and
structure of the SoC Delphi application.
The application of the Delphi method for the needs of SoC followed the steps
mentioned in the previous section, which in essence are also those suggested by the
IPTS of the European Commission (2009). More specifically, the major actions were
as follows:
7.2.1 Definition of the Procedure: All the actions of the procedures that were
followed were arranged in advance in a meeting of the WG 4 in Paris. Among them
the most important were the following:
Determine the time horizon of the study (it was decided to be 2025).
Logistics (choices from the place of the meeting to the number of the groups of
experts).
Designing the questionnaire and the factors to be included.
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Determining the feedback process between rounds.
7.2.2 Formulation of the Statement: Although the task to structure the project and
to formulate its topics were determined in the accepted proposal of the SoC,
nevertheless the steering committee is constantly examining, evaluating and
adjusting them to meet the existing conditions.
7.2.3 Formulation of the Questions: The goals and objectives of the foresight
exercise determine the nature and structure of the questionnaire. To put this principle
into effect the questions were clearly defined to reflect and match the SoC's goals
and objectives. That is, criteria on the basis of which statements can be judged as
well as the assessment of the validity of each round and answers were established.
7.2.4 Selection of the Panel of Experts: The Delphi method represents an expert
based iterative approach which in order to maintain its credibility requires, among
others, that the experts:
Should be recruited using well defined criteria.
Willing to participate for the duration of the exercise.
Understand completely the purpose of the inquiry.
The steering committee of SoC, at the suggestion of WG 4, decided to utilize the
participants of the three other WGs (i learners, i teachers and i administrators) as the
experts for their corresponding WG objective. These participants by the simple fact
that they have chosen their WG indicate that they have the experience, the interest,
the knowledge and the wiliness to be such experts.
7.2.5 Administration of the Questionnaire: The need for consistency, comparability
and validity, requires that the procedure and the other rules have to be understood
and applied as well as administer and manage the questionnaires in the same way.
For that reason verbal and written instruction were given to those in charge of the
foresight groups. In addition, it was decided the process to have the following steps:
First round of questionnaire answering.
First round analysis.
Revision of questionnaire questions.
Second round of questionnaire answering.
Second round analysis.
Stop when stable consensus are achieved.
7.2.6 Analysis of Responses: The SoC foresight method, due to the nature of the
subject studied was qualitative in nature, and therefore a qualitative assessment was
necessary.
7.2.7 Presentation of the Results: Given that the goals and objectives of SoC are
basically qualitative, the presentations of the foresight results naturally were
qualitative. As a result, as it is in the case of qualitative methods, the determining
factors were opinions, judgments and beliefs. Given, however that these forms are
difficult to attain, simplified indicators of these factors were used in the process.
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7.2.8 Output: The output of a Delphi exercise has the form of a report accompanied
with tables. However, the same results with further analysis and from a different point
of view can be presented in other ways.
7.3 Questionnaires' Application
At each phase, three types of questionnaires were developed and administered – to
experts on learning, teaching, and administrating institutions.
7.3.1 First Round: Round one for all practical purposes leads to round two in any
traditional Delphi application. That is, given the results of the applications of the
brainstorming and Six Hats methods there is no need for an initial first round in the
form of an open-ended questionnaire. As a result, SoC's round one is focused on
getting qualitative information from experts represented by the three groups of WGs
participants: i-Learners, i- Teachers, i- Managers using a "close" questionnaire. Each
designed questionnaire contained four questions permitting the respondents a
maximum of three responses to each question, in order for the questionnaire
administration process to be manageable. The first round questionnaires for each
group were the following:
i-Learner Questionnaire
Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
Which of the following key competences do you consider the most important and why?
1. Personalized learning 1. Data Management and information
2. Internet access 2. Collaboration
3. Digital classroom 3. Privacy awareness
Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
Which of the following technologies do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Health Issues 1. Free, Open-source Software
2. Digital and collaborative competence 2. Mobile Devices
3. Critical Thinking 3. Smart Technologies
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i-Teacher Questionnaire
Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Meaningful individualized learning 1. Greater participation Collaboration –
cooperation
2. Improvement of web-based IT for learning
2. Teachers' training
3. Digital support for learners 3. ICT infrastructure and security
Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why?
Which Technologies do you consider to be the most important?
1. Multidisciplinary teachers 1. Learning Analytics tools
2. Teachers as facilitators, inspirers and student guides
2. Virtual reality & Artificial Intelligence
3. Provision of personalized learning 3. Open-source software and data
i-Manager Questionnaire (WG1)
Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Universal 1. New vision, removing barriers between
teachers and students
2. Equal opportunities 2. Finances/cost
3. Educational content - new teaching - learning methods
3. Greater participation
Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why?
Which Interaction/Communication do you consider to be the most important?
1. Management abilities - change management
1. Communicate - proactive and reactive
2. General technological and pedagogical background
2. Use of technology
3. Communication - collaboration - negotiation abilities
3. Collaborative school organizations
By the end of the first round (respondents answering the above questions), the
administrator of the questionnaire compiled all of them into a list of discreet and
distinguishable answers and ranked them by the number of respondents that have
given these answers. the administrator then used the qualitative information extracted
from round one(all the answers to each question are shown in appendix 1). to
prepare questionnaires for round two. In the second round the respondents were
asked to identify the most important from the top three answers of the previously
compiled list.
7.3.2 Second Round: The following three questionnaires were administered to the
corresponding experts on the second round (all the answers to each question are
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shown in appendix 2). Each questionnaire contained four questions. In each
question, respondents had three options from which they had to select one and to
explain their choice.
The following were the questions the three most preferred answers:
i-Learner Questionnaire o Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
1. Personalized learning 2. Internet access 3. Digital classroom
o Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why? 1. Health Issues 2. Digital and collaborative competence 3. Critical Thinking
o Which of the following key competences do you consider the most important and why? 1. Data Management and information 2. Collaboration 3. Privacy awareness
o Which of the following technologies do you consider to be the most important and why? 1. Free, Open-source Software 2. Mobile Devices
3. Smart Technologies
i-Manager Questionnaire o Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
1. Universal 2. Equal opportunities 3. Educational content - new teaching - learning methods
o Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. New vision, removing barriers between teachers and students 2. Finances/cost 3. Greater participation
o Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why? 1. Management abilities - change management 2. General technological and pedagogical background 3. Communication - collaboration - negotiation abilities
o Which Interaction/Communication do you consider to be the most important? 1. Communicate - proactive and reactive 2. Use of technology
3. Collaborative school organizations
i-Teacher Questionnaire o Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
1. Meaningful individualized learning 2. Improvement of web-based IT for learning 3. Digital support for learners
o Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Greater participation Collaboration – cooperation 2. Teachers' training 3. ICT infrastructure and security
o Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why? 1. Multidisciplinary teachers 2. Teachers as facilitators, inspirers and student guides 3. Provision of personalized learning
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o Which Technologies do you consider to be the most important? 1. Learning Analytics tools 2. Virtual reality & Artificial Intelligence
3. Open-source software and data
At the end of the second round there was a practical consensus as to what were the
most of important future conditions, concerning the three major education
stakeholders in the event of Cloud computing and related to the factors. As a result,
the data were available to contemplate in a qualitative manner what actions
stakeholders should take to benefit maximally from Cloud Computing, while avoiding
its potential pitfalls and thus open the way to determine the scenarios. All the
answers to all the questions of the SoC Delphi exercise are presented in the
Appendix and are analyzed next.
7.4 Analytical Presentations of the Result
7.4.1 Round One: In this section, we provide an overview of the study findings from
the first round of the Delphi process, based on an analysis of the responses provided
by the three groups of experts (i-Learners, i- Teachers, and i- Managers) participating
in the study:
i Learner Questionnaire
Table 3 summarizes participants’ responses to f the i_Learner question: "What trends
do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in which European
educational institutions approach learning using Cloud Computing by 2025?"
Trend expected to have a significant impact Frequency
Internet Access 7
Personalized Learning 7
Digital Classroom 6
Shift to competence education 1
Multiculturality and mobility of learners 1
Reinforcing critical thinking 1
Lifelong learning using digital resources 1
Table 3: Distribution of i Learner experts’ responses to LQ1
As shown in Table 3, the major trends that were mentioned most often by the
participants as being expected to have a significant impact on the ways in which
European educational institutions approach learning using Cloud Computing by 2025
were the following:
Internet Access (n=7): It is expected that by 2025, there will be much higher
«accessibility/affordability of the internet», leading to «permanent connectivity»,
and to «open access to the fast internet» for all. There will also be ubiquity of
technology through the development of «the internet of things».
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Personalized Learning (n=7): The experts are expecting advances in technology
to lead to less standardization and to personalization of learning, «allowing
students to learn at their own pace, any time and everywhere».
Digital Classroom (n=6): A future classroom is envisioned in which «everything
will be digital», and learning will be occurring «with cloud support», through
utilizing «free and open source» learning resources, «game-based learning» tools,
and «collaboration tools -apps enabling direct contact of learners and teachers».
Individual experts (n=1) also mentioned the following as being trends expected
to have a main impact on how European educational institutions approach learning
using Cloud Computing by 2025: Shift to Competence Education, Multiculturality
and Mobility of Learners, Reinforcing Critical Thinking, and Lifelong Learning using
Digital Resources.
In the second question: «What do you see as the key challenges related to
learning using Cloud Computing that European educational institutions will face by
2025?» panelists had to point out the key challenges related to learning using
Cloud Computing in the European educational institutions by 2025. Several
challenges emerged (see Table 4):
Key Expected Challenge Frequency
Digital and collaborative competence 9
Health Issues 5
Critical Thinking 5
Teacher Education and Teacher Role 3
Free time vs. time for learning/working balance 3
Digital Inequality 2
Decreased social competence 2
Table 4: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LQ2
The following key challenges were noted by several panelists:
Digital and collaborative competence (n=9): Experts pointed out that
educational institutions ought to find ways to help learners develop «collaborative
competences» as well as competences in how to «select reliable resources», and
to «handle big data» by «extracting, selecting important data /information».
Critical thinking (n=5): Several experts noted the need for educational
institutions to put emphasis on «reinforcing critical thinking» in learners, pointing
out that this will a vital competence to be acquired in order for future citizens to be
able to successfully function in information based society.
Health Issues (n=5): Health problems resulting from excessive «sitting in front of
the computer», and/or from exposure to «Wi-Fi and 3/4/5G radiations» are
expected to become a major challenge in forthcoming years.
Teacher Education and Teacher Role (n=3): Some experts mentioned the need
for providing «adequate education to all teachers», in order for them to be able to
adopt «new didactic approaches» that will «keep learners motivated to learn».
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Free time vs. time for learning balance (n=3): In a world where lifelong learning
will be a necessity and «time spent on learning» ever increasing, and which «work
will never stop», finding a balance between free time vs. time spent studying
and/or working will be a main challenge.
Digital Inequality (n=2): A couple of experts mentioned digital inequality, pointing
out that in the future the main challenge will not be «access [to technology] but
quality of use».
Decreased Social Competences (n=2): Two of the experts expressed their fear
that «increased digital competence might reduce social competence».
Table 5 summarizes responses to the third question «What do you see as the key
competences/labor market needs that learning using Cloud Computing in European
educational institutions have to provide by 2025? » The panelists had to point out
what they consider as key competences/labor market needs that learning using
Cloud Computing in European educational institutions ought to provide by 2025.
Key Competencies Frequency
Data management and information 8
Collaboration 4
Privacy Awareness 4
Lifelong learning & ability to adapt to new technologies 1
Flexibility 1
Cultural dimension of media use: acquire cultural media competence 1
Keeping a sustainable work-life balance (for a working lifespan > 40
yrs.) 1
Be able to develop own learning path 1
Critical thinking 1
Table 5: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LQ3
The following key competences/labor markets were noted by several panelists:
Data management and information: Instruction should provide learners with the
skills and competences required to manage big data, «judge reliability of
resources», and «recognize / search for relevant information».
Collaboration: Future citizens have to acquire the «openness and willingness» to
cooperate with others. Thus, they ought to develop strong social skills for
interacting both face-to-face and online.
Privacy Awareness: Learners ought to develop awareness of challenges of data
privacy and security, and to «acquire a reflexive/ critical media competence».
Individual panelists (n=1) pointed to the following key competences/labor market
needs: Flexibility, Cultural media competence, Keeping a sustainable work-life
balance (for a working lifespan > 40 yrs.), Being able to develop own learning
paths, and Critical thinking.
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The results of the fourth question: «Which technologies will be the most important to
learning in European educational institutions by 2025? » are shown in Table 6. The
i_Learner panelists identified several technologies as being the most important to
learning in European educational institutions by 2025.
Technology Frequency
Mobile Devices 8
Free, open source software 5
Smart technologies 4
Free internet everywhere 2
Increased capabilities of reliable communication - translating from
speech to text, between languages,... 1
Learning Analytics 1
Augmented reality (for learning outdoor) 1
Technology should dealing with huge amount of data 1
ICTs with universal design 1
Table 6: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LQ4
The technologies mentioned most frequently by i_Learner experts were:
Mobile Devices (n=8),
Free, open source software (n=5)
Smart technologies (n=4).
i Teacher Questionnaire:
Table 7 summarizes the patterns of i_Teacher panelists’ responses to the first
question “What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in
which European educational institutions, approach learning using Cloud Computing
by 2025?". Their responses pointed out the trends that they expected to have a
significant impact on the ways in which European educational institutions will
approach learning using Cloud Computing by 2025.
Trend expected to have a significant impact Frequency
Improvement of web-based IT for learning 7
Meaningful individualized learning 6
Digital Support for Learners 4
Moving towards bilingual and trilingual schools 1
Collaboration between primary, secondary education and
universities
1
Reshaping organization including physical spaces 1
Digital accreditation (badges) 1
Table 7: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TQ1
The main trends identified by i_Teacher experts were the following:
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Improvement of web-based IT for learning (n=7): i_Teacher experts expect
further development and use of institutional platforms and networks that will «allow
students, teachers and parents to access online resources (textbooks, online
lessons and resources, etc.) and will enable the creation of real educational based
internet communities». They also expect «virtualization of the management of the
educational structures», and project that IT infrastructures and devices employed
by educational institutions will be more simplified than they currently are and that
there will be «large broadband for all without any problems».
Meaningful individualized learning (n=6): Similarly to i_learner panelists,
i_Teacher panelists also consider personalized learning to be a major trend for the
next decade. They expect «individualization in education 1:1» and adaptable,
«data-driven learning tailored to each individual student's needs». Students will be
self-learning, with «learning occurring beyond the confines of a school classroom
at one's own pace and convenience». There will be «convergence between
students' everyday life, interests, activities and school-based education».
Digital Support for Learners (n=4): According to some participants, there will be
more digital support for learners, provided through tools such as «Intelligent
tutoring systems», «videos instead of texting», and «augmented reality».
Individuals (n=1): Some individual i_Teacher experts suggested the following: the
education system will move towards bilingual and trilingual schools; there is a
need for collaboration between primary, secondary education and universities; the
educational organization should include physical spaces; and Digital accreditation
(badges) must be instituted.
i_Teacher experts’ asked the question: “What do you see as the key challenges
related to learning using Cloud Computing that European educational institutions will
face by 2025?". According to i_Teacher experts, key challenges related to learning
using Cloud Computing to be faced by European educational institutions by 2025
include the following (see Table 8):
Expected Key Challenges Frequency
Collaboration-cooperation 3
ICT Infrastructure and Security 3
Teachers’ training 3
Multicultural Schools 2
Accessibility internet 1
Connecting school-based and higher education to actual vocational
needs
1
Competence-based learning 1
Classroom management 1
Personalized learning 1
Data analytics 1
Empowering students 1 Table 8: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TQ2
The main trends identified by i_Teacher experts were the following:
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Collaboration-cooperation (n=3): It will be essential for educational institutions
to adopt cultures that promote «a much more collaborative and cooperative role»
for teachers, viewing them «as team members».
ICT Infrastructure and Security (n=3): It will be challenging for educational
institutions to build «reliable infrastructures: broadband connection, tablets, smart
boards, etc. », and to take precautions and to inform regarding «cyber protection
of children and data misuse».
Teachers’ training (n=3): To be able to successfully tackle future challenges
facing education, teachers will need to be provided with high quality pre-service
and in-service training.
Multicultural schools (n=2): Students’ training «in areas where there are
multicultural communities» will also be a challenge facing several educational
institutions.
Individuals (n=1): Challenges identified by individual experts include: Accessibility
internet; Connecting school-based and higher education to actual vocational
needs; Competence-based learning; Classroom management; Personalized
learning; Data analytics; And Empowering students.
Table 9 shows the patterns of i_Teacher panelists’ responses to question three
“What do you see as the key role/profile of teachers using Cloud Computing will be in
European educational institutions by 2025?". Respondents described how they see
the key role/profile of teachers using Cloud Computing in European educational
institutions by 2025.
Key Role/Profile Frequency
Teachers as facilitators, inspirers and student guides 5
Multidisciplinary teachers 4
Provision of personalized learning 4
Accessibility and inclusion 2
Maintenance 2
Classroom management and leadership 1
Bilingual teachers 1
Intrapersonal competences in a cloud-based learning environment 1
Competences in IT and skills 1
How to select quality contents 1 Table 9: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TQ3
The main teacher role/profiles envisioned by participants are the following:
Teachers as facilitators, inspirers and student guides (n=5): Several of the
experts noted that they expect teachers in 2025 to act as «coaches-mentors», who
guide, support, and engage learners, and «inspire them to pursuit knowledge for
themselves».
Multidisciplinary teachers (n=4): Teachers will also «need to be
multidisciplinary, in order to help learners understand applications of knowledge
and skills in real-life contexts».
Provision of personalized learning (n=4): Since individualized learning will be a
major trend in 2025, the teacher’s key role will be to provide a personalized
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instructional environment that allows learners to «create a secure, safe and
personalized digital learning portfolio, available for the lifetime».
Others: Κey roles/profiles of teachers using Cloud Computing in European
educational institutions by 2025 mentioned by the Delphi participants were the
following: Accessibility and inclusion (n=2); Maintenance (n=2); Classroom
management and leadership (n=1); Bilingual teachers (n=1); Intrapersonal
competences in a cloud-based learning environment (n=1); Competences in IT
and skills (n=1); How to select quality contents (n=1).
In the last question of Round one questionnaire was “Which technologies will be the
most important to learning in European educational institutions by 2025?". The
following technologies were listed by i_teacher experts as being expected to be the
most important to learning in European educational institutions by 2025 (see
Table10):
Technology Frequency
Open-source software and data 6
Virtual reality & Artificial Intelligence 5
Ambient Technology/The internet of things 4
Learning Analytics Tools 3
Game based technology/Serious Games 2
Reliable high quality broadband 1
Programming Tools that allow students to be creators and not consumers
1
Table 10: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TQ4
The main technologies identified by i_Teacher experts were the following:
Open-source software and data (n=6): Panelists believe that «open source
software and operative systems of quality», as well as «YouTube-alike websites»
will assume an even more important role in the next decade.
Virtual reality & Artificial Intelligence (n=5): Virtual reality simulators and
machines, «3D and augmented reality gadgets», as well as «collaboration
between Artificial intelligence and robots» are expected to have a key role in the
near future.
Learning Analytics Tools n=40: Learning analytics tools «combining medical
data, educational data, personal data, etc.», will assume a central role, helping to
«turn big data accessible».
Ambient Technology/The internet of things (n=3).
Game based technology/Serious Games (n=2).
Reliable high quality broadband (n=1).
Programming Tools that allow students to be creators and not consumers (n=1).
i Manager Questionnaire
Similarly to the other two groups of experts, i_Manager panelists were also asked the
first question: “What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in
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which European educational institutions using Cloud Computing approach school
management by 2025?» The main trends identified by i_Teacher about the trends
that are likely to have a significant impact on the ways in which European educational
institutions using Cloud Computing will approach school management by 2025 are
shown in Table 11 which summarizes their responses.
Trend expected to have a significant impact Frequency
Universal accessibility and Flexibility 6
Educational content – new teaching - learning 4
Equal opportunities 4
More standardization 3
Overflow of educational contents 1
Lack of coordination (umbrella) 1
Cultural differences 1
Unsustainable pilot projects - no continuity 1 Table 11: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MQ1
As shown in Table 11, i_Manager experts identified the following main trends:
Universal accessibility and Flexibility (n=6): Several i_Manager experts noted
that they consider «accessibility for everyone», and «more flexibility and
decentralization of the educational system (teachers as creators of their
materials)» as trends likely to have a significant impact on how educational
institutions will be using Cloud Computing in upcoming years.
Educational content – new teaching - learning (n=4): Some trends identified by
some of the experts as likely to have a big impact on the learning environment are
«open knowledge, sharing collaborative resources to create new schools: open
source software and Open Educational Resources, open hardware»,
«Connectivity and mobility (indoor & outdoor activities) for teachers and students»,
and «Blended learning, distance learning, virtual classroom».
Equal opportunities (n=4): Some of the experts envision a more equitable future,
with «Every child using a digital device in the school».
More standardization (n=3): Unlike experts who expect «more flexibility and
decentralization of the educational system», some other experts expressed the
belief that there will be «more policy from the top», and «standardization of
approaches (from a managers’ perspective)», leading to «less flexibility on what
we can do - i.e. more simple but less creative».
Individuals (n=1): Individual experts also identified a number of other trends likely
to have an impact: Overflow of educational content; Lack of coordination
(umbrella); Cultural differences; Unsustainable pilot projects - no continuity.
The i_Manager panelists in answering question “What do you see as the key
challenges related to school management that European educational institutions
using Cloud Computing will face by 2025?”, indicated the following(Table 12):
Key Expected Challenge Frequency
New vision, removing barriers between teachers and students 5
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Greater participation 5
Cost/Finances 3
Powerful internet connection 1
Answering the societal problems 1
Not enough (considered) evaluation 1
Too much change, too often, in many directions, no focus 1
Not learning from others - too little networking 1 Table 12: Patterns of i_Manager experts’ responses to MQ2
There are three key challenges related to school management to be faced by
European educational institutions using Cloud Computing by 2025 include the
following:
New vision, removing barriers between teachers and students (n=5): Having
a «different vision of school», and «stimulating the change» through «persuading
policy makers and leaders», and supporting teachers in implementing reforms, is a
key challenge to be faced by the managing team of educational institutions in the
next few years.
Greater participation (n=5): Another challenge to be faced by managers is the
need for «a wider participation in school (educational system), less drop-off and
differentiation and for the taking of measures for «inclusion of all pupils, teachers
and parents, rather than having social division between «information elite» and
«marginalized groups».
Cost/Finances (n=3): The high «cost of personalization of curricula» will also be a
key challenge due to the «lack of financing».
Individuals (n=1): Individual experts also identified a number of other key
challenges related to school management: Access to powerful internet connection;
Answering the societal problems; Not enough (considered) evaluation; Too much
change, too often, in many directions, no focus; Not learning from others - too little
networking.
The distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to question: «What do you see as
the key role/profile of managers in European educational institutions using Cloud
Computing will be by 2025? « are shown in Table 13.
Key Role/Profile Frequency
General technological and pedagogical background 4
Management abilities – change 5
Communication - collaboration – negotiation abilities 4
Flip the school system 1
Creation of a secure data infrastructure (data privacy) 1
Reduce the costs 1 Table 13: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MQ3
The three main manager role/profiles envisioned by participants are the following:
Management abilities – change (n=5): Leaders will need to have the
management abilities required to «provide vision for change» but also to «enable
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change to happen» through «making a roadmap - building an infrastructure to
make their visions happen sustainably».
General technological and pedagogical background (n=4): A key role/profile of
managers of European educational institutions in 2025 will be that of leaders who
have «good knowledge about the technological pedagogical possibilities», who
«understand the potential, benefits, advantages, and issues» surrounding
technology use in education, and are thus able to «identify first pedagogical
problems and then identify technological or media based solutions».
Communication - collaboration – negotiation abilities (n=4): Managers will
also need to have well developed communication, collaboration and negotiation
skills in order to «organize collaboration among members staff», to «engage the
competent staff», and to «organize self-managing teams».
Individuals (n=1): Individual experts also mentioned the following key manager
roles/profiles: Flipping of the school system; Creation of a secure data
infrastructure (data privacy); Reduction of costs.
The last question of the i_Manager questionnaire was “What do you see as the key
elements for interaction/communication /cooperation of the education stakeholders
(students-teachers- parents-policy makers-society) to help run/manage educational
institutions using Cloud Computing in 2025?". The panelists had to list what they see
as the main elements for communication and collaboration of the education
stakeholders (students-teachers- parents-policy makers-society) to help run/manage
educational institutions using Cloud Computing in 2025. (Table 14)
Key element for interaction/communication /cooperation Frequency
Use of technology 5
Collaborative school organizations 3
Communicate – proactive and reactive 3
Need for special training to lead and manage 1
Less bureaucracy 1 Table 14: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MQ4
The following elements were pointed out by the panelist.
Use of technology (n=5): To «redirect funds from old school to the new
learning», managers and other stakeholders need to have «a clear vision of cloud
computing» and its educational applications.
Collaborative school organizations (n=3): Leaders will need to promote
communication and collaboration among school staff, so as to «work together
towards a better school (parents, learners, teachers...) ».
Communicate – proactive and reactive (n=3): Managers ought to «be able to
call on necessary expertise when, where and how needed. - i.e. communicate with
an extended team». They «must connect all forms of communication to all others -
i.e. be at the heart of their network - i.e. proactive», but also «be
anyway/anytime/anywhere to respond to needs – and make decisions - i.e.
reactive».
Need for special training to lead and manage (n=1).
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Less bureaucracy (n=1).
7.4.2 Round Two: Next is presented an overview of the study findings from the
second round of the Delphi process, based again on an analysis of the responses
provided by the three groups of experts participating in the study: i-Learners, i-
Teachers, and i- Managers.
i Learner Questionnaire
In the first question "Which of the following trends do you consider the most important
and why? » , the i_Learner experts had to choose among (i) personalized learning;
(ii) internet access; and (iii) digital classroom (Table 15).
Most important trend Frequency
Personalized Learning 8
Internet Access 2
Digital Classroom 1
Table 15: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LR1
Most participants (8 out of 11) selected personalized learning as being the most
important trend. They justified their selection with comments such as the following:
“Personalized learning because it might embrace aspects such as online
communities (digital citizenship), flipped classroom as well as game-based learning”;
“Personalized learning - to allow person to discover all his/her potential; to take
ownership of their education and discover their passions and interests”;
“Personalized learning because it can make the difference in a digital classroom with
internet access”; “Personalized learning because it gives freedom”. Two participants
selected Internet access, pointing out the importance of «Internet access – Internet of
things» and of «Constant connectivity without any problems». Only one person
selected the Digital Classroom as being the most important trend.
In the question “Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most
important and why?”, the i_Learner experts selected among the following three
challenges the one that they considered to be most important (i) Health issues; (ii)
Critical thinking; and (iii) Digital and collaborative competence (Table 16).
Most important key challenge Frequency
Health Issues 8
Critical Thinking 2
Digital and collaborative competence 1
Table 16: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LR2
Most of the experts considered health issues as the major challenge to be faced by
educational institutions in 2025. They justified their choice by giving explanations
such as the following:
«Health issues seem to be a key challenge as they concern a wide range of users
from kindergarteners to 90 year olds! ».
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«Health & physical & mental health issues: too long, uninterrupted sitting, focused
watching, forced sitting position, increasing number of older people with their
specific limitations; addiction to ICT problem ».
«Those can be physical for instance visual or radiation and metal issues like lose
connectivity from reality or depression ».
«They need to be taken into consideration as they affect the wellbeing of users
who then might not be able to fully exploit the benefits of digital interaction».
«Health issues have been seen too long only as problems of risk by radiation, but
there's much more: (i) mental health: addictions, become a kind of zombie when
being constantly online, not sleeping enough; (ii) physical health: consequences of
sitting in a wrong way».
«This is the only challenge not addressed right now. Maybe because we use
technologies not so long. After a decade or few we would be able to notice
problems with eyes, our back, or even mental problems».
Two experts selected critical thinking, pointing out that the development of critical
thinking should be a top priority for educational institutions: «Critical thinking is the
base for the evolution; the basis for the creation of sustainable human oriented
development»; «Critical thinking enhances the didactic process and provides new
methodological approaches».
Only one expert selected digital and collaborative competence.
In question 3 «Which of the following key competences do you consider the most
important and why? », the participants had to select the key competence they
consider the most important among the following three: (i) Data management and
information; (ii) Collaboration; (iii) Privacy Awareness (Table 17).
Most Important Key Competence Frequency
Data management and information 9
Collaboration 1
Privacy Awareness 1
Table 17: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LR3
Almost everyone selected data management and information as the most important
key competence justifying it as follows:
«How to deal with the enormous amount of information; how to make the best
selection; how to find the most relevant».
«Data management and information includes: how to deal with the abundance of
information; how to protect you from privacy issues when accessing info (think
about the cookies) ».
«Data management since it is a notion which incorporates a number of issues
including avoiding copy-paste, time management, communication, collaboration
and privacy awareness so as to avoid cyber bullying».
«You have to be able to manage the data you have because if you don't then it is
the same as no data at all».
«How to handle with big amount of data & information treatment».
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«Data and information management: knowing about the reliability of resources,
being aware pros and cons of privacy and personalization».
«Data and information management includes both awareness on how to get data
really needed and also awareness on how to publish our own information,
protecting privacy».
The expert who selected collaboration did so because in modern society, working
in teams and projects is becoming increasingly important: «Collaboration means
more than working with partners or teams in the classroom. It means to work with
institutions and partners out of school. That's a core».
The expert who selected privacy awareness considered this as the most important
competence in forthcoming years due to the fact that «everything in the internet
will stay there forever».
Finally i the question «Which of the following technologies do you consider the most
important and why? », the participants had to select the most important technology
among: (i) Free-open source software; (ii) Mobile devices; and (iii) Smart
technologies. Their choices are shown on Table 18.
Technology Frequency
Free, open source software 8
Mobile devices 3
Smart technologies 0
Table 18: Distribution of i_Learner experts’ responses to LR4
Eight of the 11 participants selected free, open source software pointing out and
justified their choice with responses such as the following:
«Free, open-source software: unleashing the power of huge programmer
communities, free accessible software to avoid digital divide».
«Schools with a little budget can afford this software».
«Free, open-source software to enable equal opportunities».
«Software makes a device work. If the software is not free or it is expensive for
most of the people then the device and its technology are useless».
«Free & open source software a potential tool in order to decrease disparities in
education».
The remaining three participants selected mobile devices, pointing out that «to
make smart technology possible you need the two others, and certainly mobile
devices». Nobody selected smart technologies.
i Teacher Questionnaire:
In the first question of the i_Teacher questionnaire «Which of the following trends do
you consider the most important and why?», experts had to select among the
following trends the one that they considered most important: (i) Meaningful
Individualized Learning; (ii) Digital Support for Learners; (iii) Improvement of Web-
Based IT for Learning. The number of experts voting for each trend appears in Table
19.
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Most Important Trend Frequency
Meaningful individualized learning 6
Digital Support for Learners 5
Improvement of Web-Based IT for Learning 4
Table 19: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TR1
Experts seem to consider all three trends of equal importance since their selections
are split among the three choices. Specifically, six (n=6) selected Meaningful
Individualized Learning, four (n=4) selected Digital Support for Learners, while the
remaining four (n=4) chose Improvement of Web-Based IT for Learning. The
respondents selecting Meaningful Individualized Learning did so for reasons such as
the following:
«This puts the learner at the centre - focus on people».
«Meaningful individualized learning, because the only way to empower our
students and properly equip them for their future personal and professional lives is
to provide education tailored to their interests, aspirations and needs ».
«This shows a clear added value and makes it possible to realise efficient
differentiation».
The panelists selecting Digital Support for Learners pointed out that «digital support
is the future of learning» since «without it; it is not possible to teach». Finally, the
ones voting for Improvement of Web-Based IT for Learning did so because, as they
stressed: «without a good, up-to-date Internet infrastructure, Cloud technology
cannot reach most schools and cannot become a trend setter in education».
In the second question “Which of the following key challenges do you consider the
most important and why?». The experts had to select among (i) Collaboration-
Cooperation, (ii) Teachers’ training, and (iii) ICT Infrastructure and Security. The key
challenge that they considered most important responses were almost equally split
between (i) and (ii), while only two respondents selected (iii) (Table 20).
Expected Key Challenges Frequency
Collaboration-cooperation 6
Teachers’ training 5
ICT Infrastructure and Security 2
Table 20: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TR2
The following explanations are typical of those provided by experts (n=6) who chose
Collaboration-Cooperation as the most important key challenge:
«Collaboration and cooperation are to me the key challenges - in and outside
classroom, through electronic devices as well as through face-to-face
communication».
«We need good trained teachers using very good and secured infrastructure. Only
Collaboration and cooperation between those two domains can make this a
success».
«The teacher in the future becomes a virtual collaborative and cooperative
transparent world».
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«Collaboration among teachers and students, teachers and their colleagues, as
well as students and their peers is a key challenge. Creation of knowledge is a
collective process and occurs as a result of engagement in collective processes».
Experts (n=5) selecting Teachers’ Training as the most important key challenge,
justified their choice by comments like the following:
«Teachers are the real driven force of the learning process. ICT is continuously
changing and teachers need the skills to be adapted».
«Efficient use of cloud computing for teaching should be part of a teachers
training. They should learn to apply it for example for collaborative learning».
«Without qualified teacher the implementation of IT in education cannot take
place. Nevertheless, without ICT infrastructure and security even qualified
teachers have only limited possibilities. And good teacher will need to cooperate
anyway».
The two experts, who selected ICT Infrastructure and Security, noted that the other
two challenges are also very important, but that «security is most important before
we can go ahead».
Table 21 displays participants’ responses to the third question of the i_Teacher
question «Which of the following key roles do you consider the most important and
why? ». They had to select the most important one among the following three key
roles of future teachers: (i) Teachers as Facilitators, Inspirers and Student Guides; (ii)
Multidisciplinary Teachers; and (iii) Provision of Personalized Learning.
Key Role/Profile Frequency
Teachers as Facilitators, Inspirers and Student Guides 4
Multidisciplinary Teachers 4
Provision of Personalized Learning 5
Table 21: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TR3
As seen in Table 21, expert’s selections were almost evenly split between the three
key roles. Four experts (n=4) selected Teachers as Facilitators, Inspirers and Student
Guides to be the most important teacher role/profile, for reasons such as the
following:
«The role of the teacher as an expert and inspirer is the key role and a must all
along transformation and innovation in education».
«Teachers need to curate the material to facilitate students individual learners
needs, and encourage ownership of their own learning, self-responsibility».
«It is not about pure knowledge anymore; it is more about how to give access to
knowledge and how to deal with the knowledge to improve the effect on learning».
Experts (n=4) selecting Multidisciplinary Teachers as the most important role for
teachers in the forthcoming years, justified their selection by statements such as: «A
multidisciplinary teacher is able to provide personalized learning, he can facilitate and
guide.» Finally, panelists (n=5) selecting Provision of Personalized Learning, gave
explanations like the following: «Facilitating individualized learning will be a key
responsibility of the teacher of the future».
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As shown in Table 22, in the question «Which of the following technologies do you
consider the most important and why? », there was no consensus among i_Teacher
experts regarding the type of technology that they anticipate to be most important in
2025.
Most Important Technology Frequency
Open-Source Software and Data 4
Virtual Reality & Artificial Intelligence 3
Learning Analytics Tools 6 Table 22: Distribution of i_Teacher experts’ responses to TR4
The type of technology selected most frequently (n=6) was Learning Analytics Tools.
Experts selecting them pointed out that such tools are the key:
«To scientifically based efficient individualized learning»
«To managing big data».
«We cannot accomplish the goal of providing personalized learning and education
to our students unless we develop high-end learning analytics tools».
Other experts (n=4) selected Open-Source Software and Data, noting that their
expansion «will give opportunities to more people and institutions to use them».
Finally, other experts (n=3) chose Virtual Reality & Artificial Intelligence, stressing
that «massive data needs artificial intelligence».
i Manager Questionnaire:
In first question of the i_Manager Questionnaire «Which of the following trends do
you consider the most important and why? », panelists had to choose among the
three trends pointed out most frequently in round one: (i) Educational content-new-
teaching learning; (ii) Equal opportunities; and (iii) Universal accessibility and
flexibility (Table 23).
Trend Frequency
Universal accessibility and Flexibility 7
Educational content – new teaching - learning 1
Equal opportunities 1
Table 23: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MR1
As shown in Table 23, the respondents almost unanimously chose universal
accessibility and flexibility as the most important trend, justifying their selection with
comments like the following:
«The main trend will be full and open access to data, applications and education
solutions based on the cloud computing. The future of education is interdisciplinary
approach of methods and solutions».
«In time of globalization the manager needs to have access from everywhere to
anything semantic, innovative and changing for education (education in a new
era)».
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«The cloud school should include everyone, no matter where they are located, to
allow real changes to happen. At their own speed, with their own characteristics,
bringing richness from every voice».
«School Staff and teachers/learners should be able to access the content from
everywhere».
«Universal accessibility for mobile learning».
«A frank universal accessibility. Every teacher, every pupil must have access to
the cloud. At any time in any place with any device».
Only one expert selected Educational Content – New Teaching - Learning as the
most important trend, noting that «a visionary manager must also have a strong
opinion/knowledge in the educational model - pedagogy framework of his
educational organization».
Only one selected the trend Equal Opportunities, pointing out that «the school
must be fair somehow».
In the question «Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the
most important and why?», the experts had to select among the following three
challenges the one that they considered most important and to justify their response:
(i) New vision, removing barriers between teachers and students; (ii) Finances/Cost;
(iii) Greater Participation. The frequency of responses for each challenge is displayed
in Table 24.
Key Challenge Frequency
New vision, removing barriers between teachers and students 9
Finances/Cost 0
Greater Participation 0
Table 24: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MR2
Everyone, without exception, selected «New vision, removing barriers between
teachers and students” as the most important challenge, considering new vision in
relation to the cloud paradigm shift as essential for effectively implementing cloud
computing in schools:
«Having a new vision, being able to understand the implications of what the Cloud
can bring».
«I think many schools (and also politicians) have a strong tendency to keep "the
old way», with minimal changes to please the gallery (parents, society), but not
real changes that imply big changes».
«Manager has to be a visionary, open-minded to new ways of learning and
teaching methods. He has to make reality the new role of teachers and learners».
«The main key challenges are new vision of education. The traditional approach to
teaching will be gradually replaced by alternative methods, data sources and
solutions».
«Vision on the new learning Leaders must co-create a vision with the team and
give the teams’ self-management to realize that vision for their pupils».
«Manager/Leaders should understand the benefits of using Cloud Applications
and get all the opportunities for their school».
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Question «Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and
why?», asked panelists to choose between (i) Management abilities-change; (ii)
Communication - collaboration – negotiation abilities; and (iii) General technological
and pedagogical background, the key role for managers in 2025 that they considered
the most important.
Key Role/Profile Frequency
Management abilities – change 4
Communication - collaboration – negotiation abilities 4
General technological and pedagogical background 1
Table 25: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MR3
As shown in Table 25, an equal number of respondents (n=4) selected Management
Abilities-Change and Communication-Collaboration–Negotiation Abilities, while only
one selected General Technological and Pedagogical Background. The ones
selecting Management Abilities-Change stressed that «The Cloud is a paradigm
shift», and thus «management have to be able to manage and lead for change».
They pointed out that «the school leader must work on the organization, the
instruments, the people and the culture to change the way the organization works».
Experts voting for Communication-Collaboration–Negotiation Abilities noted that such
abilities are necessary for «implementing the cloud on all levels». They emphasized
the need for «new school leaders» who are «the role model for all the stakeholders»,
and who «can communicate and lead, by showing their real involvement in the
change, leading the change from inside, so they can inspire their team with real
evidences, and know the problems from inside (not because someone tells them)».
Finally, the expert who selected General Technological and Pedagogical Background
justified his or her selection by noting: «The main role of the manager will be showing
the possibility of new solutions used in teaching and education, and creating
conditions for their implementation. It’s widely mean technical and pedagogical
background.»
In the final question of the i_Manager questionnaire: “Which key element do you
consider to be the most important?» experts selected among the following elements
for Interaction/Communication /Cooperation, the one that they considered most
important: (i) Collaborative School Organizations; (ii) Communicate – Proactive and
Reactive; (iii) Use of technology.
Key element for interaction/communication /cooperation Frequency
Collaborative school organizations 4
Communicate – proactive and reactive 3
Use of technology 2 Table 26: Distribution of i_Manager experts’ responses to MR4
Responses to this question indicate lack of consensus among the experts. While four
(n=4) experts selected Collaborative School Organizations pointing out that «If pupils
come to the school as to the place where they can learn their own way, at their own
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pace», then the leader must «organize his/her school as a collaborative
organization», three (n=3) other experts selected the key element Communicate –
Proactive and Reactive, defending their selection with comments like the following:
«Manager / leader must connect all forms of communication to all others - i.e. be at
the heart of their network - i.e. proactive Must be anyway/anytime/anywhere to
respond to needs – and make decisions - i.e. reactive». Finally, two (n=2) other
experts selected Use of Technology as the most important key element for
interaction/communication /cooperation: «The main key elements to help in
Communication-Collaboration are use of technology. Technological possibilities and
showing of their applications create the future success of this project».
7.5 Concluding Remarks
One of the most pivotal aspects of ICT developments has been the difficulty to
examine mid- to long-term future perspectives. The Delphi method employed in the
current study is the most effective foresight technique, providing useful means for
exploratory research to investigate current technological trends (Isaac & Michael,
1997; Linstone & Turoff, 1975), and for developmental research to gain insights
regarding “the patterns, direction, and sequence of growth or change”, and the
factors impacting them (Isaac & Michael, 1997; Green, 2014). Utilizing the Delphi
approach has enabled us to use the advantages of group opinion, while at the same
time overcoming obstacles appearing in group work. The anonymity of the approach
had the following advantages: (i) prevented the authority, personality, or reputation of
some participants from dominating others in the process; (ii) freed participants (to
some extent) from personal biases; (iii) minimized the "bandwagon effect» or "halo
effect”; (iv) allowed free expression of opinions, encouraged open critique; (v)
facilitated admission of errors when revising earlier judgments (Charlton, 2004;
Fletcher & Marchildon, 2014; Rowe & Wright, 1999). Moreover, the process followed
in Delphi gave participants more time to think through their ideas, leading to a better
quality of responses than those provided in an interview or discussion.
Despite its many benefits, Delphi also has a number of key limitations that have
adversely affected the quality of the study findings. Delphi is a time-consuming and
thus expensive technique, characterized by complexity of data analysis. The
technique is also extremely sensitive to the following factors: (i) level of panelists’
expertise; (ii) composition of the panel; (iii) clarity of the questions; (iv) way
questionnaire is administered; (v) way in which the survey administrator(s) report(s)
results (Yousuf, 2007). Despite our best efforts, there might have been some
facilitator bias and/or manipulation in how we conducted the data analysis. For
example, without intending it, we might have somehow influenced the results of the
second round through our decision to include only the three most frequently cited
responses provided in round 1 (Linstone & Turoff, 1975). This might have, to some
extent, led to artificial consensus - ignoring and not exploring disagreement (Linstone
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and Turoff, 1975). We also had difficulty in finding out the reasons for dissenting due
to the anonymity of the approach. Additionally, our study might have suffered from
the effect of a majority opinion, whereby panelists acquiesce and conform to the
median judgment.
Delphi is also susceptible to the danger of regarding its results as facts. The findings
of our Delphi process represent exclusively the view of the particular groups of
experts participating in our study, thus they may not be reliable due to poor sampling
procedures or an invalid instrument. Sometimes unconventional thinking by amateur
outsiders may be superior to expert thinking.
A high degree of “error” is to be expected in the outcomes of any Delphi foresight
exercise, including the one we employed in the current study. However, despite
limitations, seeking advice from an international base of experts in Cloud Computing
has provided some useful insights on how to best utilize Cloud technologies as tools
for teaching, learning, and managing European schools.
Using Delphi in combination with other foresight methods will, hopefully, help us
make better predictions of future developments in cloud computing. The Delphi
results can act as working tools for challenging current assumptions about education.
They can help articulate the socio-technical developments playing a critical role in
shaping cloud based educational futures.
8. FUTURE SCENARIOS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
It should be reiterated that SoC scenarios are aimed at discussing different possible
futures of education or formulating the set of key uncertain developments that may
drive the future of education using Cloud Computing in 2025. The scenarios, which
were carried out by the SoC network, they take the form of short stories of possible
futures, imagining how the education could look after 2025, in order to challenge
assumptions and stimulate thinking about current and future practices. That is, the
constructed scenarios were aimed to identify uncertain developments in the future
and include them as elements of the scenario narrative (Vander Duin and Huijboom,
2008). Within this framework, the main relevant question underpinning this report is:
taking into account the fact that possible future scenarios may be radically different
from present conditions, what Cloud Computing tools will be needed for future
teaching and learning?
8.1 Scenarios Design
At the onset, it should be pointed out that the importance of scenarios design does
not rely exclusively on the characteristics of each scenario. Neither is of uttermost
importance to assess which scenario is more likely to occur or which is the most
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desirable. But to make sure that the SoC objectives were the guiding force and were
used as basis for the development of the various scenarios related to the future of i
learner, i teacher and i manager in 2025. The departure point of these scenarios was
the basic issues and the key dimensions of expected changes that happen in a
specific direction (i.e. a possible state of learning the future), which were taken into
consideration to create a specific «story» representing the future. It is considered that
these stories/scenarios provide information that better describe possible real-life
situations in which specific users (i.e. i learner, i teacher and i manager) could find
themselves in the future.
In order to make the description of the scenario context natural, easily understood,
and comprehensive, a specific «story» for each scenario was developed. That story
illustrates the reference context that could develop in the future if a number of key
trends and expected changes happen in a specific direction (i.e. a possible state of
the future, thus providing information that better describes possible real-life situations
in which learners, teachers and administrators) could find themselves. In addition,
they provide a «day-in-the-life» of the major education stakeholders in the possible
future situations envisaged, which in turn can be used to serve the purpose of
stimulating education policy debates.
It should be reiterated that the scenario design was developed as part of the SoC
network aims to provide a structured framework for analysis of current and future
challenges related to the impact of cloud computing in education. However, instead
of attempting to forecast several future cloud computer-enabled scenarios, it was
chosen to define three internally consistent – but radical– views of what the future
European major educational stakeholders might look like in 2025, and what the
implications would be to them and education in general.
As for the process followed in building the scenarios, the approach followed was to
mash-up data and information available from two sources in an intelligent, efficient
and effective way. More specifically, the uncertainties and opportunities underlying
the scenarios design were: first the trends and changes in Society, in Technology, in
Education as well as the capabilities and benefits of Cloud Computing, thus creating
a descriptive vision of the future; and second the major findings of the foresight
exercises which included the results of the Delphi method with input from the Six
Thinking Hats technique and the brainstorming approach which in turn created an
experts' vision of the future.
The intend of the constructed scenarios, their formulation and interpretation was to
expose the gaps that exist today in our knowledge of teaching and learning and what
needs to be addressed in order to enable better education as well as construct a
more innovative and to the public interest, digital European education of tomorrow.
Given that scenarios are systematic visions of future possibilities deriving from
foresight exercises, which produced plausible possibilities, they can be used as tools
to explore the future impact of educational decisions or developments. To achieve
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such aims the SoC, scenarios building was aimed to identify uncertain developments
in the future and therefore include them as elements of the scenario narrative.
In addition, this WG 4 effort was settled for scenario design aiming at exploring
possible alternative futures in education in order to elaborate the possible impacts
that future mainstreaming Cloud Computing tools may have on policy making. That
is, the scenarios' design by relying on foresight methods, which call upon a wide
range of themes and stakeholder perspectives, examined the social and economic
aspects of future Cloud based education developments. As a result, clues and key
impact dimensions were utilized in order to emphasize the increasing ability of Cloud
Computing tools to facilitate possible development paths for education and help
decision makers take advantage of future opportunities.
Finally, the approach to scenarios building rested upon a 4-step approach as follows:
Analysis of trends and changes to determine the developments that could be key
drivers for the future of cloud based education.
Selection of the stakeholders’ scenarios content by determining their main impact
dimensions and key uncertainties.
Writing of the scenarios.
Deriving conclusions for policy implications and research challenges.
8.2. Scenario 1: The story of Luc the Future School Learner
Luc enters his school, which has no walls, follows the EU and the ministry priorities,
but adjusted to the local conditions. He looks if there is anything new in the
intercultural area, greets his friends who are doing a small game in the playground
section and checks his mobile device because his school is equipped with fast
internet.
This represents the Learning environment where Learning is:
Relaxed.
No walls.
New furniture.
Connection with nature.
Connection with other learners.
Diverse.
Collaborative.
No Classes.
He finds that one of his schoolmates has posted a question to their teacher, which is
still unanswered, because the teacher still discusses the issue with the person
responsible for technical issues related to ICT, although himself has acquired at the
university the competences to teach media education which is part of every subject.
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So he decides to meet members of another group in the cantina, joining them for an
orange juice, to have fun and seek their help.
This represents the Learning Process where Students can have:
Personalized Learning.
Critical thinking.
Flipped classroom.
Data management.
Open source software.
Peer learning.
Tutorials from learners to learners.
Privacy awareness.
Preparation for the real working environment.
Time-wise and content-wise organization.
Creative thinking.
His classmates have been already advanced in that area, so they indeed can help,
although the assessment will be on an individual basis. Luc and his classmates
continue to get data from the open data cloud, using the free open-source software
available and other smart technologies supported by the school and based on Cloud
Computing to analyze, manage and compile them, preparing a cool interactive
visualization.
This represents the Technological Competences where Students can handle:
Internet access.
Digital classroom.
Open data cloud.
Free open-source software.
Mobile Devices.
Smart Technologies.
After two hours, following the rules of the school, the principal reports to Luc's device,
based on information brought to him by the Cloud, that he is sitting in front of his
computer for two hours and needs rest. Theresa the yoga teacher comes and guides
him and the rest of the group of students to the relaxation room, showing them some
new exercises to relax their neck muscles.
This represents the Health Issues where Students have the attention for their:
Physical Health.
Mental Health.
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Right after they finished their exercise they hear the «bell of good ideas». They move
to the school's amphitheater and wait for the announcement. One of their colleagues
just had the idea that his teacher supported and helped, of using a 3D-pen to
experiment, while at the same time practice with the technique with the rest of the
schoolmates, in order to create an individual model of chocolate for their Christmas
party that interests him very much.
This represents the Competence Characteristics where Students display:
Digital Competence.
Collaborative Competence.
Data management Competence.
Introducing new ideas.
Solving problems.
Sharing ideas.
Then the team goes back to work. They proceed very well, achieving the «flow»
state. Suddenly the system warns «15 minutes left until automatic shutdown for
today». They concentrate and finish their work, having the evening for their outdoor
non-school related activities and games, participating thus in a reindustrialized
approach to education.
This represents the Time management where Students can:
Organize their time.
Manage their time.
Luc's scenario indicates that in 2025 as a child he should be offered opportunities to
enjoy learning and experience it as being fun. The learning strategies under which he
should operate have to encourage him to concentrate his efforts on learning the
things he is good at, while at the same time challenge him with things he is not (yet)
so good at, and presented to him in a way that makes them relevant and interesting
to him. In addition, one important issue with the future school learner is the fact that
the emotional aspect of the learning process should not be overlooked, because the
learning success for young children, like Luc, should make them feel protected and
cared for, which would help them develop self-esteem, express their feelings,
communicate and listen to as well as collaborate with others. Moreover, Luc's
learning environment should incorporate more holistic, active and corporal
experiences, involving all senses, and thus he should follow a learning path that
leads him to where he learns things that are important for his personal development
as well as things that are important to society and economy. Finally, technology is
always present, but invisible in Luc’s life and learning. Basically, during his learning
processes he gathers evidence, which however represent a tool providing fun, but
mainly the challenges he requires needed for learning. And it is this reason that Luc
has teachers who are facilitators, moderators and friends for his learning journey.
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The succinct and very compact description of the previously presented i learner
scenario it has to be examined and evaluated in terms of the major categories which
in turn are characterized by a multitude of characteristic.
8.3 Scenario 2: The story of Chrisanthi the Future School Teacher
Chrisanthi enters the open teaching area, one of the many the school has (there are
no typical classrooms and the arrangements of the learning environment are totally
different than it is today), which is equipped with ubiquitous internet access, easy-to-
use digital devices as well as access to various forms of learning resources for the
students to work with. As a result, Chrisanthi is focused on his pedagogical role
which is to organize and motivate his students’ learning by mixing methods and
strategies as needed.
This represents the Learning Environment where Learning is:
Focused on competences rather than knowledge.
Tailored to the needs of individuals.
Active and connected to real life.
Integrated with Technologies.
Organized and motivated by his teacher.
Motivated by his teacher.
Facilitated by his teacher.
Demand teachers to be lifelong learners themselves.
Given that the curriculum is competence-based and not focus on teaching of specific
subjects, the interaction between Chrisanthi and his students is focused on getting
them to become engaged in projects of learning activities tailored to their needs and
interests as well as creating his/her own e-portfolio. Chrisanthi's role is to inspire the
students and show them the way to challenge themselves. In addition, his students
discuss with him issues related to benchmarks and assessment criteria(new
assessment methods have been developed so that each individual student's learning
is appropriately evaluated) and they are actively involved in the process of monitoring
their progress.
This represents the Learning Process where Teachers can:
Think critically.
Solve problems.
Manage time.
Introduce new ideas.
Share ideas.
Build teams.
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Mix methods and strategies.
Act as a role model to others.
Cooperate with students, teachers, parents and local community.
During the teaching period a student faces a technical problem. Although Chrisanthi
is participating in lifelong learning as the only way to adapt to changes, keep updated
with the needs of his students as well as the technological and societal
developments, nevertheless he has been trained to understand that technologies
only enables learning to take place and not to occupy his teaching time. Actually he
is an adequate user of Cloud Computing and its tools and systems, which Chrisanthi
uses only to design and organize his students' learning. As a result, he immediately
calls the technical support staff that the school has to provide the needed assistance.
This represents the Competence Tools where Teachers are:
Open minded.
Original.
Creative.
Capable of critical thinking.
Understands curricular and cross-curricular issues.
Able to solve problems.
Manage time.
Able to take responsibility.
Sometime later a student faces a difficulty in updating his e-portfolio. Chrisanthi can
guide him to resolve his difficulty, because he has been continuously updating his
digital competences on Cloud Computing, in order to provide learning opportunities
for his students, as well as help himself to plan and organize his teaching tasks.
This represents the Technological Tools where Teachers can handle:
Internet access.
Digital classrooms.
Open data in the cloud.
Free open-source software.
Mobile Devices.
Smart Technologies.
When his teaching time is over he participates with other fellow teachers, the school
administrator, parents and community institutions to set the rules for cooperation as
well as put into practice the accepted concept that teaching and learning should be
integrated (all education stakeholder should be involved). Everybody in that meeting
accept that by sharing and exchanging experiences as well as watching, observing
and copying examples from others, both within and outside the school, is a very
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efficient way for all education stakeholders to learn. In fact, this is the way Chrisanthi
has learned and practiced him the skills he needs for teaching his students.
This represents the Teaching and Learning Practices where Teachers practice:
Employing suitable methodologies.
Cooperating with students and teachers.
Acting as a role model.
Displaying leadership.
Chrisanthi's scenario indicates that in 2025 he has been trying to stay on top of
things, since skills updating has become a continuous task for all teachers. The
reason is simple; Chrisanthi's major concern is to organize and motivate his students’
learning and as learning cannot always be entertaining his job requires from him not
only hard work, but mainly several skills to engage his students in learning, by mixing
methods and strategies as needed. In addition, Chrisanthi has learned to cooperate
with parents, the local community and mainly to co-operate with his fellow teachers.
In fact, this is the way Chrisanthi has learned and practiced himself the skills he
needs for teaching his students to be collaborative.
Chrisanthi has learned that to share and exchange experiences as well as watching,
observing and copying examples from other teachers both within and outside the
school is a very efficient way to learn. For it is well known that by teaching someone
reality he learns. In addition, however he is receiving help from teacher trainers who
are good facilitators of learning and which in turn motivate and encourage Yiannis to
become a facilitator himself. Furthermore, he strongly believes that lifelong learning
is essential and that it is the only way to adapt to changes, keep updated with the
needs of his students as well as the technological and societal developments. He has
been conditioned and trained to understand that technologies as such do not teach
anything, but they can enable learning to take place by providing access to
information and resources in an efficient way.
Chrisanthi is an adequate user of Cloud Computing and therefore its tools and
systems help him to design and organize his students' learning. At the same time he
has accepted that it is crucial for him to acquire and continuously update his digital
competences in order to benefit from Cloud Computing. That is, he is appreciating
that technology can help him to plan and organize his teaching tasks and provide
various learning approaches for his students.
The comprehensive description of the previously presented i teacher scenario it has
to be examined and evaluated in terms of the major categories described, which in
turn are characterized by a multitude of characteristic.
8.4 Scenario 3: The story of Jen the Future School Manager
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Jen arrives in his school where he is superintended. The school he manages does
not have classes with neat rows of chairs and desks and the students do not have to
focus intently on the teacher delivering a lecture or explaining concepts on the
blackboard. Actually, among the rules he instigated in his school is that there must be
flexible seating arrangements so that they are appropriate for the tasks that students
are working on, and that the focus must be on the comfort of the students.
This represents the Learning environment where the School offers:
Standing desks for students who have difficulty maintaining focus.
Moving walls which make spaces more adaptable.
Accommodation for students who need more movement.
Private workstations available for individual tasks.
Collaborative workspaces for group projects.
Interactive projectors and other technological visual tools which have replaced
blackboards or the interactive whiteboards.
Students are given more autonomy on how and where to sit.
Open teaching areas.
As soon as Jen arrives in his office, he calls a meeting of the persons responsible for
upgrading some of the classroom software that he had impose to all of his school
stakeholders to use as part of his educational vision. Jen is a typical manager who
has chosen to embrace technology as a kind of learning possess for all to use and
the school to operate utilizing its applications.
This represents the Learning Process where the School has:
Online posting of grades and assignments.
Group projects completed through collaborative software.
Assignments completed online.
Assignments uploaded through classroom portals.
Students using cloud based tools (i.e. cloud storage instead of flash drives or
paper to store their work).
Education stakeholders (teachers, parents, students, and administrators)
communicating using specially designed for education social media platforms.
Jen vision for his school is to implement innovative learning experiences by adding
sound, video, images, and interaction in providing additional dimensions than the two
dimensional world the simple texts express. Moreover, he strives for all of his school
students to be fully competent in using the available technological tools that provide
them with virtual and augmented reality to alter the learning landscape they have
been operating on.
This represents the Learning Experience where the School provides:
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Educational devices for virtual reality.
Educational devices for augmented reality.
Supports and applies the use these tools to virtually visit different locations around
the globe and view any image they want from any angle (virtual reality), walk
through cultural or other establishments (i.e. museums, galleries), page through
books, watch presentations given by speakers outside their school (augmented
reality).
Removal of barriers to teachers to give student’s access to materials that can be
found outside the school building.
Accommodation of various learning styles.
A multidimensional educational environment by adding sound, video, images and
interaction.
Jen has instituted in the school he directs the concept of students' "flexible
assignments". That is, in Jen's school the students are allowed to complete their
assignments, which might be different than any other, taking into consideration their
learning style. The teachers, on the other hand, are interested in evaluating the
students' competency by the competences or understanding them poses to
successfully complete the assignment, rather than in just receiving assignments
completed in a common predetermined method. In addition, students are
autonomous in deciding how they will accomplish their tasks. They are free to utilize
any implementation approach, such as recording a video, creating an elaborate
timeline, giving a presentation, or even putting together a traditional research paper.
This represents the Multiple Learning Approaches where the School allows:
Teacher to exercise flexible assignments, focused in proof of competency than in
receiving common assignments.
Teacher to just outline for his students what skills or understanding they must
demonstrate to successfully complete any assignment.
Students to have their own assignment. That is, one size fits all assignments is not
part of the school's learning approach.
Students are given the autonomy to decide how they will do their assignments.
Students to choose and utilize any approach to complete an assignment.
Jen holds regular meetings with the teachers of his school, but mainly he has
completely revamped their role and contribution in running the school. He has
institute a less hierarchical and more peer managing model that encourages and
engages stakeholders, mainly teachers, in the teaching and learning process of the
school. He considers teachers as agents of change rather than objects of change
and encourages them to take ownership of their innovation. Because he believes that
innovative teachers must be rewarded, he has instituted tangible recognitions and
incentives when they implement their innovations. In addition, he unceasingly tries to
instill to his teachers that they have to act and teach as innovation managers and
thus they should not considered innovation as “additional work”, but as an efficient
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way to accomplish teaching activities. Finally, in his institution there is a balance
between his vision of leadership, the teachers' training and participation, the
students' free choice of tools and the selection of the physical environment.
This represents the School's Teachers' Role where the Teachers are:
Agents of change, rather than objects of change.
Owners of their innovations.
Provided with tangible recognition and incentives.
Making innovation a leadership priority.
Participating in professional innovators networks.
Sharing and disseminating pedagogical, technological and societal innovations.
Trained in the use of ICT which should be accompanied by “innovation support»
activities.
Transformed into innovation managers.
Participating in innovation which they do not considered as “additional work”.
Jen's scenario indicates that in 2025 in the school he is managing, the well-known
neat rows of chairs and desks as well as fixed classrooms cannot be seen around.
Actually, the sitting arrangements are flexible so that students can accomplish their
tasks in the most comfortable and efficient way for them, while moving walls make
spaces adaptable to students needs and desires, giving them more autonomy on
how and where to sit.
By 2025 one of Jen's visions of incorporating into the teaching and learning process
the utilization of virtual and augmented reality not only represents an important
addition to teaching and learning, but they have altered the educational landscape of
his school. That is, a student in studying a Geographic Atlas by using a new
technological tool (i.e. a pair of special glasses) the flat images of the Atlas become
three dimensional images of various landforms (virtual reality). Similarly, a student
visiting a museum he can «read» with his smart cell phone the scanning code next to
a statue and watch a video providing much information related to that statue
(augmented reality). The utilization of these tools mean that various learning
approaches can be accommodated in the learning process by adding sound, video,
images, and various interactions.
Jen's school applies a new technology based multiple learning approach, involving
both students and teachers and using flexible assignments. That is, on one hand the
teacher is more interested in the proof of his students competency in the use of
technological tools, than in evaluating a set of predetermined, common to all
assignments and completed using the same methods. As a result, instead of passing
out any assignment, the teacher outlines for his students what skills or understanding
they must demonstrate to successfully complete the assignment. On the other hand,
the students enjoy the freedom to autonomously decide how they will achieve their
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task. Such approaches can take various forms (i.e. recording a video, creating a
musical synthesis etc.).
Finally, Jen's scenario indicates that in 2025 school managers, like Jen; recognize
the change in the role of teachers from subjects of change to agents of change by
taking ownership of their innovation. As a result, they provide innovative teachers
with tangible recognition rewards and incentives for their work, making innovation a
leadership priority. In general school managers give teachers the support they need
not only in the use of ICT for learning, but also by “innovation support» activities. In
addition, the school is operating in a less hierarchical and more peer learning and
managing model, by encouraged and engaging all school stakeholders in the
learning process as well as in sharing success and failure efforts.
The comprehensive description of the previously presented i manager scenario it has
to be examined and evaluated in terms of the major categories described, which in
turn are characterized by a multitude of characteristic.
9. FUTURE EXPECTATIONS
From the previous analysis and presentations it should be clear that Cloud
Computing represents a fundamental change in the way computing power is
generated and distributed, transforming the delivery and the use of ICT tools and
products. A number of educational institutions in the EU already use some kind of
cloud services, but full adoption of the Cloud model is still far away, hindered by a
wide range of bottlenecks and barriers (Koutsopoulos, 2015b). Although cloud
computing is undoubtedly shaping, changing and enabling new ways of accessing,
understanding and creating knowledge (Koutsopoulos & Sotiriou, 2015), and is
already an integral part of modern life, precise predictions about its future uses in
education are impossible due to the high degree of uncertainty involved in technology
forecasting. Still, foresight methods can be employed to provide some insights
regarding the probable importance and implications of various factors, trends, and
events related to the emerging technology under study.
Foresight studies such as the ones of the SoC network, which are related to the
future of education, have two main objectives: (i) map how learning processes are
expected to change in the future, based on expert knowledge and the literature of
current and future trends; and (ii) develop a vision for the future of education, in the
form of scenarios or education strategies, in order to explore their potential
implications and to ensure that future teaching and learning contribute in fulfilling
societal needs and plans.
However, it would be naïve to believe that given a desirable scenario, a specific
action can be defined and happen, because this is not in accordance with what
foresight stands for. It is almost certain that the future will occur in ways that will not
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match exactly with any of the four SoC scenarios. It is expected that the future will
have elements from each of the four scenarios and the purpose for all of us and
mainly the decision makers is to increase the likelihood to impose as many as
possible of these elements. Therefore, what is of interest in terms of meeting the
challenges and planning issues for education is to consider all scenarios and to
highlight and discuss critically some important dimensions of expected changes,
which in turn will identify the main policy challenges and future research directions.
Moreover, in interpreting the results of the scenarios, it must be acknowledged that
the participants were not a representative sample of all European stakeholders, as
they belong to the specific group of the SoC network. However, this effort does not
aim to gather empirical evidence of stakeholder’ opinions on Cloud Computing in
Europe, but seeks expert advice for developing visions of the school of the future.
According to the steering committee of SoC the bias of the sample is considered
strength rather than a limitation. Indeed, the participants in the SoC foresight
exercises proved to be extremely knowledgeable, reflective and critical of current
developments in educational policy and practice. These observations confirm that the
participants contributed rightly were considered as experts in their corresponding
interest related to the future of school education in Europe.
In addition it should emphasized that the constructed scenarios based on trends and
challenges coming from various sources, as they have been reported in the literature
and expressed by experts' opinions, will determine our education system and what
propositions should be taken into consideration for its future. Accepting the basic
principle that «Technology changes, Education survive» signifies the role of
education as a societal necessity and the need to explore the potential implications of
technology to education. It has shown that ICT changes, in the form of Cloud-based
technologies, provide the power to fundamentally change how education should be
approached and practiced. That is, Sugatra Mitra's work on self-organized learning
solutions which lead him to write about the need to «Build a school on the cloud», it
is suggested that it has reached the point where it has to be put into operation.
However, in order to put such a school into operation there is a need to take into
account the changes in the role, the responsibilities and the approaches of the major
education stakeholders, which are expressed as a set of future expectations, as they
were described or inferred in the constructed scenarios and the literature, the most
important of which are presented below:
9.1 Future Expectations in Technology
The scenarios developed were aimed to define how the advancement of Cloud
Computing could affect education and in turn education policy ten years from now, so
as to identify which policies should be promoted. Indeed, challenges in the emerging
domain of Cloud based education are huge and complex and cannot be dealt with in
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isolation from other societal issues. Therefore, there is a need for a very close
relationship with the broader task of envisioning and developing of future Cloud
Computing, the internet and the rest of the technological developments.
9.1.1 Cloud computing: Cloud Computing supports and encourages emerging
technologies like streaming, high quality video and running 3D applications, as well
as other applications to education. However, the School on Cloud in order to enable
mass collaboration, data processing, simulation and visualization through complex
interactions, face severe constraints in terms of effortlessly running anytime, in any
school, with good quality educational services. That is, developments in Cloud
Computing are as inevitable as the new school on the Cloud.
Another important issue related to Cloud Computing is its need to improve its security
given the inexperienced school users. In the coming years, Cloud application
providers will improve the security and reliability measures they will be putting in
place. It is expected that Cloud processes and techniques for securing data in
motion, a fundamental requirement in educational institutions, will need to be
dramatically improved. In addition, auditing and monitoring they have also to be
improved and more predictive and alerting capabilities need be built directly into the
cloud services to safely support education.
9.1.2 Internet: The future internet infrastructure is expected to support longer-range,
more complex human planning and decision making. The technology requirements -
tremendous storage and computing resources linked with advanced software
systems that generate a variety of graphical displays for analyzing data will increase
accordingly.
However from an education point of view there is great concern for its future in
schools. Technologically the internet as the universal means for communication and
computation, despite being extraordinarily successful so far in our schools, presents
a series of inherent unresolved problems that hinder extensive educational utilization.
As the European Commission (2009b) has pointed out the internet is expected soon
to reach its technological limits at least in regards to its architectural capability and
capacity, but mainly in terms of addressing many social challenges, among which
education is the most profound, due to its potential pervasiveness and the risks in
large scale application such as schools and the involvement of not so versed users
such as the education stakeholders.
9.1.3 Developments: The scenarios presented previously clearly indicate that in ten
years the education structure could be radically different due to the unprecedented
growth and improvement of Cloud Computing and the impact of this development on
the operation of our schools as well as on education policy making. That is, mass
collaboration tools, reporting and decision-support systems, sophisticated algorithms
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for processing data and performing statistical simulation and analysis, visualization
tools, personalized and location aware services, among others, are expected to
become reality and mainstream in the next 10–20 years. But more importantly,
pathways of information, a fundamental ingredient in education, will be changing. The
evidence suggests that all aspect of the physical and social realm, including
education, is becoming a form of information system.
9.2 Future Expectations for Policy Making
Throughout this report it was repeatedly mentioned that there is a need in the future
to harness the potential of ICT tools, in the form of Cloud Computing, to support
policy challenges such as:
9.2.1 Information Management: As future Cloud Computing networks will link data
from any person, object and operating environment, they will generate better
information which can enhance decision making significantly. Limited applications
have been developed in various areas of education, showing the future path to
generate information. In terms of persons, applications have been instituted in order
to support educational policies, to care for stakeholders, for students transport, for
school building energy efficiency etc., providing the necessary information; sensors
are embedded in objects so that schools can track their movement and formulate
policies to avoid recursive expenses; and cloud computing tools and technologies
could be developed to animate large scale societal forecast for potential outcomes
and impacts of proposed policy measures. For example, in higher education
information on enrolment, housing needs, costs, benefits, social impact and resulting
social burdens is a fundamental necessity in policy making.
9.2.2 Data Processing: Cloud Computing has created the foundation, using the
computing power leading to the growing amount of data available to produce a
quantum leap in educational institutions' capacity to support policy making with real
time, robust, and evidence based insights. But more importantly, while now each
institution collects, process and stores significant quantities of data that they control
and update. In the future, this practice might change and all institutions, everywhere
by authorizing access of their «data spaces» will create the condition for a «shared
space» which can be jointly accessed by all to fulfill their policy making needs.
9.2.3 Real-time: Data from sensors deployed in the physical infrastructure of a
school (such gymnasiums, yards and buildings) can provide real time data on
excising conditions and give school decision makers an instant awareness of real-
time events, particularly when the sensors are used with advanced display or
visualization technologies. The system can extend to a central monitor center for all
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schools of a district and a multitude of agencies for a district wide real time decision
making. In addition, the range of possible uses for tracing and tracking is expanding
technologically, but also as decision making tools. For example, the use of advanced
Cloud Commuting for tracking could be used for security and optimization of such
school activities as transport planning and implementation, preventing and managing
eventual disasters.
9.2.4 Participation: In the future cloud computing should build on and extrapolate
from social computing and future collaborative technologies, to facilitate bottom-up,
user-controlled, massive social collaboration and networking applications. That is, it
should enable education stakeholders groups to form, engage, create, learn and
share group knowledge. Because in this way education stakeholders participation will
provide them with the ability to track the educational decision-making process and
see whether and how their contributions have been considered in the decision
making process.
9.2.5 Artificial Decision Making: Most experts agree that in the future there will be
rapid, real-time sensing of unpredictable conditions as well as instantaneous
responses guided by automated systems. Moreover, these artificial approaches that
will mimic human reactions will certainly vastly enhanced performance levels. But
such expectations should spur serious thinking about how to tackle education tasks
taking place in a complex and delicate environment where narcotics, bulling,
shootings etc. are present.
9.3 Future Expectations for Research
There is no question that European scientists are at the forefront of ICT, in the form
of Cloud Computing, throughout the rapid technological developments of the last few
years. However, in terms of teaching and learning, now is the time, in addition of
bringing together different research disciplines (not only educators), to help education
benefit from the present and future opportunities of Cloud Computing.
9.3.1 Research needs: The previous discussion clearly indicate that there are needs
for future research to:
Overcome Special Risks: There will be possible risks to the school systems, due
to the large scale applications required by them.
Overcome Special needs: Technologies will be developed to address the
technological challenges linked to educational concerns, but additional risks will
arise, due to the nature of education and the involvement of users/stakeholders
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characterized by different interests, various needs and differentiated difficulty in
accepting them.
Develop new Paradigm: The opportunities provided by future cloud computing
tools for education are indeed huge, but they should be utilized only if appropriate
conditions and an «educational research paradigm» are developed.
Prepare for Changes: Education stakeholders, including decision makers, should
realize that not only research in that area is forthcoming, but they will force
changes in institutions, no matter how resistant they try to be.
Redefine Stakeholders Knowledge: As conditions (educational, social,
economic etc.) are changing, tensions may emerge as stakeholders need to know
more about the educational institutions they serve, which will have a new structure
and form.
9.3.2 Research Conditions: In connection to these needs and following the
examination of the risks and opportunities of each scenario, it is suggested that a
series of Cloud Computing conditions should be fully realized, including:
Cloud based education stakeholder adopters will have to prove that the tools
and applications they use indeed support innovative teaching and learning and
create public value.
The cost of Cloud Commuting applications must decrease in order to facilitate
widespread adoption in our schools. For example, applications such as
inexpensive Networking technologies can allow data to flow freely and with
minimum friction between real and virtual environments.
The Government should strengthen regulations, in order to protect data privacy
and security, particularly for educational uses that touch on students' sensitive
data.
The Government should instigate risk analysts, as well as create legal liability
frameworks in order to be able to face eventual problems which might be
generated by the automated systems.
In addition, the increasing research demands from the education community for
applicable concepts, inevitable will lead, in the near future towards the emergence of
«experimentally-driven research», as the only way to address teaching and learning
challenges. This would eventually allow the testing of new Cloud-based education
applications as well as their socio-economic impacts.
Finally, although the gap between education stakeholders and long-term research
actors might be considered unbridgeable all indications point out that this gap will be
bridged enabling cross-fertilization across different scientific disciplines interested in
education as well as integration of resources on fostering needed common research
results.
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9.4 The future Expectations of Uncertainties
Τhe scenarios developed indirectly, but clearly, indicate that a number of gaps exist
in terms of policies and practices and actual needs and desires of the educational
community. Among the most important are:
9.4.1 Security and privacy issues: It should be clear that internet, upon which
Cloud Computing is based, was not designed to serve massive scale applications
such those in teaching and learning, which additionally has to guarantee quality,
security and privacy. In our schools, which by its nature provide mechanisms with
large amounts of data and transactions, the opportunities and incentives are present
for malicious use of data and information. Therefore, the future uncertainties in
designing management systems capable of dealing with innumerable entities as well
as with trustworthiness and control of distributed applications and secure and trusted
interaction with real-world objects and entities are still to be resolved
9.4.2 Government Issues: Public administrations all over Europe are still designed
and functioning in exact the same way as the 19th century model of Weberian
bureaucracy. As a result, the institutional inertia of governments to radically change
education policies and practices, as a result of new Cloud based education
possibilities is here to stay with us in the foreseeable future and any hope of
bureaucracy fading away is at least unsubstantiated. However, it should be pointed
out that: it is one thing to imagine that Cloud Computing will radically and rapidly
change government's policies toward education, and it is a completely different thing
to envisage public and private institutions as well as legal provisions that will indeed
make possible to modify, codify and apply the needed educational policies.
9.4.3 Societal Issues: As a final issue that needs to be pointed out in this report is
that in considering future developments that might change policy and decision
making and their implications to education in particular and to society in general, we
must remind ourselves that we are dealing with socio-economic issues far more
important than pure technological requirements and applications. That is, the issues
under discussion have a strong socio-economic dimension, which relies on
practically all research areas and not only the technological challenges of Cloud
Computing.
10 CONCLUSIONS: THE FUTURE SCHOOL
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In conclusion, this report, by presenting the results of the SoC foresight exercises,
corroborated with the literature review of the D 5.1 document, suggest that the future
school will offer a teaching and learning environment characterized by the following:
10.1 Personalized
The work of WG 2 of the SoC network, among others, anticipates that
personalization will put a stump on the future of education. The reasons are simple
and forth worth: first personalization is based on self-awareness and fun producing
trip along a route selected by the students themselves; second personalization puts
the student in the center of the educational environment, which allows them to decide
what and how to learn, while at the same time teachers do not lose their significance
but they get more responsibilities than before (Gusic et. al., 2015).
10.2 Holistic
The educational processes of the future that this report has presented will be
characterized by openness, sharing, interpersonal relationships, discourse, and
personal motivation, tacit over explicit knowledge, as well as the sharing and
reusability of learning resources on the web, which however cannot be addressed in
the present traditional way. In other words, these processes cannot be dealt with
unless we accept the fact that they represent different manifestations of "a whole",
which is the dialectic entity of the new school, the School on the Cloud. That is, the
focus is neither on what we are learning nor on how we are learning, both aspects
are very important (Brown & Adler, 2008), but mainly the approach to achieve them,
which needs to be holistic. This concept is not new; the difference is that the holistic
thrust is not only towards the learner, according to the situated learning approach
(Lave and Wenger, 1991), but mainly towards the education system (a process for all
educational stakeholders).
10.3 Integrated
In the new school the most important impact that the power of Cloud Computing may
have is in the integration of the teaching process which will increase the openness of
the teaching environment. Such an integrated approach in turn is expected to
radically change teaching and learning. Literature and experts unanimously agree
that these characteristics can harness collective intelligence, building on the
knowledge, experience, and competence of various education stakeholders.
Moreover, independent of the degree of acceptance of each scenario, conventional
wisdom and familiar educational practices will be challenged as Cloud-based
changes in integration will impinge on the policy-making processes. That is, teaching
and learning in the new school has to be simultaneously pedagogical (i.e. new role of
teachers), technical/technological (i.e. use of the internet), administrative (i.e. new
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role of school administrators), social (i.e. a different disposition of parents towards
school), political (i.e. a different approach of government to school) and cultural (i.e.
new role of students), in dialectic harmony and respecting all aspects of teaching and
learning an integral part of which are pupils, teachers and school administrators.»
(Koutsopoulos and Kotsanis, 2014)
10.4 Technological
The literature (Gusic et. al., 2015; Koutsopoulos 2015) clearly shows that technology
is creating opportunities and challenges for our schools. That is, technology provides
learning that is not confined to the school walls, because students can learn
anywhere and they can participate in educational activities around the globe in an
easy and costless way. Moreover, as society moves towards the next industrial
revolution, which certainly will be based on «Do it yourself culture» schools and their
students will need to take full advantage of technology and its developments.
10.5 Knowledge - Centered
Cloud based education can provide to teaching and learning a prescriptive approach
towards both on individual learners and on learning itself, which satisfy the future
complex and challenging conditions . As a result, the new Network Centered knowing
approach will come to the fore in order to overcome the compartmentalization of
knowledge. In this knowledge -centered teaching and learning approach, where each
education stakeholder's individual needs and progress are taken into account, the
traditional roles of education stakeholders (teachers, students, managers) will
change to support this development. That is teachers will become moderators and
guides for students’ personalized and collaborative knowledge created and applied
by visionary school managers.
10.6 United but not uniform
Cloud Computing, which is the fundamental instrument in a Cloud based education,
can fulfill all the future requirements for the coming new School on the Cloud,
because it represents a fundamental change in the way computing power is
generated and distributed. That is, Cloud Computing as the main educational tool
represents an instrument which on one hand can support with the same resources as
well as provide the same opportunities to all major education stakeholders and in the
process create a unified education system. On the other hand, the irrelevancy of the
location of the Cloud user and of the Cloud itself negates the necessity to impose
upon all educational institutions uniformity in teaching and learning practices or
curriculum structures. Moreover, Cloud Computing by incorporating mixed reality
applications based on semantic cooperation platforms that traverse language and
cultural interpretation can enable multi-national groups to create, learn and share
information and knowledge (European Commission, 2009a).
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10.7 Active
In the Cloud based education of the future schools teaching and learning due to the
opportunities provided, inevitably will become more active, focusing on education by
doing, experiencing hands on approaches. At the same time, education will be more
social, in that each student will construct his/her knowledge in interaction with others
in the context of those necessary practical applications and tasks.
10.8 Revised
Cloud Computing in addition to more active and constructive ways of learning will
revise teaching and learning by shifting the balance between knowledge and skills,
which will lead to the emergence of new competences. That is, in an educational
environment that is already characterized by school information overload, «knowing
how» will become more important than “knowing what”. Furthermore, it is expected, if
not hoped, that Cloud Computer will direct a shift in values, like respect, tolerance,
responsibility and cultural awareness and diversity, which will become important
educational objectives.
10.9 Facilitative
Cloud Computing naturally will bring changes to teaching and learning objectives and
the ways to accomplish them. Furthermore, these changes will be accompanied by
the emergence of new learning settings and their connections to different educational
contexts. That is, education will be supported by virtual environments, tools and
applications to facilitate individual and collaborative teaching and learning processes
associated to various contexts. It is envisioned that in the future:
Physical or virtual boundaries will become obsolete and education will take
place in environments that are integrated into the students' life.
Educational environments will be motivating, social and connected to the local
community and the global society, but mainly to nature.
Education will represent a holistic and integrating framework by providing an
information system domain within which virtually all aspects of education can be
practiced.
10.10 Collaborative
An important evolution that will take place in the new school is that students will be
taking the initiative and develop their own projects, which in turn will lead to
collaboration among students in the classroom. However, this development should
be considered in association with the fact that in the future European societies will be
more intercultural, forcing young will people to come to terms with the increasing rate
of change finding their way in a complex world. As a result, schools in addition must
provide their students with the necessary instructions for intercultural understanding,
active citizenship and direct interaction with society. Thus, collaboration not only
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within the classroom, but with the community at large, and with people from other
social, cultural or age groups, will become increasingly important to enable the
students of the future school to come to terms with life in an increasingly diverse and
uncertain world.
10.11 STEM focused
Given that innovation represents the driving force for developing the economy, a
need exist, which will increase in the future to produce professionals with a good
knowledge and background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Mathematics). The reason is simple, a STEM focused education helps student gain
skills and knowledge activate mathematical and scientific thinking and sustain
interest in science, mathematics and technology for the rest of their lives. Therefore,
the need to produce qualified candidates for employment in the technology sector
requires a STEM focused education, an important element of the new school.
10.12 Multimodal
The way we communicate has been changing in the last few years and this trend will
continue and intensify in the future as accessibility and mobility of technology will be
increasing. The same holds true in education where the nature of communications
not only has been changing, but mainly it is becoming multimodal. That is, the nature
of communication in education is slowly moving towards an integration of modes
(sound, color, text, image, etc.) as recourses that operate simultaneously in order to
create more complex messages with richer meaning, than it can be accomplished
with the use of one mode that dominates the rest. As a result, in the new school
multimodality will make educational messages easier to understand and thus it will
improve the teaching and learning process.
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Appendix I
i-Learner Questionnaire
Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
Which of the following key competences do you consider the most important and why?
1. Personalized learning 1. Data Management and information
2. Internet access 2. Collaboration
3. Digital classroom 3. Privacy awareness
Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
Which of the following technologies do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Health Issues 1. Free, Open-source Software
2. Digital and collaborative competence 2. Mobile Devices
3. Critical Thinking 3. Smart Technologies
i-Teacher Questionnaire
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Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Meaningful individualized learning 1. Greater participation Collaboration –
cooperation
2. Improvement of web-based IT for learning 2. Teachers' training
3. Digital support for learners 3. ICT infrastructure and security
Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why?
Which Technologies do you consider to be the most important?
1. Multidisciplinary teachers 1. Learning Analytics tools
2. Teachers as facilitators, inspirers and student guides
2. Virtual reality & Artificial Intelligence
3. Provision of personalized learning 3. Open-source software and data
i-Manager Questionnaire (WG1)
Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
1. Universal 1. New vision, removing barriers between
teachers and students
2. Equal opportunities 2. Finances/cost
3. Educational content - new teaching - learning methods
3. Greater participation
Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why?
Which Interaction/Communication do you
consider to be the most important?
1. Management abilities - change management
1. Communicate - proactive and reactive
2. General technological and pedagogical background
2. Use of technology
3. Communication - collaboration - negotiation abilities
3. Collaborative school organizations
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Appendix II
i--Learner (WG3)
Please respond to all 4 Questions with up to 3 answers using Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4 as titles in correspondence.
http://padlet.com/schoolonthecloudeu/5mbn7awgn5a7 Q1 What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in which European educational institutions approach learning using Cloud Computing by 2025?
Q2 What do you see as the key challenges related to learning using Cloud Computing that European educational institutions will face by 2025?
1. i. Free and open source ii. Collaboration tools - apps enabling direct
contact of 2.
i. management of big data ii. quality of data iii. way of selecting data
3. i. risks of privacy -how to handle that ii. quality of the use of internet iii. health issues - wifi and 3/4/5G radiations iv. role of the teacher/tutor
4. i. Free and open access to the fast internet ii. Personalization of learning - less
standardization 5. take advantage of the extraordinary
technological advances in online learning for personalization, allowing students to learn at their own pace, any time and everywhere.
6. i. Shift to competence education ii. Game-based learning
7. personalized learning digital clasroom, free internet and free devices to all
8. i. everything will be digital ii. multiculturality and mobility of learners iii. personalized learning
9. i. more perzonalized learning, because of the
growing ii. digital classrom
10. i. permanent connectivity ii. lifelong learning using digital resources iii. personalized learning
11. Reinforcing critical thinking 12.
I. accessibility / affordability of internet II. increasing need for learning with cloud
support (lowering costs, learning & employed,...)
III. ubiquity of technology (internet of things) IV. personalization of learning
1. i. selecting reliable resources ii. privacy "the fully transparent user" iii. increased digital competence might
reduce social competence 2.
i. selecting reliable resources ii. privacy "the fully transparent user" iii. increased digital competence might
reduce social competence 3.
i. being able to handle big data ii. critical thinking iii. collaborative competences, efficient
competences 4.
i. Data Security/ Big Data ii. digital inequality: not access but quality of
use iii. the digital transformation of the economy
and the growing importance of media competences in vocational
5. i. time spent for learning & effectiveness of
learning ii. health issues (sight, backbone, stress
related to extreme time spent sitting) iii. extracting, selecting important data /
information from growing amounts of available information
6. i. social competences might decrease ii. health problems due to sitting in front of
the computer iii. work doesn't stop anymore
7. digital inequality, adequate education to all teachers, health problems
8. i. Reduce of social competences ii. Free time vs. time for learning balance iii. Keeping learners motivated to learn even
without a teacher controlling him/her 9. new didactic approaches to
increase, knowledge 10. teacher training
Q3 Q4
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What do you see as the key competences/labor market needs that learning using Cloud Computing in European educational institutions have to provide by 2025?
Which technologies will be the most important to learning in European educational institutions by 2025?
1. i. judjing reliability of resources ii. privacy awareness iii. keeping a sustainable work-life balance (for
a working life span > 40 years) 2. Ability to cooperate with others - openness and
willingness 3. critical thinking, cooperation, flexibilty 4.
i. Data management ii. Privacy
5. i. Ability to select information and choose the
proper the one needed ii. Be able to develop learners' own learning
paths 6.
i. collaborative working/ learning ii. awareness of challenges of data security:
need to aquire a reflexive/ critical media competence
iii. cultural dimension of media use: acquire cultural media competence
7. i. high level skills to recognize / search for
relevant information ii. social skills (team work - also online,
cooperation) iii. lifelong learning & ability to adapt to new
technologies 8.
i. mobility of people ii. high level of training
1. i. mobile devices (cheap) ii. augmented reality (for learning outdoor) iii. free, open source software
2. a) free and open source b) mobile devices
3. mobile devices, smart technologies, technology should dealing with huge amount of data
4. i. open and free software ii. cheap technologies iii. safe engagement
5. i. mobile devices with increased capabilities
(sensors, communication - written, audio, ...)
ii. increased capabilities of reliable communication - translating from speech to text, between the languages,...
iii. free internet everywhere 6.
i. free and open source ii. mobile devices
7. a. Learning Analytics b. 3d
8. a) mobile devices b) ICT's with universal design
9. i. free internet for, everyone ii. using open source or free accesible tools
/ software iii. using mobile tools iv. ubiquitous, learning if the technology is
ready for it 10. mobile devices
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i -Learner (WG3) Responses
Please choose the most important in your opinion for each separate case. Name your choice with the corresponding title of the chosen respond (e.g. R1b).
http://padlet.com/schoolonthecloudeu/axkbuv8zd84t
R1 Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
R2 Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
R1a Personalized learning
1. Personalized learning: learning will be inevitable but must be personalized
2. Personalized learning, The learner decide what
3. Personalized learning because it can make the difference in a digital classroom with internet access
4. Personalized learning will probably be the biggest trend for learners;
5. Personalized learning because it might embrace aspects such as on-line communities(digital citizenship) ,flipped classroom as well as game-based learning
6. personalized learning to allow person to discover all his/her potential; to take ownership of their education and discover their passions and interests;
7. Personalized learning. Because it gives freedom
R1b Internet access
1. Internet access - Internet of things. Constant connectivity without any problems
R1c Digital classroom
R2a Digital and collaborative competence R2b Health issues
1. Health & physical & mental health issues, too long, uninterrupted sitting, focused watching, forced sitting position,... increasing number of older people with their specific limitations; addiction to ICT problem
2. Nothing is more important than health issues 3. Health issues:
radiation of mobile networks, back problems because of sitting, eye problems because of too long focus, mental health problems (addiction
4. This is the only challenge not addressed right now. Maybe because we use technologies not so long. After a decade or few we would be able to notice problems with eyes, our back, or even mental problems.
5. Health issues have been seen to long only as problems of risk by radiation, but there's much more- mental health: addictions, become a kind of zombie when being constantly online, not sleeping enough: consequences of sitting in a wring way
6. The learner will be more in a sitting position in front of a computer.
7. Eye problems R2c Critical thinking
1. Critical thinking - is the base for the evolution; the basis for the creation of sustainable human-oriented development
2. critical thinking enhance the didactic process and provides new methodological approaches
R3 Which of the following key competences do you consider the most important and why?
R4 Which of the following technologies do you consider the most important and why?
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R3a Collaboration
1. It becomes more and more important to work in teams and projects. Collaboration means more than working with partners or teams in the classroom. It means to work with institutions and partners out of school.
R3b Data management and information
1. You have to be able to manage the data you have because if you don't then it is the same as no data at all.
2. Data and information management includes awareness on how to get data
3. Data and information management: knowing about the reliability of resources, being aware pros and cons of privacy and personalization
4. Data management and information 5. how to deal with the enormous
amount of information; how to make the best selection; how to find the most relevant
6. Data management since it is a notion which incorporates a number of issues including avoiding copy-paste, time management , communication ,collaboration and privacy awareness so as to avoid cyber bullying
7. Data management & information treatment
8. Data management and information also includes: I. how to deal with the abundance
of information II. how to protect yourself from
privacy issues when accessing info (think about the cookies
R3c Privacy awareness
1. Privacy awareness 2. Everything in the internet will stay
there forever.
R4a Mobile devices R4b Free, open-source software
1. Free, open-source software: unleashing the power of huge programmer communities, free accessible software to avoid digital divide
2. Software technologies Will affect the education 3. Free, open-source software 4. Free &open source software a potential tool in order to
decrease disparities in education Software makes a device work. If the software is not free or it is expensive for most of the people then the device and its technology are useless
5. Free, open-source software to to enable equal opportunities
R4c Smart technologies
1. To make smart technology possible you need the two others, and certainly mobile devices.
2. Smart technology will be helpful for the learner as it will turn his mobile device into his personal tutor/teacher/trainer/doctor… Thus being the perfect cooperator in his learning
3. Mobile devices but I might add 3d printing in education http://3dprintingindustry.com/education
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i-Learner (WG3) Scenario
Technology moves really fast so we need to think in a radical, innovative creative and imaginative way. Schools need to have no walls 3D printing will enable learners to experiment while at the same time practice project and game-based learning preparation for real working environment where learners will actually collaborate. All schools are well equipped with fast internet. A responsible person for technical question cares about the ICT's. Teacher Students acquire at University the Competences to teach media education which is part of every subject. This includes knowledge about accessibility for pupils with special needs. All learning materials are based on open-source software The Story of John [PPT Presentation]
John enters the school door, has a look if there is anything new in the intercultural area, greets his friends who are doing a small game in the playground section and checks his mobile device…
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i-Teacher (WG2)
Please respond to all 4 Questions with up to 3 answers using Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4 as titles in correspondence
http://padlet.com/schoolonthecloudeu/6myv86rmm629
Q1 What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in which European educational institutions, approach learning using Cloud Computing by 2025?
Q2 What do you see as the key challenges related to learning using Cloud Computing, that European educational institutions will face by 2025?
1. Institutional platforms such as
Escholarium where students, teachers and
parents can access online resources
(textbooks, online lessons and resources,
etc.).
2. i. Intelligent tutoring (personalized support) ii. augmented reality support for learners iii. Digital accreditation (badges)
3. Institutional platforms i. Increase and promote school networks
in order to create a real educational based internet community
ii. There will be no more so complex IT infrastructures in educational institutions
iii. Simplify the devices in order to make them easier to reach information
4. It depends what politicians and owners of the big IT companies will decide.
5. Virtualizing the management of the educational structures i. Videos instead of texting ii. Broadband for all iii. Collaboration between primary,
secondary education and universities 6. moving towards bilingual and trilingual
schools 7. individualization in education 1:1 8. Self-learning students 9. Large broadband for all without any
problems 10. Data-driven learning tailored to each
individual student's needs. Exploitation of data (solely for learning purposes) that are produced as a result of students' interactions with technological tools.
11. Learning anywhere, anytime. Learning should actually occur beyond the confines of a school classroom at one's own pace and convenience.
12. We need to focus first un básica knowledge. How to select quality contents. Possibilities one global perspective. Turn información into knowledge. Increase sharing experiencia
1. i. Empowering students ii. Skill set of staff iii. Infrastructure iv. Data analytics
2. A much more collaborative and cooperative
role. 3. Teachers' training for the present and future
challenges. 4. Students' training in areas where there are
multicultural communities. 5. Focus On teaching On a structural and
strategic level (not instrumental level) 6. classroom manager 7. Inform about cyber protection of children
and data misused i. The teachers will be seen as team
members. ii. A much more collaborative and
cooperative role iii. Oriented based teaching
8. Bilingual schools/infrastructure /accessibility internet
9. Reliable infrastructure: broadband connection, tablets, smart boards, etc.
10. Connecting school-based and higher education to actual vocational needs
11. Personalized learning 12. Competence-based learning
Q3 What do you see as the key role/profile of teachers using Cloud Computing will be in European educational institutions by 2025?
Q4 Which technologies will be the most important to learning in European educational institutions by 2025?
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1. Intrapersonal competences in a cloud-based learning environment
2. The teacher as a contextual strategist i. Mentoring, guide, support... ii. Improving learning environment iii. Selecting a mobile program that will
engage and empower students
3. Intrapersonal competences in a cloud-based
learning environment
4. The teacher as a contextual strategist
5. i. Mentoring, guide, support... ii. Improving learning environment iii. Selecting a mobile program that will
engage and empower students 6. technical support 7. competences in IT and skills
i. Classroom management and leadership
ii. Human resources and maintenance iii. Accessibility and Internet connection
8. Coach-mentor 9. Teachers as facilitators of knowledge. 10.
i. Increasing the habit of personalized learning.
ii. Create a secure, save and personalized digital learning portfolios, available for the lifetime
11. The teacher-educator needs to inspire learners to pursuit knowledge for themselves.
12. The teacher needs to help learners understand applications of knowledge and skills in real-life contexts
13. Bilingual teachers 14. Multidisciplinary teachers 15. teachers as guide of the knowledge
16. accessibility, inclusion, maintenance
1. Virtual reality 2. Relationships on the cloud. Tablet with
different subjects or mobile. New programs more easy.
3. Cloud-based technologies 4. To stress the use of free software and open
data of quality in order to be inclusive with teachers and students.
5. Serious Games i. Reliable high quality broadband ii. Tools that allow students to be creators
and not consumers - coding, programming
iii. Game based technology, develop a skills set of problem solving
6. YouTube-alike websites and open-source software and operative systems.
7. Robotics i. The internet of things ii. Wearable tools iii. Collaboration between Artificial
intelligence and robots iv. Learning analytics combine medical
data, educational data, personal data, etc.
v. Turning big data accessible 8. ambient technology 9. invisible technologies 10. 3D and augmented reality gadgets 11. Internet of things 12. Learning Analytics 13. Open Sources 14. Simulators and virtual machines
Q 1.
i. Lifelong learning ii. Teaching Aboutaleb valeus and safety
2. i. How to select quality contents. How help
teachers to select information. We need to focus first in basic knowledge.
Achieve a global perspective. ii. It is not enough public funds for work
with devices. iii. Inhomogeneity of people: try to
individualize the learning process in order to achieve a better level of knowledge and help others: social learning process. Cyber security, data misused and protection of personal atmosphere.
iv. Geolocation technologies and the challengers con Galileo project. The proyecto can give innovación to the educación sector.
v. Learning environment tool for educational use of Spatial Infrastructural data
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i-Teacher (WG2) Responses
Please choose the most important in your opinion for each separate case. Name your choice with the corresponding title of the chosen respond (e.g. R1b).
http://padlet.com/schoolonthecloudeu/q177qxxh3gsq
R1 Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
R2 Which of the following key challenges do you consider the most important and why?
R1a Improvement of web-based IT for learning
1. Without a good, up-to-date Internet infrastructure, this technology cannot reach most schools and cannot become a trend setter in education
2. It is very important that education starts demanding the developers what kind of tools or applications are needed in educational process
R1b Meaningful individualized learning. 1. This puts the learner at the centre - focus on
people 2. Meaningful individualized learning should be the
overall aim for everyday teaching. IT and support nowadays are important to be able to reach the aim.
3. Meaningful individualized learning, because the only way to empower our students and properly equip them for their future personal and professional lives is to provide education tailored to their interests, aspirations and needs.
4. Individualized learning is nowadays very important although it should not lead into isolation of a student. Social skills/competences as very important - to develop them we need an interaction with others.
R1c Digital support for learners
1. digital supports are the future of learning 2. It is important for the future. 3. without digital support is not possible to teach 4. digital resources are vital for the teacher
R1 1. This shows a clear added value and makes it
possible to realize efficient differentiation
R2a
Teachers' training 1. Without qualified teacher the implementation
of IT in education is not taking place. Nevertheless, without ICT infrastructure and security even qualified teacher have only limited possibilities. And good teacher will need to cooperate anyway.
2. Teacher´s training must include ICT infrastructure and cooperation
3. Teachers are the real driven force of the learning process. ICT is continuously changing and teachers need the skills to be adapt ted
4. initial teacher training should take into account new ways of learning of which ICT enhanced learning is an important one. Efficient use of cloud computing for teaching should be part of a teachers training. They should learn to apply it for example for collaborative learning
R2b ICT infrastructure and security
1. Both of them are important, but security is most important before we going ahead.
R2c
Collaboration – cooperation 1. We need good trained teachers using very
good and secured infrastructure. Only Collaboration and cooperation between those two domains can make this a success.
2. it is really necessary to have collaboration and cooperation between available ICT infrastructure and teachers
3. The teacher in the future becomes a virtual collaborative and cooperative transparent world
4. Collaboration and cooperation are to me the key challenges - in and outside classroom, through electronic devices as well as through face-to-face communication.
5. Collaboration among teachers and students, teachers and their colleagues, as well as students and their peers is a key challenge. Creation of knowledge is a collective process and occurs as a result of engagement in collective processes.
R3 Which of the following key roles do you consider the most important and why?
R4 Which of the following technologies do you consider the most important and why?
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R3a Teachers as facilitators, inspirers and student guides
1. The role of the teacher as an expert and inspirer is the key role and a must all along transformation and innovation in education.
2. Teachers need to curate the material to facilitate students individual learners needs, and encourage ownership of their own learning, self-responsibility.
R3b
Multidisciplinary teachers 1. In the future teachers must be more collaborative
and multidisciplinary 2. A multidisciplinary teacher is able to provide
personalized learning, he can facilitate and guide. But to be able to allow multidisciplinary teachers the education (school) system need to change.
3. Teachers today should be multidisciplinary. But it is not enough. Learning to be multidisciplinary is not enough. To get it working the system should change to. Giving multidisciplinary lessons in with teachers teams could be a solution. And cloud can be a facilitator.
R3c Provision of personalized learning
1. In future teachers must be able to provide personalized learning as a multidisciplinary teachers
2. Personalized learning will be more, and more important in the future.
R3 1. Facilitating individualized learning will be a key
responsibility of the teacher of the future 2. IT is not about pure knowledge anymore, iT is
more About How to give access to knowledge and How to deal with the knowledge to improve the effect On learning.
R4a
Virtual reality & Artificial Intelligence 1. Massive data needs artificial intelligence 2. In the future is necessary to create virtual
rooms
R4b
Learning Analytics tools 1. Learning Analytic tools are paramount in the
present-day technological context, in order to be able to see the limits of every innovation and thus make the most of it
2. We cannot accomplish the goal of providing personalized learning and education to our students
3. Learning analytics will be a key to scientifically based efficient individualized learning
4. In order to realize personalized learning and for managing big data. The idea to provide digital support.
R4c
Open-source software and data 1. Open source and availability of data 2. Open-source software and data will give
opportunities to more people and institutions to use them.
R 1. Improving digital support for teachers and
students to increase the personalization of learning.
2. Wireless internet everywhere (even in the smallest corner of the word). The whole word is connected (schools, stress, hotels, restaurants, gyms, ...). Development of smart cities
vi.
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i-Teacher (WG2) Scenario
Ubiquitous Internet access, as well as access to resources, and easy-to-use digital devices so as to allow teachers to focus on their pedagogical role. Support will be only needed at the technical level (and will be provided by technical staff). The classroom size needs to be reduced or not to have classrooms at all. Existing stiff time schedules will be reconsidered. Arrangements of the learning environment should be totally different (e.g. open learning spaces). Curricula should become competence-based and not to focus on teaching of specific subjects. New assessment methods need to emerge so that each individual student's learning can be appropriately evaluated.
6. Each student creates his/her own e-portfolio Students will become engaged in projects or learning activities tailored to their needs and interests. They will discuss with their teacher-supervisor about benchmarks and assessment criteria and they will also become actively involved in the process of m The teacher will inspire the students and show his/her students the way of to challenge themselves. Parents should have active participation in their children's learning. Monitoring their progress.
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i-Manager Questionnaire (WG1)
Please respond to all 4 Questions with up to 3 answers using Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4 as titles in correspondence
http://padlet.com/schoolonthecloudeu/rfs3gxso27mo
What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in which European educational institutions using Cloud Computing ,approach school management by 2025?
What do you see as the key challenges related to school management that European educational institutions using Cloud Computing will face by 2025?
1. Accessibility for everyone (Frank)
2. Equal opportunities 3. Connectivity and mobility (indoor & outdoor
activities) for teachers and students
4. every child use a digital device in the school (Detlef)
5. blended learning, mobile learning, distance learning, virtual classroom (David)
6. Standardization of approach (from a mangers perspective), thus not taking advantage of the real opportunities Less flexibility on what we can do - i.e. more simple but less creative. More policy from the top. Not based on research. Unsustainable pilot projects - no continuity. (Karl)
7. Overflow of educational contents. Lack of coordination (umbrella). Cultural differences. (Dalibor)
8. Create more flexibility and decentralization of the educational system (teachers as creators of their materials)
9. Open knowledge, sharing collaborative resources to create new schools: open source software and Open Educational Resources, open hardware.
1. A vision about the new learning
2. Finances/cost 3. Greater participation
4. to provide a good technological
infrastructure (Detlef)
5. Lack of financing. The barrier between
digital natives and teachers. Costs of
personalization of curricula (Dalibor)
6. Personalized learning and
teaching environment & autonomy wider
participation in school (educational
system), less drop-off and differentiation.
7. Answering the societal problems. Costs
and benefits of SoC. Stimulating the
change (Dalibor)
8. inclusion of all pupils, teachers and
parents. No social division in a "information
elite» and "marginalized groups» specific
learning material data of all school´s
stakeholders should be in their own hands
(David)
9. Teacher training (not only on technology,
but also in working in a "different» vision of
school.
What do you see as the key role/profile of managers in European educational institutions using Cloud Computing will be by 2025?
What do you see as the key elements for interaction/communication/cooperation of the education stakeholders (students-teachers-parents-policy makers-society) to help run/manage educational institutions using Cloud Computing in 2025?
1. Knowledge about the technological-pedagogical possibilities (Detlef)
2. Identify first pedagogical problems and then identify technological or media based solutions (Detlef)
3. creation of a secure data infrastructure (data privacy) profession of media literacy Negotiation of all type of institutions [David]
4. Flip the school system. Organize collaboration. Organize self-managing teams
5. Providing visions - what they want Understanding the potential, benefits, advantages, issues. Enabling change to happen, so problems can be overcome. Making a roadmap - building an infrastructure to make their visions happen sustainably.
1. A vision of cloud computing (Detlef) 2. usage of everyday life technology (David) 3. Redirecting funds from old school to the
new learning 4. Flexibility of digital platform for learners and
teachers 5. Access non-consumers
Manager / leader must connect all forms of communication to all others - i.e. be at the heart of their network - i.e. proactive Must be anyway/anytime/anywhere to respond to needs - and make decisions - i.e. reactive Must be able to call on necessary expertise when, where and how needed. - i.e. communicate with an extended team Need special training to lead and manage Basic awareness of the Cloud, but knows
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6. Reduce the costs. (Iuliu)
where to get advice (Karl)
6. Personal communication will be taken for granted. The challenge will be to achieve group communication to work towards a better school (parents, learners, teachers...)
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i- Manager (WG2) Responses
Please choose the most important in your opinion for each separate case. Name your choice with the corresponding title of the chosen respond (e.g. R1b).
http://padlet.com/schoolonthecloudeu/z7ktqvc00vk0
R1 Which of the following trends do you consider the most important and why?
R2 Which of the following key challenges do you consider to be the most important and why?
R1a Universal accessibility and flexibility
1. Universal accessibility for mobile learning (David)
2. Universal access, using fully the potential of the cloud (Karl)
3. Every teacher, every pupil must have access to the cloud At any time in any place with any device. (Frank)
4. The cloud school should include everyone, no matter where they are located, to allow real changes to happen. At their own speed, with their own characteristics, bringing richness from every voice (Maria)
5. School Staff and teachers/learners should be able to access the content from everywhere (Iuliu)
6. In time of globalization the manager needs to have access from everywhere to anything semantic, innovative and changing for education (education in a new era)
7. The main trend will be full and open access to data, applications and education solutions based on the cloud computing. The future of education are interdisciplinary approach of methods and solutions. (Miec)
R1b Equal opportunities
1. The school must be fair somehow
R1c
Educational content - new teaching - learning
methods 1. A visioner manager must also have a
strong opinion/knowledge in the pedagogy framework and the educational model (competency-based), of his/her educational organization (Yannis)
R2a New vision, removing barriers between teachers and students 1. Manager/Leaders should understand the
benefits of using Cloud Applications and get all the opportunities for their school. (Iuliu)
2. Vision, removing barriers between stakeholders. (Dalibor)
3. Vision on the new learning 4. Leaders must co-create a vision with the
team and give the team’s self-management to realize that vision for their pupils. (Frank)
5. Having a new vision, being able to understand the implications of what the Cloud can bring. (Karl)
6. I think many schools (and also politicians) have a strong tendency to keep "the old way", with minimal changes to please the gallery (parents, society), but not real changes that imply big changes. (Maria)
7. Manager has to be a visioner open minded to new ways of learning and teaching methods. He has to make reality the new role of teachers and learn. (Katerina)
8. The main key challenges are new vision of education. The traditional approach to teaching will be gradually replaced by alternative methods, data sources and solutions. (Miec)
9. New vision is essential because we need to have the school as the right learning environment. (Danny)
10. New vision in relation to the cloud paradigm shift. (Yannis)
R2b
Finances/cost 1. Vision is the most important condition to
implement the cloud.
R2c
Greater participation
R3 Which of the following key role do you consider the most important and why?
R4 Which key element do you consider to be the most important?
R3a
General technological and pedagogical
background 1. The main role of the manager will be
showing the possibility of new solutions used in teaching and education, and create conditions for their implementation. It’s widely mean technical and pedagogical
R4a
Use of technology 1. The main key elements to help of using CC
is use technology. Technological possibilities and show their applications create the future success of this project. (Miec)
R4b
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background. (Miec) R3b Management abilities - change management
1. Change Management, have to be able to manage and lead for change - the Cloud is a paradigm shift. (Karl)
2. To change the management. (Iuliu) 3. Change management. The school leader
must work on the organization, the, instruments, the people and the culture to change the way the organization works. (Frank)
4. Change management according to the cloud paradigm shift (infrastructure - HW/SW, goals, communication, educational methodology-activities & educational cloud-based tools used by the staff of his/her educational organization etc.). (Yannis)
R3c
Communication - collaboration - negotiation
abilities 1. Communication - collaboration - negotiation
abilities to implement the cloud on all levels (David)
2. Communication – collaboration. (Danny) 3. We need new school leaders, that can
communicate and lead, by showing their real involvement in the change, leading the change from inside, so they can inspire their team with real evidences, and know the problems from inside (not because someone tells them). (Maria)
4. Manager has to be the role model for all the stakeholders and also the group that communicate the changes. (Katerina)
Communicate - proactive and reactive 1. Manager - leader must connect all forms of
communication to all others - i.e. be at the heart of their network - i.e. proactive. Must be anyway/anytime/anywhere to respond to needs - and make decisions - i.e. reactive. (Karl)
2. Manager has to be proactive (produce networks and communities to work in an effective way). But also to listen the problems and find solutions (so it has to reactive). (Katerina)
R4c
Collaborative school organizations 1. School organization. If pupils come to the
school as to the place where they can learn their own way at their own pace, then the leader must organize his school without traditional classes. (Frank)
.