While the use of Web 2.0 tools and specifically blogs is becoming increasingly popular within higher education (HE) and has been shown to promote learning, relatively little is known about the manner in which such tools may affect how teaching and learning may change as a result of the use of such tools. It is within this context that a connectivist learning model was created and has been further developed within this paper in order to consider the implications of how the use of blogs may change the manner in which teaching and learning occurs. Within this research, a case study of the use of collective student blogs utilized as part of a formally assessed module, undertaken within an HE institution, is utilized to explore the manner in which teaching and learning can be seen to change through a connectivist learning model of blog usage. From this case study, it appears that connectivism does provide a theoretical model for the way in which teaching and learning may change as a result of the use of blogs by learners. However, the experience of staff and students who undertook the project suggests that while a number of elements of the connectivist model can be identified, these are not seen universally among all students. IntroductionAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary (2014a), Web 2.0 is defined as the second stage of development of the Internet, characterized by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media. Web 2.0 could also be defined, however, as web applications that erase the barriers between the production and consumption of information. The use of such web applications within the classroom could result in the reduction of these barriers to such a degree that they are almost eliminated entirely. Furthermore, Web 2.0 tools allow connections to be formed between learners, teachers, subject expertise and general audiences which are dynamic and allow information to flow in many directions, and as a result, learning can occur according to the learner's needs, regardless of space or time.
The idea of Illustration Pedagogy initially came out of Transformative Learning Theory ‐ a learning theory that incites students to challenge their own assumptions ‐ and utilizes ideas of drawing & writing, making & thinking in the learning journeys of our students from the first day that they arrive on the course. This project explores the way, as lecturers, we can approach the design and delivery of taught modules in ways that develop the skills of student illustrators, their knowledge and understanding through critical writing practices which combine drawing and illustration. The projects discussed here are across levels 4, 5 and 6 on the undergraduate BA (Hons) Illustration degree at Plymouth College of Art. Creative education by necessity requires a creative approach to pedagogy, and we have developed the Illustration Pedagogy project using the tools and contexts of illustration itself in the teaching and learning on the programme.
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