I attend weekly sessions that take place online. The current module I am studying is called Learning with Virtual Worlds. We previously studied a number of Integrated Learning Systems - that are teaching machines very much based on the behaviourist learning model. Learners progress at their own pace and the computer carefully tracks the students progress through the course. My experiences as a teacher have led me to believe that learning always takes place within a social context. Learning is a collaborative process that never seems to follow the expected smooth upward path. Learning, in my experience, happens in fits and starts. I, therefore, found the concept of a Integrated Learning System rather unappealing (all rather too Brave New World for my liking). All the reading I have done around the subject seems to rather confirm my initial sentiment. Learning machines, on their own, don’t work.

This weeks session is on the subject of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). As part of the course we use a system called First Class. Their are synchronous and asynchronous discussions. I must admit that I am rather comfortable with the format. I feel comfortable in the online environment. I can participate from anywhere I have access to an Internet connected computer (work, home, the pub). I love having a text copy of all the online discussions that take place (my hand scrawled tutorial notes taken at university were always completely incomprehensible to be when I went back over them). I like being able to have easy access to other students notes – it seems to make the whole learning experience more collaborative.

CMC is also of particular interest to me because of my work with ASD learners (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). I have noticed that many of the communication difficulties are minimised when they use CMC. Many of them love to use collaborative online games (Runescape, Club Penguin, World of Warcraft etc). I have always found it interesting that they appear to be expert at collaborating within these games – and yet often find face-to-face communication much more difficult. Of course – the social rules and norms are normally much more logical and systematic online than they are face-to-face.

However, I am not really sure why CMC appeals to ASD learners so much – but I do look forward to trying to find out!

D’s literacy is low. Although he is verbally able, he rarely has the patience to construct written sentences. He can read – but again rarely sustains it for any length of time. However, he is literate enough to glean information from web-pages. He can copy text from the page onto the computer. He is able to understand the text within windows menus and pop-ups and can read the contents of most of the buttons on web pages (single word). The multi-media aspects of the Internet appeal to D. His obsessive nature is also well suited to the Internet – whatever his latest obsession is he will find web pages devoted to the subject.

As with any young person -  there are issues with blogging and child-protection. However, D is a particularly vulnerable child. D struggles with understanding the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and craves adult attention. I feel that it is absolutely essential to protect D by ensuring that I vet all posts and comments before they are posted live on the Internet. Although I am eager for D to make the blog his own, I am also determined not to allow anything on there that would allow anyone to identify D or his family. In order to do that I set myself up as the administrator of his blog, and D himself as a contributor. However, after some investigation I discovered that meant that D was unable to upload media to the blog!

As a way of overcoming this problem I have set Moselle School up with a Flickr account. I am planning to spend Friday morning with D capturing all of his haunts round the school – his seat in class, where he eats his dinner, where he spends his playtimes etc. We will upload the images to flickr together and then embed them into his blog. D is a master of copy and paste – and with a little support was able to easily imbed an image into his blog.

This afternoon I happened to be working with D in an ICT lesson – where we were using a piece of software called 2animate to make simple drawings move with a computer animation technique called tweening (aka inbetweening). With no adult support D managed to upload the gif to Flickr – and then enbed into a post.

I’ve focused on a single learner, D, who suffers from Smith Magenis Syndrome. He is a relatively bright KS3 boy with some autistic tendencies. He has many obsessions - and often has violent outbursts - as is typical of the syndrome. D loves using computers.

I hope that a blog will provide a useful outlet for D – and I hope that it will reduce the number of violent incidents. I also hope that it will help improve his literacy and ICT skills.

Take a look at D’s blog.