reviews: 7

Buckingham, David & Scanlon, Margaret(2003) Education, entertainment and learning inthe home Open University Press (BuckinghamUK & Philadelphia PA) ISBN 0-335-21007-4202 pp £18.99 (boards £55)openup.co.uk [email protected]

David Buckingham is notable as one of the feweducationalists who take a cultural studiesapproach to education. As such his work tends not to be prominent in “educationaltechnology” circles—a shame given the widercontexts into which it places educationalmedia. In this co-authored book, Buckinghamand Scanlon look at the proliferation of “edu-tainment” resources produced by commercialcompanies and public bodies such as the BBCand the [UK Government] Department for Education and Skills. In doing so they ask thekey question of how (and why) educationalmedia play a part in learning in the home. Assuch the value of this book is in highlightingthe “messy” nature of “educational” media—reminding us that educational technology isfar more than a technical domain; rather it isentwined with a host of economic, political,social and cultural factors.

The book is based around an analysis of thecurrent edutainment marketplace in the UK,complemented by a survey and by interviewswith families, as well as by textual analyses ofpre-school magazines, history and dinosaurbooks, and multimedia packages. From thisempirical basis the authors are able to exploresome perennial issues, such as the extent towhich educational media are about “learning”or “earning” as well as the ebb and flow ofpublic/private control over education. As couldbe expected, the picture turns out to be a com-plicated one. Educational technologies such ascd-roms and websites are shown to compete in

a busy domestic marketplace with magazines,books, television programmes, leaflets andcard games. Small home-grown companiesproducing learning resources compete withlarge multi-national corporations such asDisney and the supermarket chain Tesco—allpurporting to help guide parents and childrenthrough their “learning journey”. Some-where in the midst of this the UK governmentalso attempt to influence the nature of learn-ing outside school through the production oftheir own “national curriculum approved”resources.

This book is thorough without being ponder-ous and offers an empirical basis for furtherdiscussion and debate in its area. Although nota vital read for educational technologists it iscertainly a valuable one in highlighting howeducational technologies are sold and con-sumed outside the relatively sanitised confinesof the classroom.

Neil SelwynCardiff University School of Social [email protected]

Clough, Peter (2002) Narratives and fictions ineducational research Open University (Bucking-ham & Philadelphia) ISBN 0-335-20791-X109 pp £17.99 (boards £55)openup.co.uk [email protected]

This book is probably not likely to be ofprimary interest to typical readers of BJET,unless to those already well versed in narrativeand fictional approaches to research enquiry.The book has few links to educational technol-ogy per se, though the sociological dimensionsexplored here could indeed provide salutaryreminders of the various ways in which

Reviews

© British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2003.Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 34 No 5 2003 677–688

Please note that all books from Kogan Page reviewed here are now published by and avail-able from RoutledgeFalmer:tandf.co.uk [email protected]

678 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 34 No 5 2003

© British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2002.

human beings could respond to educationaltechnology. However, for anyone wishing tostep back from mainstream research methods,it offers a fascinating glimpse of how narrativeand fictional methods can reveal educationaland social issues.

The main thrust of the book comprises five “fic-tional” stories, demonstrating the use of narra-tive in reporting research. Detailed discussionof these five stories shows how they werecreated from actual events, and also the variedrole of the author in creating them in this way.

The language reported in the stories is often (tosay the least) robust. On the cover, Norman KDenzin of the University of Illinois describesthe book as “a bold and very important work”which “shows educational researchers hownarrative enquiry can be used for progressivemoral and political purposes”. It this is whatyou are looking for, you will no doubt find it inabundance in this little volume.

Phil RaceUniversity of [email protected]

Freebody, Peter (2003) Qualitative research ineducation... Sage (London & Thousand OaksCA) ISBN 0-7619-6141-0 234 pp £18.99sagepub.co.uk [email protected]

In his book Qualitative research in education,interaction and practice, Peter Freebody raisespertinent issues concerning the nature ofeducational research in an innovative way that should inform as well as inspire newresearchers. The style makes it easy to read andinteresting, and Freebody acknowledges thepersonal as well as the theoretical nature ofresearch.

Qualitative research in education examines• what it is that bounds educational research;• the complexity of educational research con-

texts;• a variety of philosophical influences and dis-

tinctions;• meaningful methodological approaches; and• practical advice regarding the tasks of inter-

viewing, analysing texts and interpretingeducational interactions.

In particular, the discussion of the distin-guishing features, strengths and weaknesses ofqualitative and quantitative research method-ologies will be useful to neophyte researchersor interested investigators. Here, the readerbecomes aware that the divide between thesetwo apparently opposing research perspectivesmay not be as clear as is often claimed and,indeed, that there is great potential in usingone to complement and enhance the other.

The sections concerning the how of conduct-ing educational research in the social worldthat is education provide solid guidance andextensive insight. One criticism is that there islittle or no reference to the role of specialistcomputer software as an aid to reliable quali-tative analysis and reporting of interviews andanalysis of texts, in particular.

The book is well written and carefully struc-tured with discussion topics and questions.However, I wondered whether some of thesemight be rather daunting for the neophyte orfor the teacher-researcher.

Robyn SmythUniversity of New England, Armidale, [email protected]

Fry, Heather et al (2003) Teaching and learn-ing in higher education Kogan Page (London &Sterling VA) ISBN 0-7494-3799-5 449 pp£25/$39.95kogan-page.co.uk [email protected]

This so-called handbook is primarily aimed atpeople in the UK who run staff developmentcourses for teachers in higher education, andsecondarily at new academics wishing to gaina teaching certificate and/or be members ofthe Institute for Teaching and Learning inHigher Education. More experienced academ-ics will also find it valuable for reading aboutchanges in practice in other disciplines thantheir own.

The text is not a stereotypical handbook. It isnot all that large (450 pages) and it is not allthat expensive (£25.00). It contains thirteenchapters on what is called the development ofpractice (such as lecturing, small-group teach-

Reviews 679


ing, supervising projects, supporting learningfrom experience); three on the development ofthe academic (reflective practice, teaching port-folios, and observing teaching); and eight onteaching and learning in different disciplines.All of the chapters are well written and easy toread (albeit perhaps sometimes over simple)and there is good use of boxed case-studiesthroughout. Each chapter concludes with sug-gestions for further reading, and there is auseful glossary.

Surprisingly, for readers of this journal,working with new information technologiesfor teaching and learning is generally seen asnot a problem. Indeed, there is only one specific(and rather bland) chapter on this whole field.Also, not every discipline is included in the dis-cipline-based chapters—many disciplines arepaired, and there is one short chapter on thearts, humanities and social sciences combined.

Regrettably, this Handbook is not always asscholarly as it might be. There are omissions ofkey areas (behaviourism gets half a line in achapter on student learning). There are over-simplifications (nothing is said about the liter-ature critical of research on learning styles).There are errors of fact (Wundt is not normallythought of as a turn of the century phre-nologist); errors in referencing (Kappa forKnapper); hyperbole (a web site is described as“the best guide in the world on writing objec-tive test items”); and irritating references toother studies without saying what they found(as in “X also studied this.”). And there is noauthor index.

So I am not totally sure about how well this textwill satisfy its intended readers. It is not atypical handbook, but it is readable and it isuseful for illuminating broad areas of interest.Some chapters provide lucid summaries of keyissues that are helpful organising devices. Butothers ignore serious issues, or treat them astrivial. And it is this that worries me. Readersand staff developers who are novices andunaware of the complexities involved will notbe helped if these complexities are ignored.

Jim HartleyResearch Professor, Keele [email protected]

Keates, Anita (2003) Dyslexia and informationand communications technology David Fulton(London) ISBN 1-85346-757-X 98 pp £14fultonpublishers.co.uk

[email protected]

While at first sight this book is unthreaten-ing—being A4 and stapled in soft covers—fora reviewer it quickly becomes imposing. Thereviews of the first edition (of 2000) were veryfavourable. The auther has a dyslexic son, is ateacher and adviser for IT and special educa-tional needs (additional needs), and chairs thecomputer committee of the British DyslexiaAssociation. Clearly, no one is in a betterposition to write a book like this. The book doesnot explain what changes have taken placesince the first edition, so we assume there hasbeen an updating of some technical detail orexamples. As a practical guide for thoseinvolved with dyslexic school children,including parents and teachers, this editionwill be at least as warmly received and wellused as the first. It deserves to be.

The structure of the book is to start with thebasics and then to discuss different types ofsoftware. After an introduction about the problems faced by dyslexic learners, Chapter 1describes the advantages of their using com-puters. It gives access to Britain’s National Curriculum, it helps with specific problems likeshort-term memory, and it gives ICT skills. Mostimportantly it boosts self-confidence: com-puters are an arena where most children havenot already experienced frustration and failure.This motivational aspect is stressed repeatedly.

Chapter 2 is a guide to computer hardware andsoftware. I have taught IT for over twenty yearsso it is difficult not to have some technicalniggles about the necessarily brief account ofPC hardware. I will not bore you with them.However, once over this impossible task ofdescribing briefly on paper, from scratch, thefunctioning of the world’s most complex mass-produced machine, the section on softwaregives advice on the practicalities of pupilsusing a computer. There is sensible adviceabout purchasing and to support the messagethat there’s no need for special IT courses orkeyboard training.

Chapter 3, “Where to start”, is about equip-ment other than desktop PCs. This includes:



audio cassette recorders; hand-held spell-checkers; portable dedicated word-processors;and portable PCs (laptops, but not hand-heldsystems). In each case there is good advice ontheir advantages and possible problems. Thenext chapter looks at the standard desktop PCand its operating system, how to use it, and howto begin to tailor it to the needs of a dyslexicstudent. In the next chapter—Desktop machines and software—the accessories andaccessibility features of standard graphicaloperating systems are described. After a com-ment on games software, the usefulness of artpackages is discussed, using a particular pack-age for illustration. Here and throughout thebook the discussion is illustrated with screenshots.

Chapter 5, “The writing process”, progresses tothe use of word processing software to supportthis problem additional need. The author dis-cusses those features of word processors thatcan help dyslexics—including the choice offont shape and size, colours, spell-checkingand thesaurus, and voice output of the text.Some different voice programs that can be usedalongside standard word processors aredescribed.

Chapters 6 and 7 are about using industrystandard word processors. Because they arevery adaptable they can be very suitable fordyslexic children. MS Word is used as anexample. The use of large, simple fonts forcomposition and drafting is recommended,with the possibility of using fancy fonts relatedto the topic only in the final printouts. Spellingand grammar checkers should be switched offuntil a final draft so as not to de-motivate anddistract the writer. Sounds can be added to doc-uments with a simple microphone. This can beused to make notes or draft ideas without thedifficulties of writing. Pictures from varioussources can be inserted into documents.Chapter 7 describes some relevant specialistresources that complement a standard wordprocessor: talking spell-checkers, predictivetyping aids, screen readers, concept keyboards,on-screen keyboards, and tools for organisingand drafting a document before writing it. Theauthor suggests that a sensible selection ofsuch tools can improve the benefits of a stand-ard word processor used with dyslexics.

Chapter 8 briefly discusses the uses of a rangeof other industry-standard software: spread-sheets, integrated packages such as MS Works,and web browsers. A caution is given on theuse of email: it can too easily be sent before itis ready, with disappointing results. Voice acti-vated systems are discussed but are not rec-ommended except possibly for older learners.

Chapter 9 discusses Logo and other software tosupport maths learning. The point made hereagain is that IT can provide support for dyslexicstudents in areas where they have weak-nesses—yet they are using the same main-stream software as other children, albeitpossibly customised, so they can retain equalstatus with their peers.

The next two chapters discuss a range of othersoftware claiming to be useful to dyslexicpupils. Chapter 10 briefly reviews eighteenpackages for children of different ages, genericcd-roms, software to support study skills, and two integrated learning systems—large,computer-based tutorial programs. Chapter 11reviews three packages for assessing childrenfor dyslexia, but these should be used with chil-dren only by qualified professionals. Finally, ashort conclusion summarises the importantmessages of the preceding chapters.

This book is not intended to be a piece ofacademic writing. Nonetheless, there are some small improvements in format possiblethat would not impede its style. Citations in the text are not always clear as to theirmeaning (publisher, supplier, title), and one ortwo are missing. Educational jargon such as“NC” for “the National Curriculum” are usedtoo freely for a general audience. The veryuseful device of a summary paragraph at theend of each chapter is marred by its absence inChapter 1. There is a useful list of organisa-tions and suppliers at the end—but a glossarywould also have been helpful. However, theseare counsels of perfection. This book is essen-tial reading for teachers and parents ofdyslexic children.

Stephen BostockAdvisor for Technology and Learning, Keele [email protected]

Reviews 681


Laurillard, Diana (2002) Rethinking univer-sity teaching RoutledgeFalmer (London & NewYork) ISBN 0-415-25679-8 268 pp £18.99tandf.co.uk [email protected]

The first edition, in 1993, was probably themost cited book of the decade in its area. It hasan unequalled place in the recent theory andthe practical wisdom of using learning tech-nology in higher education. This secondedition, after almost a decade of unprece-dented technical development in learningtechnology—including the growth to pre-eminence of the Web—is therefore a signifi-cant event for the community of learning technologists, and educational and staff de-velopers. Reviewing the book in one sense—giving advice on its usefulness—is easy:everyone who still uses the first edition will buyit and anyone with an interest in the subjectshould read at least parts of it. In anothersense, reviewing it is a daunting prospect. Ifthe second edition involved only an updating ofexamples and literature it would deserve to bewidely read and continue to have a significantinfluence. But there were some criticisms ofaspects of the first edition (eg Bostock (1996),Michaelson (2002)) so it is of interest to seewhat further changes have been made.

As in the first edition, the book is in threelinked parts: the development of a model ofstudent learning; a framework for selectingtechnologies and other teaching/learningmethods to support learning; and a model fordeveloping the use of educational technologyat the course and organisational levels. Thefirst part (of four chapters), “What studentsneed from learning technologies”, develops a view of learning at university from theresearch literature. It is not just learning as itis in everyday life in the world, it is also secondorder learning about the world, in abstract rep-resentations. This learning is mediated by theteacher. The student’s-eye-view of the learningprocess is then described: learning is a complexand individual process. This (phenomeno-graphic) approach leads to a teaching strategythat is a dialogue around a learning goal, andthe four features of this dialogue are discur-sive, adaptive, interactive, and reflective. Thereader should beware that these terms haveparticular meanings, especially interactive andadaptive.

In the second part of the book, “Analysing themedia for learning and teaching”, these fourfeatures are decomposed into twelve activitieslinking a student with a teacher and the learn-ing environment. This “conversational frame-work” has proved to be a useful model,although there are necessary simplifications(for example in the number of iterations in adiscussion). One weakness of the frameworkwas its failure to include student interactionsand group work. In the second edition there isan attempt to extend it in this way (p169). Alsoadded in the second edition are diagrams of theconversational framework for many types ofmedia, and these are useful visualisations.

What follows are five chapters describing 26 teaching/learning methods, media andtechnologies under five headings: narrative,interactive, adaptive, communicative, and pro-ductive. These are different from the categoriesof the first edition: audio-visual, hypermedia,interactive, adaptive, and discursive. Further-more, some media are now re-classified frominteractive to adaptive. (And, again, please beaware that these terms are used in further, par-ticular ways.) Despite those points, the classifi-cation in this second edition is improved andupdated. The classification labels are still notconvincingly justified, but they are not funda-mentally important. What is important is theevaluation of the 26 media types and theirmapping onto the conversational frameworkin terms of which media can support whichteaching/learning activities. Such a mappingtool is crucial in selecting media appropriate togiven teaching/learning activities and, thus, itis crucial to the design of courses where learn-ing technology is to be embedded.

The third part of the book, “The designmethodology”, concerns the development ofcourses and an organisational model. The firstchapter, on developing courses, includingwriting learning objectives and the design ofsoftware interfaces, is largely as in the firstedition, but with some re-labelling and addi-tions that include some interesting detail onmanaging development costs. The chapter onthe “learning context” considers the course as experienced, into which any successful useof media must dovetail. There are sections on preparing students, integration of media,assessment, and logistics. There is one on



nurturing epistemological values in students,thereby encouraging an appropriate concep-tion of learning. And there is a new section onthe features of virtual learning environments.

The last chapter, on the organisational infra-structure needed for successful innovation andexploitation of learning technology, has beenre-organised in this second edition. It is nowbased on the university as a “learning organi-sation”, but is still packed with useful and/or challenging advice. In our university-as-learning-organisation era, every seniormanager should read this.

It should be clear from the above that there ishere much that is interesting and importantfor learning technologists—but that is alsotrue for university educational and curriculumdevelopers of all types. This new edition hasupdated the material on technology andresearch and made improvements to thelogical structure. There are some particular,even idiosyncratic, uses of terms, and someparts of the model that do not wholly convince.Arguably, Laurillard’s background at the OpenUniversity explains her harsh views of thelecture in favour of print and computer tech-nology, the media that most support distancelearning. Nonetheless, there is a wealth ofwisdom in the detail about teaching and learn-ing, and in that about learning technology inparticular, as well as in the combination of asystematic framework with the valuing ofhigher education as experienced by learners.The book is not primarily about technology,but about how to think about learning andteaching at university, essentially as a conver-sation between teacher and learner.

Laurillard proclaims traditional academicvalues. She regards the worst of traditional lecturing as farcical but, equally, dismisses “e-university” and similar epithets as trivial re-branding.

The book deserves to be widely read.

Bostock S J (1996) “A critical review of Laurillard’s classification of educationalmedia” Instructional Science 24 71–88Michaelson, R (2002) “Re-thinking Lauril-lard: universities, learning and technology”

The International Journal of Management Educa-tion 2(2) 15–29

Stephen J BostockAdviser for Technology and Learning, Keele [email protected]

Luey, Beth (2002) Handbook for academicauthors Cambridge University Press, Cam-bridge ISBN 0-521-89198-1 320 pp £16.95cambridge.org

This fourth edition of the Handbook for aca-demic authors targets a wide range of aspiringwriters in this particular category. It isdesigned to help them understand what pub-lishers want, to show them how to provide it,and thereby to increase their chances of beingpublished. It is written in simple straightfor-ward language and in an informal and reader-friendly style. It focuses firmly on “publishingwhat you write”, though there is also a shortuseful section which deals with “Writing well”.

The author is Beth Luey, an American aca-demic noted for her teaching, research andwriting in the field of scholarly publishing. Thehandbook provides detailed information andpractical guidance, not only on the prepara-tion of manuscripts and the “mechanics ofauthorship”, but also on finding the right pub-lishers and developing a good working rela-tionship with them. Central to the book is theconcept of the “publishing partnership”, withauthor and publisher being inter-dependentand on the same side.

In this fourth edition is a new chapter, addedto bring the Handbook into “the age of theInternet”. This gives a fascinating overview ofthe revolution in scholarly communicationcaused by technology. It also provides detailedinformation and guidance on various forms of electronic publishing and gives practicaladvice on how these can be related to the class-room, particularly in the light of the mostrecent advances in educational technology.

The book concludes with an exhortation toauthors and publishers to “think big” and toexploit the greatly expanded “opportunities forcreativity” provided by both traditional andelectronic media.

Reviews 683


Handbook for academic authors serves its targetaudience well.

Marie MartinDuquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, and con-sultant on using video [email protected]

Melton, Reginald (2002) Planning and de-veloping open and distance learning Routledge/Falmer (London & New York) ISBN 0-415-25481-7 223 pp £19.99tandf.co.uk [email protected]

Oh unmitigated joy—a book which is not onlyabout open and distance learning but is boldenough to use the name in its title! I might bemistaken, but with the advent of e-learningone tends to hear less and less about open anddistance learning. Indeed, the terms havebecome so out of date that the British associa-tion which has responsibility for the field hasrecently declared that, as the term “open learn-ing” is now old hat, it intends to change itsname—but I don’t think I will go there on thisoccasion.

This particular book is aimed at those who are considering, or just starting to plan, openand distance learning courses. It really doesoffer good, sound practical advice on how to respond to students’ needs, expand thepotential audience, and become cost-effectivewithout compromising quality. Five mainareas are covered:

— different approaches to open and distancelearning and the principles upon whichthey build

— different types of self-study materials,media, and student support systems

— how to develop self-study materials andstudent support systems

— building quality assurance into the devel-opment process

— gaining support from institutions andexternal agencies

The author writes in an engaging, interestingstyle and, throughout the book, presents anumber of practical, tried-and-tested exam-ples, and case studies. I was impressed not onlywith the layout of the book, which demon-strates some of the accepted best practice ofproducing open and distance learning materi-

als, but also the emphasis on the underlyingdisciplines of analysis and instructionaldesign.

As the author spent some twenty-five years asa senior lecturer in educational technology atthe Open University, it is probably not that sur-prising that he concentrates more on the edu-cational uses of open and distance learning,particularly those used by that particular insti-tution. Whilst I find the use of the editorial(“royal”?) we to be intensely irritating here, Istill found the book’s substantive content andthe way in which it is presented to be extremelysound and to have the potential, with someeffort and experience, to be transferable toother forms of learning, such as training anddevelopment.

Even so, I would have liked to see more aboutusing computer based learning, as the instruc-tional design elements here are at their mosttested, but that would have probably exceededthe publisher’s page limit! If you need to knowmore about how to plan and develop open anddistance learning, particularly in an educa-tional establishment, this book is an essentialpurchase.

Judith Christian-CarterDirector, Effective Learning Solutions [email protected]

Palmer, Richard (2002) Training with theMidas touch Kogan Page (London & Stylus Ster-ling VA) ISBN 0-7494-3739-1 148 pp £18.99kogan-page.co.uk [email protected]

The difference between a successful and anunsuccessful organisation lies in the quality ofpeople they possess and nurture. Organisa-tions, in academia as in industry, are knownand acquire reputation for the commitment ofthe people working with them. The book underreview is all about caring and developing theright kind of people in your organisation. Theten chapters of the book, written in a blend offictional style and academic rigour, provides usa wide variety of tips on how to organise train-ing in your organisation to unleash the poten-tial of all employees and turn them into gold.

Chapter 1 sets the context of the book by dis-cussing the importance of developing human



capital in a knowledge-based economy, whilein the next chapter, “Alchemy—base metalinto gold”, describes the popular excuses fornot paying attention to staff development inany organisation. It also emphasises that staffdevelopment is not “homogenising humanresources”, because every individual in theorganisation is different, having different cul-tural, educational and social background andexperiences. The third chapter discusses howto find out the right individuals for the rightkind of training, while the fourth looks at howwe can develop the internal talent pool of theorganisation for the latter’s present and futureneeds. This discussion continues in the nextchapter as well, and it provides a few examplesof road maps for developing the talent poolthrough the concept of “learning stairways”and “learning avenues”. “Learning stairwaysprovide the opportunity to build talent reserveson the vertical plane; learning avenues give usthe opportunity to think about skills develop-ment for the talent pool on the horizontalplane” (p 65).

In Chapter 6, “Refining the nuggets”, theauthor goes into the debate of training versusdevelopment, and clarifies that training is allabout formal structured vocational learning(including on the job training) whereas devel-opment is more informal. Here an effort hasalso been made to convince us the role of infor-mal training in staff development. In the nextchapter, the wide range of competenciesrequired in an organisation has been articu-lated, and a variety of approaches is suggestedfor providing training with that Midas touch.It also suggests a list of more than seventydevelopment-oriented activities that can beused for providing training in any organisa-tion. Chapter 8—”Ideas for cutting and polish-ing the stone”—discusses ideas for wideningthe availability of learning opportunity withinan organisation through both formal andinformal mechanisms. Next, a holistic view ofthe organisation has been taken to suggest amodel of how to look at training as an inte-grated activity that has both individual andorganisational dynamics—and how these can be managed. The last chapter is a briefsummary of all the previous chapters, andemphasises the need to implement trainingwith this so-called Midas touch.

Richard Palmer has been successful in pre-senting to us a book with practical ideas andtheoretical framework for implementing staffdevelopment in any type of organisation. Thefictional and anecdotal approaches to discusscomplex issues make the book worth reading.The ideas presented are simple and innovativeand deserve consideration by all staff develop-ers in industry and in education.

Sanjaya MishraProgramme Officer, Commonwealth EducationalMedia Centre for Asia, New [email protected]

Perraton, Hilary (2000) Open and distancelearning in the developing world Routledge,London (& New York) ISBN 0-415-19419-9228 pp £19.99tandf.co.uk [email protected]

This is a well researched, thoughtful and thor-ough macro-analysis of the evolution of openand distance learning (odl) from the 1960s tothe late 1990s. In clear and, for the most part,well written language (his idiomatic turns ofphrase make the reader do a “double take”once in a while), Perraton traces early prom-ises of distance learning, explores the idealsand ambitions that spurred governments andinternational lending agencies to invest in dis-tance education, examines successes and fail-ures of various mediated programmes andtakes a hard look at the economic realities thatbetrayed the promise of odl in developingcountries.

For the open learning or distance educationresearcher, this modest volume is tightlypacked with a wealth of statistical data oninvestment costs, student enrolment, dropoutsand completion rates from large and mediumscale programmes in several African countries,Asia, South Asia, and Latin America. Perratonlooks not only at costs and achievements in different media (print, radio and television andto a more limited degree computer-based pro-grammes)—he examines quality and attitudestoward graduates of developing countries’ dis-tance learning systems.

One of Perraton’s most striking observations isthat large scale distance education initiatives

Reviews 685


in developing countries have often failed to liveup to the promise of being a less costly alter-native to providing schooling to rural andimpoverished populations. Assuming that oneof the purposes of offering schooling by dis-tance was the anticipated economy of usingthe media for instruction (whether print, radioor television) rather than constructing build-ings, one would expect that large scale enrol-ment in distance programmes would be costeffective. However, using successful comple-tion numbers rather than enrolment as themeasure of real cost compared to the perstudent cost for graduation from a classroom-based offering of a similar programme, hedemonstrates that the costs are not signifi-cantly lower—in some cases they are higher—than those of traditional classroom-basedlearning. Certainly when 25% or fewer ofthose enrolling are able to complete a pro-gramme, the frustration and disappointmentof the non-completers is a high cost that mustbe factored into the political economy of dis-tance programmes.

Perraton also notes that the most successfulprogrammes in the developing world havebeen conservative, relying on print and aug-mented by limited amounts of other media andsome face-to-face support. But, he does admitthat, perhaps, “all this is changing”—andsince this volume was published in 2000, thereis evidence that satellite availability and ruraltelecentres are changing the accessibility andpotential of distance education faster thancould be predicted. I look forward to anupdated edition of this important book whenPerraton reviews the impact of IT on distanceeducation in developing countries.

Nancy A GeorgeDirector of Curriculum Development and Evalua-tion, University of Technology, [email protected]

Also received

Note that mention here does not preclude laterfuller review.

Ager, Richard (2000) The art of informationand communications technology for teachers

David Fulton (London) ISBN 1-85346-622-0134 pp £13fultonpublishers.co.uk

[email protected]

This pleasant little book is mainly noteworthyfor being explicit that effective working witheducational IT is more of an artistic naturethan a technical one. We’re actually far fromhappy with that sentence: for technicians,technologists, scientists—whoever are inopposition, in the astronomical sense, toartists—are problem solvers, and therefore aresurely as creative. Even so, the arty-fartyapproach may explain why the book is indeeda pleasant read—discursive, dippable into, discreet—and why it’s worth drawing to yourattention although published so long ago.Mind you, this is actually a textbook—fortrainee teachers in England and Wales—andclosely follows the National Curriculum for ITthat prevailed at the time. That doesn’t makethe book worse; nor does the fact that that ITNational Curriculum has, very sadly, almostentirely disappeared by mid-2003.

Bacall, Aaron (2002) The lighter side of edu-cational leadership Corwin (Thousand Oaks CA& Sage, London) ISBN 0-7619-7859-3 87 pp£14.99corwinpress.com [email protected]

Is this enough for a review, please, dear Editor?Right, well, there are loads of cartoons here,described as suitable for training days, notices,presentations, etc, etc—or just for a goodlaugh—though this is one of the few to relateclosely to educational technology. Maybe edu-cational management doesn’t relate closely to educational technology?—oh, OK, just athought... . Note that there’s no explicit copy-right waiver and that some cartoons are veryUS-specific.



Bredeson, Paul V (2003) Designs for learningCorwin (Thousand Oaks CA & Sage, London)ISBN 0-7619-7890-9 172 pp £23sagepub.co.uk [email protected]

Designs for learning is actually for teachers’ pro-fessional development—sub-titled “A newarchitecture for professional development inschools” (phew), its concern is the re-design for maximum effectiveness of policies andsystems for teachers’ continuing professionaldevelopment. Architecture is the over-archingmetaphor—reasonable, as architecture is atechnology and programme design comeswithin educational technology. Bredesondoesn’t go too far with that metaphor, alas (or should that be “fortunately”?), but stillmanages to cover the ground comprehensively,in a generally up-to-date fashion, and fairlyreadably. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t look like an architectural or educational tech-nological construct, so maybe the under-pinning principles are not as secure as theyshould be?

Breuer, Klaus & Beck, Klaus ed (2002) AreEuropean vocational systems up to the job? PeterLang (Frankfurt) ISBN 3-631-39550-7 169pp £18peterlang.net [email protected]

Vocational education and training (VET) is ofcourse nothing new, either in principle or inpractice, in Europe, in Britain (if there’s anysignificant distinction), or anywhere else. Yetin many first world countries at least there haslong been a growing agonising about the effec-tiveness of VET systems, and it doesn’t takemuch jaundice to gain the feeling that in thecurrent decade a very large proportion ofEurope-funded projects are to develop VET insurrounding regions (such as central andeastern Europe and North Africa).

So are European VET systems up to the job(note the neat pun in that title)? The authorsaddress the question because of their relevantEurope-funded experience of surveying theVET systems of various EU countries and con-sidering assessing their effectiveness. Theydon’t actually answer the question, however—not much effectiveness seems to have beenassessed. Thus the book consists of accounts of

practice in various countries, and the nearestthere is to the assessment of VET effectivenessis an account of Flemish secondary schools’developing self-evaluation processes (thoughadmittedly Flanders has some vocational sec-ondary schools).

The main value of this book is for peopleworking on Europe-funded VET projects togain some idea of what’s going on in a fewparts of the Union.

Burke, John J (2001) Library technology com-panion Neal-Schuman (New York (& Eurospan,London)) ISBN 1-55570-398-4 230 pp£37.95neal-schuman.com [email protected]

This “basic guide for library staff ” provides athorough but discursive account of the prosand cons of using various technologies in suchcontexts along with plenty on how to usethem. The book is not particularly lengthy, butis comprehensive—ranging as it does from thenear compulsory survey of IT in libraries frompapyrus to computers and communications as pervasive supporters up to the future ofnew information technologies in libraries—and from workstations and networks, throughlibrary automation (but with little on securityand access control), to virtual (shall we say?)stock, relevant educational technologies, plan-ning and purchase. There is very little herethat doesn’t apply to libraries in educationaland training contexts (at least those greaterthan a certain size).

Chambers, Robert (2002) Participatory work-shops Earthscan (London, & Stylus Sterling VA)ISBN 1-85383-863-2 220 pp £8.95kogan-page.co.uk [email protected]

Here is a “sourcebook of 21 sets of ideas andactivities” for teachers / trainers / consultants/ managers running those eponymous partici-patory workshops (are there are any otherskinds?—surely not nowadays!). The collectionis well organised and very well written; it pro-vides a wealth of good, appropriate—even ifnever Earth-shattering—advice on handlingevery stage of such events and every aspect ofevery stage, in particular those (like seating,

Reviews 687


difficult participants and tricky questions)which commonly lead to problems, evenfailure.

Cole, Michael ed (2002) Professional valuesand practice for teachers and student teachersDavid Fulton (London) ISBN 1-85346-931-9148 pp £16fultonpublishers.co.uk

[email protected]

This book aims to help trainee teachers meetthe national (England and Wales) standards inthe area of professional values and practice; asnew, significantly revised, standards came intobeing in 2002, Cole has thoroughly revised hisfirst edition. In essence, this is a textbook, onewhich consists of a number of separate chap-ters from various writers; this is not necessar-ily the best approach to writing a foundationlevel textbook, but the overall effect is appro-priate, the material is generally readable(though is theoretical rather than practical),and there are plenty of good reference lists anda detailed index. Trainee teachers with goodtutors and school-based mentors will find thisuseful. (Other trainee teachers are not likely tobe encouraged, even expected, to think aboutthis area of the standards.)

Dadashzadeh, Mohammed et al ed (2002)Information technology education in the new mil-lennium IRM Press (Hershey PA & EurospanLondon) ISBN 1-931777-05-5 290 pp £46.95irm-press.com [email protected] [email protected]

No, this is not an account of what will be thenorm for learning about IT in the next thou-sand years, or even what IT itself will be like inthe next thousand years. It is rather a collec-tion of papers by a collection of university academics from the US (the large majority),Australia (the minority) and a few other coun-tries (an even tinier minority)—and there is notheme in those papers, or general agreement asto the kinds of possible future the book shouldconcentrate on, or even consensus about theissues faced in the first few seconds of that millennium.

Described by the editors in their foreword as abrainstorm, the book includes a lot of pre-dictable coverage of such aspects of the field asthe move towards “on-line” education, takingstock (eg by more effective assessment), andinclusion. Predictable the papers may be, andinteresting and memorable some are, but theyare not novel: every one (there are 25 in all) istaken from one of three rather similar surveyvolumes published by the er closely relatedIdeas Press in the previous year or so. An inter-esting approach to collecting materials forpeople’s cvs!

Farmer, Lesley (2001) Teaming with opportu-nity Libraries Unlimited (Englewood CO &Eurospan, London) ISBN 1-56308-878-9 205pp £32.95www.lu.com [email protected]

The title should say “technological” opportu-nity, for this is a brief survey of how the newinformation technologies are making life easierfor people working with library resourcecentres in the community and in education,training, and commmerce—throughout withlifelong learning in the back of the author’smind. That description should show that this isnot an everyday, straight forward book—yet,despite that and the inherent difficulties asso-ciated with novelty, it communicates its mes-sages generally well. In support of a clearly andappropriately structured text there are plentyof useful references and a good index.

Forbus, Kenneth & Feltovich, Paul ed(2001) Smart machines in education MIT Press(Cambridge MA & London) ISBN 0-262-56141-7 483 pp £25.95mitpress.mit.edu [email protected]

Educational IT has lasted an eternity already,it seems, and we still don’t see significant usageof the principles of machine intelligence (arti-ficial intelligence, or AI) used to facilitatelearning, despite much hype and great excite-ment throughout that eternity. This thick butgenerally readable volume is sub-titled “Thecoming revolution in educational technology”,and the various contributors try to convince us (themselves?) that educational AI is justaround the revolutionary corner. Sorry, excuse



the cynical smile—even in Britain, where thereis perhaps the world’s largest concentration ofeducational computers, most learners havelittle meaningful, developmental contact witheven the simplest uses of IT. What hope reallyof every learner having frequent everydayaccess to “smart machines” to jolly them alongtheir learning curves?

Still, there are some lovely dreams here, even ifthe large majority of the papers describe verysmall scale projects in every sense of the term.

Hogan, Christine (2003) Practical facilitationKogan Page (London & Sterling VA) ISBN 0-7494-3827-4 482 pp £22.50kogan-page.co.uk [email protected]

This big fat “Toolkit of techniques” aims atmany groups of people—such as facilita-tors (of course), consultants, managers, train-ers...—who would benefit from at least someguidance as to how to interact with theirclients more effectively to enable them in turnmore effectively to do what they have to do.

Yes, we are all facilitators, and always havebeen—but facilitation is nowadays becoming aprofession as well as a bundle of human rela-tions techniques. The book is a useful collec-tion of tools for working more successfully insuch contexts, and is thorough in its provisionof a theoretical basis as well as of those practi-cal tools. Ignore the occasional proof error(such as Charles “Skerrington”) and wonder atthe wealth of varied ideas, including plentyusing IT and other forms of modern tech-nology. Overall, this book is extremely goodvalue.

Mayer, Victor J ed (2002) Global science literacy Kluwer (Dordrecht NL (& London &Norwell MA)) ISBN 1-4020-0514-8 242 pp$95www.wkap.nl [email protected]

The target of “science for all” learners in theworld of the last couple of decades (eg withinUNESCO) bumps in practice against a numberof barriers, not least of which is a weak andweakly agreed definition of the nature of

science. Global science is one approach to over-coming that set of barriers, and in this bookthe various writers try to define what the termmeans, to place it in the most appropriate edu-cational contexts, and to suggest potentiallyuseful curricular aspects and approaches.

Alas, the book is far from an easy read, so it isnot clear how much the ideas could spread inpractice and how far the necessary levels ofenthusiasm within the educational commun-ities could develop.

Michael, Anthony (2002) The Key Skillsassignment Gower (Aldershot UK & BurlingtonVT) ISBN 0-566-08453-8 77 pp £65www.gowerpub.com [email protected]

A fairly recent innovation in British qualfica-tions are the Key Skills targets, mainly for usewith young people working towards almostany vocational or academic piece of paper(there are equivalent “Basic” Skills for adults,eg unemployed folk, or mature hopeful return-ers to formal education). The Key (and Basic)Skills come in up to five levels of competence inhalf a dozen areas, and assessment is generallyby way of the learner’s portfolio and a writtenor practical test. This book, which comes witha floppy disc accessible to both MicroSoft andLotus users, claims to describe in detail anassignment aimed at all six skills areas at levels2 and 3 (intermediate and advanced pre-university). This does not seem possible as theintention of the specifications is that learnersdevelop a coursework portfolio that relates totheir areas of study and areas of interest—yetthere is a remarkable degree of flexibility herewithin the constraints of the scenario (whichis health and safety, something that is indeedrelevant to most such courses nowadays) andwithin the constraints of a high degree of inde-pendent working.

The book is small, but the price is high—because all the material is freely copiable. Thismay tempt teachers to use it without think-ing—however, the best approach is to try totailor the overall project to the needs and com-petences of each group of learners. Alterna-tively, one may select from it.

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