Educational Informatics is the study of the convergence of concepts from disciplines such as computer science, information science, and education with a view to exploring and understanding the relationships between learners and digital technologies. I am particularly interested in the study of pedagogical possibilities afforded by new digital technologies, particularly those which offer promising ways in which to disrupt  dominant, transmission-oriented views of education. Currently, I am exploring the ways in which digital technologies can help facilitate collective intelligence and the nature and cultural implications of “digital publics” (boyd, 2007).

Recent Publications/Presentations:

Bullock, S. M. (2010). The challenge of digital technologies to educational reform. Paper presented at the ED-MEDIA World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Toronto, ON.

Bullock, S. M., & Ritter, J. K. (2010). Blogging as professional development: A collaborative self-study between two beginning academics. Paper presented at the ED-MEDIA World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Toronto, ON.

EI-Lab

The EI-Lab is a group of researchers from UOIT’s Faculty of Education who share a social-constructivist vision of education. These like-minded researchers consider that with the adoption and use of digital technologies spreading in all sectors of society and in most parts of the world, the generation and dissemination of “information” and the concept of “knowledge” are changing. The rapid evolution of digital technology and the so-called “information revolution” are unquestionably having some important direct impact on the constant need for continuing education in many disciplines. At the EI-Lab, researchers are working on a series of projects revolving around the concept of informatics as applied to disciplines such as education and science in the context of life-long learning and higher education. One common element in the various projects is the study of human-computer-human interaction (HCHI) in various forms of online learning. They share an objective to develop initiatives on general concepts such as e-learning, m-learning, computer-mediated-communications and online education with a particular vision that we need to move from a content-centered, teacher-driven design to a process-centered, learner-driven approach. This group therefore adopts a position that learners construct knowledge while interacting with others in a collaborative manner.

Recent Publications/Presentations (with EI-Lab collaborators):

van Oostveen, R., Desjardins, F., & Bullock, S. M. (2010). Professional development learning objects (PDLEs) embedded in a collaborative online learning environment (COLE): Moving toward a new conception of online professional learning. A technical report prepared for the Canadian Council on Learning.