richardmillwood.net

Dr Richard Millwood
BSc PhD FRSA FBCS CITP

Experience

My experience relates to designing and developing the best possible use of technology in learning. My early career skills were in teaching mathematics and computer programming. In recent years I have developed skills in strategic planning and delivery, leadership of a large team of creative educationalists and public speaking. My own creative work includes developing learning opportunities from the micro to the macro: making software, visuals, multimedia, television, web sites, module designs, team teaching and innovative online degree courses. I have considerable experience in teacher education and facilitating non-formal learning through community of practice.

Goals

My current goals include researching Computational Thinking to find out more about conceptual development in this area. I have particularly focussed on Art, speaking to the Art Teachers' Association of Ireland in the National Gallery in Dublin in September 2017. 

I still care about the invention of new institutions, designed from the ground up, to use the best of modern technology to make learning more widely available and to fit people's lives through work focussed learning. This entails innovation in organisation, based on practices and insights that have allowed me to fly this far, and thus empower more folk to do the same. I also interested in developing the history of educational computing through my work on the National Archive of Educational Computing.

Key expertise

pedagogy • design • evaluation • online community • educational software • multimedia • digital creativity • doctoral supervision

Employment

I am currently a Research Fellow developing family creative computing in the OurKidsCode project in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin, following four years as Course Director for the Masters in Technology and Learning.

From 2017-18 I developed CESI•CS - a Community of Practice for computing educators in Ireland and advised the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment on Computational Thinking in Primary level. I also became active in the Computers in Education Society of Ireland as a member of its executive.

Until August 2020 I was Computing Lead for Eedi - online quiz software that saves time by quickly identifying what children find difficult and personalises their learning for the class and home. Teachers can use Eedi for formative assessment and to steer their teaching. I continue to develop resources to advise teachers how to use the Quantum Project material created by Computing at School which is online at Diagnostic Questions and Eedi.

In 2007, I founded  Core Education UK Ltd, a non-profit devoted to innovation in learning and technology, across all phases and sectors in education. Past research, consultancy and development contracts were with Macmillan Cancer Support and the British Educational Research Association and earlier with the UK Improvement & Development Agency, UNESCO, the UK Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, BECTa and Apple.

Also from 2007 to 2013 I held posts at the University of Bolton and at Brunel University

At Bolton I was Reader in Distributed Learning in the Institute for Educational Cybernetics, where I supervised PhD students, developed new degree courses for work-focussed, action-inquiry learning at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and also worked on the TEL-Map project to support European efforts to roadmap the future of technology enhanced learning.

At Brunel I was Research Fellow in the School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics working on the TEL-Map, Open Discovery Space and Hotel European projects, within which I developed my most popular diagram to map learning theories, including my own theory of expressive constructivism, a part of my PhD thesis completed in 2014 by practice at University of Bolton.

From 1990 to 2006 I worked with Stephen Heppell to develop the structure and ethos of Ultralab - one of the most successful innovation centres in learning and technology throughout the world - managing research & development to build successful large-scale action research projects in education. I supported the creative, ethical and conceptual thinking at Ultralab and supervised PhD students in the field of educational computing. I took over as director from Stephen in 2004 until its closure at the end of 2006.

For ten years before joining Ultralab in 1990, I led software development in the Computers in the Curriculum Project at Kings College London after beginning my career as a school teacher in London in 1976.

You can read excruciating detail on all this in my doctoral dissertation - 'The Design of Learner-centred Technology Enhanced Learning'.