Alex Grech

The affordances of digital technologies are such that when deployed in a context of stakeholders with a propensity for change, they will facilitate new opportunities and also create challenges for the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector. This report provides a global, high-level snapshot of the digitalization of TVET and skills systems in a set of countries and international organizations. The primary data are derived from a set of semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners in the TVET and education sectors, as well as a desktop literature review. The data provide insights into TVET and skills systems in Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Slovenia, Turkey and the United States. They also include the views of the labour market and representatives from global organizations such as the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). To deconstruct and review technological developments impacting the digitization of TVET and skills systems, we developed a conceptual framework for digital transformation in TVET, using elements of the 2015 UNESCO recommendation concerning TVET and interfacing these with the three core concepts of digital innovation, adaptation and acceleration. We then applied the framework to develop the interview plan and structure the wave of analyses from data generated by the literature review, case studies and interview transcripts. There exists increasing evidence that while the digitization of TVET comprises multiple policies and actions at all levels of government, it often does not represent a unitary coherent strategy. Much innovation in digital TVET is institutionally driven, with the labour market following innovation pathways that are not filtering into TVET curricula or the operations of TVET institutions. Yet digitization is frequently positioned as the driving force behind lifelong learning and flexible learning pathways. Case studies indicate that technology is also transforming traditional apprenticeships by facilitating more informal variants, as well as internships and other mentored-learning programmes, if the initiatives in many countries continue to be conceptualized, sponsored and driven by governments as opposed to industry. We argue that low-level or mature digital technologies, when taken globally, still hold the most potential for transformation of the TVET sector in the short term. Digital TVET increases dramatically in cost with increases in the complexity and sophistication of the offering. Moreover, digitization is viewed with scepticism by a significant segment of the educational establishment – and TVET institutions in particular. The overall digital competence of teachers and trainers will continue to be a key limiting factor in the affordances of digital TVET crystallizing over the next five years. If the affordances of digital TVET are to crystallize, the fundamentals of TVET as a three-way collaboration between employers, students (or employees) and educational institutions have to be improved and, in some cases, kickstarted, with the support of government as the policy-maker. We find that digital TVET increases the strength of – and need for – these interlinkages. In the process, it is also accelerating the hybridization of tertiary education. Yet despite these advances, we find that ethical implications of digitization are receiving insufficient attention.

One of the rallying cries of the blockchain community is that of immutability: the irreversibility of the past, the absolute truth which, once stored, remains there forever. The technology was designed with this foundational pillar in mind to ensure that changes to history are inordinately expensive and practically impossible to execute – and increasingly so, the further in the past the event which one intends to manipulate lies. This platonic view of absolute truth is in stark contrast with a world of manipulated truth, and it is not surprising that it is being revisited as a means of combating fake news. We argue that claims to the absolute nature of the blockchain are at best exaggerated, at worst misrepresented or even ‘fake news’. We discuss implicit centralised points of trust in blockchains, whether at a technological, social or governance level, and identify how these can be a threat to the ‘immutable truth’ stored within the blockchain itself. A global pandemic has unleashe...

This report introduces the fundamental principles of the Blockchain focusing on its potential for the education sector. It explains how this technology may both disrupt institutional norms and empower learners. It proposes eight scenarios for the application of the Blockchain in an education context, based on the current state of technology development and deployment.

This collection of essays has its roots in a collective desire to understand the workings of the post-truth society, and how education, media and technology may contribute to mitigating its worst excesses. This chapter introduces the origins of the book project.

Blockchain is a verification infrastructure that offers a solution to the problem of how to verify digital identity. This publication is aimed at policy-makers in education who have an interest in understanding the affordances of blockchain technology to the education sector. Exploratory exercises with blockchain demonstrate that it is already possible to deploy the technology to cover credentialing and certification in both formal and non-formal learning. This publication presents the essential concepts and uses in a style accessible to policy-makers and experts who are not necessarily specialists in the area but need a quick introduction into the subject.

This paper levers on a live case study to examine frameworks for the development and rapid activation of global, pilot connected learning programmes. It describes the strategies and tactics deployed in the establishment of a Centre for Connected Learning (CCCL) in Malta in 2016, a joint venture between COL and the Ministry for Education and Employment in Malta. The Centre is positioned as a key hub in a global network of educators, learners and teaching institutions in 53 Commonwealth countries and 28 countries in the EU. It levers on social technologies to facilitate projects that embrace the three core connected learning values of equity, full participation and social connection. Within this context, the paper also examines how the island state of Malta is being positioned as a connected, netnographic digital lab that facilitates a complex setting for short-term pilots as well as research on digital pedagogy.

Blockchain’s versatility is primarily due to its immutable and almost indestructible nature. These attributes have caught the attention of researchers and developers interested in applications and environments where the need for the integrity of identity and content are as paramount as the safe delivery and record of transactions. Self-sovereign digital identity in particular is often cited as a human right that nation states need to embrace with as much conviction as education and lifelong learning are considered to be a public good. Although the blockchain has long been identified as an opportunity for driving much-needed change in the core processes of the education sector, use cases to date have been limited in scope and execution, with blockchain advocates and education policy makers seemingly disconnected on fundamental issues such as governance, self-sovereignty, interoperability, choice of blockchain platforms and overall trust in standards and the integrity of the infrastru...

This thesis examines how blogging is being deployed to disrupt institutional hegemony in Malta. The island state is an example of a hyperlocal context that includes strong political, ecclesiastical and media institutions, advanced take-up of social technologies and a popular culture adjusting to the promise of modernity represented by EU membership. Popular discourse is dominated by political partisanship and advocacy journalism, with Malta being the only European country that permits political parties to directly own broadcasting stations. The primary evidence in this study is derived from an analysis of online texts during an organic crisis that eventually led to a national referendum to consider the introduction of divorce legislation in Malta. Using netnography supplemented by critical discourse analysis, the research identifies a set of strategies bloggers used to resist, challenge and disrupt the discourse of a hegemonic alliance that included the ruling political party, the Roman Catholic Church and their media. The empirical results indicate that blogging in Malta is contributing to the erosion of the Church’s hegemony. Subjects that were previously marginalised as alternative are increasingly finding an online outlet in blog posts, social media networks and commentary on newspaper portals. Nevertheless, a culture of social surveillance together with the natural barriers of size and the permeability of the social web facilitates the appropriation of blogging by political blocs, who remain vigilant to the opportunity of extending their influence in new media to disrupt horizontal networks of information exchange. Blogging is increasingly operating as a component of a hybrid media ecosystem that thrives on reflexive cycles of entertainment: the independent newspaper media, for long an active partner in the hegemonic set up in Malta, are being transformed and rendered more permeable at the same time as their power and influence are being eroded. The study concludes that a new episteme is more likely to emerge through the symbiosis of hybrid media and reflexive waves of networked individualism than systemic, organised attempts at online political disruption

itself. Indeed, the development of such a worldwide mechanism, necessarily limiting the power of the territorial state, might well constitute a barrier to further capital accumulation. In the light of this crisis of the capitalist state, the objective of the working class should be – according to the author – to organise itself politically in order to advance democratisation of the political order, locally, nationally and internationally, as an alternative to capitalism. To sum up, this is a very useful book for readers in search of a comprehensive and critical account of the transition debate from a classical Marxist perspective. It pulls together the different strands of the discussion and refers to the important works in the field without neglecting issues of colonialism and slavery and post-colonialism, although feminist theory does not feature prominently. It is a valuable resource as a first, but thorough, introduction into the topic, providing a good overview and encouraging the reader to read some of the original literature on which Heller draws heavily. The Birth of Capitalism may therefore be especially valuable as material on an academic course on capitalism, its origins and its development.

Peter Mayo, Politics of Indignation: Imperialism, Postcolonial Disruptions and Social Change, Zero Books, London, 2012; 121 pp: 9781780995366, 9.99 [pounds sterling] (pbk) Around the end of 2010, Peter Mayo decided to explore writing online. I was quietly intrigued to see that Mayo had taken up 'blogging' and publishing online op-eds, since we had often discussed the opportunity social technologies afford academics wishing to reach out to people who would not normally gravitate towards university libraries, or who do not have access to academic journals online. Between 2010 and 2012, Mayo published several posts in online media outlets such as Truthout, Counterpunch and Gramsci Oggi, and clearly relished the new-found freedom to write and publish in real time, with a sense of urgency, about global events. The majority of the twelve articles in The Politics of Indignation are reworked versions of these original posts. Together with new material, the end result is what Mayo ca...

Blockchain's versatility is primarily due to its immutable and almost indestructible nature. These attributes have caught the attention of researchers and developers interested in applications and environments where the need for the integrity of identity and content are as paramount as the safe delivery and record of transactions. Self-sovereign digital identity in particular is often cited as a human right that nation states need to embrace with as much conviction as education and lifelong learning are considered to be a public good. Although the blockchain has long been identified as an opportunity for driving much-needed change in the core processes of the education sector, use cases to date have been limited in scope and execution, with blockchain advocates and education policy makers seemingly disconnected on fundamental issues such as governance, self-sovereignty, interoperability, choice of blockchain platforms and overall trust in standards and the integrity of the infrastructure. This article is primarily interested in the affordances of the technology as a public good for the education sector. It levers on the lead author's perspective as a mediator between the blockchain and education sectors in Europe on high-profile blockchain in education projects to provide a snapshot of the challenges and workable solutions in the blockchain-enabled, European digital credentials sector.

The affordances of digital technologies are such that when deployed in a context of stakeholders with a propensity for change, they will facilitate new opportunities and also create challenges for the technical
and vocational education and training (TVET) sector.

This report provides a global, high-level snapshot of the digitalization of TVET and skills systems in a set of countries and international organizations. The primary data are derived from a set of semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners in the TVET and education sectors, as well as a desktop literature review. The data provide insights into TVET and skills systems in Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Slovenia, Turkey and the United States. They also include the views of the labour market and representatives from global organizations such as the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

To deconstruct and review technological developments impacting the digitization of TVET and skills systems, we developed a conceptual framework for digital transformation in TVET, using elements of the
2015 UNESCO recommendation concerning TVET and interfacing these with the three core concepts of digital innovation, adaptation and acceleration. We then applied the framework to develop the interview
plan and structure the wave of analyses from data generated by the literature review, case studies and interview transcripts.

There exists increasing evidence that while the digitization of TVET comprises multiple policies and actions at all levels of government, it often does not represent a unitary coherent strategy. Much innovation in
digital TVET is institutionally driven, with the labour market following innovation pathways that are not filtering into TVET curricula or the operations of TVET institutions. Yet digitization is frequently positioned
as the driving force behind lifelong learning and flexible learning pathways. Case studies indicate that technology is also transforming traditional apprenticeships by facilitating more informal variants, as well
as internships and other mentored-learning programmes, if the initiatives in many countries continue to be conceptualized, sponsored and driven by governments as opposed to industry.

We argue that low-level or mature digital technologies, when taken globally, still hold the most potential for transformation of the TVET sector in the short term. Digital TVET increases dramatically in cost with
increases in the complexity and sophistication of the offering. Moreover, digitization is viewed with scepticism by a significant segment of the educational establishment – and TVET institutions in particular.
The overall digital competence of teachers and trainers will continue to be a key limiting factor in the affordances of digital TVET crystallizing over the next five years.

If the affordances of digital TVET are to crystallize, the fundamentals of TVET as a three-way collaboration between employers, students (or employees) and educational institutions have to be improved and, in
some cases, kickstarted, with the support of government as the policy-maker. We find that digital TVET increases the strength of – and need for – these interlinkages. In the process, it is also accelerating the hybridization of tertiary education. Yet despite these advances, we find that ethical implications of digitization are receiving insufficient attention.

Social media platforms and the creation and circulation of content that these platforms facilitate are the subject of polarised views. Early claims for the renewed opportunities for citizen empowerment, democratic participation and the emergence of a networked public sphere have been gradually replaced with concerns and media crises around fake news, algorithms of maths destruction, data misappropriation, echo chambers and the failures of the attention economy. This paper levers on Couldry and Hepp's (2017) treatise on the mediated construction of reality within the construct of hyperlocal culture, media and society. It examines the reflexive relationship between institutional and private media and social media outlets, and the communicative constructive of the social and reflects on the attributes and challenges of media hybridisation in Malta. It concludes with a hypothesis on media ambivalence, whereby the possibilities of a new media ecosystem with the potential to be deployed for the public good appears to be as much dependent on the affordances of disintermediation as it is on a micro-surveillance culture and long-standing constructs of political and media hegemony.

This report introduces the fundamental principles of the Blockchain focusing on its potential for the education sector. It explains how this technology may both disrupt institutional norms and empower learners. It proposes eight scenarios for the application of the Blockchain in an education context, based on the current state of technology development and deployment.

This paper levers on a live case study to examine frameworks for the development and rapid activation of global, pilot connected learning programmes. It describes the strategies and tactics deployed in the establishment of a Centre for Connected Learning (CCCL) in Malta in 2016, a joint venture between COL and the Ministry for Education and Employment in Malta. The Centre is positioned as a key hub in a global network of educators, learners and teaching institutions in 53 Commonwealth countries and 28 countries in the EU. It levers on social technologies to facilitate projects that embrace the three core connected learning values of equity, full participation and social connection. Within this context, the paper also examines how the island state of Malta is being positioned as a connected, netnographic digital lab that facilitates a complex setting for short-term pilots as well as research on digital pedagogy.

In recent years, people with access to a computer and an internet connection have had the capacity to deploy social media technologies to identify, mobilise and lead online tribes and start to break down the barriers to more inclusive communities. This chapter argues that despite long-standing concerns about the digital divide, privacy and control, access to disruptive technologies by networked individuals offers an opportunity for the creation of information without mediation. Although online tribes may be more ephemeral and temporal than offline networks, they may also lead to activism beyond geographical confines, with new leaders empowered to raise their voice and engage with a sense of purpose, creating new stocks of social capital in the process.

I was engaged by the Minister of Education & Employment in Malta to coordinate the process and draft Malta's National Lifelong Learning Strategy.  The draft went through a public consultation process in 2014, and now forms the basis for the operations of the National Lifelong Learning Task Force in Malta.

If you would like to understand whether technology, media, education and governments are solutions to our society's new challenges - or contributing to the problem - you could consider joining us for this international interdisciplinary conference on the post-truth society on 10 to 11 October. in Malta. First set of confirmed speakers from the Economist, Google, World Bank & MIT Media Lab. Early bird registration is available till 31st July. Further information, call for contributions & registration on connectedlearning.edu.mt. Or just contact me. #fakenews #bigdata #hacking #media #education #digitalliteracy #ai #government #3CLMT #posttruthsociety

Conference material, including videos and slide decks from EU Presidency Conference on 19-20 January 2017. Speakers: Cable Green, Bryan Alexander, Philipp Schmidt, Jeff Haywood, Chris Jagers, Alek Tarkowski, Catherine Mongenet, Josie Fraser, Joe Hironaka, Balaji Venkataraman, Andreia Inamorato dos Santos, Sandra Kucina Softic, Evarist Bartolo, Joseph Caruana, Anthony Camilleri and Alex Grech

This thesis examines how blogging is being deployed to disrupt institutional hegemony in Malta.  The island state is an example of a hyperlocal context that includes strong political, ecclesiastical and media institutions, advanced take-up of social technologies and a popular culture adjusting to the promise of modernity represented by EU membership.  Popular discourse is dominated by political partisanship and advocacy journalism, with Malta being the only European country that permits political parties to directly own broadcasting stations.

The primary evidence in this study is derived from an analysis of online texts during an organic crisis that eventually led to a national referendum to consider the introduction of divorce legislation in Malta.  Using netnography supplemented by critical discourse analysis, the research identifies a set of strategies bloggers used to resist, challenge and disrupt the discourse of a hegemonic alliance that included the ruling political party, the Church and their media.  The empirical results indicate that blogging in Malta is contributing to the erosion of the Church’s hegemony.  Subjects that were previously marginalised as alternative are increasingly finding an online outlet in blog posts, social media networks and commentary on newspaper portals. 

Nevertheless, a culture of social surveillance together with the natural barriers of size and the permeability of the social web facilitates the appropriation of blogging by political blocs, who remain vigilant to the opportunity of extending their influence in new media to disrupt horizontal networks of information exchange.  Blogging is increasingly operating as a component of a hybrid media ecosystem that thrives on reflexive cycles of entertainment:  the independent newspaper media, for long an active partner in the hegemonic set up in Malta, are being transformed and rendered more permeable at the same time as their power and influence are being eroded.  The study concludes that a new episteme is more likely to emerge through the symbiosis of hybrid media and reflexive waves of networked individualism than systemic, organised attempts at online political disruption.