Our principal concern in this book is to understand three important ideas: learning, technology and innovation, and to examine these ideas and the relationships between them in situ; that is, we examine a number of cases of learning technologies in action in two countries, England and Brazil. The purpose of our study is to provide an explanation of the means to, and constraints on, improvements to educational policies and practices, with particular reference to innovation. We have a plethora of theoretical models that in attempting to deal with causal relations usually come to the conclusion that there are socio-economic-cultural constraints, but these observations largely remain at an abstract level and/or come to very general conclusions that are not of particular help to practitioners in the field. These issues can only be properly addressed after examining the empirical reality and having a spectrum of cases to analyze. By combining the theoretical and the practical, our aim is to explain how and under what conditions new modes of learning can be put into practice successfully and sustainably, in order for the learner to develop innovatory skills and dispositions for work and in the life course.
Mota, Ronaldo: - Retired Full Professor at the Physics Department from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Researcher at CNPq in Physics, and Innovation and Educational Consultant. Bachelor in Physics from Universidade de São Paulo, Master in Sciences from Universidade Federal da Bahia, Doctor in Sciences from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, and Postdoctoral Training at the University of British Columbia-Canada and at the University of Utah-USA. The focus of the career in Physics has been on the Modelling and Simulation of Material Sciences and Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes. In Education and Innovation, the main subjects are: Innovation Management, New Technologies Applied to Education and Independent Learning in Higher education. Formerly, he was National Secretary for Technological Development and Innovation at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, National Secretary for Higher Education, National Secretary for Distance Education and Acting Minister at the Brazilian Ministry of Education. President of the Administration Board of Neoprospecta-Innovation Company, and Founder and Special Advisor of the British enterprise EdUKationBR. He holds the title of Comendador Grã-Cruz of the National Order of Scientific Merit, awarded by the Brazilian President of Republic and, until recently, Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Education of the University of London (Anísio Teixeira/Chair).
Scott, David: - Professor David Scott, PhD, MA, Adv DipEd, BA, PGCE, is Professor of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, Institute of Education, University of London. Previously, he served as Acting Dean of Teaching and Learning, Acting Head of the Centre for Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Director of the International Institute for Education Leadership and Professor of Educational Leadership and Learning, University of Lincoln.
