About

I’ve worked in Universities for a while. Taking on a range of roles including teaching Information Technology (programming, operating systems, systems administration, software development), developing e-learning systems, lower-middle management and now teaching ICT integration to pre-service teachers. A tinkerer with a love for kludges and bricolage I’ve developed a few tools including the BIM activity module for Moodle and some insights into how University e-learning could be so much better.

In particular, I have a strong prejudice against the techno-rational, analytical approaches to the provision and support of institutional e-learning/technology enhanced learning/learning (pick your label) as being completely inappropriate for the nature of the problem and the context. I’m increasingly interested in how the ideas of tinkering, bricolage, making, and ateleological design can be harnessed to improve learning and teaching. I’m currently playing around with these ideas around one of the current fads – learning analytics.

Current position

Currently an academic with the Faculty of Education at the University of Southern Queensland. Broadly focused on how tinkering and bricolage can be harnessed to improve learning and teaching especially, but not limited to, through the use of technology.

Current interests are in how ideas from distributed and embodied cognition might suggest ways for enhancing e-learning. Especially when combined with reflection, ideas of networked learning, and a fad like learning analytics. Starting to focus on how these ideas can be explored using my own teaching as a test case – the only way to give both teaching and research the time they require.

My official USQ staff page has a lovely photo and work contact details, including work email.

Contact

If you’d like to contact me, my pesonal email address is davidthomjones at gmail dot com (replace “at” with @ and “dot” with .)

Work/Study history

• January, 2012 -: Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Southern Queensland.
• February, 2011 – November, 2011: Full-time student in a Graduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching.
• July, 2010 – January, 2011: Finished my PhD thesis.
• December, 2008 – July, 2010: E-learning and innovation specialist, Senior Lecturer
  CQU has restructured the Division of Teaching and Learning Services and as a result of that process I’ve been re-assigned to the position of E-learning and innovation specialist. It’s an academic position intended to encourage innovation in L&T at the host institution. More information about the position.
• February, 2007 – December, 2008: Head of E-Learning and Materials Development and Senior Lecturer.
  In this role I was the head of the Curriculum Design and Development Unit which was part of the Division of Teaching and Learning Services. The unit was responsible for helping academic staff improve their teaching and learning by helping them with curriculum design, e-learning and resource development.
• Jan 2006 to Jan 2007 – Senior Lecturer in Information Systems
  I finally bit the bullet and left information technology behind and brought my research and teaching together by joining the information systems group at CQUniversity.
• July to December 2005 – Project manager
  During this time I was seconded to the Division of Teaching and Learning Services to manage the project responsible for formulating CQU’s plan for using information technology in learning and teaching. The project was intended to bring together a broad array of perspectives and possibilities in order to support and achieve the institution’s learning and teaching management plan, and its strategic plan.
• 2004 – Senior Lecturer in Information Technology
• 2000 to 2005 – Faculty Teaching and Learning Innovation Officer
  I was seconded to an academic position within the faculty intended to encourage the adoption of innovation within the teaching and learning practices of the Faculty of Informatics and Communication.

  This position is an extension of much of the work I performed since 1996 during my time as lecturer in computing/information technology. During this time I was awarded both the Faculty and University awards for Teacher of the Year (2000).

• 1990 to 2000, Tutor and Lecturer in Information Technology
  I started work at CQU in 1990 with the Department of Mathematics and Computing. Since then I have taught computing courses ranging from introductory subjects through to Honours level.

Non-work stuff

The really important stuff includes

• Being father to 3 great kids and husband to a lovely and brillant lady.
• Running a few head of cattle.

  Sadly a pastime that has been left behind for a little while.

• Playing cricket.
• Enjoying a drink.

On the land

For a number of years my family and I have lived out of town on small farms. Much to our delight.

We started with 100 acres at Nankin near Rockhampton. We lived in a combination hut/caravan which was constructed (under construction photos: 1, 2 by my father-in-law. There was a lovely view from the front veranda. Which also provided some interesting times when it rained a little bit more than normal.

In May 2003 we moved to 240 acres in Struck Oil. One of the advantages of the move was having an established house with some rather nice sunsets and other views (e.g. the feedlot in the mist) and some local wildlife (spiders and frogs)

The move to Toowoomba has changed circumstances somewhat. Haven’t found a home yet, still in transition.

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