School of Education

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Tony Fisher

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Biography

Tony is a member of the Learning Sciences Research Institute in the School of Education. He teaches about ICT, leadership and learning on the MA Learning, Technology and Education, MA Educational Leadership and MA in Education courses. He is a tutor on the Scoool of Education's innovative PostGraduate Certificate in Education International (PGCEi) course, and is a supervisor for a number of MA dissertations and PhD and EdD students. He represents the School on the Faculty IT User Group.

He is also the School of Education's contact with The Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education (ITTE), of which he is a past Chair and former member of the national executive. He is also a MirandaNet Fellow. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Technology, Pedagogy and Education.

Tony's recent research can be found under the research tab. Over the years he has also worked on a number of national evaluations for BECTa/DfES. Details may again be found under the research tab.

Tony had 16 years full time classroom experience as a teacher of geography and humanities at secondary level, including being for several years Head of Humanities Faculty in a large comprehensive school, before he took up a two-year seconded position as Advisory Teacher for Humanities and whole curriculum issues. He subsequently took up his current position at the School of Education.

Teaching Summary

I teach on a variety of courses, including various MA courses, and the new online international PGCE (PGCEi). I designed, and am the tutor on, the online 'Leading Learning' Module, which is part of… read more

Research Summary

My main research interests are in the field of educational ICT, including: new technologies and teacher professional development; ICT in teacher education; ICT and pedagogy. Over the years I have… read more

Selected Publications

  • FISHER, T, DENNING, T, LOVELESS, A and HIGGINS, C, 2012. Teachers’ knowing how to use technology: Exploring a conceptual framework for purposeful learning activity The Curriculum Journal. 23(2), 307-325
  • FISHER, T, SHARPLES, M, PEMBERTON, R, OHATA, H, UOSAKI, N, EDMONDS, P and HULL, A, 2012. Incidental Second Language Vocabulary Learning from Reading Novels: A Comparison of Three Mobile Modes International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL). 4(4), 47-61
  • FISHER, T, 2008. Understanding teachers' use of educational technologies. In: KARANIKA-MURRAY, M AND WIESEMES, R, ed., Exploring Avenues to Interdisciplinary Research: From Cross- to Multi- to Interdisciplinarity Nottingham University Press. 39-55
  • LOVELESS, A, DENNING, T and FISHER, T. AND HIGGINS, C., 2008. Create-a-scape: mediascapes and curriculum integration Education and Information Technologies. 13, 345-355 (In Press.)

Tony is a member of the Centre for Research in Schools and Communities. His research supervision areas include:

  • new technologies and teacher professional development
  • ICT in teacher education
  • ICT and pedagogy

Research proposals: please email Tony if you would like to discuss the appropriateness of your research topic. See also: School of Education research supervision areas.

I teach on a variety of courses, including various MA courses, and the new online international PGCE (PGCEi). I designed, and am the tutor on, the online 'Leading Learning' Module, which is part of the School of Education's MA in Education (Flexible).

Current Research

My main research interests are in the field of educational ICT, including: new technologies and teacher professional development; ICT in teacher education; ICT and pedagogy. Over the years I have conducted more than 150 interviews with teachers about aspects of their use (or not) of new technologies, so I have an on-going interest in 'talking with teachers about technology'. Some other, recent research, in collaboration with Tim Denning (Keele University) and Chris Higgins (Oxford Brookes) has included data mining from journal article abstracts using latent semantic analysis.

Past Research

Much of my research has led to conference papers which have been presented at a range of international conferences including those of the British Educational Research Association (BERA), The American Educational Research Association (AERA), The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), The Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education (ITTE) (UK) and the Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education (SITE) (USA).

Three recent projects have been:

  • Web 2.0 Technologies for Learning at Key Stages 3 and 4. This was a Becta-funded project undertaken by LSRI in association with IoE (London) and MMU. As I result I presented a paper on teachers in the study at the European Educational Research Association Conference (2007, Goteborg)
  • Teachers as Users of Technology: Exploring a Conceptual Framework of 'Clusters of Purposeful Learning Activity' funded by TDA and undertaken with Avril Loveless (University of Brighton), Tim Denning (Keele University) and Chris Higgins (Oxford Brookes), in association with ITTE. I presented a paper at AERA 2010 (Denver) and co-presented a related paper at ECER 2010 in Helsinki. A journal article is in press at the Curriculum Journal.
  • Learning Vocabulary from Reading Books on Mobile Devices: an Evaluation of ELMO. Undertaken with colleagues in LSRI under contract to Sharp Labs Europe, in collaboration with colleagues at University of Tokushima, Japan. I was project manager. Paper presented by Prof. Mike Sharples at mLearn 2009 (Orlando). A journal article on which I am lead author is under consideration for publication.

National evaluations have included:

  • a national evaluation of e-portfolios across educational sectors.
  • the technical evaluation of the National Grid for Learning 'Pathfinder' LEAs
  • the evaluation of the National Pilot for Online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Science Teachers
  • evaluation (with Tim Denning at Keele University) of the Government-funded KS3 Online Courses initiative
  • member of the team which carried out the ImpaCT2 evaluation of the impact of networked technologies on learning
  • member of the team led by Professor Colin Harrison which undertook the evaluation of the DfEE/NCET 'Multimedia Portables for Teachers Pilot.'
  • case study work for the NCET/GA publication 'Using IT to Enhance Geography: Case studies at Key Stages 3 and 4'
  • FISHER, T, DENNING, T, LOVELESS, A and HIGGINS, C, 2012. Teachers’ knowing how to use technology: Exploring a conceptual framework for purposeful learning activity The Curriculum Journal. 23(2), 307-325
  • FISHER, T, SHARPLES, M, PEMBERTON, R, OHATA, H, UOSAKI, N, EDMONDS, P and HULL, A, 2012. Incidental Second Language Vocabulary Learning from Reading Novels: A Comparison of Three Mobile Modes International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL). 4(4), 47-61
  • FISHER, T, LOVELESS, A, HIGGINS, C and DENNING, T, 2010. Learning with ICT: Exploring a Conceptual Framework of ‘Clusters of Purposeful Learning Activity’ Relating to Teachers as Users of Technology In: Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO, 30 April - 4 May, 2010.
  • FISHER, T, PEMBERTON, R, SHARPLES, M, OGATA, H, UOSAKI, N, EDMONDS, P, HULL, A, TSCHORN, P, 2009. Mobile learning of vocabulary from reading novels: a comparison of three modes In: mLearn 2009, 26-28 October, Orlando, FL.
  • LOVELESS, A, DENNING, T and FISHER, T. AND HIGGINS, C., 2008. Create-a-scape: mediascapes and curriculum integration Education and Information Technologies. 13, 345-355 (In Press.)
  • FISHER, T, GRABER, R, HARRISON, C, 2008. UK Teachers and Web 2.0 technologies: practice, pitfalls and potential In: European Conference on Educational Research, Göteborg, 10-12 Sept 2008.
  • FISHER, T, 2008. Understanding teachers' use of educational technologies. In: KARANIKA-MURRAY, M AND WIESEMES, R, ed., Exploring Avenues to Interdisciplinary Research: From Cross- to Multi- to Interdisciplinarity Nottingham University Press. 39-55
  • TANG, J, HARRISON, C, FISHER, T, 2008. Assignment feedback provision in online courses in a tertiary level English Language program in China: a case study Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics. 11(1), 45-64 (In Press.)
  • HARRISON, C, GRABER, R, FISHER, T, LOGAN K, 2008. UK School Students’ Use of Web2 Technologies In and Out of School In: European Conference on Educational Research, Göteborg, 10-12 Sept 2008.
  • FISHER, T., 2006. Educational transformation: is it, like 'beauty', in the eye of the beholder, or will we know it when we see it? Education and Information Technologies. 11(3-4), 293-303
  • FISHER, T., HIGGINS, C. and LOVELESS, A., 2006. Teachers learning with digital technologies: a review of research and projects Bristol: Futurelab. (0954859448)
  • FISHER, T., 2006. Educational ICT: critical perspectives, social theory, and why they matter (Invited Paper) In: Proceedings of Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education Conference.
  • FISHER, A.M., 2004. Information and communication technologies and teachers' work. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy. Manitoba: University of Manitoba. Available at: <http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/noma/ICT.Fisher.html>
  • JOYES, G.M., HARRISON, C. and FISHER, A.M., 2003. NGfl Pathfinders: Final Technical Evaluation Report on the Roll-out of the NGfl Programme in Ten Pathfinder LEAs
  • JOYES, G.M., HARRISON, C. and FISHER, A.M., 2003. Final Technical Evaluation Report on the Roll-Out of the NGfl Programme in ten Pathfinder LEAs
  • HARRISON, C., SOMEKH, B., WOODROW, D., BARNES, S., TRIGGS, P., SUTHERLAND, R., PASSEY, D., HOLT, H., FISHER, A.M., FLETT, A. and JOYES, G.M., 2003. NGfl Pathfinders: Final Report on the Roll-Out of the NGfl Programme in ten Pathfinder LEA's (9)
  • DENNING, T. and FISHER, A.M., 2003. The Development and Use of a Computer Based Model for Assessing Thinking Skills
  • DENNING, T., FISHER, T., HIGGINS, C. and LOVELESS, A., 2002. Final Report on the Evaluation of the Pilot of Teachers' Professional Development in the Use of ICT in Subject Teaching ('CPD On-Line')- KS3 Science
  • MULTILSILTA, J., HIETALA, P., DJURHUUS, O. and FISHER, A.T., 2002. Authoring Pedagogically Meaningful Content for Networked Learning. In: Networking the Learner Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston.
  • JOYES, G., FISHER, A. and COYLE, D., 2002. Developments in generative learning using a collaborative learning environment. In: Proceedings of the Third Networked Learning International Conference 2002. 398-405
  • FISHER, A.M., 2002. Information society, situatedness and social construction: student teachers' learning on a PGCE geography course. In: ICT and Curriculum Development
  • FISHER, T. and DENNING, T., 2002. Teacher Development through Curriculum Development: Teachers' Experiences in the Field trialling of Online Curriculum Materials' Proceedings of Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education Conference, Nashville.
  • FISHER, T., 2002. On-line Distance Education: Supporting Independent Learning for the EdD in Teacher Education
  • DENNING, T. and FISHER, T., 2002. 'Exploring the Characteristics of Effective ICT Teaching' In: Proceedings of Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education Conference.
  • FISHER, T, 2002. Webquests in Geography Sheffield : Geographical Association, 2002.
  • DENNING, T. and FISHER, T., 2001. Final Report of KS3 Subjects On-Line Project Evaluation
  • FISHER, A.M., 2000. The new Initial Teacher Training National Curriuclum for the use of Information and Communications Technology in Subject Teaching: Implications for the Education of Geography Teachers. In: Issues in Geography Routledge, London and New York. 50-65
  • PHILLIPS, R., BAILEY, M., FISHER, T. and HARRISON, C., 1999. Questioning teachers about their use of portable computers Journal of Computer-Assisted Learning. VOL 15(NUMBER 2), 149-161
  • FISHER, A.M., 1999. A New Professionalism? Teacher use of Multimedia Portable Computers with Internet Capability In: Society of Information Technology in Teacher Education (SITE)1999 Conference Proceedings.
  • HARRISON, C., YOUNGMAN, B.M., BAILEY, M., FISHER, A.M., PHILLIPS, R.J. and RESTORICK, J., 1998. Multimedia Portables for Teachers Pilot: Project Report
  • BAILEY, M., HARRISON, C., YOUNGMAN, B.M., FISHER, A.M. and RESTORICK, J., 1998. Multimedia Portables for Teachers Pilot - Project Report
  • BISHOP, P.E., FISHER, T. and FRASER, V., 1998. The Career Entry Profile and Beyond: Supporting the Newly Qualified Teacher CPD Update. 2(2), 6-9
  • FISHER, TONY, 1998. Developing as a teacher of geography / Tony Fisher Cambridge : Chris Kington, c1998.
  • FISHER, T., 1998. A Beginner's Guide to the Internet in Humanities Education: No. 2 1(2), 6-8
  • FISHER, T., 1998. ICT as an Aspect of Teaching and Learning in all Subjects: The New Framework for Teacher Development CPD Update. 2(1), 9
  • FISHER, T., 1998. A Beginner's Guide to the Internet in Humanities Education: No. 1 1(1), 6-8
  • HARRISON, C., YOUNGMAN, B.M., BAILEY, M., FISHER, A.M., PHILLIPS, R.J. and RESTORICK, J., 1997. NCET Multimedia Portables for Teachers Pilot Evaluation Report
  • FISHER, T., 1996. Information technology and the curriculum: IT capability and the new teacher British Journal of Curriculum and Assessment. VOL 6(NUMBER 2), 33-37

School of Education

University of Nottingham
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Wollaton Road
Nottingham, NG8 1BB

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