Steve Wheeler
Encyclopedia
Steve Wheeler is a British academic, author, speaker and learning technologist.
, a suburb of Plymouth
, England. His father was in the Royal Air Force
, and due to constant travelling, Wheeler attended a number of schools across Europe, including St George's School in Gibraltar
; Sandwick School in the Shetland Isles, Scotland
; Wellington Grammar School in Telford
, England; and the AFCENT International School in Brunssum
, the Netherlands
. He also attended Hereford College of Art and Design, where he studied fine arts, graphic design and photography.
, in the Czech Republic
. Prior to joining the University he worked in the National Health Service
and as a lecturer in Education at Plymouth City College. Wheeler researches into the uses of Web 2.0
in all education sectors, and has published more than 150 scholarly articles in the field of e-learning
. Wheeler has also published 4 books and numerous monograms related to the use of learning technology. Wheeler earned his Cert Ed teaching qualification at Polytechnic Southwest, his first degree in Psychology
via part-time study at the British Open University
and later completed a Master of Philosophy degree at the University of Plymouth
. In 2008 Wheeler was awarded a Fellowship by the European Distance and E-learning Network
(EDEN) for his services to European educational research Wheeler is an active edublogger and his writings regularly appear on his blog Learning with 'e's.
Wheeler describes himself as a disruptive activist who is always keen to try out new and radical alternatives to mainstream education. He is co-editor of the journal Interactive Learning Environments, and also serves on the editorial boards of a number of other academic journals including ALT-J - Research in Learning Technology
, the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, and Digital Culture and Education. Wheeler was elected as Chair of the IFIP Technical Committee Group 3.6 (Distance Education) in 2008. He is also the chair of the Plymouth e-Learning Conference an international event held around Easter every year on the University of Plymouth campus.
Early life
Wheeler was born in DevonportDevonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
, a suburb of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England. His father was in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and due to constant travelling, Wheeler attended a number of schools across Europe, including St George's School in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
; Sandwick School in the Shetland Isles, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; Wellington Grammar School in Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, England; and the AFCENT International School in Brunssum
Brunssum
Brunssum is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Brunssum was formerly a center of coal mining in the Netherlands and there are a few active mines remaining in the area...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He also attended Hereford College of Art and Design, where he studied fine arts, graphic design and photography.
Academic career
Wheeler is an Associate Professor of Learning Technology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Plymouth where he teaches on a number of undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes. He is a visiting professor at the Technical University of LiberecLiberec
Liberec is a city in the Czech Republic. Located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic....
, in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Prior to joining the University he worked in the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
and as a lecturer in Education at Plymouth City College. Wheeler researches into the uses of Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
in all education sectors, and has published more than 150 scholarly articles in the field of e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
. Wheeler has also published 4 books and numerous monograms related to the use of learning technology. Wheeler earned his Cert Ed teaching qualification at Polytechnic Southwest, his first degree in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
via part-time study at the British Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
and later completed a Master of Philosophy degree at the University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
. In 2008 Wheeler was awarded a Fellowship by the European Distance and E-learning Network
European Distance and E-learning Network
The European Distance and E-Learning Network, abbreviated EDEN and originally named the European Distance Education Network, established in 1991, is an international educational association open to institutions and individuals dealing with e-learning, Open education, open and distance education...
(EDEN) for his services to European educational research Wheeler is an active edublogger and his writings regularly appear on his blog Learning with 'e's.
Wheeler describes himself as a disruptive activist who is always keen to try out new and radical alternatives to mainstream education. He is co-editor of the journal Interactive Learning Environments, and also serves on the editorial boards of a number of other academic journals including ALT-J - Research in Learning Technology
ALT-J - Research in Learning Technology
Research in Learning Technology - The Journal of the Association for Learning Technology is a peer-reviewed academic journal which aims to promote good practice in the use of learning technologies in education and industry and to facilitate collaboration between practitioners, researchers, and...
, the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, and Digital Culture and Education. Wheeler was elected as Chair of the IFIP Technical Committee Group 3.6 (Distance Education) in 2008. He is also the chair of the Plymouth e-Learning Conference an international event held around Easter every year on the University of Plymouth campus.