Diana Bannister, MBE
Development Director for Learning Technologies
Midlands Leadership Centre, University of Wolverhampton
Diana is the Development Director for Learning Technologies at the Midlands Leadership Centre. Her work in the application of new technologies has placed her at the forefront of current thinking in this area.
In 1999, Diana was the first recipient of the National Teaching Award for the 'Most Creative Use of ICT in a Primary School.' As Head of ICT and deputy head teacher, Diana was proactively involved with several organisations conducting research, including the University of Newcastle, NfER and the Teacher Training Agency (TTA). All of these research projects allowed Diana to share her leading edge work in ICT and its application with regard to school improvement.
In September 2001, Diana joined the core team of the Midlands Leadership Centre. Whilst Diana has a specific remit to address projects and issues with an e-learning agenda, she is also responsible for some of the overall management duties within the centre.
Diana continues to work with schools offering bespoke support in all phases across the country. As well as advising on the fundamental difference that the use of ICT can make in school, Diana has had considerable experience of dealing with ICT procurement and LA strategic development. Within her work across the Black Country School Improvement Partnership Diana established the Primary Learning Network. This is a networked learning community of 12 primary schools working collaboratively on ICT and pedagogical related issues.
Diana has completed work upon the use of laptops in schools, the development of managed learning environments and the use of ICT by leading teachers. Diana continues to lead upon projects relating to the impact of interactive whiteboard technology. From September 2002 to July 2004 Diana worked with the University of Hull on the REVIEW Project - funded by NESTA. This led to the development of the CD - "The Good Guide to Interactive Whiteboards."
Diana has also worked within the Black Country Knowledge Society to develop the Joint Centre on E-Learning Support (JCeL). This is looking at e-learning across all sectors of lifelong learning and e-governance, with a particular focus upon 80 community based ICT centres across the Black Country.
The Learning Technologies team at the MLC is just about to launch "REVEAL" - this is a national project "Review of Electronic Voting and an Evaluation of its uses within Assessment and Learning" which will focus on the use of Promethean's Activote System.
Beyond her commitment to school improvement, Diana has an eternal passion to build understanding of the ways in which we can embrace the use of learning technologies to improve teaching and learning.
