Derek Robertson’s career in education has seen him work as a primary school teacher, an ICT staff tutor in a council education department, a lecturer at the University of Dundee, as the National Adviser for Emerging Technologies and Learning with Scottish Government’s educational agencies and now back at the University of Dundee as a member of the lecturing/research team at the School of Education and Social Work. He has recenrtly taken on the role of Head of Undergraduate Studies at the School Education and Social Work.
A major aspect of Derek’s work has been involved with exploring and articulating just how commercial off the shelf (COTS) computer game-based learning can have a positive impact on children’s learning experiences. This interest began due to a serendipitous moment when he watched two of his pupils play a Super Nintendo game in his classroom. To this end he established Learning and Teaching Scotland’s Consolarium initiative, which was aimed at exploring how the challenging, demanding and culturally relevant and appealing world of the computer game could play a valid and worthwhile part in the educational experiences of teachers and learners. His work is recognised as something that has helped change the discourse around the purpose and place of COTS games in education.
His current interests revolve around what he sees as the established and at times uncritical culture, behaviours and attitudes that appear to accompany and accommodate the use of digital tools and spaces in teaching and learning in our schools. He is also very interested in the way that relationship between the major educational technology companies and teachers has evolved over the past number of years. His interest in all manner of practical and innovative digital contexts in teaching and learning has also seen him develop a research interest in the use of ePortfolios in Teacher Education.