Paolo Maria Ferri is Associate Professor the Faculty of Educational Sciences of University of Milano-Bicocca-Department of Epistemology and Hermeneutics of Education (Disciplinar sector M-PED/03- Eductional studies). From a.y. 2001/2002 is regular teacher of the Course in "Theory and application of New Media" in the Faculty of Educational Sciences, in the Degree in "Intercultural Communication" and "Primary Educational Sciences", of the Course in "Educational Methodologies and Technologies 2" (a.y 2004/2005) in the Second Level Degree in Adults' education and organizations' consulence and has tought (a.y.2003/2004) Sociology of Media, in the Second Level Degree in Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. Among his appointments:
-member of Teaching Staff of international and interdisciplinary PHD about "Society of information" of University Milano-Bicocca ( Coordinator Professor Guido Martinotti);
-Member of the Academic Board for the Estabilishment of a Multimedial Design and Production Center ;
-From 2004, member of E-learning Board of University Milan-Bicocca, that coordinates e-learning activities of the University;
-From 2005, member of University Press Board of University Milan-Bicocca, that aims at creating a publishing house within the University;
-Professor at SILSIS ( Qualifying School for Secondary Teaching in Lombardia)- Milan Section ( 8 hours, subject: Teaching Technologies);
-member of Italian Society for E-learning(www.sie-1.it);
-member of Board of Directors of I.UL. pool (INDIRE, University of Florence , University of Macerata , University of Palermo , University of Rome-LUMSA );
-member of Coordination Board (responsible for technologic area) and professor in master's degree "Expert in education, researchand development of human resources. Methodologies and technologies in education and people's management."
Areas of research: As regards scientific activity, he's expert in didactical technologies and theory and practices of new media. He has analysed thoroughly multimedial and educational didactics, through off-line and on-line digital tools, and the difficoult relations among new digital technologies, educational and social sciences. He has gone into new hypermedial methods of transmission of knowledge, both from epistemologicl and techological point of view.
He has been interested in the following research spheres:
a. Technics and use of informatics in different didactical and educational contexts: school, university, teachers' and adults'
education, with special attention to didactical, technological and organizative design of web "sites" and "portals", thought for education, Computer Supplied Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and Computer Supplied Collaborative Working (CSCW).
b. E-learning and distance teaching, with special attention to didactical and learning design. He has been member of a research team who has developed an international research about "Life history of E-learning", coordinated by Professor Raoul C.D. Nacamulli, whose results have been presented in the book La formazione, il cemento e la rete. E-learning, management delle conoscenze e processi di sviluppo organizzativo (ETAS 2003). In collaboration with IULM University in Milan and University Humanities Lab has developed the projects: Virtual Classes and Web Academy .
c. the impact of digital revolution and new communication technologies on epistemological paradigms and on the practices of didactics and education.
d. Theories of hypertext and hypermedia and the analysis of epistemological changes that "written text" and the modalities of editing, use and critical interpretation can undergo moving from written to digital writing space;
e. Theoretical and practical problems in the shift from traditional to multimedial publishing: digital coding and filing, multimedial design and production, new professional figures in relation to the market.
Running research projects in Department of Educational Epistemology and Ermeneutics in Faculty of Educational sciences of University Milan-Bicocca:
-Coordinator of a research team, headed by Professor Susanna Mantovani, that is developing the research " Computer, children and adults: experiences and representations", with the funds of IBM ITALIA Foundation. It analyses from a qualitative point of view the approach and first usage of digital technologies by pre-school and school age children (2-6 years) and the changes they introduce in learning and cognitive schemes, finding also educational paths for operators and teachers in early childhood school. First results of this research have been presented during the international workshop "Bambini e Computer. Le nuove tecnologie a scuola e in famiglia" ( Children and computer. New technologies at school and in family), organized by Faculty of Educational Sciences of University Milan-Bicocca and IBM ITALIA Foundation, "Dal Verme" Teather ,Via San Giovanni sul Muro, 2 - Milan, March 4th
2005. Speakers: Augusto Chioccariello, Jane Healy, Giuseppe O. Longo, Tomàs Maldonado, Langdon Winner, Research Group of University Milan-Bicocca.
He coordinates, with Professor Mantovani and Professor Nacamulli, pilot e-learning project of Faculty of Educational Sciences of University Milan-Bicocca, financed by University in 2005 and 2006, "FORTECH. Ricerca e sperimentazione di metodologie e pratiche di integrazione tra didattica frontale e tecnologie digitali della formazione" (Research and sperimentation of methodologies
and practices of integration between frontal didactics and educational digital technologies". The project aims at developing and e-learning system based on open source technologies (adaptation of platform Docebo LMS),corresponding with cross-media standards of Ministerial Decree Moratti-Stanca, and oriented to a experimentation about the methods of integration between frontal and technological didactics, within some piolt courses in Degrees of Faculty of Educational Sciences.
From a.y. 2004/2005 he coordinates with Professor Anolli, the Laboratory of Pedagogical and Psychological Experimentation. This Laboratory, that has 12 pc and 3 servers and is integrated in University laboratory, is used for researches about digital technologies in learning and psychology of communication; it is thought for teachers, phd students and final year students who take part to research projects about these subjects.
He has been scientific coordinator of the research "Interattività: quale appeal? Una ricerca qualitativa sui modelli di e.content e "multicanalità" (Interactivity: which appeal? A qualitative research on e-content and cross-media models) ordered by Assolombarda for Cenacolo Prize.