Using Information and Communication Technologies to teach and learn mathematics in South African schools: A snapshot view of its impact

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become ubiquitous in most people’s lives. Yet, within the developing and emerging regions, there are still many who have not fully benefitted from ICTs. This article reports on a research project that focused on investigating the barriers, opportunities and impact that ICTs have on the teaching and learning of mathematics in South African schools. A quantitative research methodology in the form of a survey was used to assess South African mathematics teachers’ access to and use of ICTs and mobile technologies. A literature study revealed that there were universal barriers (i.e. lack of access to resources, time, effective training, confidence; resistance to change and negative attitudes; and no perception of benefits) and numerous opportunities for using ICTs in teaching and learning in general, and in subjects such as mathematics and science, in particular. The survey findings suggested increased deployment of ICT resources; introduction of more ICT training opportunities for teachers and students; and the firm adoption of ICT policies and directives within the education domain.     

Voice over distance: a case of podcasting for learning in online teacher education

This paper reports on a case study of an online pre-service teacher education course in a New Zealand university aimed at exploring the potential of student-generated podcasts as a form of interactive formative assessment at a distance. The study was part of a wider two-year funded project with the overall goal of documenting, developing, and disseminating effective and innovative e-learning practice. Findings from lecturer and tutor interviews, student focus group (FG) discussion, and course evaluations indicate that the podcasting task provided opportunities for the course lecturer, tutors, and students to learn and share ideas with one another. The experience empowered students to develop the skills and confidence to initiate more independent inquiry into technologies to support their pedagogical purposes. The study contributes to a better understanding of the skills, dispositions, and knowledge needed to prepare teacher candidates for teaching-learning contexts where information and communication technologies are increasingly pivotal.     

学习化社会中图书情报人员终身教育体系的构建

阐述了终身教育思想和学习化社会的理念,论述了构建图书情报人员终身教育体系的重要性,提出了学习化社会中构建图书情报人员终身教育体系的实施策略。     

发展社会化公共支持服务构建全民终身学习平台——广播电视大学的功能拓展与探索空间

建设远程教育公共服务体系是国家实施现代远程教育工程的重要组成部分,也是广播电视大学发展战略的重要组成部分。自2001年以来,教育部主要依托广播电视大学,对发展社会化的远程教育公共支持服务进行了多方面的探索。在这一过程中,中央电大公共服务体系建设取得了较大进展,率先建成了国家级远程教育公共服务体系、推进了数字化学习港的建设及应用示范、开展了数字化学习示范中心的建设,在电大功能拓展方面进行了开创性的实践探索。中央电大公共服务体系建设的实践,在社会化公共支持服务新模式、新机制和新领域的探索方面取得了一系列重要成果。远程教育公共服务体系未来会有更加强大的生命力和更加广阔的发展前景,同时将面临各种挑战,只有在实践中不断发现问题、提出问题、研究问题和探求问题的解决方案,才可能在建设学习型社会中发挥应有的作用。     

学有所教:中国特色社会主义教育的目标和理想——为江苏率先基本实现教育现代化提供全面而有效的科研服务

"学有所教"是十七大报告从构建和谐社会,实现社会公正和人民幸福的高度,对教育发展提出的建设中国特色社会主义教育的新目标和新理想。"率先基本实现教育现代化"是江苏基于教育发展的实际,以教育现代化来引领教育的改革与发展,不断满足江苏人民群众"学有所教"的多方面需求的教育发展战略。围绕江苏率先基本实现教育现代化,实现"学有所教"的目标与理想,提供有效的科研服务,是江苏教育科研的努力方向和价值追求。     

跨国远程教育机构的合作与发展研究——英联邦小国虚拟大学(VUSSC)案例分析与启示

英联邦小国虚拟大学(Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth,简称VUSSC)不是一所新兴的高等院校,而是由30多个英联邦小国参与的一种合作机制、合作网络。VUSSC在共享教学与课程开发方面进行着首创性的探索,特别是集结优势资源与专家力量合作开发在线学习课程,并取得了显著成果。在项目开展过程中,VUSSC采取了达成合作意向、组织工作坊、构建跨国资格认证框架、形成版权和知识产权解决方案、积极寻求资金支持等具体举措,有效推动了VUSSC的可持续发展。VUSSC因此成为领先而卓有成效的洲际跨国、跨文化合作探索案例。在开放远程学习的地区与全球化合作发展趋势下,其经验值得我们借鉴与思考。     

ICT for and in Internationalization Processes: A Business School Case Study

It is assumed that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are pivotal for globalization of higher education and in internationalization processes. Moreover, it is claimed that globalization and new technologies have opened up a global market for education, in which new providers of higher education operate, and that this competition poses significant threats to traditional campus-based universities and colleges. This article we will shed light on these assumptions, by focusing on the following problem statement: To what extent is ICT seen as a means to internationalize higher education and how are ICTs employed in internationalization processes? This study reports findings from a case study of the Norwegian School of Management, a private business school, which in Norway is often seen as a stereotype of a ‘new provider’ operating in a global market, and a theoretically relevant case for, at a micro level, study the intersection between internationalization and ICT. The case study indicates that although information and communication technologies are seen as central in internationalization processes, and for supporting and coordinating international activities, they are not seen as driving forces for internationalization of higher education. The data indicates five main ways through which ICTs are used as support tools in internationalization processes.     

Education for Sustainable Development in Ethnic Autonomous Areas of China: A Comparison of Two Curriculum Initiatives and Their Educational Implications

This paper examines the educational implications of two curriculum initiatives in China that have produced curricular materials promoting education for sustainable development (ESD) in minority-populated ethnic autonomous areas in China. The two curriculum projects present distinctive discourses, conceptions, models, frameworks and scopes of ESD in the country. Nonetheless, there is a likelihood that the actual implementation of the curriculum initiatives, especially the enactment of the curriculum materials produced, might be thwarted due to structural and systemic educational constraints, an anthropocentric approach to sustainable development, poor teacher support and teacher training, omissions of the affective learning components in curricular contents, as well as loopholes and weaknesses in the development of the curriculum materials themselves.     

Understanding the Theoretical Framework of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A collaborative self-study to understand teaching practice and aspects of knowledge

This paper describes a self-study research project that focused on our experiences when planning, teaching, and evaluating a course in initial teacher education. The theoretical framework of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) was used as a conceptual structure for the self-study. Our understanding of the framework in relation to our teaching practice was in focus. The principal educational goal of the course was to develop the pedagogical use of web 2.0 resources to support learning in the preschool/school context. As a result, the focus, content, form of distribution, teaching, and assessment of the course went beyond what is common in initial teacher training in Sweden. The potential of the different digital tools was explored by situated use in the design and teaching of the course. Analysis highlights the challenges and opportunities that teacher educators and student teachers may encounter while working with, and learning about, information and communication technologies to support learning. Some of the findings discussed are related to the identified challenges and opportunities for both teachers and students to integrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological knowledge into a TPACK. Taken-for-granted organizational and institutional assumptions about teaching, learning, and assessment in teacher education were identified in the study.     

信息技术在小学教育体育专业田径普修课教学中的应用

信息技术应用于小学教育体育专业田径普修课教学是提高教学质量的有效方法。优化教学内容和拓宽教学时空应加强开发互联网资源,发挥理论指导实践及两者相互渗透应制作田径多媒体课件,提高学生参与主动性应使用视频图像技术记录和分析学生技能表现,实现对学生进行过程性评价应充分利用计算机管理优势。     

新形势下中外合作办学质量管理体系的构建与实践——以山东科技大学为例

结合双一流背景下山东科技大学应用基础型人才培养要求和中外合作办学项目管理实践,文章从目标构建、优化输入、加强监控、动态反馈、风险防范等五个方面构建了新形势下中外合作办学的质量管理体系.通过全方位、立体化的改革,该校中外合作办学项目的管理水平显著提升,毕业生质量明显改善,人才培养效益显著.该教学质量管理体系可在省属重...