Teacher-Assisted Computer Implementation: A Vygotskian Perspective

This article advances a framework for computer implementation based on Vygotsky's theory of socially mediated cognitive development. The approach suggested by this framework, teacher-assisted computer implementation, acknowledges the critical role of the adult or more skilled partners in task performance and knowledge construction. An application of this approach, designated as software with enhancement, is described as it was used to provide language enrichment with Head Start children. Implications of this approach for computer implementation in early childhood classrooms are discussed.     

A case study of an affective education course in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to identify the components of a framework for affective education implementation based on a positive psychology approach. A fifth grade class of 31 students in a public rural elementary school in Taiwan participated in a 13-week long affective education course that consisted of six units: Self-discovery, Love and Gratitude, Empathy, Emotions, Optimism, and Hope. Storytelling and interdisciplinary instruction were utilized as two primary teaching strategies. Constructivist grounded theory case study was used as a qualitative methodological approach and four data sources including participant observations, field notes, artifacts, and self-assessment were collected. A framework for affective education implementation that emerged from the data consisted of three levels: the classroom in/out level, the school/family level, and the society/culture level. Findings on the components of a framework for affective education implementation are presented and discussed.     

Rejection of Narow─Band Interference in DS Spread Spectrum Systems Using Recurent Neural Networks

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With Scale in Mind: A Continuous Improvement Model for Implementation

The conventional approach to scaling up educational reforms considers the development and testing phases to be distinct from the work of implementing at scale. Decades of research suggest that this approach yields inconsistent and often disappointing improvements for schools most in need. More recent scholarship on scaling school improvement suggests that these activities should be integrated into implementation, although this presents challenges in how we evaluate implementation in particular schools. This paper presents a framework to conceptualize implementation when design, implementation, and scaling up are integrated activities.     

运用任务教学法提高大学英语写作水平

在我国大学英语写作教学仍然存在很多问题,新的写作教学方法有待于进一步研究。文章运用定量和定性分析对任务教学法的应用进行研究,提出了任务教学法在大学英语写作教学中的具体运用模式及其优势。     

A strategic approach of the crucial elements for the implementation of digital tools and processes in higher education

Implementation of digital tools and processes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as an emergent activity depends on the sociomaterial relationships between institutional factors that dynamically interact with each other. This article systematically explores through a literature review some of the most relevant and up-to-date published studies to identify the ‘important factors’ to consider for the implementation of digital tools and processes in HEI. The goal of the paper is to turn these factors, conceived initially as previous conditions or characteristics of the institutions or people, into a list of strategic elements to be fostered by HEI leadership teams to promote better implementation of digital tools and processes in their institutions. In the final part of this work, we propose a framework that reflects these elements in a visual approach that highlights the activity-centred character of the framework as well as the emergent character of the implementation process itself.     

An integrated framework to guide educational psychologist practice

This paper describes a five-phase practice approach that further develops Monsen et al.'s problem-analysis framework, which was originally designed for use by educational psychologists in training. The five-phase approach aims to provide a user-friendly conceptual framework for use by experienced educational psychologists. Action points, completed summary proformae, and a multi-faceted assessment and intervention example are provided to support the implementation of this approach within practice-based work.     

Technology Training for Teacher Education in Jamaica

Abstract

The major challenges facing education systems in the information age include issues of how to prepare for and capitalize on the technological revolution and how to integrate computer technology into the curriculum. Jamaica, like most developing countries, is taking on these challenges with perhaps as much focus and increased importance as any developed country such as the United States. This paper explores the approach taken, particularly with teacher educators in Jamaican colleges, to begin the process by an assessment of the computer-related professional development needs of the college faculty. The paper makes recommendations for developing a technology training program based on the needs assessment. Underlying these issues is the necessity for a national policy to coordinate the country's efforts to integrate information technology into teacher education. Additional recommendations intended to provide guidance for the formulation of such an integrated policy development and implementation framework are offered.     

Developing a framework for university-wide improvement in the training and support of ‘casual’ academics

With the majority of undergraduate teaching in Australian higher education being undertaken by casual academics, ensuring adequate support for these staff to access support and professional development relating to teaching and learning is imperative. In this article, we profile the development and implementation of a university-wide strategic framework for training, support and recognition of the contributions of sessional teachers. The design of this framework was informed through an iterative process of research and consultation with key institutional stakeholders and has resulted in changes at a policy level as well as in the delivery of professional development programs for sessional teaching staff. The opportunities and challenges of this approach are discussed, as well as future directions and broader considerations for the support of sessional teachers in the Australian higher education context.     

Computer Anxiety and Student Teachers: antecedent and intervention

We argue in this article that student teachers’ anxiety about computers can be properly understood only through an examination of cultural and historical antecedents concerning fears of technology. This perspective provides us with a context to examine the development, implementation and evaluation of a computer education course for student teachers over a 2‐year period. The results of the evaluation indicate that the methods adopted have been successful in promoting computer literacy and reducing computer anxiety. The empirically‐based approach to course development and evaluation adopted in this study provides a model for other tertiary educators.     

The Implementation of an Electronic Performance Support System for Teachers: An Examination of Usage,Performance, and Attitudes

This study investigated how teachers used an electronic performance support system (EPSS) and whether the usage of this EPSS affected their work performance and attitudes toward computer technology. The findings suggested a framework for the implementation of an EPPS in an educational setting, specifically at a middle school. The data were collected through observations, questionnaires, anecdotal logs, database records, and interviews. Four middle school teachers used the EPSS primarily for completing student progress reports wherein the results indicated that the EPSS decreased the amount of time to perform this task. Computer usage, performance, and attitudes were affected by work responsibilities, accessibility to computers, the change agent, the technology support personnel, as well as the specific characteristics of the EPSS. The teachers' attitudes toward the EPSS and technology in general were affected by their performances when using the system, by interactions with the person responsible for technology support, and by the ability to customize the computer program to fit their needs.     

Same Assessment,Different Practice: Professional consciousness as a determinant of teachers' practice in a school-based assessment scheme

The forms that assessment takes are widely recognised as determinants of educational practice. This paper, however, argues that a teacher's professional consciousness is a more fundamental determinant of teaching practice. To explore the issue, this paper examines data from a larger study which set out to examine the relationship between teachers' practice and their beliefs in the context of a mandatory school-based assessment scheme. Using a theoretical framework that advocates an emancipatory approach to educational changes, it was found that some teachers adopted a passive role regarding policy interpretation and implementation while others adopted a more critical stance in interpreting the policy requirements, demonstrating a more proactive approach in its implementation. The emancipatory approach is conceptualised in terms of three key dimensions: professional confidence, professional interpretation and professional consciousness. The findings of the study carry implications for teacher professional development.     

A Comprehensive Approach to Technology Training for Early Childhood Teachers

This study describes the development and implementation of a comprehensive approach to computer technology training for early childhood teachers. Departing from the singular goal of conveying skills and knowledge, a comprehensive program targets the development of teachers' attitudes and practices as well as knowledge and skills. All 3 areas are regarded as equally important for the development of teacher technology proficiency. Evaluation of the program documented its effectiveness. Compared to nonparticipants, teachers in the training program had significantly higher scores in all 3 goal areas: attitudes, knowledge and skills, and practices. Results of the study indicate that a comprehensive approach is an effective means of training teachers in computer technology. Implications of the study are discussed with regard to the strategy of developing the "whole teacher" and emergence of the domain of educational technology.     

Community of Inquiry (CoI): A Framework for Social Work Distance Educators

ABSTRACT

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, a research-based seminal work, provides a structure for integrating a collaborative constructivist approach in course design, implementation, and evaluation. The CoI framework suggests that by fostering three essential elements – social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence – a community of inquiry can be created to promote student engagement and learning. This paper will present the concepts of the CoI framework for social work educators to consider for distance education course design, implementation, and evaluation.     

Building the Bridge Between Science and Practice: Essential Characteristics of a Translational Framework

Mind, brain, and education is a field developed with two key purposes: (1) to accelerate the knowledge developed through research by using an interdisciplinary approach, and (2) to create a bridge to connect and apply this knowledge to educational practice. While great progress has been made with regard to the interdisciplinary efforts of mind, brain and education, a chasm remains between the fields of science and educational practice. This article presents the case for bridging that chasm through the development of a translational and bidirectional framework that allows the fields of science and educational practice to access and influence each other. The characteristics of such a framework are proposed as theory‐driven and perspective‐neutral, interdisciplinary and interdependent, grounded in the science of development, context‐sensitive, and allowing for falsifiability. Potential enablers for the successful implementation of such a framework are proposed.     

A Practical Introduction to Authoring for Computer-Assisted Instruction Part 8: multi-media CAL

Until recently the majority of applications of the computer within conversational computer-assisted learning and computer-based training have utilized a keyboard/ cathode ray tube model of human/computer interaction. However, because of its greater scope, instructional designers are turning increasingly to the use of a workstation model of student interaction with computers. Such a model can lead to the implementation of didactic dialogue that is more natural, more exciting and far more flexible. In this paper we show how such a model forms the basic foundations for multi- media CAL. We then outline some case studies involving the use of this approach and summarize some author languages that have been designed for use in this area.     

高职计算机网络技术专业工作过程系统化课程体系设计与实施

根据当今社会对计算机网络技术专业人才的需求和对计算机网络技术专业人才的培养目标,按基于工作过程为导向的课程设计方法,对高职计算机网络技术专业课程体系进行设计,建立"211"的课程体系;并以提高学生的职业竞争力为目的,分析了课程体系实施应具备的条件。     

A theoretical and instrumental framework for implementing change in ICT in education

This paper summarizes the development and practical testing of a theoretical framework for the identification of important factors in relation to the implementation of ICT into a UK secondary school. The approach is characterized by considering the process of implementing use of ICT across a whole school for teaching and learning as a special case of implementing change.

The theoretical framework was derived from reviewing and synthesizing the literature in the field of change management and that of ICT in schools. Using an interpretive approach, a single case study was the practical basis for undertaking research, guided but not constrained by the theoretical framework and finally mapping the case study findings against it.

This process enabled the possible contribution of the framework with regard to the implementation of ICT in schools, to be assessed, and its further development considered.     

Using the Bifocal Modeling Framework to Resolve “Discrepant Events” Between Physical Experiments and Virtual Models in Biology

In this paper, we investigate an approach to supporting students’ learning in science through a combination of physical experimentation and virtual modeling. We present a study that utilizes a scientific inquiry framework, which we call “bifocal modeling,” to link student-designed experiments and computer models in real time. In this study, a group of high school students designed computer models of bacterial growth with reference to a simultaneous physical experiment they were conducting, and were able to validate the correctness of their model against the results of their experiment. Our findings suggest that as the students compared their virtual models with physical experiments, they encountered “discrepant events” that contradicted their existing conceptions and elicited a state of cognitive disequilibrium. This experience of conflict encouraged students to further examine their ideas and to seek more accurate explanations of the observed natural phenomena, improving the design of their computer models.