Maintaining Research Documents with Database Management Software

Summary

This article reviews the development and delivery of a Higher Education course module as part of a large European University's Integrated Masters Program operating through a regional network of Rural Area Training and Information Opportunities (RATIO) telematic centres. The aim of the project was to provide remote learners living in the southwest of England with computer-supported solutions to access higher education as part of a technology-assisted distance education program. The module represented a shift from traditional educational delivery systems by using instructional courseware via an Internet Web site. Personal communications with module participants were conducted with the use of e-mail and videoconferencing information technology (IT) resources. Out of the original sixteen participants who enrolled in this Masters course module, four actually completed the learning sessions and two submitted final assignments. This article considers the key lessons learned from this attrition rate and shares the mainly positive experiences of the remote tutor and the students engaged in this initiative. The implications regarding the use of the Internet for delivering higher education course modules through online distance learning are discussed in the light of cautions learned from this research project and important practical recommendations for future practice are made.     

Interview with Princess Dusdi of Thailand

Abstract

This article focuses on the possibilities that information technology and mass media offer to learning environments of children and grown‐ups, and in what way they are different from the reality a decade ago, inside and outside school. It takes into consideration the norms valid in learning in schools, including the teachers’ role, and looks into how they coincide with or contradict the modern technological possibilities. In the rapid changes of society and values, the school should serve many ages, children and adults, which would require a greater variety of jobs than at present. Understanding the value of one's own language and culture does not come through isolation; it comes through learning about different societies and cultures, through considering, comparing and categorizing. The article discusses several practical examples from the recent experiences of Iceland.     

Communicating in Education and Training

Abstract

This article maintains that the focus of learning and training at all levels is moving increasingly towards the individual ‐‐ how the individual learns and the influences of his or her environment on learning. It suggests that, among the increasing wealth of research into educational technology, the emphasis needs now to be placed on the learning process and the learning environment. But the learning processes and environments have to be seen as part of an educational scenario which is changing rapidly. Education at all levels, together with training at the adult level, and the resources devoted to these purposes will continue to be under direct challenge. To make learning more effective, the questions of contacts and connections by and with media must be examined and assessed. For effective communication the methods and the processes have to be matched to objectives. The article concludes that the rapidly changing technology of communications is helping to shift the balance from an emphasis on what has been largely a one‐way system of communication to one in which the individual learner is increasingly in control and in which the learning process itself, rather than the teaching system, has become the focus.     

The peculiarities of teaching information and communication technology as a subject: a study of trainee and new ICT teachers in secondary schools

Abstract

This article reports on teaching information and communication technology (ICT) as a subject. It arises out of research carried out with ICT trainee teachers during their initial training and their first years of teaching. The backgrounds of four cohorts of new ICT teachers are described along with levels of retention in teaching. The associations that trainee and new teachers make with their subject are then explored. It was found that specialist ICT teachers see ICT as a practical subject offering pupils scope for variety and control over their learning. A key, and they felt unique, feature of ICT was its ever-changing nature. The research explores the planning and teaching of ICT and features of ICT subject knowledge. The article concludes by highlighting the continuing shortages of specialist ICT teachers in school and the need to support the career development of those teaching ICT.     

At the intersection of technology and pedagogy: considering styles of learning and teaching

Abstract

In considering those forms of teaching and learning that most favor the use of information and communication technologies, this article explores assumptions related to technology use and education; describes technology use in learning contexts that favor teacher-centered and studentcentered approaches; refers to the literature on learning styles; and presents some of the evidence supporting a move towards technology-based, studentcentered learning environments. In analyzing this information, the article concludes with a statement supporting a ‘pedagogy of learning’ as the most favorable context/style for the use of appropriate educational technologies     

Logo and Geometric Thinking

Abstract

Some educators take the view that instructional technology may be an end in itself rather than a means to a greater conception of education. However, like any other educational practice, the use of instructional technology will be most effective when it is placed within a theoretical context. This article examines the use of instructional technology within the framework of anthropologist Gregory Bateson's theory of learning, which views learning as a function of expectation and engagement of the student within the context of the learning experience.     

Bridging the digital divide with off-line e-learning

Abstract

This paper explores a proposal for an off-line e-learning platform that will provide a bridge for digitally unconnected students and educators to join the contemporary information and communications technology (ICT) intensive world. Individual remote and unconnected learners face a chicken and egg problem for engagement with contemporary e-learning offerings. Without connectivity, remote learners have no way of engaging with now common ICT intensified learning materials that are intended to teach them how to engage in an ICT intensive world! The paper takes systems approach to developing a solution that will fit into the world we have, and not one we wish we had in terms of infrastructure, economics and skills available in remote and developing regions. Digital learning courses are placed onto a portable e-learning environment that is not reliant on a constant network connection to function but retains interactivity, analytics and the ability to synchronise data with an educational institution when a connection is found.     

Pay attention please!

Abstract

Students who learn to fail and fail to learn as a result of attention and . concentration problems can be assisted. A number of authors have considered the importance of understanding how children learn when aiming to assist students with learning problems and consider metacognitive ability may provide a framework for considering how students learn. This article examines some crucial factors that facilitate the development of metacognitive abilities for children experiencing attention and concentration problems. The author focuses on the importance of teacher modelling, explicit teaching/learning approaches, developing an internal locus of control and specific teaching of intelligent behaviours, as crucial to the learning process. The author aims to provide a variety of very practical strategies to assist teachers of students who display considerable difficulties attending and concentrating in the classroom.     

Computer Programming

Summary

Computers can be powerful aids to mathematics teaching and learning. Changes brought about by the availability of these tools and the demands of an increasingly technological society impact curricular content and pedagogy in mathematics education as well as the very nature of mathematical thinking and understanding. This article presents ways in which technology is changing mathematics education, guidelines for appropriate technology use in the mathematics classroom, the impact of computers on mathematics learning, common uses of computers in mathematics education, and issues and concerns related to technology use in mathematics.     

Using ICT to Foster (Pre) Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children

ABSTRACT

This study examines how technology can support the development of emergent reading and writing skills in four- to five-year-old children. The research was conducted with PictoPal, an intervention which features a software package that uses images and text in three main activity areas: reading, writing, and authentic applications. This article reports on the effects of the PictoPal intervention on pupil literacy and communication skills. Two small-scale studies were conducted. Observation results from the first study showed that children are able to work independently with the program after a few instruction sessions. The second study showed a statistically significant learning effect of experimental versus control group scores after two months of using PictoPal in the classroom under the guidance of a parent volunteer. Further research is needed to arrive at a better understanding of these learning gains with a larger group of pupils.     

Technology in Teacher Education: examples of integration and implementation in early childhood courses

Abstract

This article explores a number of ways in which information and communications technologies (ICT) have been incorporated and integrated in a teacher education program in order to extend opportunities for students to interact with ICT as part of their preparation for becoming early childhood professionals. It describes three examples where ICT have been utilised in different contexts to promote understanding of the implications of technologies in educational settings, to engage students with powerful conceptual ideas and as a means of communication between students on campus and those in remote areas. The examples reveal that both undergraduate and graduate students indicated that they were at a novice stage of use and understanding before embarking on the courses. In addition, the examples show that participation in the courses helped students to come to terms with computer technology as a device that could help them both to acquire new forms of knowledge as well as extend the possibilities for interactions with other early childhood professionals who were located in remote areas. The examples also highlighted the need for teacher educators to become aware of the variety of ways in which ICT can complement and extend teaching and learning contexts in new and dynamic ways rather than be used to perpetuate existing pedagogical strategies that need to be reconceptualized in the information age.     

Learning Technologies and the Issues for Management Education

abstract

Innovation in teaching and learning is an important feature of current general educational developments at all levels. This article will explore the literature regarding the development of new delivery systems, in particular those which are technology based, and will seek to identify the critical issues and implications involved in using emerging technologies in open learning. However, the author's specialism is post experience management development and thus the focus of the article is directed primarily towards the implications for learning in this area.     

Students as Virtual Scientists: An exploration of students' and teachers' perceived realness of a remote electron microscopy investigation

Remote access technologies enable students to investigate science by utilizing scientific tools and communicating in real-time with scientists and researchers with only a computer and an Internet connection. Very little is known about student perceptions of how real remote investigations are and how immersed the students are in the experience. This study, conducted with high school students and their teachers, explored the impact of students' perception of ownership and virtual presence during a remote investigation using a scanning electron microscope. Students were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: students able to select their own insect to use during the remote investigation, and students that did not select their own insects to view during the remote investigation. The results of this study showed that students in the experimental group who had choice and ownership of their insect reported being more present (less distracted) during the remote investigation than students in the control group, whereas students in the control group reported controlling the technology was easier than the experimental group. Students indicated the remote investigation was very real; however, the teachers of these students were less likely to describe the investigation as being real. The results of this study have practical implications for designing remote learning environments.     

Constructing Problems in a Web‐Based Learning Environment

Abstract

This article describes how the World Wide Web was implemented in a graduate course. The interactions that took place among the students and between the students and instructor illustrate how problem‐based learning strategies can be supported by the Web. Of particular note, the course content focused on technology‐based learning, thus students were immersed in an authentic learning environment. The article chronicles the various strategies ? that students implemented to facilitate the problem‐solving process and concludes by way of issues to consider when implementing such strategies within Web‐based learning environments     

基于网络的远程实验教学平台的开发

远程实验教学平台是一种建立在包括网络技术、传感器技术、计算机控制技术等基础上的现代信息技术平台,它利用网络来实现远距离的实验教学,可对远端的生产过程或实验过程进行实时监控。文章介绍了一种远程实验教学平台的总体设计、系统远程监控软件的设计与实现及液位控制系统硬件设计,同时提出了液位控制系统的控制方案并给出了两个期望值下的控制结果。     

Teaching and Tech: An Investigation of the Relationship and Use of Digital Technologies and the Overall Effectiveness of the Classroom Learning Environment

ABSTRACT

This article explores the use of digital tools to enhance learning through the use of technology, specifically as an enhancement to regular classroom practices. Consideration was given to the relationship between the use of digital technologies and student learning, the level of rigor expected of each student, and the overall effectiveness of the learning environment. The variability of technology use based on school level and the content discipline being taught were analyzed to evaluate the relationship between the use of digital learning tools and observable practices of active learning in the classroom. The data analyzed in this research study provide a snapshot of practice in 5,070 classrooms in 393 schools over a five-year period.     

The interface between mathematics and design and technology in secondary schools

ABSTRACT

This article suggests that there are important connections between design and technology and mathematics curricula and that these are not fully made in the United Kingdom National Curriculum. Using three examples, the authors show how there are real opportunities in design and technology teaching for incorporating mathematical learning, but that all too often these are lost because they are not made explicit. Again, the authors argue that too much mathematics teaching is dominated by abstract investigation rather than practical problem‐solving. They conclude by suggesting that teaching should transcend subject boundaries and be concerned with real‐life situations.     

Storyboarding shakespeare: learners' interactions with storyboard software in the process of understanding difficult literary texts

Abstract

In the spring term of 2000, a small-scale research project was undertaken by the authors to investigate the ways in which secondary schoolaged children and their teachers might use an example of state-of-the-art educational software within their ongoing study of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, and the nature of the impact such use might have on teaching and learning. The piece of software in question was a prototype of Kar2ouche®– a storyboard tool which provides the user with the capability to create, capture, store, retrieve and interact with a range of images and texts. The development of the software and the classroom-based research into the implications for teaching and learning of advanced uses of information and communications technology in the classroom are funded by Intel. This article describes three trial lessons using Kar2ouche® and reports on two distinct ways in which this technology made a valuable contribution to pupils' learning by encouraging them to explore beneath the surface of the text of the play in order to gain a deeper understanding of plot, mood, atmosphere and character motivation. The article also addresses the notion of interactivity in educational software and the central importance of the teacher in light of these findings     

Why use information and communications technology? Some theoretical and practical issues

Abstract

This article is concerned with theoretical issues of pedagogy and how they relate to the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in teaching. The article reviews the context of recent developments in ICT pedagogy. It also draws upon thinking about pedagogy which derives from learning theories. These provide a theoretical framework for research by the authors into the Smart Schoolinitiative in Malaysian schools. This initiative is attempting to change the pedagogy of Malaysian schools in a radical way. This involves the use of ICT alongside other innovations and a refocusing of the learning agenda for school-aged pupils. Some early impressions of the initiative are presented     

Mentoring Online about Mentoring: Possibilities and practice

Mentoring is most often associated with direct personal contact between individuals. Computer-based learning, on the other hand, is more associated with the impersonal interaction between human and machine. Recent developments in online technology, however, have paved the way for more personal interactions between people via machines. This article reports on the experience of a university professor and her graduate students as they embarked on learning about the very personal domain of mentoring via face-to-face and online learning. The results in terms of student learning, professional practice and mentoring suggest the benefit of utilizing technology as a support and enhancement to direct personal interaction, not replace it.