Student-facilitators' roles in moderating online discussions

Intellectual, social, managerial and technical are four commonly reported categories of facilitation in online discussions. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether these four broad categories of facilitation were equally applied in online discussions and which specific skills were perceived to be more important. In this study, students were facilitators of online discussions. Each student-facilitator led a group discussion and participated in two additional discussions moderated by other student-facilitators. Three groups of students were selected for data collection. Results indicated that the intellectual, social and managerial categories of facilitation were highly applied, while technical facilitation was less used in the online discussions. Also, summarising discussions was perceived to be the top facilitation skill. This paper presents findings of the study and discusses issues involved in the study.     

Beyond the backchannel: tweeting patterns after two educational conferences

Mathematics teachers are using Twitter as a backchannel at conferences. Understanding whether teachers are using Twitter differently at traditional conferences like the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual as compared to new conference models like TwitterMathCamp (TMC) is important. Tweets surrounding the 2015 NCTM Annual and TMC2015 were collected and analyzed to determine the differences in tweeting behavior of the mathematics teachers. Our results showed teachers use Twitter in common ways, despite the attention placed on social media at new conferences.     

大学计算机公共课教学改革探析

随着计算机信息技术的发展,社会对大学生应具有的计算机水平和应用能力提出了更高的要求.而当前大学的公共计算机教学效果并不乐观,只有对教学大纲、教学目标、教学手段、教学内容、实践教学等诸方面进行改革,才能切实提高人才培养质量.本文就大学计算机公共课教学改革的现状和应采取的对策进行了分析和探讨,以期推动计算机公共课教学朝着健康的方向发展,满足社会对人才的需求.     

The educational ideology of the computer

The author advances the theory that whatever educators may intend to do with the computer in the classroom, the computer projects an ideology which may conflict with their purposes. The elements of this ideology are explored in a discussion of three applications commonly found in schools: data-handling systems, simulations and word processors. From this exploration emerges a practical basis for the conscious choice of appropriate tools for particular purposes.     

Monitoring the ‘Enlaces’ educational computer network

The use of networks in education is experiencing world-wide growth. Many schools have taken advantage of the reduction of price in modems, the emergence of electronic bulletin boards and world-wide web pages with educational content, and the availability of software for public participation in networks. Nevertheless, little information is available about the quality and quantity of existing network traffic; information that would allow organizations, network project administrators and supporters, to evaluate its impact, know its usage, evolution and projections. This paper presents some of the traffic monitoring mechanisms presently in use in a Chilean educational network (the Enlaces Project), together with examples of the information collected through these mechanisms.     

Tapping the educational potential of Facebook: Guidelines for use in higher education

Facebook is a frequently used Computer Mediated Environment (CME) for students and others to build social connections, with identities and deposited self-expression. Its widespread use makes it appropriate for consideration as an educational tool; though one that does not yet have clear guidelines for use. Whether a social networking site can be used for educational objectives remains largely unexplored as a research question. This paper discusses a study conducted at the University of Auckland and at Manchester Metropolitan University on how their students use Facebook, and its impact on their social and academic lives. Using theories of social capital and knowledge management, we explore some potential educational uses of Facebook. Guidelines are included for the educational use of Facebook by tutors in a university environment. These include both positive recommendations and activities and approaches to avoid; and include educational, administrative and legal issues.     

The role of cognitive style in educational computer conferencing

This paper reports an investigation of the impact of students’ cognitive style on their effective use of educational text‐based computer‐mediated conferences. The research centres on an empirical study involving students from three courses run by the British Open University. Statistical analysis of the data does not suggest that cognitive style has a strong influence on student participation in the conference, but does suggest that, contrary to expectations, ‘imagers’ may send more messages to conferences than ‘verbalisers’. The data also suggest a possible link between certain cognitive styles and course completion, and that the interaction of different styles within a group, as described by Riding and Rayner's (1998 ) team roles, may have an indirect influence on task completion.     

利用电脑课件优化教育理论课程教学

师范院校的教育理论课程中采用电脑课件辅助教学，虽然仍以文字呈示为主，但如 果能按照心理规律和教学要求正确制作和使用，其产生的教学效果大大优于传统的“黑板＋ 粉笔”。它有利于增加教学密度、提高学生的学习兴趣、增加教学美感并有利于教室环保， 从而使教育理论课不仅更好地传授教育学理论，自身还体现出先进的教育理念。     

现代教育技术优化计算机教学课堂的研究

在大学计算机教学中,现代教育技术已经不是一个简单的教学手段,它已经对教师的教学、学生的学习产生了深远的影响。本文通过对网络多媒体技术对大学计算机教学的积极影响和消极影响两个角度,深入分析网络多媒体对大学对教师、学生的两方面影响。并结合实际情况找出应对解决其消极影响的对策。     

大学计算机基础教学改革实践及今后发展研究

本文依据大学计算机基础教学改革的实践,论述了计算机基础教学要适应新时期学生信息素质培养的要求,加强教学内容和课程体系建设、精品教材建设、因材施教,并提出计算机基础教学的发展趋势。     

Information management and learning in computer conferences: Coping with irrelevant and unconnected messages

The present study examines how learnersinteract with one another within the context ofa computer conference for the purposes ofpassing a test. In a faked computer conferencewith predetermined messages, both the number ofmessages irrelevant to the topic, and theexplicit threading of messages were varied in a2 × 2 design (n = 54). Subjects participated in anasynchronous fashion over a course of fourlog-in sessions. In general, learners indicateda fairly consistent pattern of reception. Theyopened virtually all messages, grouped them ina non-chronological order, and processed themaccording to their topic relevance. Thispattern was also mediated by the conferencecharacteristics. Explicit threading led tosequences of message readings that were morecontent oriented. Similarly, fewer irrelevantmessages lead to prolonged reading times ofrelevant messages. Whereas learning success wasnot affected by conference characteristics,explicitly threaded messages decreased theperceived cognitive demands.     

Exploring ethical issues associated with using online surveys in educational research

Online surveys are increasingly used in educational research, yet little attention has focused on ethical issues associated with their use in educational settings. Here, we draw on the broader literature to discuss 5 key ethical issues in the context of educational survey research: dual teacher/researcher roles; informed consent; use of incentives; privacy, anonymity, and confidentiality; and data quality. We illustrate methods of addressing these issues with our experiences conducing online surveys in educational contexts. Moving beyond the procedural ethics approach commonly adopted in quantitative educational research, we recommend adopting a situated/process ethics approach to identify and respond to ethical issues that may arise during the conduct, analysis, and reporting of online survey research. The benefits of online surveying in comparison to traditional survey methods are highlighted, including the potential for online surveys to provide ethically defensible methods of conducting research that would not be feasible in offline education research settings.