Supporting Teachers’ Use of Technology in Science Instruction Through Professional Development: A Literature Review

Professional development is critical in supporting teachers’ use of technological tools in classrooms. This review of empirical research synthesizes the effective elements of professional development programs that support science teachers in learning about technology integration. Studies are examined that explore how professional development supports technology use within inquiry-based and traditional science instruction. Implications for future research are discussed in four areas: understanding and building on teachers’ beliefs about science and technology; supporting teacher learning by supporting teachers’ examination of students’ work; using technology to support teacher communities and social networks; and sustaining teachers’ learning beyond formal professional development programs.

Encouraging IT students to get serious about assignment writing: evaluation of a Web-based initiative

Traditionally, students attending university have received support for their assignment writing within a face-to-face framework. Academic writing support delivered via the Internet needs to be rendered in very subject-specific terms for the resource to be perceived as valuable. This paper reports on a project involving writing support staff and a computer science subject leader to develop and evaluate a Web-based academic skills tutorial. The tutorial sought to provide online learning support for interpreting an information technology (IT) assignment topic, extracting information from sources, and integrating the material into a report with the support of online lexical tools. The evaluation sought to determine whether the students found the resource helpful, if improvements were still required, and what implications there were for integrating the resource with subject teaching. Students perceived most value in those sections of the resource that provided them with examples and models, and least in those that required them to engage in interactive activity.     

The educational use of social annotation tools in higher education: A literature review

This paper presents a literature review of empirical research related to the use and effect of online social annotation (SA) tools in higher education settings. SA technology is an emerging educational technology that has not yet been extensively used and examined in education. As such, the research focusing on this technology is still very limited. The literature review has aimed at presenting a comprehensive list of SA empirical studies not limited to a particular research method or study domain. Out of more than 90 articles that were initially found, only 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among the included studies were eight experimental or quasi-experimental studies and eight evaluation/survey studies. The SA empirical research has provided some evidence regarding the potential effectiveness of integrating social annotation tools into learning activities. Findings from the gathered literature were synthesized to provide recommendations for using SA technology in educational settings.     

ICT teacher training: Evaluation of the curriculum and training approach in Flanders

A policy-evaluation study was set up of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) teacher training in Flanders, focusing on the following questions: (a) What is the validity of the content and format of the teacher training, and (b) to what extent is the ICT teacher training linked to policies of schools? In-depth interviews were organised with respondents of primary, secondary, and adult education schools. The results indicate that ICT school policies are not well developed and reveal a partial match between policies, needs, and the actual in-service training. Innovative applications of ICT are not promoted. The supply-driven approach, the school-based nature, and follow-up activities are questioned.     

Research trends in science education from 2013 to 2017: a systematic content analysis of publications in selected journals

Following a series of reviews every 5 years since 1998, this fourth study presents the research trends in science education based on 1,088 research articles published in Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and International Journal of Science Education from 2013 to 2017. The top three research topics, that is, the context of students’ learning, science teaching, and students’ conceptual learning were still emphasized by researchers in the period of 2013–2017. It is also evident that researchers have undoubtedly changed their preferences of research topics in the three journals within the 2 decades. For example, the topic concerning conceptual understanding, alternative conceptions, and conceptual change (Learning-Conceptions) was in continuous decline from 2003 to 2017, although it ranked as the top topic in the 1998–2002 period. The research topic of Teaching continuously ranked second in the 2008–2012 as well as in the 2013–2017 periods. Yet, the declining trend of Goals, Policy, and Curriculum reported in the last review was not observed in the latest period. The analysis of the top 10 most-cited papers unveiled that the issues such as inequality in science education, STEM education, and undergraduate research experiences were gradually highlighted.     

The Impact of Learner’s Prior Knowledge on Their Use of Chemistry Computer Simulations: A Case Study

It is complicated to design a computer simulation that adapts to students with different characteristics. This study documented cases that show how college students’ prior chemistry knowledge level affected their interaction with peers and their approach to solving problems with the use of computer simulations that were designed to learn electrochemistry. Students with different prior knowledge levels were found to use different approaches to solving problems with the use of computer simulations. In particular, the cases showed that students with a high level of prior knowledge tended to use the equations and formulas to accomplish the learning tasks and then use the computer simulations to confirm their predictions. Students with a low level of prior chemistry knowledge used the computer simulations as the main resources to accomplish their tasks. Considerations of individual differences and the integration of learning materials were suggested for further research on instructional use of computer simulations.     

近四年裕固族教育研究进展述评——以期刊论文文献为例

文献综述是学术研究走向规范性的一条重要途径。裕固族教育研究正在逐渐走向规范化,2009年之前的研究已经有几篇文献综述对其进行回顾与评论。本文通过对2009-2012年间发表的期刊论文进行综述,肯定了裕固族教育研究四年来取得的成就,分析存在的问题,并提出对策。本文可以为今后更进一步的研究提供文献资料指引和研究经验借鉴。     

"修课程、完课时"——成人高校美术教育管理模式改革构想与探索

成人高校生源下降、专业方向分散、学生文化素质及专业基础差异大、学习条件和学习需求各不相同，一系列的问题使传统的学年制教学管理固化模式越来越凸显出它的完全不适应性。为了使教学质量和教学投入保持一个良性循环的状态，实现成人美术教育持续性发展，寻求一种适应当前形势的教学管理新模式势在必行。“修课程、完课时”教学管理模式就是我们为此进行的实践性探索。     

关注我国的高等计算机教育

高等计算机教育是我国计算机教育的重要组成部分,由于种种原因,我国的高等计算机教育中还存在一些问题,本文从几个方面作了剖析和应对探讨。     

适应信息素质教育的文献检索课改革

通过对信息素质内涵以及文献检索课在信息素质教育中的作用分析,提出文献检索课改革的一些建议。     

高职高专计算机专业教学改革的思考

根据高职院校及我校计算机专业新的人才培养方案为目标,从课程设置和教学内容、教学手段、教学方法等方面探讨在新时期下高职高专计算机专业教学的改革.使计算机专业教学既能适应现代科技发展的需要,又能使所培养的学生能够适应社会对人才的需求.     

A short review of information and communication technologies and basic education in LDCs—what is useful, what is sustainable?

Information and communication technologies such as radio and television have long been used in education. The advent of the technology of the Internet has created pressure for Internet access in primary and secondary schools across the world. This paper reviews some of the available evidence on the impact and cost of such technologies in developing countries. It concludes that while there is strong evidence for the efficacy and efficiency of interactive radio instruction, the evidence on the impact of computer-supported education remains mixed, and costs are prohibitive for many LDCs (less developed countries).