Learning through remote practical experiments over the internet: a case study from teacher education

Abstract

The article focuses on a cross-national Internet module employing a remote device for learning about control and intended to promote the professional development of a group of student teachers from England and the Netherlands. The practical activity was one component of an integrated conferencing package that sought to encourage shared pedagogical discussions of the teaching of control technology in schools. Microanalysis of the activities highlighted a number of difficulties affecting the execution of the tasks. An instrument of analysis based on the non-neutrality of technology is described which offered a particular lens with which to interpret participant actions and the extent to which learning took place. The article addresses ways in which remote access transformed those practical experiments and affected the learning experiences.