Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Online Mathematics Resources: A Practical Approach For Teachers, Boris Handal, Parvan Handal, Anthony J. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Gradually Internet-based educational resources are making their way into the school mathematics curriculum (Handal & Herrington, 2003). Online resources are potentially useful compared to normal courseware because of their abundance, availability at no cost, platform-free accessibility, and their wide reaching accessibility. On the other hand, a major limitation of online resources is their lack of appropriate pedagogy, coupled with poor instructional design and layout. According to Alessi and Trollip (2001, p. 392), “The tendency for the Web to be used only for presentation of materials greatly restricts its instructional potential”.

Classsim: Preparing Tomorrows Teachers For Classroom Reality, Lisa K. Kervin, Brian Ferry, Lisa A. Carrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on an on-line simulation that we have developed to support our pre-service teacher education program. The purpose of this paper is three fold: first it reports on the need identified within the literature for pre-service teacher education to make stronger connections between the theory of their university experience with classroom reality; second it reports on the creation of a prototype version of simulation software (ClassSim) developed to engage pre-service teachers in decision-making processes within a virtual classroom environment; third it reports on our research where the software was used with a cohort of 186 pre-service teachers.

From Surviving To Thriving: An Induction Program For Early Career Teachers Of Personal Development, Health And Physical Education, Gregg S. Rowland, Douglas Hearne, Ann Mccormack

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper is a discussion of a project with both face-to-face and online components designed to support early career teachers from the key learning area of Personal development.

A Technology-Enhanced Multiliteracies Learning Design For Geography Education, Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Educators are being challenged to prepare students to effectively participate in our increasingly globalised society. Contemporary views of pedagogy suggest supporting learners by providing scaffolds for their engagement in real world tasks - tasks that provide opportunities to both explore and apply their learning through multi-modal expressions' within their diverse contexts. This article describes a project that draws upon the emerging views of multiliteracies in the design of a K-12 education excursion program. The multiliteracies learning design developed for .the program is applied to specific discipline-focused learning objectives and implemented within a technology-enhanced environment, which provides learners with access to …

Authentic Conditions For Authentic Assessment: Aligning Task And Assessment, Janice A. Herrington, Anthony J. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Despite major discussion and consideration of authentic assessment through the 1990s, little progress appears to have been made towards its widespread adoption in higher education. Universities often serve to limit the use of authentic approaches in learning tasks and assessment, through restrictive policies. In this paper, we briefly review the literature and summarise the characteristic elements of authentic assessment, and argue that task, assessment and university policies must be aligned for truly effective use of authentic assessment to occur in higher education.

Using The Internet For Professional Development: The Experience Of Rural And Remote Professionals, Anthony J. Herrington, Janice A. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The retention of professionals employed in rural and remote areas of Australia is a critical factor in community growth and sustainability. Retaining professionals depends to a large extent on the availability of support and professional development that is becoming increasingly accessible through the internet. This paper describes a research study that used survey and interview methods to indicate how a range of ten professional groups employed in rural and remote Australia, are accessing the internet for professional development. The findings indicate that email, the world wide web, discussion, chat and listservs were commonly used, however, the ability of professionals to …

A Partnership For Ipod Pedagogy: Using The Technology Of Millennial Learners Across Educational Contexts, Lisa K. Kervin, Doug Reid, Jeff Vardy, Carroll Hindle

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores collaboration between researchers at the tertiary level, with primary school teachers and their students as iPods are integrated into learning experiences. Embarking on this partnership, it is our aim to weave value-added, mutually beneficial and collaborative relationships into our on-going professional interactions as we work towards the development of a pedagogical framework to support classroom teachers in using iPods and podcasting in their educational settings. Such collaborative relationships have been promoted as a way to foster professional relationships, provide learning opportunities for educators, encourage change and develop common understanding across contexts.

Appropriate pedagogy and procedures to assist …

Dive In 2005 - A Cd Rom In 'Student Speak' For First Year Students, Pauline Lysaght, Russell Walton

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on the development of a CD-ROM for undergraduate students beginning their first year of study in 2005 in the Faculty of Education at the University of Wollongong. The CD (entitled Dive In 2005: A Guide for Beginning Education Students) includes information about many aspects of university life ranging from general policies, procedures and resources to facultyspecific items that support the academic and social life of Education students. An innovative feature of Dive In 2005 is the degree of involvement of “experienced” undergraduate students at every level of its production. By drawing on the wisdom of these continuing …