Education Commons^™

Investigating Synergies Between Literacy, Technology And Classroom Practice, Lisa Kervin, Irina Verenikina, Pauline Jones, Olivia Beath

I. Verenikina

The ways educators incorporate technologies into their classroom literacy experiences and the implications these present for professional practices have been the focus of discussion for some time. We believe it timely to re-examine these debates in a period of 'digital reform' as we consider the realities teachers report as they use technology as a tool in literacy classrooms. In doing this, we acknowledge the potential of new technologies such as laptops, wireless connectivity, Interactive White Boards and mobile communication devices to reshape pedagogic activity within primary classrooms but aim to capture the reality reported by active practitioners. In this paper …

Exploring The 'Tool Metaphor' For Using Digital Technology In Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd), Roselyn M. Dixon, Irina Verenikina

I. Verenikina

Since computer technologies entered the educational domain, a number of metaphors have been introduced in the literature to explain this newly emerged phenomenon to educators in familiar terms. This chapter explores the ways that the conceptualisation of educational technologies as a teaching 'tool' can assist our understanding of the implementation of a new digital technology, the interactive whiteboard (IWB), in teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The tool metaphor relates to a socio-cultural concept of a tool mediated purposeful human activity as a unit of analysis in educational research (Vygotsky, 1978). The activity model (Engestrom, 1991) was adopted in …

Using Digital Resources To Support Personalized Learning Experiences In K-12 Classrooms: The Evolution Of Mobile Devices As Innovations In Schools In Northwest Ohio, Savilla Banister, Rachel Reinhart

Savilla I Banister

The challenges facing the United States in educating its youth have been widely documented. The dropout rate in the past decades has been staggering, hovering around the 20% mark, with students of color and in lower socio-economic circumstances posting an even higher rate (Barton, 2005). Perhaps more troubling are the indicators that students who are staying in school until high school graduation are largely disengaged and disenfranchised with their experiences (Balfanz, Herzog, & MacIver, 2007; Henry, Knight, & Thornberry, 2012). However, educators are now beginning to embrace the promise of ubiquitous digital technologies in the classroom. This study examines the …

Edutainment: Using Media And Video Instruction As Methods Of Disseminating Content In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (Stem) Instruction, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

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

Professor Lori Lockyer

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 …

Technology Use, Technology Views: Anticipating Professional Use Of Ict For Beginning Physical And Health Education Teachers, Lori Lockyer, John W. Patterson

Professor Lori Lockyer

In Australia, the national initiative known as Learning in an Online World, focuses school jurisdictions across the country meet the challenge of achieving the national vision of all schools “…confidently using ICT in their everyday practices to improve learning, teaching and administration” (MCEETYA, 2005, p. 3). One strategy in reaching this goal is the effective preparation of pre-service teachers to use and integrate technology in their teaching and learning practices. This article reports on a research study that aimed to explore the issue preparation for use of technology in teaching by understanding the current and anticipated technology usage for Australian …

Bringing The Library To The Students: Using Technology To Deliver Instruction And Resources For Research, Judith Arnold, Jennifer N. Sias, Jingping Zhang

Jennifer N Sias

To provide equitable services and access to off-campus students, librarians must meet the challenges of the digital divide and the geographic divide. Instruction and document delivery are key services that can determine how successful a library is in meeting its responsibility to distance learning. This session will focus on technological solutions to instruction, access, and document delivery in technology-challenged and remote environments.

Bringing The Library To The Students: Using Technology To Deliver Instruction And Resources For Research, Judith Arnold, Jennifer N. Sias, Jingping Zhang

Jingping Zhang

To provide equitable services and access to off-campus students, librarians must meet the challenges of the digital divide and the geographic divide. Instruction and document delivery are key services that can determine how successful a library is in meeting its responsibility to distance learning. This session will focus on technological solutions to instruction, access, and document delivery in technology-challenged and remote environments.

Breaking The Log-Jam: Teaching The Teachers About Technology, Shelley Kinash, Ron Kordyban

Ron Kordyban

Extract:Like logs in a metaphoric lumber mill, educational technologies are streaming in faster than they can be gathered and processed. There are wikis, blogs, podcasts, social networks and a host of applications to complement the already robust world of mobile learning. Where things tend to get jammed-up is at the point of training. Someone needs to show teachers how and when to use these new e-learning tools. More and more schools and universities are hiring dedicated educators to provide professional development in the pedagogical use of educational technologies.

The Foundations Of Student Affairs: A Guide To The Profession, Dallas Long

Dallas Long

Student affairs is a large, complex area of campus operations and is comprised of many departments with professionals from a wide variety of educational backgrounds. Long provides a short history of the student affairs profession, followed by an overview of the departments in a typical student affairs division and the responsibilities and goals of the professionals in those departments. Long also describes the values that guide the work of student affairs professionals and the contemporary challenges they face.

The Utility Of Technacy Genre Theory In Technology Education: A Case Study Into Food Technology Teaching, A Turner

Dr Angela Turner

There are many and varied forces that shape school curriculum, but one that is of specific interest discussed in this paper concerns the perception of Food Technology secondary curriculum in Australia. Maintaining and fostering a coherent and accurate perception throughout the food technology career, from school leaver to professional undergraduate studies, is critical for both the evolution of the field of knowledge and the need to keep up with increasing world demand for food technologists and food innovation. Food Technology is a well-established secondary school elective in curriculum offerings, yet a contradiction has emerged between the ‘school view’ of Food …

The Utility Of Technacy Genre Theory In Technology Education: A Case Study Into Food Technology Teaching, A Turner

Dr Angela Turner

There are many and varied forces that shape school curriculum, but one that is of specific interest discussed in this paper concerns the perception of Food Technology secondary curriculum in Australia. Maintaining and fostering a coherent and accurate perception throughout the food technology career, from school leaver to professional undergraduate studies, is critical for both the evolution of the field of knowledge and the need to keep up with increasing world demand for food technologists and food innovation. Food Technology is a well-established secondary school elective in curriculum offerings, yet a contradiction has emerged between the ‘school view’ of Food …

How To Turn Around Your Classroom, Jalae Ulicki

Jalae Ulicki

No abstract provided.

It's Time To Connect: Twitter For Educational Purposes, Mutuota Kigotho, Helen Doyle

Mutuota Kigotho

The expansion of the internet has enabled a free flow of information allowing the connection between educators and students where knowledge can be shared both ways. This growth in technology has led to an explosion in the use of social media. Data indicates that Twitter is one of the most common social media tools used by 25-54 age-group. Learning how this tool is used for educational purposes is useful in the area of higher education as most of the university students fit within this cohort. In this paper we look at the history and exponential growth of Twitter as a …

Technology Use, Technology Views: Anticipating Professional Use Of Ict For Beginning Physical And Health Education Teachers, Lori Lockyer, John W. Patterson

John Patterson

In Australia, the national initiative known as Learning in an Online World, focuses school jurisdictions across the country meet the challenge of achieving the national vision of all schools “…confidently using ICT in their everyday practices to improve learning, teaching and administration” (MCEETYA, 2005, p. 3). One strategy in reaching this goal is the effective preparation of pre-service teachers to use and integrate technology in their teaching and learning practices. This article reports on a research study that aimed to explore the issue preparation for use of technology in teaching by understanding the current and anticipated technology usage for Australian …

Integrating Technology To Enhance Teaching And Learning In Physical And Health Education: An Activehealth Framework, Gregg S. Rowland, Douglas Hearne, Lori Lockyer, Philip J. Pearson

Professor Lori Lockyer

In an era of limited resources across educational sectors, academics associated with faculties of education are under increasing pressure to find innovative ways to support their teaching and research activities - activities with which collaboration and interaction with pre-service teachers, practicing teachers and fellow academics is crucial. As such, developing a sustained community that involves such representative members is paramount for academics. A team at the University of Wollongong has initiated this concept through research and development of the ActiveHealth learning community for physical and health educators. Whilst it is envisaged that such a project will take time to establish, …

The Role Of Social Media In Community Colleges, Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, Manuel Sacramento González Canché,, Regina Deil-Amen, Charles H.F. Davis Iii

Charles H.F. Davis III

Over the past decade, there has been a growing public fascination with the phenomenon of connectedness. One of the most important ways in which society is now connected is through social media –such as social networking sites. While both students and higher education institutions seem to be utilizing social media more and more, there still are enormous challenges in trying to understand the new dynamics generated by social media in higher education, particularly for the context of community colleges.

This research report has several purposes. The first is to document and to describe the various ways in which social media …

Use Of Open Source Software And Virtualization In Academia To Enhance Higher Education Everywhere, Maurice E. Dawson Jr., Imad Al Saeed

Maurice Dawson

As costs around the world continue to rise for education, institutions must become innovative in the ways they teach and grow students. To do this effectively, professors and administrative staff should push toward the utilization of Open Source Software (OSS) and virtual tools to enhance or supplement currently available tools. In developing countries, OSS applications would allow students the ability to learn critical technological skills for success at small fraction of the cost. OSS also provides faculty members the ability to dissect source code and prepare students for low-level software development. It is critical that all institutions look at alternatives …

Physical Educators' Technology Competencies And Usage, Marianne L. Woods, Grace Goc Karp, Hui Miao, Dana Perlman

Dana Perlman

The purpose of this study was 10 examine K-12 physical education teachers' perceptions of ability and usage of technology. Physical educators (n=114) completed the Physical Education Technology Usage Survey assessing their perceived technology competency, how and why they utilize technology, challenges they face in implementing technology, and where they learned to use technology. Results indicated a high level of perceived competency with many forms of technology but differences based on gender, teaching level, and years of experience. Low competency levels were shown for website creation, FDAs, heart rate monitors, and body composition analyzers. The teachers reported that student learning can …

The Digital Technology In The Learning Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd) In Applied Classroom Settings, Kathleen Tanner, Roselyn M. Dixon, Irina Verenikina

Rose Dixon

This paper describes a research study that is a stepping stone to further research on the affordances of digital technologies in the learning of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study is framed around the modern understanding of technologies as cognitive tools for learning based on the theory of social and cultural mediation of children’s development and learning (Vygotsky, 1978), together with Activity Theory (Engestrom, 2001). The study focuses on the day-to-day reality of the use of computer and other digital technologies to assist the classroom learning of children with ASD. A series of observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers …

Supporting Educators With The Inclusion Of Technology Within Literacy Classrooms: A Framework For "Action", Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Jessica Mantei

Educators are challenged to consider ways that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be included within classroom contexts. Such challenges often require the adoption of whole school, team or individual focus as technology is examined in connection with the needs of the learners within the school and the pedagogical understandings and beliefs of the educators. Each researcher has initiated, facilitated and reflected upon school-based projects focused on ways that technology can be incorporated within classroom literacy experiences. In this paper, we describe a “framework for action” that has emerged from our analysis of these. Examples from a range of projects …

Incorporating Technology Within Classroom Literacy Experiences, Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Jessica Mantei

Educators are challenged to consider ways that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be included within classroom contexts. Such challenges often require the adoption of whole school, team and individual focus as technology is examined in connection with the needs of the learners within the school and the pedagogical understandings and beliefs of the educators. In this paper we describe an elementary school-based project that focuses on ways that computer-based technology and associated peripherals can be incorporated within classroom literacy experiences. As we examine the planning, implementation and our reflections upon this process some key findings emerged. The need for …

The Blogging Revolution: New Technologies And Their Impact On How We Do Scholarship, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

What follows below is the text of my presentation at the session on blogging and online publication at the Society of Biblical Literature 2010 annual meeting in Atlanta.

An Examination Of Hand-Held Computer-Assisted Instruction On Subtraction Skills For Second Grade Students With Learning And Behavioral Disabilities, Philip D. Nordness Dr., Ann Haverkost, Annette Volberding

Philip D. Nordness Dr.

The effect of a mathematic flashcard application on a hand-held computing device was examined across three individual second grade students with learning and behavioral disabilities. All of the students improved their subtraction scores by an average of 17% as measured by the district-created, curriculum-based assessment. The results of this study suggest that practice on a mobile computing device with a mathematic flashcard application can improve subtraction skills in second grade students with disabilities.

Acl 533 Technology And Learning, Rob Morrison

Rob Morrison

No abstract provided.

Handy Manny And The Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit, Howard P. Parette, Jack Hourcade, Nichole Boeckmann, Craig Blum

Jack Hourcade

This paper outlines the use of a technology toolkit to support emergent literacy curriculum and instruction in early childhood education settings. Components of the toolkit include hardware and software that can facilitate key emergent literacy skills. Implementation of the comprehensive technology toolkit enhances the development of these critical literacy skills in at-risk young learners.

Worlds Apart In The Curriculum: Heidegger, Technology, And The Poietic Attunement Of Art, James Magrini

James M Magrini

Margonis (1986) criticizes Heidegger’s philosophy and those who would attempt to adopt his views for the purpose of thinking education because of the "abstract nature of his discussions," which suggest "proposals regarding our political, economic and educational lives from the place of metaphysical argumentation" (p. 125). To the contrary, Dwyer, et al (1988) claim the Heidegger’s philosophy, "clearly suggests an educational theory" (p. 100). This, is perhaps an overly optimistic claim, for it glosses over the difficulty associated with plumbing the depths of Heidegger’s vast corpus in order to speculate on the legitimate potential his philosophy has for contemporary educational …

Organisational And Technological Skills: The Overlooked Dimension Of Research Training, Renata Phelps, Kath Fisher, Allan Ellis

Dr Renata Phelps

Over the last three decades new technologies have emerged which have the capacity to considerably streamline the research and publication process and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of research. This paper argues that to achieve high quality research training in the context of today’s government and industry priorities, there must be a renewed focus on the organisational and technological skills that are appropriate to research. It reports on a survey of both researchers-in-training (higher research degree students) and early career researchers across a number of Australian institutions. The study revealed moderate levels of confidence in these areas but also found …

Digital Technology In- And Out-Of-School : A Comparative Study Of The Nature And Levels Of Student Use And Engagement, Anne-Marie Chase

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

Learning To Teach With Technologies What Pre-Service Teachers Say About Their Experiences, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

It is the intention of the Australian Government, that over the next five years, as a result of the Digital Education Revolution, all secondary schools in Australia will have achieved computer to student ratios of one-to-one. This investment in infrastructure brings with it many challenges. Two of these facing Australian educators are: In what ways can advantage be made of such a significant investment in schools’ infrastructure?; and What preparation do pre-service teachers require to enable them to meaningfully include technologies in their classroom activities? To provide some insights into these two questions, this paper draws on data collected from …