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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
‘Digital Play’ Is Here To Stay … But Don’T Let Go Of Real Lego Yet, Irina Verenikina
‘Digital Play’ Is Here To Stay … But Don’T Let Go Of Real Lego Yet, Irina Verenikina
I. Verenikina
Playing with building blocks such as Lego has been an established part of early childhood education for many years. Educators and theorists agree that building blocks or constructive play provide a wide range of avenues for enhancing learning and development in the early years, but the increased availability and accessibility of mobile digital technologies has seen children more frequently engage in virtual or “digital” play, often leaving behind traditional forms of play with physical objects in physical spaces. So what might children lose – or gain – during this transition from physical to digital play? Lego, the best known producer …
Investigating Synergies Between Literacy, Technology And Classroom Practice, Lisa Kervin, Irina Verenikina, Pauline Jones, Olivia Beath
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
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 …
From Theory To Practice: What Does The Metaphor Of Scaffolding Mean To Educators Today?, Irina Verenikina
From Theory To Practice: What Does The Metaphor Of Scaffolding Mean To Educators Today?, Irina Verenikina
I. Verenikina
The current emphasis on rising educational standards in Australian society (eg A Commonwealth Government Quality Teacher Initiative, 2000) has stimulated a growing interest in Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory widely renowned for its profound understanding of teaching and learning. The metaphor of scaffolding commonly viewed as underpinned by socio-cultural theory and the zone of proximal development in particular, has become increasingly popular among educators in Australia (Hammond, 2002). Teachers find the metaphor appealing as it "offers what is lacking in much literature on education - an effective conceptual metaphor for the quality of teacher intervention in learning" (Hammond, 2002, p.2). However, there …
Socio-Emotional Connections: Identity, Belonging And Learning In Online Interactions. A Literature Review, Janine Delahunty, Irina Verenikina, Pauline Jones
Socio-Emotional Connections: Identity, Belonging And Learning In Online Interactions. A Literature Review, Janine Delahunty, Irina Verenikina, Pauline Jones
I. Verenikina
This review focuses on three interconnected socio-emotional aspects of online learning: interaction, sense of community and identity formation. In the intangible social space of the virtual classroom, students come together to learn through dialogic, often asynchronous, exchanges. This creates distinctive learning environments where learning goals, interpersonal relationships and emotions are no less important because of their 'virtualness', and for which traditional face-to-face pedagogies are not neatly transferrable. The literature reveals consistent connections between interaction and sense of community. Yet identity, which plausibly and naturally emerges from any social interaction, is much less explored in online learning. While it is widely …