Education Commons^™

Assessing Nets-T Performance In Teacher Candidates: Exploring The Wayfind Teacher Assessment, Savilla I. Banister

Savilla I Banister

To effectively integrate digital technologies in K–12 schools, teachers must be provided with undergraduate experiences that strongly support these integration resources and strategies. The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T) provide a framework for teacher candidates and inservice teachers to identify their accomplishments in this realm. Using the NETS•T to deliver undergraduate teacher education curriculum, and requiring teacher candidates to document their abilities related to the NETS•T can support meaningful development for the candidates. This study examines the use of the Wayfind Teacher Assessment as a tool for determining the proficiencies of teacher candidates in their final year of …

Integrating Mathematical Modeling For Undergraduate Pre-Service Science Education Learning And Instruction In The Middle School Classroom, William H. Robertson, David Carrejo

William H. Robertson

El Paso is a bicultural, bilingual community with a 76.6% Hispanic population. Combining El Paso’s population with that of its sister city, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, our community is the largest metropolitan area on any international border in the world. Students at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) are mostly female, and 50% of the total student population is made up of first-generation college students. These demographics are accompanied by low socioeconomic and educational factors: 23.6% of local families live below the poverty level, compared to 12.5% nationally; 32.9% of 25-year-olds have not graduated from high school; 19% of …

Are We Doing Enough? Assessing The Needs Of Teachers In Isolated Schools With Students With Oppositional Defiant Disorder In Mainstream Classes, Fiona Mclean, Roselyn Dixon

Rose Dixon

The Vinson report (2001) into public education highlighted the growing incidence of behavioural problems within the NSW public school system.

Looking For Clarity Amongst The Challenges Faced By Teachers As They Consider The Role Of Ict In Classroom Literacy Learning Experiences, Jessica Mantei, Lisa K. Kervin

Jessica Mantei

Primary school teachers today operate within a climate of great change with the rapid infusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into schools with the expectation that these be included within classroom experiences. Many schools purchased computer hardware and software and have provided professional development for teachers with the expectation that the technology will be put to use. Studies show, however, that many teachers continue to feel ill-equipped to use technology to support learning in spite of these in-service opportunities. Further studies identify the classroom teacher as the major factor in determining whether ICT are an important component of daily …

Engaging Early Career Teachers In 'Virtual Writing Conferences' With Grade Five Students, Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Jessica Mantei

The changing definition of what it means to be literate is well documented within the literature. The familiarity of many students with screen-based texts and their ability to manipulate computer-based technologies, in particular Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), is well understood. There are examples within the literature of how technology can be used to support the writing process (Turbill & Murray, 2006), provide students with control over the phases of text production (Novinger & Smith, 2003) and the need for teachers to create authentic and engaging experiences (Kervin & Mantei, 2006; Peterson, 2005). Taking such perspectives into consideration, we worked …

Reuse Of A Role Play For New University Teachers, Sarah Lambert, David Macdonald

Sarah Lambert

In a paper presented at the 2006 ascilite conference it was stated that thirty six online roleplays were identified in Australian universities, of which 80% were reuse of a Learning Design (Wills & McDougall, 2006). Migrating a proven learning design is not always a simple process (Devonshire, 2006) but as this paper, addressing the conference theme of on-line role play, demonstrates it can be achieved effectively. From a pedagogical perspective, one of the main challenges is associated with the task of realigning the activity to adequately reflect the new context, delivery mode, target audience, learning process and anticipated outcomes (Devonshire, …

The Metacognitive Approach To Computer Education: Making Explicit The Learning Journey, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

This paper presents a theoretical and practical exploration of a metacognitive approach to computer education, developed through a three-year action research project. It is argued that the approach contrasts significantly with often-employed directive and competency-based approaches to computer education and is more appropriate in addressing the longer-term learning needs of professionals such as teachers. The metacognitive approach focuses on beliefs, attitudes and learning strategies and assists learners to come to terms with the nature of technological change and their own ability to confront this change by embracing life-long computer learning. In this paper, the metacognitive approach is presented through a …

Causal Effects Of Single-Sex Schools On College Entrance Exams And College Attendance: Random Assignment In Seoul High Schools, Hyunjoon Park, Jere R. Behrman, Jaesung Choi

Hyunjoon Park

Despite the voluminous literature on the potentials of single-sex schools, there is no consensus on the effects of single-sex schools because of student selection of school types. We exploit a unique feature of schooling in Seoul, the random assignment of students into single-sex versus coeducational high schools, to assess causal effects of single-sex schools on college entrance exam scores and college attendance. Our validation of the random assignment shows comparable socioeconomic backgrounds and prior academic achievement of students attending single-sex schools and coeducational schools, which increases the credibility of our causal estimates of single-sex school effects. Attending all-boys schools or …

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 …

National Conversations: Listening To Students’ Views Of Learning With Technologies, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The Digital Education Revolution is a key policy plank of the Rudd government. It is intended to develop students’ capabilities to learn with technologies. Little Australian research though, has focused upon the views and expectations of students about their learning that includes technologies. This paper draws on the findings from the 2008 research project, Listening to students and educators views of learning with technologies. This Australian national research project, funded by the Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) set out to listen to and analyse what Australian students in primary and secondary schools, in vocational education and training …

Validating A Measure Of Teacher Technology Integration., Rachel A. Reinhart, Savilla I. Banister

Savilla I Banister

This study sought to examine the validity and reliability of the Teacher Technology Integration Survey (TTIS). Previous instruments have sought to separately measure teacher technology use, self-efficacy, attitudes, or beliefs. In contrast, the TTIS attempts to measure teacher technology integration, which encompasses risk-taking behaviors and comfort with technology; perceived benefits of using classroom technology; beliefs and behaviors about classroom technology use; technology support and access; teacher technology use for communication, instruction and instructional support purposes; and facilitation of student technology use. Factor analysis supported the original subscales. Results indicate that the TTIS provides a reliable and multi-dimensional measure of teacher …

Bridging The Gap Between Real World Polar Science And The Classroom, William H. Robertson, Vanessa Lougheed, Craig Tweedie, Aaron Velasco, Claudia V. Garcia

William H. Robertson

The International Polar Year - Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities (IPY-ROAM) program was designed to increase minority participation in polar science by immersing participants in an academic program that included a trip to Antarctica. The IPY-ROAM program was focused on increasing the public understanding of the Polar Regions and stimulating a new interest in polar science. This effort was coordinated by faculty from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and was implemented to positively contribute to the intense, internationally coordinated IPY scientific campaign. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a team of …

From Literacy Methods Classes To The Real World: Experiences Of Pre-Service Teachers, Francesca Pomerantz, Michelle Pierce

Francesca Pomerantz

How Teachers Change: A Study Of Professional Development In Adult Basic Education, Cristine A. Smith, Judy Hofer, Marilyn Gillespie, Marla Solomon, Karen Rowe

Cristine Smith

No abstract provided.

Creating A Web Research Guide: Collaboration Between Liaisons, Faculty And Students, Tammy Sugarman, Constance Demetracopoulos

Tammy Sugarman

This article discusses the efforts of two liaison librarians at William Russell Pullen Library, Georgia State University, to build a long-term, sustainable partnership among teaching faculty, graduate students, and librarians in the development and maintenance of a Web-based research guide for world history. The projects' goals are: to provide access to the resources available at Pullen Library; to serve as a gateway to resources available on the Internet; and to showcase student contributions, including bibliographies and annotations of Web sites. The project is an organic endeavor, with the Web site's organization open to periodic review and modification. Continuous discussions and …

Synthesis And Hope, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

A collection of the author's articles on school teaching and education, previously published in non-academic journals during the 1980s and early 1990s, and mainly drawing on the author's extensive classroom experience.