Education Commons^™

Development Of A Mobile-Optimised Website To Support Students With Special Needs Transitioning From Primary To Secondary Settings, Dianne Chambers, Anne Coffey

Anne Coffey

With an increasing number of students with special needs being included in regular classroom environments, consideration of, and planning for, a smooth transition between different school settings is important for parents, classroom teachers and school administrators. The transition between primary and secondary school can be difficult for students with special needs, particularly in the areas of organisation and social interaction. Technology can be used to assist students to make this transition more effectively and may work to minimise any difficulties involved in the transition. In this article the authors describe transition considerations, and technology use for students with special needs …

Advocating For Mother Earth In The Undergraduate Classroom: Uniting Twenty-First Century Technologies, Local Resources, Art, And Activism To Explore Our Place In Nature, Christina Triezenberg, Ilse Schweitzer Vandonkelaar

Christina Triezenberg

Despite the growing evidence of humanity’s impact on the natural world and the urgent need to shape citizens who understand the impact that their choices and actions have on their local and global environments, colleges and universities throughout the United States have been slow to add environmental education as a core component of their undergraduate curricula. Harnessing our shared interest in environment issues and the humanities, we designed and taught an experimental course in environmental literature for the honors program at Western Michigan University that we hope will become a template of what is possible in postsecondary environmental education. Using …

Information And Communication Technology Presentation: Ict Education And Girls, Jenny Wilkinson

Jenny Wilkinson

No abstract provided.

Advocating For Mother Earth In The Undergraduate Classroom: Uniting Twenty-First Century Technologies, Local Resources, Art, And Activism To Explore Our Place In Nature, Christina Triezenberg, Ilse Schweitzer Vandonkelaar

Ilse A Schweitzer VanDonkelaar

Despite the growing evidence of humanity’s impact on the natural world and the urgent need to shape citizens who understand the impact that their choices and actions have on their local and global environments, colleges and universities throughout the United States have been slow to add environmental education as a core component of their undergraduate curricula. Harnessing our shared interest in environment issues and the humanities, we designed and taught an experimental course in environmental literature for the honors program at Western Michigan University that we hope will become a template of what is possible in postsecondary environmental education. Using …

Understanding Roles Within Technology Supported Teaching And Learning: Implications For Students, Staff And Institutions, Susan Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Professor Lori Lockyer

No abstract provided.

Media Analysis And Production: Developing Multiliteracies In Technology-Enhanced Environments, Ian Brown, Lori Lockyer, Natalie Cooper

Professor Lori Lockyer

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Technology On The Community Of Inquiry And Satisfaction With Online Courses, Beth Rubin, Ron Fernandes, Maria Avgerinou

Beth Rubin

This paper extends the research on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework of understanding features of successful online learning to include the effects of the software used to support and facilitate it. This study examines how the Learning Management System (LMS) affords people the ability to take actions in an online course. A model is proposed to explain the effect of LMS affordances on the Community of Inquiry and on course satisfaction, and propose and test several hypotheses about their relationships. A pilot study found that while two common Learning Management Systems had different tools, faculty varied widely in their …

Crocodiles And Polar Bears: Technology And Learning In Indigenous Australian And Canadian Communities, Michelle Eady, Alison Reedy

Michelle Eady

Crocodile infisted, swollen rivers, Troop Carriers, light planes and red dirt typifY the landscape of remote tropical Northern Territory in Australia. In contrast, the remote landscape in for northwestern Ontario in Canada is characterised by rough terrain, snow and ice, sea planes and sometimes even polar bears. 1he traditional owners of the land in these two very dijferent locations foce similar issues in accessing adult learning and ongoing educational opportunities. 1his paper compares and contrasts the experiences of two groups of adult Indigenous students, one from the northern Australian tropics and one from for Northwestern Ontario, and examines the ways …

Experienced Academics In Unknown Territory: Exploring The Use Of Online Synchronous Technology In A Teacher Education Program, Michelle Eady, Stuart Woodcock

Michelle Eady

As the number of online courses available from tertiary institutions increases, so does the demand for academics to utilize flexible approaches to learning opportunities. Many tertiary institutions in Australia cater to multi-location learners in various ways and commonly, experts in the field of distance learning and trained technological teams work together to service these learners. There are a growing number of distance learners and a constant increase in the variety of educational software employed by institutions. In this study academics become participants and engage in a focus group to discuss their experiences and thoughts of online learning. The participants then …

Perspectives On Literacy Needs And Technology Approaches In Indigenous Communities, Michelle Eady

Michelle Eady

Michelle Eady presented at last year's ACAL conference in Gold Coast and although she didn't "catch" any waves, she definitely made some. Her current research reflects a successful online literacy program in Canada that reaches remote adult Indigenous literacy learners. This presentation will discuss the findings of the first phase of her design-based research approach and share the findings of how practitioners (many of them ACAL members) and community members feel about literacy needs and technology in their respective positions and Indigenous communities.

Techno-Stress In The Higher Education Environment, Sonya Shepherd

Sonya S. Gaither

Publication is accepted and in press.

The Increasing Momentum Of Technological Change In Higher Education, Sonya Shepherd, Michael Richardson

Sonya S. Gaither

Publication is accepted and in press.

New And Emerging Technology In Education, Sonya Shepherd, M. Richardson

Sonya S. Gaither

Publication is accepted and in press.

Stem Talent: Moving Beyond Traditional Boundaries, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Stephanie Pace Marshall, Ph.D.

The future well-being, prosperity and sustainability of our nation, the global community and our planet resides in igniting and nurturing decidedly different STEM minds that can advance both the new STEM frontier and the human future.

Igniting And Nurturing The Next Generation Of Stem Talent, Innovation And Leadership, By Design, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Stephanie Pace Marshall, Ph.D.

Regrettably, most American students experience STEM learning as an exclusive, individual, theoretical and “formulaic” enterprise. By decoupling STEM education from the human experience, we have distorted the essential nature of the scientific enterprise and advanced instrumentalist and utilitarian rationales for pursuing STEM careers—global economic superiority and technological competition.

Using Technology In Pedagogically Responsive Ways To Support Literacy Learners, Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei, Jan Herrington

Jessica Mantei

No abstract provided.

Visions For Literacy Learning: The Quest For Meaningful Use Of Computer-Based Technology In Reading And Writing Experiences, Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Jessica Mantei

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Literacy Practices Of Early Learners (Preps), D Cohen, Anne-Marie Chase

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

Research And Development To Support The Next Stage Of The Harnessing Technology Strategy: The Learner And Their Context, Chris Davies, Anne-Marie Chase, Jenny Good, Dimitrina Spencer

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

Skills For The Knowledge Economy: The Trajectories Of Technology-Based Skills Development Within Young People’S Own Contexts, Anne-Marie Chase

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

Eportfolio Australia: Imagining New Literacies, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

The second ePortfolio Australia conference is part of a Trilogy of conferences (the others are in Hong Kong and New Zealand), reflecting the growing interest around the world in recording digital evidence of achievement and stories to create and present personal and collective identities. This conference emphasises ePortfolio activity as communication, involving students, teachers, parents, employers, and reaching out into the whole community. In the 21st century there is the opportunity to use a range of literacies supported by technology, and the papers included here demonstrate how educators are taking up these opportunities. The range of presentations reflects the diversity …

Student Use Of Digital Technologies In And Out Of School, Anne-Marie Chase

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

When The Whole Is Less Than The Sum Of The Parts: Humanising Convergence In Iinteractive Systems Design, Steve Howard, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Graeme Shanks, John Murphy, Jennie Carroll

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Convergence, viewed as the union of disparate technical solutions, is frequently proposed as a way of maximising value for end users: reducing the number of distinct technologies users have to purchase, learn and use. Yet few empirical studies of use and convergent technology have been reported. Though convergence as a catchphrase has had currency for over a decade now, a tension remains between those who argue for strong-specific solutions, i.e. carefully targeted ‘information appliances’, and those who prefer weak-general approaches, the ICT equivalent of the Swiss army knife. We describe the dynamic nature of the trade-off between usability and functional …

Understanding Nuclear Science And Technology, Gayl O'Connor

Gayl O'Connor

No abstract provided.

Ict Acheivers Program, Anne-Marie Chase, Greg Powell

Dr Anne-Marie Chase