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Valtonen, Teemu; Pontinen, Susanna; Kukkonen, Jari; Dillon, Patrick; Väisänen, Pertti; Hacklin, Stina
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2010.534867pmid: N/A
The research reported here is concerned with a critical examination of some of the assumptions concerning the ‘Net Generation’ capabilities of 74 first‐year student teachers in a Finnish university. There are assumptions that: (i) Net Generation students are adept at learning through discovery and thinking in a hypertext‐like manner (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005; Prensky, 2001); and (ii) when they enter the teaching profession, members of this generation will be able to transfer these characteristics into their teaching practices (Prensky, 2001). The research is formulated around an extended framework for student teachers’ technological pedagogical knowledge. The students designed learning modules incorporating the use of information and communication technology (ICT). The learning modules were subjected to document and artefact analysis incorporating concept‐driven coding. Supplementary data were collected through a questionnaire concerned with the students’ adoption of new technologies. The findings suggest that assumptions about Net Generation student teachers’ abilities to adopt and adapt ICT in their teaching are highly questionable and that greater attention should be given to the development of their technological pedagogical knowledge.
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2011.554021pmid: N/A
If the purpose of secondary schooling is to educate the upcoming generation to become active participants in society, evaluation of teaching and learning in the information‐rich digital age should be underpinned by relevant theories and models. This article describes an evaluation tool developed using emerging ideas about knowledge creation and learning in a connected society. The digital age learning matrix was successfully trialled and applied in a study of six digitally able beginning teachers during their first year of teaching to identify aspects of learning occurring as digital technologies were integrated into their teaching practice. An implication of this study is that teachers, even the digitally able, will be limited in their ability to teach the upcoming generation to be active participants in a digitally enhanced society without understanding how to apply theories of learning that are relevant to a digital age into their practice.
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2011.554014pmid: N/A
This paper describes a study of ICT‐related teacher development in the context of a national reform of College English teaching in China. The reform, in which emphasis was placed on use of information and communications technology (ICT) in classroom teaching and self‐access learning, had challenged teachers of English as a foreign language to adapt to new teaching materials, student‐centred classroom teaching and to guide students in their autonomous learning. The study examined teachers’ attitudes towards ICT use in education and ICT‐related continuing professional development (CPD) policies and practices in a university in southern China. Mixed methods were used: questionnaires to teachers, classroom observation, interviews with teachers, management and administrative staff, and focus groups with both teachers and students. The findings indicated that limited ICT skills and pedagogic expertise were obstacles to the use of ICT in English language teaching. Moreover, although initially the majority of teachers had held positive attitudes towards ICT use in English teaching and the national reform, their enthusiasm was waning in the light of inadequate support and training. Implications for policy and teacher education are discussed and an ICT‐based CPD model for language teachers is proposed.
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2011.554010pmid: N/A
Designing collaborative three‐dimensional learning games for vocational learning may be one way to respond to the needs of working life. The theoretical vantage points of collaborative learning for game development and the ‘design‐based research’ methodology are described; these have been used to support collaborative learning in the vocational context. The aim of the empirical study is to determine, firstly, what kinds of design elements were essential from the point of view of the collaboration, and secondly, what kinds of discussions students engage in during the game. In this study, three essential features of design elements stood out. Firstly, the scripted tasks have to require true collaboration. Secondly, curricular‐specific learning tasks are essential. And, finally, it is beneficial if the game design addresses aspects of vocational work in a manner that would not be possible in traditional classroom settings. Furthermore, this study indicates that groups engaged in shared collaboration in which students actively provided information and asked questions.
Szabo, Zsuzsanna; Schwartz, Jonathan
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2010.534866pmid: N/A
Results from this study show that the use of online discussion forums as an instructional tool in a face‐to‐face course improved undergraduate preservice teachers’ critical thinking skills. Participants in the study were 93 students registered in four sections of an Educational Psychology course at a Midwestern university. To control for learning preferences, all participants in the study took the Canfield Learning Style Inventory as a pre‐test. Students also completed the Ennis‐Weir Test of Critical Thinking as pre‐ and post‐tests. In two of the four sections students used the Blackboard virtual learning environment to complete weekly discussions on course topics as part of their regular coursework. Quantitative analysis results from the critical thinking measure showed an increase in students’ critical thinking skills over the course of the semester. The analysis of online postings demonstrates an increase in higher order thinking skills as measured with a rubric based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are presented along with implications for teaching and learning.
Pierce, Robyn; Stacey, Kaye; Wander, Roger; Ball, Lynda
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2010.534869pmid: N/A
Current technologies incorporating sophisticated mathematical analysis software (calculation, graphing, dynamic geometry, tables, and more) provide easy access to multiple representations of mathematical problems. Realising the affordances of such technology for students’ learning requires carefully designed lessons. This paper reports on design research conducted with nine teachers in nine classes across two schools. The lesson came at the end of their study of quadratic functions (Year 10). Technology offered the ability to link representations and the teaching challenge was to use this ability effectively. Four issues emerged: variable naming; reducing cognitive load; maintaining motivation; and retaining a clear learning focus.
Roehling, Patricia V.; Trent‐Brown, Sonja
doi: 10.1080/1475939X.2011.554018pmid: N/A
The study examines whether college instructors use PowerPoint differently in upper level versus lower level courses and whether PowerPoint differentially affects the learning and behaviours of students in those courses. The authors surveyed 191 students from 14 psychology classes and found that instructors teaching higher level courses use PowerPoint more frequently and are more likely to make the slides available to students than those teaching beginning‐level courses. We also found that students in upper level courses reported greater benefits associated with the use of PowerPoint than those in lower level courses.
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