Towards A Comprehensive Framework for ICT for Education Evaluation

Evaluating information and communication technology (ICT) projects for education (ICT4E) in development context is essential to understand if ICT implementation has been effective in improving educational performance in the developing world and ensuring the sustainability of the efforts. Detecting the current lack of an internationally agreed evaluation criteria for ICT4E in development context, this study formulated the ―ICT4E Evaluation Framework‖ by conducting structured literature review and category analysis of twenty journal articles that had ICT4E evaluation as the primary subject matter and were mostly published in one of the top ranked journals in ―ICT4D Journal Impact Ranking Table‖ between 2000 and 2013. The Framework consolidates what have been argued by the research community as the key factors to be included under ICT4E evaluation. The study further seeks to answer the research question if the current lack of the evaluation criteria has generated a discrepancy between how the research community view ICT4E evaluation and how the government practitioners conduct the evaluation. By comparing the contents of Korea International Cooperation Agency(KOICA)‘s evaluation report with the elements of the proposed Framework as a case study, this work argues that there is a noticeable gap between the two parties‘ considerations. This study suggests that the gap possibly originated from differences in perspectives—the researchers more emphasizing on assessing how ICT was utilized to meet educational objectives, whereas KOICA more focusing on analyzing ICT4E projects as a development practice. This study evokes the necessity of understanding the differences in considerations towards in ICT4E evaluation and suggests that future attempts to build a set of internationally agreed criteria should begin with the efforts to reconcile such discrepancies in viewpoints

A Review of Virtualisation and Cloud Computing in Higher Education

Virtualisation in the classroom provides students with the impression that they are interacting with applications, services, and files which are stored locally, when in fact the applications, services, and files may be stored on a server off site, or at an alternative location on site. “Virtualization is a technology that permits the abstraction of the software from one computer and its easy deployment in another one, which may house additional virtualized machines” (Martín, Marrero, Urbano, Barra, & Moreiro, 2011, p. 349). Server virtualisation is when an Information Technology manager or computer administrator partitions a server to create several instances of virtual servers, thereby multiplying the working capacity of the physical server

The use of serious gaming for Open Learning environments

The extensive growth of Open Learning has been facilitated through technological innovation and continuous examination of the global Open Education development. With the introduction of compulsory computing subjects being incorporated into the UK school system in September 2014, the challenge of harnessing and integrating technological advances to aid children's learning is becoming increasingly important, referring to £1.1 million being invested to offer training programs for teachers to become knowledgeable and experienced in computing. From the age of 5, children will be taught detailed computing knowledge and skills such as; algorithms, how to store digital content, to write and test simple programs. Simultaneously, as the Internet and technology are improving, parents and teachers are looking at the incorporation of game based learning to aid children’s learning processes in more exciting and engaging ways. The purpose of game-based learning is to provide a better engagement, and in turn, an anticipated improvement in learning ability. This paper presents a research based on the investigation of properly combining the advantages of serious games and Open Learning to enhance the learning abilities of primary school children. The case study and the adequate evaluation address a learning environment in support of a history subject matter

El efecto de One Laptop per Child en las prácticas de enseñanza y en la distribución del tiempo en el hogar.

El objetivo del documento es identificar dos posibles canales que expliquen por qué el programa OLPC en el Perú no generó efectos significativos en el rendimiento de los niños. Para ello se estimará el efecto de la introducción de tecnología (en este caso, laptops) sobre dos potenciales canales: el método de enseñanza del profesor y el tiempo destinado a actividades dentro del hogar. En primer lugar se espera que la entrega de laptops haya reducido la probabilidad que el alumno reciba un método centrado en el alumno donde se promueven las actividades cooperativas. A pesar de que este tipo de método genera un impacto positivo en el rendimiento del alumno. En segundo lugar, se espera que la entrega de laptops haya reducido el tiempo destinado a quehaceres domésticos, cuando estos inciden negativamente el rendimiento de los alumnos. A través de una estimación de mínimos cuadrados ordinarios en dos etapas y bajo una regresión simple se encuentra que la entrega exógena de laptops reduce la probabilidad del profesor de implementar un método centrado en el alumno con actividades cooperativas entre 10 y 8 puntos porcentuales para los cursos de lenguaje y matemáticas respectivamente. Para lenguaje; ello incide en el rendimiento, ya que este método genera un efecto positivo y significativo en el rendimiento de 0.025 desviaciones estándar. Mientras que, para matemáticas, el método no tiene efecto alguno en el rendimiento académico

The effects of integrating mobile devices with teaching and learning on students' learning performance: A meta-analysis and research synthesis

AbstractMobile devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones have become a learning tool with great potential in both classrooms and outdoor learning. Although there have been qualitative analyses of the use of mobile devices in education, systematic quantitative analyses of the effects of mobile-integrated education are lacking. This study performed a meta-analysis and research synthesis of the effects of integrated mobile devices in teaching and learning, in which 110 experimental and quasiexperimental journal articles published during the period 1993–2013 were coded and analyzed. Overall, there was a moderate mean effect size of 0.523 for the application of mobile devices to education. The effect sizes of moderator variables were analyzed and the advantages and disadvantages of mobile learning in different levels of moderator variables were synthesized based on content analyses of individual studies. The results of this study and their implications for both research and practice are discussed

TIC y educación en Chile : una revisión sistemática de la literatura

Ponencia presentada en XX Congreso Internacional de Informática Educativa, Santiago de Chile, 1-3 diciembre 2015En los últimos años Chile ha incrementado considerablemente el uso de la TIC en contextos educativos, no obstante este avance existe poca información que reporte la investigación que se ha desarrollado en esta materia. Con el propósito de conocer el estado de las artes en educación que utiliza tecnologías de la información, se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de la literatura que dio como resultado 90 trabajos, de los cuales se seleccionaron 45 que corresponden a estudios publicados desde el año 2005 en adelante y obedecen a criterios definidos con anterioridad para asegurar la rigurosidad y calidad de la revisión. Los hallazgos refieren a tres grandes áreas: investigación relacionada al desarrollo de habilidades y uso de TIC, desarrollo de competencias en TIC en formación docente y uso de soportes tecnológicos en contextos educativos. Los hallazgos de esta revisión permiten tener un panorama más claro respecto al quehacer de la educación y las TIC en Chile, poniendo de manifiesto que la mayoría de la investigación desarrollada en el área refiere a la medición del uso o habilidades en TIC en docentes y estudiantes o al uso de dispositivos tecnológicos y muy poco al impacto que reporta la tecnología en el aprendizaje

Classroom technology integration : a comparative study of participants and non-participants in the 21st century model classroom program

This study provided a unique opportunity to examine how two groups of teachers experienced the integration of technology in a K-12 school system in the southeastern United States. The total number of respondents (n=338) included 21st Century Model Classroom (CMC) program teachers (n=27) and non-participants (n=311). Teachers in the 21st CMC program were given advanced technology equipment and relevant professional development. The non-participants received less training and had limited access to advanced technology equipment. Guskey’s (2000) “Five Levels of Professional Development Evaluation” was combined with technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) (Harris, Mishra, & Koehler, 2009) to create a survey for comparing the two groups. Cronbach’s (1984) “alpha measurement” of internal consistency revealed a score of a=.911 for the questionnaire; hence, the quantitative survey was found to be highly reliable. Many similarities were found among the respondents. However, significant differences were found on nine of the forty-four quantitative survey items. Effect size measurements were also calculated for those nine items. Open-ended survey items yielded rich qualitative data. More than two-thirds of all respondents surveyed were positive about their access to professional development and technology equipment. They were equally optimistic in their overall beliefs about integrating technology in the classroom. The data and the views of the teachers provided exclusive information for improving instruction through technology integration

Uso de uma ferramenta para avaliar a utilização das tecnologias digitais em um agrupamento em Portugal : Um estudo de caso

Repensar os caminhos percorridos na utilização das TIC pelas escolas tem sido objeto de muitos estudos. Os objetivos de acompanhar e avaliar o uso das tecnologias digitais nas escolas são: rever ou prever investimentos nesta área, compreender o uso pedagógico dado às tecnologias na escola, perceber barreiras e falhas para a sua real integração no complexo ambiente escolar, compreender quais as melhores tecnologias digitais utilizadas em determinada realidade escolar, compreender as competências digitais dos professores e de que formações necessitam, entre outros. Este trabalho utilizou os resultados obtidos num grupo de escolas, de um Agrupamento, em Portugal, utilizando SELFIE (Auto-Reflexão sobre Aprendizagem Eficaz pela Promoção do Uso de Tecnologias Educacionais Inovadoras) e CHECK-IN (ferramenta de autoavaliação baseada em o Quadro Europeu de Competência Digital para Educadores - DigCompEdu) para melhor compreender como as tecnologias digitais estão sendo utilizadas nestas escolas. Os dados do SELFIE indicaram uma elevada participação dos respondentes escolares, atingindo a taxa de participação mínima indicada pela ferramenta. Após a análise de todos esses dados, conclui-se que algumas contradições nas respostas, alguma má percepção da realidade das escolas, às vezes não apresentando autocrítica indicam que seria melhor ter uma discussão prévia com a comunidade escolar (dirigentes, professores, alunos) sobre a situação real de uso da tecnologia e, em seguida, usar as ferramentas para analisar mais profundamente o uso das tecnologias digitais nas escolas. Utilizar esta ferramenta para analisar o processo de desenvolvimento de estratégias para melhor integrar a tecnologia é altamente recomendável, mas sempre tendo tempo para discutir todo o processo.Rethinking the paths followed in the use of ICT by schools has been the subject of many studies. The objectives of monitoring and evaluating the use of digital technologies in schools are: review or predict investments in this area, understand the pedagogical use given to technologies in the school, perceive barriers and flaws for their real integration in the complex school environment, understand which are the best digital technologies used in a given school reality, understand the digital skills of teachers and what training courses they need, among others. This work used the results obtained in a group of schools, close to the city of Lisbon, Portugal, using SELFIE (Self-Reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering the Use of Innovative Educational Technologies) and CHECK-IN (self-assessment tool based on the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators - DigCompEdu) to better understand how digital technologies are being used in these schools. In Portugal, some schools are grouped forming what is called “Agrupamento” (group of schools). SELFIE data indicated a high participation of school respondents, reaching the minimum participation rate indicated by the tool. After analysing all these data, the conclusion is that some contradictions on the answers, some bad perception of schools reality, showing sometimes no self-criticism indicate that it would be better having a previous discussion with the schools community (school leaders, teachers, students) about the real situation of using the technology and then use the tools to analyse deeper the use of digital technologies in the schools. Using this tool to analyse the process of developing strategies to better integrate the technology is highly recommended but always having time to discuss all the process

An Evaluation of Math Assessment Policy Process in a Southwestern School District

An Evaluation of Math Assessment Policy Process in a Southwestern School District by Alicia Taber O\u27Brien EdS, Walden University, 2011 MA, Western Governors University, 2004 BS, New Mexico State University, 1994 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Teacher Leadership Walden University September 2015 This project study addressed the lack of evaluation of a math assessment policy in a rural elementary school district in the southwestern United States. This district implemented a math assessment policy in the spring of 2005, yet no evaluation had been conducted to determine whether the policy and its continued implementation were meeting the intended outcomes. Two conceptual frameworks that drove the study were Sabatier\u27s theories of policy process and Bardach\u27s eightfold path to policy analysis. Using interviews of the district\u27s 3 K-12 math teachers and 5 administrators who had proximity to the math assessment policy, this case study explored how the math assessment policy was implemented, as well as whether the policy had met the goals it was originally created to address. Data were deconstructed by coding and then reconstructed in order to create a thick description of the findings. A review of local media documents was also used to illustrate the community\u27s response and reaction to the local district\u27s assessment policies. The 5 themes that developed from analysis of the interview data focused on uncertainty in the ranks, sharing power, collaborating among the mathematics disciplines, policy evolution, and policy outcomes. The results presented in the evaluation report showed that administrators believed the policy was achieving its goals but teachers did not. The evaluation included an executive summary with recommendations to facilitate better communication about the policy throughout the district. Positive social change implications resulting from the evaluation of the math assessment policy include changing the decision-making process at the local district from a top-down model to include more input from practitioners in order to create policies that maximize student success and teacher support

Towards a Model of ICT Reflexive Practice: Investigating Teachers’ User-Generated Contexts and Agency in a K-12 Chilean School

In this study, I investigate six teacher participants’ engagement in a reflexive practice programme as part of their continuous professional development (CPD) in a K-12 institution. I specifically focus my study of Reflexive Practice (Dewey, 1910; Dewey, 1922; Freire, 2005; Freire, 2011; Freire, 2014) on the participants’ Information Communication Technology (ICT) practices within their subject domain. Exploration of ICT reflexive practices within a CPD programme is an underdeveloped area of research. Data include observations and interviews gathered from teacher participants and their respective Heads of Department. Data demonstrates the significance of teachers’ agency and dialogue to enhance ICT practices and collaborations in three dimensions: professional, departmental and institutional. Key findings inform the development of an ICT Reflexive Practice (IRP) Framework that I outline as part of my research contribution. Drawing from the notion of User-Generated Contexts (UGCs; Dourish, 2004, Dourish, 2017; Luckin, 2010; Luckin et al., 2011, Luckin, 2018), the IRP Framework adds ‘reflexion about ICT’ to the schools’ existing RPM. It assesses the underpinnings supporting teachers’ ICT practices (e.g., pedagogical theories, curricular basis, policies, among others). This issue has arguably become a recurrent concern for different traditions involved in educational technology under the argument that teachers’ real innovative and transformational ICT uses in teaching remain underdeveloped (Albion & Tondeur, 2018; Crook et al., 2010; Hinostroza et al., 2016). The IRP Framework combines RP and ICT holistically by moving beyond a single classroom experience to consider the entire school ecosystem. Especially in the COVID-19 pandemic context, where ICT has increased its role in education, policymakers must provide teachers with adequate CPD reflexive opportunities suitable to their specific needs. The IRP Framework, which emerged from a systematic comparison of the data against the theory of RP and the concept of UGCs, offers the CPD model teachers need to assess their ICT practices and keep refining them over time