Educational Technology as Seen Through the Eyes of the Readers

In this paper, I present the evaluation of a novel knowledge domain visualization of educational technology. The interactive visualization is based on readership patterns in the online reference management system Mendeley. It comprises of 13 topic areas, spanning psychological, pedagogical, and methodological foundations, learning methods and technologies, and social and technological developments. The visualization was evaluated with (1) a qualitative comparison to knowledge domain visualizations based on citations, and (2) expert interviews. The results show that the co-readership visualization is a recent representation of pedagogical and psychological research in educational technology. Furthermore, the co-readership analysis covers more areas than comparable visualizations based on co-citation patterns. Areas related to computer science, however, are missing from the co-readership visualization and more research is needed to explore the interpretations of size and placement of research areas on the map.Comment: Forthcoming article in the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learnin

STUDENT-CENTRED LEARNING AND TEACHING: THEORETICAL VERSUS PRACTICAL APPROACH

Student-centred learning and teaching emphasises the way in which learning involves the students creating concepts or constructs to achieve short-term mastery but long-term retention, in-depth understanding of course material, achievement of critical thinking, creative problem-solving skills, development of a positive approach, and a level of confidence in their knowledge and skills. This study investigates both theoretical and practical approaches to student-centred learning and teaching, based on the data from students (N=35) and designed to improve student motivation considering three areas: face-to-face sessions, technology and assessments. Potential practices and theories are proposed based on the results of students’ feedback from staff-student liaison meetings, with undergraduate and postgraduate representatives. Through the qualitative data analysis, practical suggestions and implications for educators to improve student-focused learning and teaching methods arise. In particular, the importance of educational technology and multiple assessment methods provides the pedagogical shift from the tutor’s to the student’s perspective in order to enhance tangible student-centred tactics. Effective pedagogical suggestions from three different angles provide guidance for educators on how to adapt the concepts to real teaching experience.  Article visualizations

Understanding the Diverse Field of “Educational Technology” as Revealed in Twitter Job Postings: Encoding / Decoding Approach

In this study, we attempt to understand discursive interrelationships among five professional job advertisements which are often used interchangeably, including educational technology, educational design, instructional design, learning design, and instructional systems design. The purpose is to better understand the distinctions, interactions, and overlaps of these disciplines using Encoding/Decoding Model over the discourses of the jobs’ announcements. We collected data using a social network analysis tool, NCapture, and imported to qualitative analysis software (i.e., NVivo) to conduct thematic analyses. For this study, 171 job postings in Twitter were captured by using NCapture as a Web-browser extension. Findings indicated that the relations between the targeted disciplines can be explained by Stuart Hall’s Communication Model (1980). Results can serve as a guide for scholars and students studying at the intersection of technology and education fields

YouTube Instruction on Ceramic Techniques In the Middle School Art Classroom

abstract: ABSTRACT Art educators use a variety of teaching and demonstration methods to convey information to students. With the emergence of digital technology, the standard methods of demonstration are changing. Art demonstrations are now being recorded and shared via the internet through video sharing websites such as YouTube. Little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of video demonstration versus the standard teacher-centered demonstration. This study focused on two different demonstration methods for the same clay sculpture project, with two separate groups of students. The control group received regular teacher-centered demonstration for instruction. The experimental group received a series of YouTube videos for demonstration. Quantitative data include scores of clay sculptures using a four-point scale in three separate categories based on construction abilities. Qualitative data include responses to pre and post-questionnaires along with classroom observations. The data is analyzed to look at the difference, if any, between YouTube instruction and regular teacher-centered instruction on middle school students' ceramic construction abilities. Findings suggest that while the YouTube video method of demonstration appeared to have a slightly greater effect on student construction abilities. Although, both instruction methods proved to be beneficial.Dissertation/ThesisM.A. Art 201

Teachers' attitude to using information and communication technologies in the classroom

A research report submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education by combination of coursework and research Johannesburg, 2015The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of teachers in four secondary schools in Pretoria to the use of Information and Communication Technologies in their classrooms. Digital technology has become an integral part of modern society. Participating teachers completed an online questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989) to gauge their attitude towards using technology in the classroom as well as their intentions to use the technology. Variables such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, technical support, attitude towards using technology and intention to use technology were used. Results revealed that teachers had a positive attitude towards the technology being used at school and their behavioural intention to use the technology was high

O que devemos ter em conta para definir corretamente os termos distance learning, e-learning e m-learning?

A investigação agregada ao ensino a distância encontra dificuldades quando se pretende comparar estudos sobre definições, visto que, amplas, estão associadas a diferentes contextos e interesses de alguns autores, muitas vezes incompletas e com falta de rigor. Portanto, essas definições devem ser clarificadas, ordenadas e definidas corretamente. Analisei mais de 60 artigos que envolvem os três conceitos e encontrei uma forma para ter em conta ao construi-los corretamente. Identifiquei um conjunto de características e subcaracterísticas que recomendo a todos os interessados para a construção correta das definições distance learning, e-learning e m-learning