The Potential of the Media and New Technologies in Pedagogical-Educational Work in the Opinion of Croatian and Polish students

This article presents the results of research which should diagnose opinions and compare the assessments regarding the importance of selected media and technologies in pedagogical and educational work done by students of pedagogical and teaching majors in Poland and in Croatia. The research was conducted with the use of a diagnostic survey on 519 respondents from the University of Silesia in Katowice and the University of Split. The explorations demonstrated the fact that the respondents highly assess the usefulness of new technologies and media in future professional work on a 5-grade scale. The computer with access to the Internet and the mobile phone are particularly appreciated. Such Internet resources as Khan Academy, MOOC, OER are perceived in negative terms. The respondents believe that the media and new technologies can contribute to the development of knowledge to the highest degree, to a slightly lower degree – to the development of skills, and to the lowest degree – to the development of competences. They will be most effective in work with young people and adults. The nationality and the country of origin are factors diversifying the opinion in certain scopes in the presented explorations

How do first year university students use ICT in their leisure time and for learning purposes?

This study advances our understanding of the current use of social media and mobile devices by first year university students. This research sought to explore the influence of the use of social networks and new mobile devices by students for learning purposes. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire at four universities in three countries in Central Europe. The research was completed by a sample of 961 full-time first year undergraduate students. The data were analysed using descriptive statistic and confirmatory factor analysis. The findings show that students who intensively use ICT for leisure-related tasks are also experienced in ICT for learning purposes. Furthermore, the results showed differences in the use of ICTs according to four selected areas: ICT for leisure-time activities, social networking, ICT on mobile phones, and ICT for study purposes by students. Five well-differentiated clusters were identified by through cluster analysis, which we term the ‘mobile subgroup’, ‘educational subgroup’, ‘social subgroup’, ‘network subgroup’, and ‘entertaining subgroup’. Educators can benefit from the results of the study through a more complete understanding of how first year university students use social networks and mobile devices and how intensity in these areas influences ICT use for learning purposes

Ecuadorian and Uruguayan Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences of Teaching Online during COVID

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique event that forced K-12 schools to rethink the delivery of instruction to protect the well-being of school system stakeholders. Teachers, school administrators, and parents had to adapt to and embrace new ways of teaching and learning by utilizing available technology. The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges encountered by in-service teachers when moving from face-to-face to online teaching. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological research methodology to examine Ecuadorian and Uruguayan teachers’ perceptions and experiences transitioning from face-to-face to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comparative study used convenience sampling to include 12 K-12 teachers from Ecuador and Uruguay. Findings: The results of this study produced two themes that evidenced the demands placed on educators. The first theme was job demands, relating to teachers’ perceptions about workload, preparation time, and curriculum issues. The second theme related to available support provided by the school administrators and technology issues faced by teachers and students. Even though the teachers demonstrated adaptability for educating students during the pandemic, the experiences from both countries should be considered by teacher training programs and in postgraduate professional development. Originality: This article examined how COVID-19 affected teachers in Uruguay and Ecuador. Data analysis documented the challenges encountered by teachers transitioning to online learning during the pandemic. Findings inform a larger audience about the needs of teachers working online

Assessing teachers' digital competence: content analysis of scientific publications

RESUMEN: La introducción de las TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación) en nuestra sociedad ha generado grandes cambios en todos los contextos de ésta. En el ámbito educativo, se han convertido en un recurso muy importante para todos los usuarios y, en especial, para los docentes quiénes deben poseer los conocimientos y habilidades propios de ellas, es decir, tener una buena competencia digital (CD). Es por ello, que la presente investigación tiene la finalidad de conocer que instrumentos existen para evaluar la CDD (Competencia Digital Docente), qué dimensiones se están evaluando y qué nivel de CDD tienen los mismos. Para ello, se ha realizado un análisis de contenido de 80 artículos extraídos de las bases de datos de WOS y Scopus, de los cuales, 29 finalmente tenían relación con la evaluación de la CDD. Los resultados nos muestran que el instrumento más utilizado para evaluar la CDD es el cuestionario y el nivel de competencia de los docentes, en la gran mayoría de los casos, es bueno/alto. Respecto a las dimensiones, existe una gran variedad, pero se diseñan tomando como base las propuestas en los modelos o marcos de CDD existentes.ABSTRACT: The introduction of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in our society has generated great changes in all contexts of society. In the field of education, they have become a very important resource for all users and, in particular, for teachers, who must have the knowledge and skills required to use them, that is, to have a good digital competence (DC). For this reason, the purpose of this research is to find out what instruments exist to evaluate the CDD (Digital Teaching Competence), what dimensions are being evaluated and what level of CDD they have. To this end, a content analysis of 80 articles extracted from the WOS and Scopus databases was carried out, of which 29 were finally related to our object of study. The results show that the most commonly used instrument for assessing CDD is the questionnaire, and the level of competence of teachers is good/high in the vast majority of cases. With regard to the dimensions, there is a great variety, but they are designed on the basis of those proposed in existing CDD models or frameworks.Grado en Magisterio en Educación Infanti

New Teacher Induction in the Age of Social Media: A Phenomenological Study of Teachers in Their Second and Third Year in the Classroom

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions and experiences of teachers who have used social media to facilitate their first year of teaching during new teacher induction. Social media is described as blogging, discussion boards, Facebook, Google Hangouts, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, or YouTube videos. The theories guiding this study were Knowles’ adult learning theory and Bandura’s social cognitive learning theory as they relate to how adults learn and are motivated by following the examples of role models. Transcendental phenomenology was selected as the research method to consider the experiences of teachers returning for their second or third year of teaching and attempt to discover what their induction encounter was like. This study considered if social media has become a formal or informal part of induction programs. The central research question that guided the study asked, What role does social media play in the new teacher induction experience? Ten teachers provided input through three data collection methods that included online participant journals, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Five themes were developed during data analysis including social media usage, communication between new teachers and mentors, reasons teacher quit, teacher induction experiences, and what support is needed. These themes confirmed that social media plays an informal yet important role in the new teacher induction experience. All participants connected with social media resources daily for assistance with lesson planning, classroom management, advice for interactive and engaging activities, and for questions and emotional support

Experiences of Secondary Math Teachers Implementing an Adaptive Personalized Learning Tool

The role of the teacher has become increasingly crucial in the effective implementation of personalized learning with technology. Teachers are the program facilitators in the classroom. However, research is limited in regard to understanding teachers’ lived experiences as they relate to technology integration practices and the particular use of personalized learning adaptive programs. This qualitative study was conducted to understand high school teachers’ experiences in implementing adaptive personalized resources by allowing the teachers’ voices to be heard concerning their insights into implementation. Specifically, this phenomenological study was an exploration of three high school teachers’ perceptions of implementing a personalized learning resource to increase academic knowledge. These three teachers were purposefully selected to participate in unstructured interviews and classroom observations. The analytical focus was on finding patterns of similarities and differences to understand their perceptions and experiences of the adaptive personalized learning resource. The findings showed that the three teachers’ lived experiences with the personalized adaptive resource included three main conclusions. These were (a) teachers experienced buy-in to the mathematics adaptive learning tool; (b) teachers experienced realization of student knowledge, and (c) teachers experienced realization that the use of ALEKS in their teaching supported student self-regulation. The changes in teaching and learning included two main conclusions: (a) teachers experienced shifts in instruction, and (b) teachers experienced a change in culture

Identity and Technology Integration: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study of English for Academic Purposes Lecturers at a European University

Teachers across a wide range of educational, geographic and practice contexts are being confronted with technologies that have the potential to both disrupt and transform their classrooms, relationship to students, and their own understandings of themselves as professionals. As educational technologies become more integrated into the teaching and learning of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at universities, developing better understandings of why and in what ways teachers implement and use them can support this integration in constructive ways for both teachers and learners. This thesis explores the idea that interrogating teachers’ ideas about who they are, their identities, may shed light on how they perceive, engage with, and choose whether and to what extent to adopt technologies in the context of their educational practice. This approach may also be useful in supporting EAP teachers’ learning and integration of technology in ways that enhance their practice and relationships to students. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study explores the experiences of university EAP teachers using Moodle in their teaching practice. It seeks to develop a clearer understanding of the identities they construct within the context of the language centre of a large European research university. This research also explores the construct of identity as a means of understanding educational technology adoption and use, an approach that has not been widely explored to date, as well as the usefulness of IPA as a methodology suitable for interrogating such experiences within the field of Education. Over the course of a single semester, six EAP teachers took part in focus groups and individual interviews and provided written narratives through which they shared their experiences and individual journeys, their aspirations, frustrations, and changes in their teaching practices. Using IPA data analysis, these narratives together were used to create idiographic sketches of each participant and to develop a detailed analysis of both convergence and divergence of themes across the participants. The study found that participants’ experience of educational technology is always viewed in light of their teaching practices and their relationships to students. It also suggests that professional precarity and beliefs in unsubstantiated myths such as the “digital native” may constitute barriers to teachers’ educational technology integration. These findings support a useful role for identity, conceived as a holistic model incorporating various aspects of a teacher’s being and doing, in not only understanding but also supporting these technology-related practices. The results generate recommendations for practice, including first and foremost that professional learning and support for technology integration begin with teachers, their ideas about themselves, and their concrete practices rather than the technologies themselves