Teachers learning to use the iPad in Scotland and Wales: a new model of professional development

In learning to use a new technology like the iPad, primary teachers adopt a diverse range of experiential, informal and playful strategies contrasting sharply with traditional models underpinning professional development which emphasise formal courses and events led by ‘experts’ conducted in formal settings such as the school. Since post-PC devices like the iPad have been linked with transformational educational learning, there is an imperative to better understand how teachers can be encouraged to use them more effectively. Despite their growing popularity in schools, there is little research to indicate how and under what circumstances teachers learn to integrate these technologies into their daily practices. This paper uses data collected from two national studies of iPad use in Scotland and Wales to propose a new model of professional development. This model reflects findings that the teachers reject traditional models of sequential, or staged, professional development (often led by external providers or ‘experts’), in favour of a more nuanced and fluid model where they learn at their own pace, in a largely experiential fashion, alongside their pupils in a relationship which reverses the traditional power nexus. The model has the potential to inform professional development for both trainee and serving teachers in learning to use the iPad in the primary classroom

Integration of smart board technology in business studies classrooms in secondary schools in Tshwane West District

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been used widely across the globe for the purpose of improving the quality of both basic and higher education. Lately, different kinds of technologies, such as smart boards, have been incorporated into the teaching and learning process with the aim to contribute to the effectiveness of teaching and learning outcomes. The main aim of this study was to investigate the integration of smart boards by secondary school teachers in the Tshwane West district (Gauteng province) in their business studies teachings. The study focused on the teachers’ perspectives, the challenges they experienced, and the support they required for the integration of smart boards in the classroom. The study used a qualitative research approach to gather and analyse data. Using a multiple case study design, 5 business studies teachers were purposive sampled based on their experience on the use of smart boards. Both semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations were used to collect evidence. Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) was used as a framework by which to understand the study. The four pillars of trustworthiness (credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability) were applied to ensure trustworthiness of the study results. The ethics guidelines (voluntarily participation, anonymity, confidentiality, and informed consent) were also taken into consideration and applied. The main research question for this study was: How do secondary school teachers integrate smart boards in teaching business studies in the Tshwane West district? The findings suggested that business studies teachers have positive perspectives on the integration of smart boards with the belief that smart boards make their teaching easier and allow them to incorporate a variety of audio and visual material into a lesson. The findings also revealed that teachers face various challenges, such as smart board malfunctioning, computer viruses, and limited time given for the integration of smart boards in the classroom. From the findings, it was clear that teachers had received professional development training on smart board integration, but that the training was inadequate. Despite the challenges that business studies teachers face during the integration of smart boards, the findings of this study indicated that teachers still had an interest in and were willing to integrate smart boards into the classroom. The study recommended that teachers should be provided with sufficient professional development on the integration of smart boards in a business studies classroom, which would improve the level of competency of teachers on smart board integration in the teaching and learning process.Curriculum and Instructional StudiesM. Ed. (Curriculum Studies

L’appropriation du tableau numérique interactif et du manuel numérique chez des enseignants du second degré : valeurs ressources et affordances contextuelles

Cette recherche étudie l’appropriation, par les enseignants, du tableau numérique interactif (TNI) et du manuel numérique et leur intégration dans les activités pédagogiques. Elle se situe dans un contexte régional de déploiement d’outils numériques et leur implantation dans des établissements scolaires en France. L’échantillon concerne des enseignants de collèges et lycées français à orientation professionnelle et scientifiques. Les responsables du projet interrogent les facteurs socio-contextuels, pédagogiques et techniques qui contribuent à l’émergence des relations enseignant-TNI, dans l’environnement écologique, la classe. Ils observent dans quelle mesure le contexte et les valeurs ressources des objets numériques, en particulier du tableau numérique interactif, influent sur la perception d’un TNI et sur leur utilisation par des enseignants en collèges et lycées. Le projet de recherche est basé sur des approches quantitative (enquête) et qualitative (entretien et observation). Les données obtenues suite à l’enquête par questionnaire et aux entretiens ont fait objet d’une analyse statistique descriptive et thématique. Les résultats montrent que, majoritairement, les enseignants de notre échantillon sont dans une approche transmissive, impliquant la substitution dans l’usage d’un TNI, malgré l’accès qu’ils ont aux divers outils numériques tels que le TNI et même selon la politique de l’établissement, le manuel numérique. Ces résultats montrant la persistance d’une approche « frontale » en classe corroborent les recherches antérieures. Il est cependant intéressant de souligner que les enseignants interrogés lors de nos entretiens ainsi que ceux participant à d’autres recherches affirment leurs convictions quant aux avantages de l’usage d’un TNI dans la gestion de la classe. En effet, cet outil contribue à l’augmentation de l’attention, de la motivation et de la participation des élèves aux activités d’apprentissage en classe

Digital Education Policies in Europe and Beyond: Key Design Principles for More Effective Policies

This report offers policy-makers in digital education evidence on how, at the national or regional level, policies can be designed and implemented to foster digital-age learning. The presented findings are the result of a mixed methodological design comprising four parts: desk-research on digital education policy, the identification of national and regional policies worldwide, six in-depth case studies, and an expert workshop. The discussion of the cases identified and studied in depth leads to the formulation of eight core-guiding principles, which can serve as a reference point for policy-makers for the design and implementation of digital education policies: 1. Follow a holistic approach targeting systemic change; 2. Establish both a long-term vision and short-term achievable goals; 3. Deploy technology as a means not an end; 4. Embrace experimentation, risk-taking and failure; 5. Consider the importance and the limits of impact assessment; 6. Involve all stakeholders in a structured dialogue; 7. Let schools and teachers have a say; 8. Build up teaching competence.JRC.B.4-Human Capital and Employmen

Bringing Nordic mathematics education into the future : Preceedings of Norma 20 : The ninth Nordic conference on mathematics education Oslo, 2021

publishedVersio

Bringing Nordic mathematics education into the future : Preceedings of Norma 20 : The ninth Nordic conference on mathematics education Oslo, 2021

This volume presents Nordic mathematics education research, which will be presented at the Ninth Nordic Conference on Mathematics Education, NORMA 20, in Oslo, Norway, in June 2021. The theme of NORMA 20 regards what it takes or means to bring Nordic mathematics education into the future, highlighting that mathematics education is continuous and represents stability just as much as change.publishedVersio