Pedagogic approaches to using technology for learning: literature review

This literature review is intended to address and support teaching qualifications and CPD through identifying new and emerging pedagogies; "determining what constitutes effective use of technology in teaching and learning; looking at new developments in teacher training qualifications to ensure that they are at the cutting edge of learning theory and classroom practice and making suggestions as to how teachers can continually update their skills." - Page 4

No pain, no gain? : educational use of ICT in teaching, studying and learning processes : teachers' and students' views

Tämä väitöskirja raportoi tutkimuksista, joissa selvitettiin sitä, miten tieto- ja viestintätekniikkaa (TVT) on otettu käyttöön ja hyödynnetty opetuksessa sekä sitä, onko olemassa jännitteitä tai ristiriitoja, jotka mahdollisesti estävät opetusteknologian käytön edistämistä opetus-, opiskelu- ja oppimisprosesseissa. Tutkimusteemana opetuksen näkökulmasta oli tutkia opettajien suhtautumista TVT:aan kolmesta eri näkökulmasta: mitkä ovat opettajien asenteet TVT:n opetuskäyttöä kohtaan? Miten TVT:aa hyödynnetään opetuksessa? Mikä opettajien mielestä on TVT:n tuoma lisäarvo opetukseen ja oppimiseen? Opiskelun ja oppimisen näkökulmasta tutkimusteemana oli selvittää opiskelijoiden asenteita ja motivaatiota TVT:tä ja virtuaalisia oppimisympäristöjä kohtaan sekä sitä, miten he kokevat innovatiivisten ohjelmistojen käytön yhdistettynä pedagogisesti perusteltuihin opetusmenetelmiin. Väitöskirjan muodostavissa tutkimusartikkeleissa keskeisen tutkimusaineiston muodosti sähköisillä kyselylomakkeella kerätty data. Dataa analysoitiin sekä kvantitatiivisesti että kvalitatiivisesti. Kvantitatiivista, tilastollista ja laadullista analyysiä käytettiin tilastollisina menetelminä. Viiden yksittäisen tutkimuksen tuloksia tarkastellaan holistisesti akvititeettiteorian (Activity Theory) läpi, joka tarjoaa struktoroidut välineet koulun monitahoisen toimintaympäristön eri ulottuvuuksien tarkasteluun. Tämä väitöskirja koostuu viidestä osatutkimuksesta, jotka suoritettiin yhteistyössä Länsi-Suomessa sijaitsevien koulujen opettajien ja opiskelijoiden kanssa vuosina 2008-2011. Ensimmäisessä osatutkimuksessa kartoitettiin perusopetuksen oppilaiden asenteita ja oppimiseen motivoitumista suhteessa tieto- ja viestintätekniikan sekä virtuaalisen oppimisympäristön opetuskäyttöön. Toinen tutkimus keskittyi selvittämään, onko työnantajan opettajille henkilökohtaiseen käyttöön luovuttamalla kannettavalla tietokoneella vaikutusta opettajien asenteisiin TVT:aa kohtaan. Kolmas osatutkimus kartoitti opettajien opetusteknologian käytön määriä, käyttötapoja, osaamisen tasoa sekä heidän arvojaan TVT:aa kohtaan opetuksessa. Neljännessä tutkimuksessa analysoitiin oppilaita heidän käyttäessään käsitekarttoja sekä oppimismenetelmänä että ohjelmistona kuvataiteen opetuksen tunneilla. Viides osatutkimus loi kokonaiskuvaa opettajien näkemyksistä TVT:n opetuskäytöstä sekä siihen mahdollisesti liittyvistä ongelmista. Artikkelien tutkimustulokset antavat viitteitä siitä, että opettajat käyttävät yhä TVT:aa lähinnä tiedon jakamiseen, hallinnollisiin tehtäviin, arviointiin ja opetuksen suunnittelutehtäviin. Sen sijaan kommunikatiivinen, aktivoiva, luova ja ilmaisuvoimainen käyttö jää vähemmälle. Vaikka teknologinen varustelu kouluissa alkaa olla melko hyvällä tasolla, pedagoginen muutos oppilaitoksissa ei ole edennyt yhtä nopeasti kuin teknologinen kehitys. Tarjoamalla opettajille tietotekniikkaa käyttöön opettajat voidaan saada integroimaan tietokoneet opetustoimintaan, mikä puolestaan tukee heitä pätevöitymään TVT:n käytössä ja auttaa heitä etenemään kohti luontevaa TVT:n opetuskäytön integraatiota. Pelkkä teknologian tuominen kouluun ei kuitenkaan tuo muutosta opettajan käyttämiin pedagogisiin ratkaisuihin opetuksessa. Opettajan TVT:n opetuskäytön määrällä on vaikutusta siihen, miten opettajat hyödyntävät oppilaskeskeisiä opetusmenetelmiä, TVT:n käyttötaitojen kehittymiseen sekä siihen, miten opettajat arvioivat omien TVT -taitojen kehittymistä. Opettajilla on oltava tarpeeksi kokemusta TVT:n käytöstä, jotta uuden teknologian käyttö integroituisi luontevammaksi osaksi opetusta ja sitä kautta auttaisi soveltamaan uusia opetusmenetelmiä. Oppilaat, jotka eivät ole motivoituneita oppimaan, tai pitävät itseään vähemmän menestyksekkäinä opiskelussa eivät ole yhtä motivoituneita TVT:n käyttöön kuin ne oppilaat, jotka ovat motivoituneita koulutyöhön ja jotka kokevat onnistuvansa opiskelussa. Jos uutta teknologiaa käytetään säilyttämään vanhoja pedagogisia malleja, uudet välineet eivät riitä nostamaan motivaatiota oppia pitkäkestoisesti: jos TVT:aa käytetään pääasiassa ohjaamaan opiskelijoita, suorittamaan yksittäisiä oppimisaihioita tai jakamaan perinteistä oppimateriaalia, uusien välineiden motivoiva vaikutus vähenee nopeasti. Pedagogisesti perusteltujen menetelmien ja ohjelmistojen käyttö edistää myös oppilaiden ymmärrystä siitä, että TVT:n avulla voidaan edistää oppimista. Tämän väitöskirjan keskeinen johtopäätös on, että kansallinen, ylhäältä alaspäin suunnattu muutosprosessi TVT:n implementoinniksi osaksi opetusta, opiskelua ja oppimista ei ole onnistunut jalkauttamaan tarpeeksi pysyviä tai laajoja toimintakulttuurisia muutoksia oppilaitoksiin. Väitöskirjan tuloksista nousevana johtopäätöksenä on, että tarvitaan uudenlaisia toimintamenetelmiä: työpaikka-, tiimi- ja mentoripohjaista koulutusta, opettajalähtöisten, pedagogisten ideoiden tukemista ja levittämistä, opettajan ammatillisen osaamisen kehittämisen tukemista sekä opettajan ja oppilaan aktiivisen toimijan roolin korostamista oppivissa organisaatioissa.This doctoral thesis reports on studies about how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been utilised and implemented in schools and whether there are tensions or contradictions that might hinder its implementation from advancing in the teaching, studying and learning process. From a teaching perspective, the research themes were studying teachers’ relationships to ICT from three different viewpoints: What are teachers’ attitudes towards ICT? How do they utilise ICT in education? What is the perceived value of the educational use of ICT? From a studying and learning perspective, the research themes were formulated to study students’ attitudes and motivation concerning ICT and virtual learning environments, as well as their perception of the use of innovative software combined with pedagogically grounded learning methods. Web-based questionnaires were used to gather the data. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected. Quantitative analysis, statistical analysis and qualitative coding and analysis were used as statistical methodologies. The results of the five individual studies are viewed holistically through Activity Theory, which provides a means for interpreting a school’s complex operational culture by structuring the dimensions comprehensively. The five empirical studies comprising this thesis were conducted with the cooperation of teachers and students from schools in western Finland in 2008–2011. The first study sought to investigate students’ attitudes towards ICT and Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in basic education. The second study explored the impact of laptop provision on teacher attitudes towards ICT. Study III concentrated on teachers’ manners, proficiency levels and perceived values in implementing ICT into education. The fourth study focused on students using concept mapping as a learning method and concept mapping software in visual arts lessons, while the fifth study was about gathering a more holistic teacher perspective on educational technology. The results indicate that teachers are still using ICT mainly to support traditional pedagogical practices. Although the technological framework in schools is beginning to reach a fairly good level, pedagogical thinking in educational institutions has not advanced in parallel with technological advances. Providing teachers with computer technology can assist them to integrate computers into teaching activities, which in turn will give them more support in their perceived proficiency in computer use and help them to advance to the stage of computer integration. However, making technology available in schools is not sufficient to trigger a change in pedagogical practices on its own. The way teachers utilise student-centred approaches in their teaching, proficiency levels in relation to ICT and their self-assessed stage of ICT integration into teaching are affected by how much ICT teachers use in their teaching activities. Teachers need to be experienced enough with computers to start adapting new teaching methos and successfully using new technologies in class. Students who are not motivated to learn, or consider themselves to be less successful in their learning, do not seem to be as motivated by ICT as those who are motivated and who perceive themselves as successful. If new technology is used to preserve old pedagogies, these new tools are not necessarily enough to raise motivation to learn: If ICT is used mainly for controlling students, for drilling practice or for sharing basic learning material, the motivational effect of the new tools will soon fade away. With pedagogically grounded methods combined with software that embraces that pedagogy (e.g. concept mapping), students can realise that concept maps promote their understanding; this can have a positive effect on their thinking skills as it makes the knowledge construction process visible. This study puts forward the view that a national top-down driven change process with regards to implementing ICT into education has not sufficiently succeeded in provoking major, sustainable changes in the operational culture of schools. Based on the results presented in this study, overall guidelines and proposals for actions are suggested, specifically work-based learning, bottom-up approaches, mentor-teacher systems, changes in teacher training, an emphasis on teachers’ professional agency development and teacher-centred, team-based learning

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Leading schools in the digital age: A clash of cultures

A cultural gap is widening in English secondary schools: between a twentieth-century ethos of institutional provision and the twenty-first century expectations and digital lifestyles of school students. Perhaps disaffected by traditional teaching methods and the competitive target culture of schools, many students have turned to social networking through the cluster of computer-based applications known as Web 2.0. Here, they can communicate, share and learn informally using knowledge systems their elders can barely understand. Some of their contemporaries have turned away altogether, rejecting school and contributing to record levels of truancy and exclusion. This paper identifies a set of challenges for school leaders in relation to the growing digital/cultural gap. The government agenda for personalised learning is discussed, alongside strategies which schools might adopt to support this through the use of ICT, and both figure in scenario projections which envision how secondary education could change in the future. The paper concludes by recommending three priorities for school leaders

The net generation and digital natives: implications for higher education

Executive Summary "Our students have changed radically. Today�s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach." (Prensky 2001 p1) 1. There is no evidence that there is a single new generation of young students entering Higher Education and the terms Net Generation and Digital Native do not capture the processes of change that are taking place. 2. The complex changes that are taking place in the student body have an age related component that is most obvious with the newest waves of technology. Prominent amongst these are the uses made of social networking sites (e.g. Facebook), uploading and manipulation of multimedia (e.g. YouTube) and the use of handheld devices to access the mobile Internet. 3. Demographic factors interact with age to pattern students� responses to new technologies. The most important of these are gender, mode of study (distance or place-based) and the international or home status of the student. 4. The gap between students and their teachers is not fixed, nor is the gulf so large that it cannot be bridged. In many ways the relationship is determined by the requirements teachers place upon their students to make use of new technologies and the way teachers integrate new technologies in their courses. There is little evidence that students enter university with demands for new technologies that teachers and universities cannot meet. 5. Students persistently report that they prefer moderate use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their courses. Care should be taken with this finding because the interpretation of what is �moderate� use of ICT may be changing as a range of new technologies take off and become embedded in social life and universities. 6. Universities should be confident in the provision of what might seem to be basic services. Students appreciate and make use of the foundational infrastructure for learning, even where this is often criticised as being an out of date and unimaginative use of new technology. Virtual Learning Environments (Learning or Course Management Systems) are used widely and seem to be well regarded. The provision by university libraries of online services, including the provision of online e-journals and e-books, are also positively received. 7. Students do not naturally make extensive use of many of the most discussed new technologies such as Blogs, Wikis and 3D Virtual Worlds. The use of 3D Virtual Worlds is notably low amongst students. The use of Wikis and Blogs is relatively low overall, but use does vary between different contexts, including national and regional contexts. Students who are required to use these technologies in their courses are unlikely to reject them and low use does not imply that they are inappropriate for educational use. The key point being made is that there is not a natural demand amongst students that teaching staff and universities should feel obliged to satisfy. 8. There is no obvious or consistent demand from students for changes to pedagogy at university (e.g. demands for team and group working). There may be good reasons why teachers and universities wish to revise their approaches to teaching and learning, or may wish to introduce new ways of working. Students will respond positively to changes in teaching and learning strategies that are well conceived, well explained and properly embedded in courses and degree programmes. However there is no evidence of a pent-up demand amongst students for changes in pedagogy or of a demand for greater collaboration. 9. There is no evidence of a consistent demand from students for the provision of highly individualised or personal university services. The development of university infrastructures, such as new kinds of learning environments (for example Personal Learning Environments) should be choices about the kinds of provision that the university wishes to make and not a response to general statements about what a new generation of students are demanding. 10. Advice derived from generational arguments should not be used by government and government agencies to promote changes in university structure designed to accommodate a Net Generation of Digital Natives. The evidence indicates that young students do not form a generational cohort and they do not express consistent or generationally organised demands. A key finding of this review is that political choices should be made explicit and not disguised by arguments about generational change

Teachers’ attitude towards technology integration in physical education in Finland

Abstract. There has been a significant amount of research on teachers’ technology integration, and technology has influenced teaching. However, little research has been conducted particularly to investigate the relationship between teachers’ attitudes on technology integration in physical education in the K-12 context. This study is conducted with a sample of 221 Finnish physical education (PE) teachers to empirically investigate their attitudes and perceptions toward technology integration in the context of Finland. Further, the current study analyzed the relationships between attitude and practical technology use in PE. Lastly, this research explores the obstacles contributing to technology integration and the technology use variation between genders. Independent sample t-test, correlation analysis, and stepwise regression were performed in this study. The correlation analysis yielded a positive relationship between the four factors of attitude and the five factors of technology use. According to the results from regression analysis, perception of importance/relevance and technology proficiency significantly and positively predict using internet-related tools and general computer/mobile software. Additionally, the perception of importance/relevance and contextual factors are important indicators predicting the use of general computer hardware. Specifically, the use of PE special computer/mobile software and PE-specific hardware are affected by technology proficiency, teaching style, and perception of importance/relevance. This study also found several obstacles to technology integration in PE: lack of training, administrative support, collegial support, and internet down/unavailable restricting the use of technology in PE instruction. Finally, significant differences were observed between male and female PE teachers in terms of their attitudes toward technology integration. The findings of this research provide administrators and policymakers with significant insights related to the use of technology by Finnish PE teachers in their teaching practices

What Drives Students' Loyalty-Formation in Social Media Learning Within a Personal Learning Environment Approach? The Moderating Role of Need for Cognition

Our study analyzes an educational experience based on the integrated use of social media within a higher education course under a personal learning environment approach and investigates the factors that determine students' loyalty to social media learning. We examined the moderating role of need for cognition (NFC) in students' formation of attitudes, satisfaction, and loyalty toward this learning experience. The results indicate that NFC has an influence on these variables, significantly moderating how loyalty toward social media learning is formed. For high-NFC students, satisfaction with the learning experience is the most important variable to explain loyalty; whereas for low-NFC students, attitudes have a stronger effect. Different strategies are suggested, according to the learners' NFC levels, for increasing the use of social media in personal learning environments. Practical implications for improving the integration of such informal resources into formal education are discussed.Junta de Andalucía – Programa Andaluz de I + D P12 SEJ 259

Chinese learners and computer assisted language learning: a study of learning styles, learner attitudes and the effectiveness of CALL in Chinese higher education

E-leaming has become a staple diet in many learners’ academic lives in higher education institutions all around the world. This study did not follow the techno- centric standpoint and the comparative research design tradition in this field; instead, it focused on how learners’ learning styles and attitudes interact with the effectiveness of E-leaming implementation in the field of foreign language learning. The research was set in the author’s home institution—a comprehensive university in mainland China, where the first- and second-year undergraduate students who were studying a compulsory English course were surveyed from 2003 to 2004. For this course, the College of Foreign Languages developed an online computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environment—NCE Online which was the basis of this investigation. The author’s former colleagues helped organise the distribution and collection of 4 questionnaires and 9 groups of student interviews over one academic year. A total of 5258 participants completed the first questionnaire in 2003 while the numbers of participants who completed the other questions varied from around 200 to 700. To understand data from the learners in more depth, the language teachers and NCE Online developers were also surveyed with a questionnaire and individual interviews. The results showed that the learners had very positive attitudes towards the use of computer technologies in their study, and that there was an evident tendency to expect an increasing proportion of CALL elements as the students progressed in their English study. Despite these positive attitudes, what was equally clear was that there were still more students who preferred to have traditional classroom learning as their main learning mode, and they did not think of the E- leaming materials available as more effective than the traditional ones. Meanwhile, their teachers’ attitudes and the University’s policies also played an important role in influencing learners’ attitudes and actual behaviour toward the CALL system. In addition, the research revealed that Chinese learners have learning styles distinct from their peers in the west, which suggests that a CALL environment for Chinese learners should not follow blindly the much-advocated constructivist design model in the west. Reconsideration of both the ideals of foreign language teaching methodologies and E-leaming pedagogies, which originated mainly in Europe and Northern America, needs to take place before the design of a CALL system for Chinese learners. The implications of this research were therefore discussed to begin just such a rethinking of CALL implementations in Chinese higher education