Business school techspectations Technology in the daily lives and educational experiences of business students

Business School Techspectations is the second in a series of reports based on research by the DCU Leadership, Innovation and Knowledge Research Centre (LInK) at DCU Business School. With its roots in an Irish business school, it is no surprise that LInK’s mission is to strengthen the competitiveness, productivity, innovation and entrepreneurial capacity of the Irish economy. Ireland’s next generation transformation will be enabled by information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital participation by members of Irish society. As a university research centre we have an important role to play in supporting education, industry and government to accelerate this transformation

Are classroom internet use and academic performance higher after government broadband subsidies to primary schools?

This paper combines data from a government programme providing broadband access to primary schools in Ireland with survey microdata on schools’, teachers’ and pupils use of the internet to examine the links between public subsidies, classroom use of the internet and educational performance. Provision of broadband service under a government scheme was associated with more than a doubling of teachers’ use of the internet in class after about a two year lag. Better computing facilities in schools were also associated with higher internet use, but advertised download speed was not statistically significant. A second set of models show that use of the internet in class was associated with significantly higher average mathematics scores on standardised tests. There was also a less robust positive association with reading scores. A set of confounding factors is included, with results broadly in line with previous literature

How can I use video to improve teacher engagement with my school’s abundant ICT equipment?

This paper examines how video can be used to enhance teacher engagement with ICT as a teaching tool. The Connect School Project, South Dublin County Council’s ubiquitous computing initiative, equipped St. Aidan’s with a vast amount of information and communication technologies (ICT). A review of appropriate literature indicated that the use of such technologies in class could lead to effective teaching and learning environments, increase student self-esteem and could bridge the ‘digital-divide’ that might exist between students in disadvantaged areas and those in more affluent communities. Through two cycles of enquiry, I planned and produced a video which modelled how the laptops and associated hard and software could be used effectively in class. The video aimed to represent all stakeholders in the school: management, teachers and students. In this way a top-down endorsement of the use of ICT as a teaching and learning tool was communicated. I feel that if teachers are to embrace the use of technology in class, pedagogical as well as technical support must be provided. Using video to model effective practice could be an ideal way to provide such support

Educational Disadvantage in Ireland

This report discusses various ways to measure educational disadvantage. The precise way in which educational disadvantage is measured also influences the type of targets set to address it. The National Anti-Poverty Strategy has set three key targets in the area of educational disadvantage: Educational disadvantage is a significant problem at all levels of the education system and is influenced by the characteristics of families, schools, neighbourhoods and by broader public policies. There is a substantial amount of activity which is endeavouring to address educational disadvantage in Ireland. However, relatively little is known about what works, and this suggests that projects with the potential to produce lessons about effectiveness would be particularly worth considering. Outlined are a selection of project ideas which address educational disadvantage from which lessons may be learned about effective ways of doing this work

Re-using features of English as a foreign language (EFL) materials for special needs students of the same age group

This paper identifies a lack of age-appropriate literacy software for dyslexic teenagers in Irish classrooms and investigates the features of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) software that could be helpful to dyslexic students. There are often two distinct special learner groups within the same classroom: special needs students with reading difficulties in their native language and EFL students. While there are clear differences between these two groups, there is some overlap in their linguistic difficulties, e.g. spelling. There is a lack of age-appropriate software aimed at dyslexic teenagers; most software used is aimed at dyslexic children. However, a lot of materials are available for teenage EFL students. The paper discusses a survey of teenage dyslexic students and teachers/tutors of dyslexic teenagers, which identified student needs and desired features/exercises for curriculum-focused Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) software for dyslexic students that the author is developing. Results show overlap of features and exercises present in existing EFL software

Using software to tell a trustworthy, convincing and useful story

This paper discusses the potential of specialist software to develop category construction in qualitative data analysis and considers how the uses of software may best be reported to substantiate researchers’ claims. Examples are examined from two recent projects: a consultation of pupil’s perceptions of assessment for learning strategies and an exploratory enquiry on employing music as a tool for inclusion in post-conflict Northern Ireland. From this experience, a number of suggestions on how to support the researchers’ claims are made and a model of knowledge generation is put forward. Some of the practical implications outlined are discussed within the context of social research, but it is acknowledged that the suggestions also apply to any field in which knowledge is generated from qualitative data