48,472 research outputs found
In the palm of your hand: supporting rural teacher professional development and practice through the use of mobile phones and other handheld digital devices
Given the huge growth of mobile phone access in Sub Saharan Africa (Minges, 2004) some of the most innovative uses of mobile devices are now to be found in the development context (Economist, 2005). Reviews of the use of mobile technologies point to a range of current and potential development for learning in classrooms, homes and the community (e.g. Naismith et al).
This paper draws on the experience of two projects: a large scale project for SMS mediated school administration in Kenya and a small scale research project using eBooks and other digital tools for teacher professional development and practice, carried out in predominantly rural schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This research is set in the wider context of the emerging theory, practice and evaluation of the use of mobile technologies for improving teaching and learning (Leach 2006, Power & Thomas 2006, Traxler & Kukulska-Hulme 2006).
The paper considers the potential of currently common mobile phones to aid communication and break down isolation amongst rural teachers and the design, use and evaluation of e-book learning resources on handheld mobile devices, such as current ‘smart-phones’, which the authors anticipate will soon be the ‘normal’ ubiquitous mobile phone.
Whilst there is only a small body of evidence on the application of mobile technologies to teacher learning, impacts on teacher development remain a matter for debate. Findings suggest that given the right conditions, uses of mobile technology can significantly enhance teacher professional learning and practice
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Is there a role for Information and Communications Technologies in rural schools and their communities?
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Thriving in the 21st century: Learning Literacies for the Digital Age (LLiDA project): Executive Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
LLiDA set out to:
review the evidence of change in the contexts of learning, including the nature of work,nknowledge, social life and citizenship, communications media and other technologies
review current responses to these challenges from the further and higher education sectors, in terms of:
a) the kinds of capabilities valued, taught for and assessed (especially as revealed through
competence frameworks);
b) the ways in which capabilities are supported ('provision')
c) the value placed on staff and student 'literacies of the digital'
collect original data concerning current practice in literacies provision in UK FE and HE, including 15 institutional audits and over 40 examples of forward thinking practice
offer conclusions and recommendations, in terms of the same issues reviewed in
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Educational Technology Topic Guide
This guide aims to contribute to what we know about the relationship between educational technology (edtech) and educational outcomes by addressing the following overarching question: What is the evidence that the use of edtech, by teachers or students, impacts teaching and learning practices, or learning outcomes? It also offers recommendations to support advisors to strengthen the design, implementation and evaluation of programmes that use edtech.
We define edtech as the use of digital or electronic technologies and materials to support teaching and learning. Recognising that technology alone does not enhance learning, evaluations must also consider how programmes are designed and implemented, how teachers are supported, how communities are developed and how outcomes are measured (see http://tel.ac.uk/about-3/, 2014).
Effective edtech programmes are characterised by:
a clear and specific curriculum focus
the use of relevant curriculum materials
a focus on teacher development and pedagogy
evaluation mechanisms that go beyond outputs.
These findings come from a wide range of technology use including:
interactive radio instruction (IRI)
classroom audio or video resources accessed via teachers’ mobile phones
student tablets and eReaders
computer-assisted learning (CAL) to supplement classroom teaching.
However, there are also examples of large-scale investment in edtech – particularly computers for student use – that produce limited educational outcomes. We need to know more about:
how to support teachers to develop appropriate, relevant practices using edtech
how such practices are enacted in schools, and what factors contribute to or mitigate against
successful outcomes.
Recommendations:
1. Edtech programmes should focus on enabling educational change, not delivering technology. In doing so, programmes should provide adequate support for teachers and aim to capture changes in teaching practice and learning outcomes in evaluation.
2. Advisors should support proposals that further develop successful practices or that address gaps in evidence and understanding.
3. Advisors should discourage proposals that have an emphasis on technology over education, weak programmatic support or poor evaluation.
4. In design and evaluation, value-for-money metrics and cost-effectiveness analyses should be carried out
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