Next Generation Teaching and Learning ??? Technologies and Trends

The landscape of teaching and learning has been radically shifted in the last 15 years by the advent of web technologies, which enabled the emergence of Learning Management Systems (LMS). These systems changed the educational paradigm by extending the classroom borders, capturing and persisting course content and giving instructors more flexibility and access to students and other resources. However, they also constrained and limited the evolution of teaching and learning by imposing a traditional, instructional framework. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, participation and collaboration have become predominant experiences on the Web. The teaching and learning community, as a whole, has been late to capitalize on these technologies in the classroom. Part of this trend is due to constraints in the technology (LMS), and part is due to the fact that participatory media tools require an additional shift in educational paradigms, from instructional, on-the-pulpit type of teaching, to a student-centered, adaptive environment where students can contribute to the course material and learn from one another. This panel will discuss the next generation of teaching and learning, involving more lightweight, modular systems to empower instructors to be flexible, explore new student-centered paradigms, and plug and play tools as needed. We will also discuss how the iSchools are and should be increasingly involved in studying these new forms, formulating best practices and supporting the needs of teachers as they move toward more collaborative learning environments

A Tale of Two Colleges

This story of two community colleges tells how they have dealt with the demands for data that state-mandated accountability requires. The story is based on research conducted at a large community college district in California. On the surface, the story might seem straightforward: accountability mandates led to the expansion of the Institutional Research Department, causing the schools to try to replace an outdated Student Information System in order to improve the district's overall access to data. However, the underlying story is more complicated. If it had a headline, it might be one of these: Why can't we get the data we need? A new system? What system? Is access to data really that important? This story looks at the community college district on multiple levels, weaving together anecdotes and experiences along with the underlying themes and tensions. It is an attempt to look at one component of the educational environment -- the one that links state policy-makers to the schools they oversee -- tracing the drive toward accountability through to its consequences in practice

Integrating Learning And Visualization Technologies In Orthopaedics:- Establishing The Virtual Orthopaedic European University

Digital technologies offer a working environment for familiarisation with new surgical procedures and management of clinical case audit. Our aim is to provide a novel route for access to educational material that more closely resembles the working practice of the arthroscopist. This is to support higher surgical training and life long learning. The proof of concept has been the development of a shoulder arthroscopy simulation model as an interface for the surgical trainee to access multimedia based educational orthopaedic modules. This demonstrates a human-computer interface that more closely resembles the process of factual knowledge association during clinical procedures, moving toward the ultimate goal of seamless integration of knowledge repositories with clinical intervention operative video information, integrating the structured surgical course model with the multimedia educational orthopaedic modules, generated for the learning of shoulder surgery

Growing Pains: Transitional Issues in Higher Education

High school provides a structured environment which moves young adults through a daily routine of educational and social activities. Teachers and administrators are openly concerned about the student’s feelings and attitudes toward the overall educational experience. Parents are usually close at hand to encourage and empower their students through the tough times. They also provide financial support and transportation, at a minimum, when things are routine. Secondary education is intended to be a warm cocoon which nurtures the student-caterpillar into a well adjusted young butterfly within a parent-teacher chrysalis. Higher education has not traditionally provided the aforementioned structure; therefore, the attrition rate for freshmen is often high. Student transition and retention is an important student service issue in higher education “because the way in which an individual copes with stress relates to mental and physical well-being (Bonica & Daniel, 2003), the ability to successfully cope in the new college environment is crucial for success” (Pritchard & Wilson, 2006, p.125)

Games in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education

Educational games provide learners with team-based, experiential, and problem-centered learning opportunities. Therefore, educational games are recommended to encourage learner success in an increasingly complex and collaborative world. Research exploring interventions to increase teacher affinity toward games is needed to inform expansion of games within classrooms. The current study leveraged the input, environment, and outcomes model to analyze perceptions of games held by school-based agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) educators before and after a professional development experience focused on educational games. Results indicate teachers held a favorable perception of games before engaging in the professional development. Engagement in the professional development was related to only minimal increases in the perceptions held by teachers regarding educational games. Importantly, individual items within the construct illuminate an expanded view of educational games and their utility within AFNR classrooms as a result of the professional development experience. Specifically, respondents saw educational games as being valuable to engage learners in new content, not just as a review tool. Findings suggest a professional development experience related to games may help expand teacher conceptualizations of educational game utility. Specific recommendations are included to expand teacher understanding and use of educational games

Synchronous web-based collaborative writing: Attitudes of learners toward working in pairs and small groups

This study explored learners’ attitudes toward collaborative writing in pairs and small groups (fours and sixes) in a synchronous web-based environment. Sophomore pre-service teachers in one intact class in the Philippines (n=31) completed the same collaborative writing tasks using Google Docs. In three separate out-of-class sessions, they first worked in pairs, and then they were assigned to either groups of four or groups of six in the succeeding two sessions. After completing the tasks, they were asked to complete a post-task questionnaire. The learners had an overall positive attitude toward peer collaborative writing in a web-based synchronous environment as it helps them to develop the content better, find appropriate vocabulary, and improve the grammatical and mechanical accuracy of the texts they produced. Students highly appreciated working in pairs and groups of four. In pairs, they felt that it is easier to manage text-chat deliberation, resolve concerns, and attend to each other’s suggestions. In groups of four, they acknowledged the increase of peer resources for knowledge sharing and in ensuring the accuracy of their language use. Hence, the majority complained that a group of six is not that conducive in a real-time text-chat environment. When asked about their preference, most students would prefer to work in a similar task and environment in pairs. These findings on learners’ attitudes toward collaborative writing concur with the previous literature in face-to-face educational settings and open new insights on synchronous web-based collaborative writing via text-chat

Emerging Role of Robot-Assisted Occupational Therapy for Children with Down Syndrome

Robotic technology is becoming increasingly popular as a platform for both education and entertainment. It also provides us with new conceptual directions which might have incredibly positive impact on children with physical growth delays and intellectual disabilities. In this research project, the educational robot Roamer Too from Valiant Technologies has been used to explore the development of social skills of children with Down syndrome. In conjunction with an interactive collaborative environment, this device represents a unique opportunity for these children to fully engage in learning, play, communication, build relationships and have fun. The results of this study indicate that educational robots help to develop kids’ social and learning psychologies, moving from a more standard knowledge acquisition by absorption toward acts of exploration, collaboration, and creation. As a result, children reflect social initiations, communicative competence and joint attention

The impact of the Iowa Children\u27s Water Festival on the children\u27s attitudes and behaviors toward the environment

As a result of the growing concern about environmental issues, many countries have developed mechanisms and regulations directed at protection and conservation of the environment. As a part of this movement, many governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have launched a variety of environmental education programs, in an attempt to promote awareness of environmental issues. The Iowa Children’s Water Festival (ICWF) is an annual half-day environmental education program in Iowa. The goal of the ICWF is to provide educational opportunities throughout the state to K-5 children and to educate customers of tomorrow on the importance of safe, reliable drinking water (ICWF, 2004). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Iowa Children’s Water Festival on selected Iowa fifth graders’ attitudes toward the environment. The researcher evaluated fifth graders’ attitudinal/behavioral changes toward the environment before and after their participation in the 2003 Iowa Children’s Water Festival. Of the total number of 38 schools participating in the ICWF, 12 schools (participants n = 274) that completed both the pre/posttest Children’s Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale (CATES) were assigned to the experimental group. Three of 12 schools (participants n = 42) that did not participate in the ICWF and returned the pretest CATES were assigned to the control group. Participants (n = 274) were compared to non-participants (n = 42) to determine whether there were substantial differences in the general attitudes toward the environment based on several factors (e.g., pre/posttest, gender, locale, and school type). A one-page survey instrument (CATES) was administered two times (pre/posttest) in a three week period for both groups. Descriptive, inferential statistics were used to investigate whether children who participated in the ICWF improved their attitudes toward the environment compared to children who did not participate in the educational event. An analysis of covariance was employed to test the hypothesis. ANCOVA (regression fashion) indicated that there was no difference in posttest CATES scores between those children who attended the ICWF compared to those who did not attend. To explore the long-term impacts of the participants’ attitudinal/ behavioral changes, a qualitative follow-up interview was conducted six months after the children’s attendance at the 2003 ICWF. Six students from a central, rural elementary school that completed both the pre/posttest CATES were interviewed employing open-ended interview questions. Responses for the major questions indicated that knowledge gain, new behavioral changes, and retaining specific information occurred after children’s participation in the ICWF. The results also suggested that not only are such factors as knowledge gain and behavioral changes critical in the continuum of behavioral change, but factors like family involvement, teacher’s enthusiasm and role-modeling, student’s internal locus of control on environmental issues, and a curriculum that is hands-on are also essential for reaching the ultimate goals of forming environmentally responsible behaviors in younger children

KONSEP PROGRAM KOTA MOJOKERTO BERLINGKUNGAN PENDIDIKAN

People participation in developing education in Indonesia needs to be improved. Either government should give a space and chance to society widely. Mojokerto, which has own autonomy in educational policy, makes a new penetration in managing society roles in district autonomy era like today. The penetration produces Mayor Regulation of Mojokerto number 17 (2009) about the guideline of implementing Mojokerto program about having educational environment and Mayor Decree of Mojokerto number : 188.45/409/417.111/2009 about working group of Mojokerto program about having educational environment (PKMBP). This program intends to improve responsibility and cares to family, school and society toward policy of quality improvement and education distribution, establishing togetherness for education development, the future of young generation and creating social environment, culture environment and natural environment which are conducive to support the process and the result of education accordance with the law mandate number 20 (2003) about National Education System