POTENTIAL POSSIBILITIES OF ENHANCING ONLINE COMMUNICATION OF EDUCATORS IN CONFERENCES

Communication using Twitter by educators who attended a conference of a centralized position was investigated to better understand the possibility to expand their Twitter communication in the backchannel of the conference. As a target, conferences for ICT educators organized by Ministry of Education, Thailand were selected. Data were collected through an application programming interface (API) by NodeXL, and a social-graph analysis was executed. Extensional investigation was continuously introduced to include personal tweets history of educators by tracing Twitter accounts, which appeared in their profiles as keys of data collection. Results were compared with the findings of preceding studies. The results showed rather inactive Twitter communication of participants during conference days. However, from the result of extensional investigation, integral bridge and hub users, who were expected to enlighten rural educators, were found. Finally, we present three feasible strategies using social group graph analysis that challenged enhancement of awareness regarding the cutting-edge movement in ICT education of rural educators who could not attend a conference. Bridge users were able to forward messages from the conference organizer using deliberate modification of content to adapt their group culture.

Education Between GovTech and Civic Tech

In the recent movement towards smart societies, smart governments supported by GovTech and smart cities developed through Civic Tech have become known as dominant structures enabled by information and communications technology. Since GovTech and Civic Tech share the goal of giving citizens better and safer lives through their engagement with government and technology, the development of online public services is characterized by the use of collaborative production methods involving various stakeholders and players. Open data, collaboration, and systematic teamwork are key to understanding this production of heterarchical structures. This study reviews previous cases of collaboration between GovTech and Civic Tech, identifies the dominant mechanisms of the smart society, and summarizes existing pedagogical and industrial theoretical systems, mindsets, and skillsets with the aim of developing content for a university course. Double loop learning, design thinking, the Agile methodology, and the lean principle are identified as theoretical systems. Our findings are arranged so that they can be applied in the content of a university-level educational technology course, which we designed to develop students’ transformative competencies to enable them to become active citizens. In addition, we compared the processes involved in observed theoretical systems and conventional pedagogical theories to clarify the differences in their mechanisms. We conclude with a discussion of the need to recognize frameworks of different paradigms to prepare students for transformative social activities

The Development Blended Learning Model Using Collaborative and Case – Based Learning to Enhance Critical Thinking Problem Solving Thinking and Team Learning of Undergraduate Education Students

The study objectives were ; 1) to develop blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning 2) to conduct the experiment of blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning. The samples were 37 undergraduate students registering in the Innovation and Information Technology In Education Course, in the second semester of 2013 academic year, from Sample Random Sampling. The research instruments were a questionnaire for instructors, a questionnaire for need learning management, teaching model, model assessment, lesson plans for the blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning, learning management system or LMS, questionnaire for students’ opinion towards the blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning, and critical thinking test, test of problem solving thinking, and the assessment form of team learning. The data were statistical analyzed by the following instruments percentage, mean, standard deviation, dependent t-test. Content analysis was employed in this research. The results of the study revealed as follows: 1. The blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning name “BLCC 7 STEPS MODEL” which comprised 1) the input factors, such as teachers, learners, case study, technology, and circumstance in blended learning and 2) the process composed of the orientation stage and the operational stage of blended learning which contained 7 stages: stage 1 ; study the case assigned collaborative, stage 2 ; diagnose the problem collaborative by brainstorming, stage 3 ; create options collaborative for problem solving, stage 4 ; exchange or change the knowledge, stage 5 ; evaluate the options and assign feasibility, stage 6 ; conclude and discuss the results, and stage 7 ; present and evaluate their assignments.3) the output factors, such as critical thinking problem solving thinking and team learning 4) Feedback 2. The result of experimental from using the blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning indicated that the competence of critical thinking statistically significant higher than before the implementation at .01. Problem solving thinking of undergraduate students from the faculty of education were statistically significant higher than before the implementation at .01. The competence of team learning in the blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning was at a high level ( = 4.41, S.D. =0.37) The opinion towards the blended learning model using collaborative and case – based learning was at a high level ( = 4.09, S.D. = 0.54

Exploring MOOCs That Promote Innovative Public Services

The promotion and dissemination of a government’s basic policy are essential to implement innovative public services to establish sustainable country development and to ensure that the benefits are shared among citizens. This study focused on the MOOCs project in Thailand, and five courses were selected for exploration. Qualitative content analysis and sentiment analysis were applied to understand how information and communications technology in government services was promoted in the courses. These methods also explained the differences in the content of each course. It turned out that the strategy of improving service quality was the most-emphasized strategy in courses with an explanation of positive sentiment. The number of users who received a positive explanation of improving service quality was estimated at 711 and rated as a satisfactory result. The result of the qualitative content analysis was assembled into groups that could reveal the government’s pleiotropic orientation in their work on basic policy. All of these groups are involved in the international criteria for a government’s digital transformation, and other activities have also been highlighted as future challenges. The possibility of using MOOCs for policy promotion and education is suggested to bridge the gap between Thailand and other countries

Exploring MOOCs That Promote Innovative Public Services

The promotion and dissemination of a government’s basic policy are essential to implement innovative public services to establish sustainable country development and to ensure that the benefits are shared among citizens. This study focused on the MOOCs project in Thailand, and five courses were selected for exploration. Qualitative content analysis and sentiment analysis were applied to understand how information and communications technology in government services was promoted in the courses. These methods also explained the differences in the content of each course. It turned out that the strategy of improving service quality was the most-emphasized strategy in courses with an explanation of positive sentiment. The number of users who received a positive explanation of improving service quality was estimated at 711 and rated as a satisfactory result. The result of the qualitative content analysis was assembled into groups that could reveal the government’s pleiotropic orientation in their work on basic policy. All of these groups are involved in the international criteria for a government’s digital transformation, and other activities have also been highlighted as future challenges. The possibility of using MOOCs for policy promotion and education is suggested to bridge the gap between Thailand and other countries