Exploring the virtual classroom: What students need to know (and teachers should consider)

Technological improvements in many countries have meant that institutions offering distance education programmes now have more options available to them to communicate and interact with their students, and increasingly, attention is being turned to the potential of Web2 technologies to facilitate synchronous interaction. This study explores the affordances and limitations of an online virtual classroom, Adobe Connect Pro, when used in the learning programmes of two groups of undergraduate and postgraduate education students. Results indicate that while both groups gained value from using the classroom, they also found it a completely new environment, and one to which many had trouble transferring the interaction and communication skills developed in other contexts. The reasons for this related to three specific areas of knowledge – technical, procedural and operational, that were identified as being critical to student performance in this environment. The study suggests that educators and course designers need to embed strategies into their online offerings to enable students to develop these, if they are to gain substantial benefit from the availability of virtual classrooms. Additionally, the study identified that when making design decisions about online learning environments, it is very much a matter of horses for courses when selecting tools for specific purposes. While the virtual classroom proved useful for developing social connection and a sense of community, it may not be so beneficial for supporting deeper learning

Using videoconferencing in a school-scientist partnership: students’ perceptions and scientists’ challenges

This research studied a series of videoconference teaching workshops and virtual labs, which formed a component of a school-scientist partnership involving a New Zealand science research institute and year 13 students at a Wellington high school. It explored students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the videoconferences as an interactive medium for developing content knowledge, identified factors influencing their level of interaction during the conferences, and exposed issues when using videoconferences for highly specialised activities. The research followed an interpretive methodology using a case study approach, and employed mixed method qualitative/quantitative data gathering procedures. Results suggest that while videoconferencing was effective it was also expensive and timeconsuming, and that scientists' efforts to engage students more interactively through movement towards more constructive practice, were largely ineffective. This article provides direction for teachers considering exploring the potential of interactive videoconferencing with students

Key competency development and students use of digital learning objects

The inclusion of key competencies in the New Zealand Curriculum (2007) has presented challenges for teachers in their efforts to gather evidence and detail student progress for reporting purposes. Research identifies the need to adopt different evaluation processes and systems, as outcomes and progression in key competencies is fundamentally different from those associated with more conventional learning. It also suggests the use of digital tools may assist in this process, but offers few suggestions as to how this might take place. This article introduces and describes a current research project utilising a thinking skills framework and screen-recording software to map students’ interaction with digital learning objects, and explore the extent to which they provide opportunities to develop thinking and relating to others competencies. It suggests the approach offers potential to make explicit for reporting purposes the nature and quality of students’ thinking, and how their interaction with others in groups, influences their ability to solve problems presented by the objects. However, it also suggests the approach may suffer from manageability challenges, and that student-led administration systems need to be developed to ensure its viability in whole class context

Making the Connection: Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance and Its Relevance to the Use of a Virtual Classroom in Postgraduate Online Teacher Education

This study explored the use of the Web-based virtual environment, Adobe Connect Pro, in a postgraduate online teacher education programme at the University of Waikato. It applied the tenets of Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance (Moore, 1997) in examining the efficacy of using the virtual classroom to promote quality dialogue and explored how both internal and external structural elements related to the purpose and use of the classroom affected the sense of learner autonomy. The study provides an illustration of the complexity of the relationship that exists between the elements of Moore’s theory, and how the implementation of an external structuring technology such as the virtual classroom, can have both positive impacts (dialogue creation) and negative impacts (diminished sense of learner autonomy). It also suggests that, although Moore’s theory provides a useful conceptual “lens” through which to analyse online learning practices, its tenets may need revisiting to reflect the move toward the use of synchronous communication tools in online distance learning

The Science-for-Life Partnerships: Does size really matter, and can ICT help?

This study introduces findings of an initial pilot from a New Zealand government-funded initiative known as Science-for-Life, which aims to enhance the quality of science teaching through the formation of face-to-face and virtual learning partnerships involving crown research institutes (CRIs) and primary and secondary schools. Using a case study methodology, it describes and analyses a trial partnership between the CRI, Scion Research, and teachers of Seadown Primary School in Hamilton. The study uses Grobe's (1990) typology of industry-education partnerships as an analytical "lens" through which to evaluate the characteristics of the partnership, and explores the role that ICT played in establishing and sustaining it, well beyond its anticipated conclusion. Findings indicate that while in terms of Grobe's framework a genuine partnership label may not have been appropriate in this case, the interaction nonetheless proved to be extremely valuable in supporting learning goals, and that while ICT played a significant role in this, it was not fundamental to the partnership's success

Looking to the future: M-learning with the iPad

Might Apple’s new iPad gain unprecedented traction in education, or is just another example of the over-hyping of new devices in a time of technological determinism (Postman, 2000)? This paper explores the potential affordances and limitations of the Apple iPad in the wider context of emergent mobile learning theory, and the social and economic drivers that fuel technology development. Against the background of effective teaching and learning, the functionality offered by the iPad, and its potential uses for learning, are discussed. A critical review of the way the iPad may support learning, that draws on learning theory, contemporary articles and e-learning literature, suggests that the device may offer an exciting platform for consuming and creating content in a collaborative, interactive way. However, of greater importance is that effective, evidence-driven, innovative practices, combined with a clear-sighted assessment of the advantages and limitations of any product, should take priority over the device itself

Twelve years of iPads and apps in schools : what conditions support effective practices in K-6 classrooms?

Since their release in 2010, iPads and their associated apps have been touted as ‘game changers’ for schools struggling with technology provisioning issues, that limited their ability to fully leverage the educational potential of digital devices on a ‘whole class’ basis. Since then, a variety of schemes have been implemented such as ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) and portable ‘device pods’, as systems for improving access to, and utilisation of, mobile technologies in classroom curriculum. In many schools, concurrent to these initiatives have been improvements in technology infrastructure, including upgrades to external connectivity via the advent of high-speed fibre-based broadband, and internally through the establishment of school wifi networks and associated online security systems. Aligned with these developments has been a growing body of research exploring how teachers at all levels of education systems have incorporated these new resources into their curriculum, and examining what, if any, benefits have resulted. This article is an analysis of key findings from four published studies undertaken by the author between 2015 and 2021 in New Zealand K-6 schools, to build understanding of factors that contributed to the effective practices with mobile devices witnessed in the research classrooms. While numerous separate studies have been undertaken exploring specific outcomes from the use of iPads and other mobile technologies in different educational contexts, the analysis presented in this article attempts to identify common factors existing across four purposively selected studies, that contributed to their success. The studies were deliberately chosen to provide a broad overview of applications of this technology in different K-6 classrooms for different purposes, supporting deeper understanding of the factors that underpin effective teaching and learning with and through mobile devices, in schools. This is important, as it builds knowledge of the fundamental foundations to effective educational use of mobile devices, regardless of the learning context in which they are used, and could assist teachers in designing, implementing and assessing curricular that optimises the learning potential of these devices. Copyright © 2023 Falloon

Digital learning objects: A need for educational leadership

Despite increasing interest in technology-assisted education, technology-based instructional design still lacks support from a reliable body of empirical research. This dearth of reliable information hampers its integration into mainstream school systems. In fact, many teachers remain resistant to using technology in the classroom. In order to overcome teacher resistance to technology in the classroom, we have sought to follow a process described by Friesen to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the educational use of digital learning objects (DLOs) from the teachers' point of view. This article explores the opportunities and challenges inherent in using digital learning objects and reports on the impact of DLO use at both the classroom and school levels. By providing research that links students' use of DLOs with the development of key competencies, we hope to sharpen teachers' visions of how DLOs can help them achieve their educational goals, and to encourage DLO uptake for educational purposes. Finally, we envision a DLO that can assist school principals in the facilitation of educational leadership and help transform teachers' attitudes toward technology-based teaching

Building computational thinking through programming in K-6 education: A New Zealand experience

The recent inclusion of computational skills in core curriculum by governments in the UK and Australia, has been linked to industry calls for schools to better equip young people with capabilities and dispositions aligned with needs of future high-tech industries and rapidly changing workplaces. This move has stimulated much interest in New Zealand, and while lacking any compulsory curriculum mandate, many teachers in K-12 classrooms are exploring the potential of coding tasks for developing computational skills as part of their mathematics, science and technology curricula. This paper reports findings from a study that used a unique data capture app embedded in iPads to record 9&10 year old students while they used two apps of very different designs for coding tasks. Using Studiocode video analysis software, data were analysed using a framework developed from Brennan and Resnick’s [1] three dimensions of computational thinking, to learn more about how these apps constituted useful environments for developing computational thinking. Results suggest that coding apps of a ‘teaching’ design complement apps where computational concepts and practices are applied to project creation, and indeed may be more efficient if the desired outcome specifically targets the learning of concepts. Implications for teachers exploring coding apps for computational thinking development are drawn