Digital Parentship Practices of Instructional Technology Faculty Members: A Case Study

The purpose of the current study was to understand the digital parentship practices of faculty members with an Instructional Technology (IT) major within a qualitative approach. The participants of the study comprised of 13 faculty members from the IT field of any university in Turkey and who has one or more children aged 0-6 years old. The IT academician, in their role as mother or father, participated in the interview process. As digital literates, the participants of the study possess knowledge and expertise in the potential opportunities that technology offer, and also the possible risks that they pose to children. The findings showed that the majority of the participants do not hesitate to allow their children to use screen technology from an early age (from as young as 6 months old) in order to free up time for themselves or to attend to their work. This implies that the participants utilize technology in order to facilitate the role of parenting, even though they may appreciate it is seen as inappropriate. However, the academician parents who took part in this study applied more restrictive mediation so as to limit their children’s exposure to technology due to their very young age and owing to the children’s inability at that age to understand the potential risks. The findings of the study provided information so as to help understand the digital parentship practices of parents from the technology field, and to make suggestions about parenting strategies for younger children

Technology-supported collaborative concept maps in classrooms

WOS: 000438057500004This article explores how the use of concept mapping, with and without technology support, assists students in learning complex concepts to which they may have had limited previous exposure. Students were engaged in a group-based concept mapping activity, wherein they created two concept maps over the course of several weeks in a large lecture class. A quasi-experimental design was used in which students were randomly assigned to groups of three, and groups were randomly assigned to concept mapping condition: (a) using pencil/paper followed by using an iPad application or (b) using an iPad app followed by using pencil/paper. Concept maps were scored for complexity (correctness and elaborateness), and scores were compared within group and between groups across conditions (pencil/paper vs. iPad app). Results showed that concept maps did not differ in quality between conditions or across time. Moreover, there was no significant difference between examination scores of the students. Finally, content analysis was conducted on students' written evaluations of the pros and cons of concept mapping using pencil/paper and using the iPad app. Student evaluations indicated both pros and cons for each concept mapping condition

The Impact of OER on Instructional Effectiveness: A Case Study

WOS: 000369554700013This descriptive study aims to investigate the instructional effectiveness of Open Educational Resources (OER). It was conducted with 1196 university students who were enrolled in a general chemistry course with an experimental laboratory section. These students voluntarily used OER for their lab activities. Data were collected via a printed, 18-question survey. Results showed that about half of the students were aware of the OER, and half of these informed students used it. Nonetheless, four advantages of the OER were determined: preparation for topic in advance, facilitating learning, time saving, and improving grade

THE PERCEPTION OF PRESERVICE ICT TEACHERS ABOUT USING DIGITAL GAMES IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

The current study is designed as a quantitative study, which aims to investigate preservice ICT teachers' perceptions about the use of digital games for educational purposes within educational settings. The participants of the study are preservice ICT teachers who are currently enrolled in the Middle East Technical University, which is one of the top-notch universities in Turkey as well as one of the top 100 universities in the world. In this study, survey method was used. A questionnaire that contained fifty-seven likert-type items was delivered to the senior students of Computer Education and Instructional Technology Department, who are prospective ICT teachers. In Turkey, it is expected from ICT teachers to be the innovators and early adapters of new technologies and instructional methods and to not only integrate them to their own instruction but also help other branch teachers for a seamless integration in their instruction. Thus, understanding preservice ICT teachers' perception can provide important information and insight about the diffusion of technology use within schools and should be investigated thoroughly and analyzed meticulously. More specifically, exploring preservice ICT teachers' perception about digital games and their use in educational settings might shed light on the debate of whether educational games developed by educators are serving their purposes or not

IT TEACHERS' PERCEPTION ABOUT USING GAMES IN EDUCATION

The current study is a quantitative study that aims to investigate Information Technology (IT) teachers' perceptions about using games in education. In this study survey method was used. A questionnaire was administered to a total of 31 IT teachers (18 male and 13 female). The analysis revealed an important issue regarding the perception of IT teachers about the educational use of games. The results showed that when the teachers are asked to answer a generic question about the use of games in education, their answers were inclined to be more negative than positive, which might be because of focusing the negative aspects. However, despite the negative opinions about the computer games stated above, when separate statements about positive aspects of the games were given IT teachers respond positively to those items. This shows that, there is confusion about the games in teachers mind. They focused on the negative effects of the computer games so that they did not recognize the benefits of those games at first glance. But when they were asked about the benefits, they realized those benefits and responded positively to the items

The use of digital storytelling in elementary Math teachers' education

WOS: 000441310000001Technological devices are widely used in various forms and for various purposes with educational systems. Teachers are required to not only use technology with the utmost efficiency, but to also act as role models for students in terms of appropriate use of technology. However, many teacher candidates are not aware of the educational use of technology classroom; hence, technology must be especially integrated into undergraduate teacher training programs through courses and field experience. Various methods, techniques, tools, and equipment are utilized in order to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning processes in the classroom, of which digital storytelling is one of them. The use of digital stories in education is beneficial both for teachers and students. For this reason, this research investigates the use of digital stories in mathematics education as well as the opinions and experiences of mathematics teacher candidates about creating, using, and evaluating digital stories. Data of the study were collected via semistructured interviews, transcribed, and content analyzed. The results of the study showed that prospective math teachers preferred GoAnimate program to create digital stories due to its ease of use, design, and the characters and visuals it suggests. Furthermore, the prospective teachers were found to aspire to use digital stories in their future careers.Ahi Evran University Scientific Research Projects Coordination UnitAhi Evran University [EGT.A3.16.007]This study was supported by the Ahi Evran University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit. [Project Number: EGT.A3.16.007

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF PRESCHOOLERS' EXPERIENCES IN READING AN E-BOOK

The diffusion of technology in our daily lives has changed our ways of communication, socialization, play, etc. as well as the way we learn. The reflections of this transformation can also be seen in both formal and informal educational settings. A brief review of the literature reveals both successful implementations and potential problems with technology use in education. However, there is still lack of research studies regarding the use of technology in early childhood education. The literature provides two sides of a current debate on technology use. There is a multitude of researchers who strongly oppose even the idea of technology use in early childhood. They state how technology is speeding up things that a child should experience himself or herself in due time. On the other hand, the advocates argue back that not only adults or pupils but preschoolers should also benefit from the advantages that new technologies have to offer. The current study aims to explore the effects of technology on the reading experiences of preschoolers. It is designed as a qualitative study to further explicate both the advantages and disadvantages of technology utilization. For this purpose, 17 five-year old preschoolers were observed during their reading sessions followed by short interviews. For their reading sessions, they were provided with multi-touch tablets and were observed while reading a digital storybook by using it. The results of the study will shed light on the effects of technology on children's reading experience and will provide new insight into the debate of technology use in early childhood education