Modeling Various Teaching Methods In A Faculty Of Education In Science Education: Chalk And Talk, Virtual Labs Or Hovercrafts

This research was conducted with 291 Junior/Intermediate (J/I) pre-service teachers in a ubiquitous laptop Bachelor of Education program at Nipissing University. The authors modeled a lesson using three different teaching styles using flight as the content medium, a specific expectation found in the Ontario Ministry of Education grade six Science curriculum (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1998). The three parts of the lesson were entitled:  1) “Chalk and Talk”, which followed a traditional teacher directed teaching style, 2) “A Virtual Lab” where pre-service teachers gather information about flight via an online website from their laptops, and 3) “A Hovercraft Lesson” which engaged the pre-service teachers in four learning stations about hovercrafts, one of which was to experience riding a home-made hovercraft from plywood and a leaf blower. The pre-service teachers participated in the lessons and then completed an online survey that enabled the rating each of the lessons for strengths and weaknesses, engagement, and their motivation toward the topic. Pre-service teachers rated and commented about the lessons in regard to teaching preference, preparation time, and perceived student engagement within a school setting.  The online survey gathered both quantitative and qualitative data. The survey informed the authors on the type of learning and teaching style the pre-service teachers preferred and why. It also provided information on the advantages and disadvantages of the three different teaching styles as perceived by the pre-service teachers. Analysis indicates that the pre-service teachers preferred the Hovercraft lesson regardless of the preparation time required or the safety hazards. Previous research indicates that pre-service teachers tend to teach in a style in the classroom as they were taught in a Faculty of Education; therefore, modeling and analyzing various teaching methods is an important component of teacher education

A Case Study Of The Integration Of Information And Communication Technology In A Northern Ontario First Nation Community High School: Challenges And Benefits

A case study approach was used in examining Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use within a small First Nation high school in Northern Ontario. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from students, teacher, and the administrator, who participated in an online survey, followed by interviews on their use of ICT in education. How ICT was used in the classroom was examined as well as identifying the challenges and benefits. The students’ benefits included easier access to research through the Internet, facilitated organization through the use of Google drive, and the use of social media. Challenges were similar to those found in in mainstream schools with concerns of technical problems, off task behavior, and improper referencing. The teacher and administrator identified barriers preventing the increased use of ICT, including the lack of professional development, resources, and Indigenous language software. The administrator recognized there was a wide skill set range among teachers in the adoption of ICT integration into their teaching. Recommendations include more professional development in ICT for teachers, additional resources for ICT, and more development of Aboriginal language software

A Study of Information and Communication Technology Integration by Faculty Teaching in a Ubiquitous Laptop Bachelor of Education Program

The fast pace of technological change within education has made it challenging for Faculty of Education professors to keep current with the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into teaching. This study focuses on an Ontario university Faculty of Education’s ubiquitous laptop program. Diffusion of innovation theory was used as a conceptual framework to examine how Faculty of Education professors perceive they are learning and integrating ICT into the preservice program despite a lack of formal ICT standards in the education system of Ontario. In 2007, data were gathered through interviews with faculty, administration, technical assistants and recent B.Ed. graduates. The faculty participated in an online survey to determine what ICT was being used and integrated within the B.Ed. program. In the analyses, data were organized into five themes based on Rogers (2003) diffusion of innovations theory: innovations used by faculty, adoption of innovations, organizational support of the adoption, unexpected consequences of the innovation, and increasing the rate of adoption. The findings from the faculty survey and interviews indicate that while many professors often integrated technology in their teaching, there existed a wide range of skills, confidence levels, and amount of ICT integrated into teaching among faculty. Issues influencing the adoption of effective technology integration that arose from the study include: lack of faculty development, off task behavior of preservice teachers, lack of time to learn ICT, technical difficulties, technical support concerns, wide range of ICT skills of preservice teachers, and the high cost of the laptops themselves. The lack of provincial ICT standards may have further contributed to the varied degrees of ICT integration at the university as well as that within schools in the practicum setting. Recommendations were made that have the potential to improve the effectiveness of ICT integration into the Bachelor of Education program and also provide direction for future faculty development initiatives, including faculty development. Findings from this study may be beneficial to researchers who are studying the faculty experience in ubiquitous laptop Faculty of Educations or other educational institutions considering ICT integration.Ph