Search

This paper centres around a discussion of the design and rebuild of a secondary school in Birmingham (England) as part of the Building Schools of the Future (BSF) Programme. The BSF Programme was influenced by a vision of future schooling in which learning environments are transformed by the integration of ICT into teaching and learning practices. The vision behind the BSF Programme suggests that schools of the future will embrace a learner-centred and skills-centred perspective and that the boundaries between home and school learning will become eroded. By contrast, the vision of the senior management team of this particular Birmingham shool emphasised the importance of subject-based learning (for example mathematics, science, English), and was moving away from a skills-based approach to the curriculum. The paper draws on Young and Muller’s three scenarios for future schooling, in order to provide a framework for analysing the design of Park View School in Birmingham. The authors argue that the design of the new school is leading to new practices of teaching and learning that had not been anticipated by the senior management team. However, the BSF vision for how ICT would become embedded into the life of the school had not been realised at the time of writing this paper, and this, the authors argue, is because this vision is at odds with a focus on subject-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a learning tool has long been acclaimed as a catalyst for educational transformation. Over the past decade, evidence of good uses of ICT has emerged in numerous studies. While such use promises transformation in supporting teaching and learning, evidence suggests that progress is limited in English primary and secondary schools. This paper attempts to develop understanding of why this is so. Based on a review of previous studies and empirical fieldwork, this paper demonstrates that sustained educational transformation using ICT involves more than pedagogical awareness alone, and that a broader array of factors should also be taken into consideration. Standing back for a wider view, it appears that this lack of transformative use of ICT may ultimately result from a lack of coherent understanding of what educational transformation using ICT truly implies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to move away from the notion of a digital divide premised on technology 'haves and have-nots' to a more nuanced understanding based on technological practices. It draws on empirical research from interviews with eight case-study families about the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICT) fit into their everyday lives. The families were chosen to reflect those owning multiple technologies, rather than to be 'representative' of the social make-up of schools or geographical area. The intention here is to explore the barriers to use of ICT in technologically privileged households, and to ask questions around the orthodoxy of the digital divide. The novel approach of using only privileged families is an attempt to build on the new thinking of the digital divide as based on qualitative concerns. Relevance and social networks as crucial mediating factors in people's access to ICT are explored in three socio-spatial environments. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the findings link to ICT pedagogical thinking and educational technology policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Digital Portfolio Project at Newcastle University aimed over one year (2002/2003) to support teachers in producing, storing and accessing assessment portfolios of learner’s work using information and communications technology (ICT). This paper draws on evidence of pupil views collected as part of 14 teacher‐led case studies. The teachers all approached the task of developing digital portfolios in different ways and the variety of end products was large; however, the common result was the value placed on using the portfolio as a tool for reflection and celebration of children’s learning. As part of the data collection teachers were encouraged to gather pupil views about the digital portfolio learning process. These comments provide an interesting and surprisingly analytical perspective of the research and learning process not commonly considered in the academic community. This paper documents the pupils’ views and uses them to review the strength of the digital portfolio process and the benefits of using it in the primary classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious criticisms of research in information and communications technology (ICT) in education have been published recently in both the UK and the USA. This paper addresses several issues raised in these commentaries: a lack of sound theoretical underpinnings to our research, persistent neglect of the history of our sub‐discipline, the choice of research questions to be studied, and the use of appropriate methodologies for investigating them. The paper argues that the major role for ICT research in education should be an important contribution to the understanding of the processes of learning, with a view to informing teaching strategies and approaches to developing educational software. This implies that the theoretical work on learning on which wider educational research is based should be used to underpin research in ICT in education as well. In addition, specific theoretical frameworks have been developed for research into the use of ICT in education; however, associated with an almost complete neglect of the history of the area, the most powerful of these, developed in the early years of the sub‐discipline, are now generally ignored. Consistent with this, the authors argue that questions for investigation in this area should focus more on contributing to knowledge about learning and teaching, and less on the seemingly widespread concern for demonstrating benefits of ICT use in education to justify its cost. The types of research studies the authors advocate are generally more complex, difficult and time‐consuming to undertake than these quantitative surveys and evaluations, and they describe a methodological approach developed to undertake such complex work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a national study, Re-imaging the Future: Music Teaching and Learning, and ICT in Blended Environments in Australia, which examined music educators' engagement with technologies and pedagogies during the pandemic. Data were collected via online survey (N = 105) between March and April 2021 and thematically analysed to answer two questions: What innovative approaches did music educators employ while teaching online? How did teachers use technology and media to support student learning? The two emerging themes (adaptive teacher practice and illustrations of learning) demonstrate how teachers modified their use of ICT, music technology and pedagogy to sustain online delivery of the curriculum. These display variations of teaching practice, diverse application of media (audio and video) and increased digital literacy. Participants implemented a myriad of twenty-first-century skills and technologies within their teaching. Recommendations are provided, embracing the ways Australian music educators responded to the challenges, exploring innovative digital teaching practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the permeation of the Internet in teachers' personal and professional lives, teachers are going online to connect, share ideas and expand their learning opportunities. This qualitative study focuses on the use of digital applications that leverage opportunities for teachers in the design phase, that is, at the time they are developing and curating curriculum materials and designing learning sequences within their discipline areas before implementation in the classroom. Data drawn for this paper are part of a research project examining ICT-expert teachers' approaches to their ongoing online professional learning. Semi-structured interviews of internationally recognised ICT experts, specifically from Australia, Europe and the United States, are the main data source. The findings suggest that each teacher leveraged their online social media as their first approach or starting point within their design activities, with a curiosity to investigate the pedagogical application of a 'new' tool. These teachers looked first to the expertise of the colleague for their recommendation of the tool, engaging in little pedagogical reasoning before implementation. Additionally, elaboration of the term 'sharing' is provided for deeper understandings of the ways in which teachers engage in their professional learning networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports on a particular strand of the outcomes of the English contribution to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development comparative study,ICT in Initial Teacher Training, which aimed to develop insights into how courses of initial teacher training prepare student teachers to use information and communications technology (ICT) effectively in their teaching. The paper extracts from the broader dataset the views of practitioners who were identified as being particularly ‘expert’ in their use of ICT, on what strategies and interventions are most helpful in developing teachers who are able to use ICT to enhance learning in their subject teaching, and also what itmeans‘to be good at ICT’ as a subject teacher. Although some findings confirm research elsewhere on the importance of Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) frameworks, other aspects of the study question some of the assumptions which have been made about teacher induction in this field in England, which may have implications for the training of pre-service teachers in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper demonstrates the need for taking a design perspective on teaching and learning in the study of the uptake and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. It argues for the identification and scrutiny of designs for teaching and learning at the institutional level to overcome the contradictions that often arise in the implementation of ICT. The design approach is dialectic in nature and aligned to the perspective of technical rationality proposed by Herbert A. Simon and the design process as reflection-in-action proposed by Donald A. Schön. Two empirical case studies illustrate how design is conceived and changed by teachers using technologies in institutional practices of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The editorial discusses the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) conference. A paper on the developing economies of India and China was presented. Ola Erstad, from the University of Olso, presented an address on the topic of the curriculum reform of Norway and digital literacy. The conference papers focused on the influence ICT in education and its criticisms. It was concluded that mentoring methods have to be reviewed and new innovative methods have to be introduced in ICT.

Data from a sample of teachers, parents and pupils in Northern Ireland about their experiences of blended and online learning during the pandemic has thrown light on effective practice and some of the reasons for this. After an initial period of uncertainty and confusion, most of the five schools studied found ways to provide regular online lessons which in many cases had high levels of interaction between teachers and pupils and in some cases between pupils. This was true also in schools which had high levels of pupil disadvantage measured through entitlement to free school meals. The reasons for the emergence of good practice were the prior investment in ICT facilities for every school, the support provided through educational authorities and local teacher networks, and the quality of leadership in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for schools to become more effective and efficient learning communities increases, the need for principals to cultivate broad-based, skilful participation in the work of leadership is essential. It is important for educational leaders to recognise the significance of their role in technology implementation and utilisation. They should be proficient in the use of technology and then provide leadership in the use of technology for administrative, instructional, and learning functions. Relatively few studies have empirically examined the level of computer use by principals, their perceived computer competence and their leadership style. This paper will report on these issues from an initial analysis of baseline data gathered from 30 secondary school principals in Tehran, a large province in Iran. Findings indicate that school principals spent a few times a week working on their computers and they had moderate levels of information technology competency. This paper also suggests that transformational leadership can help school leaders increase successful use of technology in schools. Hence, policy makers must design professional development programmes, such as leadership studies, in order to teach the components of transformational leadership: idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration to future administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing nature of literacy is well documented within the literature, challenging educators to examine their pedagogies in light of the needs of learners in the current climate. The development and creation of non-linear texts within primary classrooms is of current interest as they reflect the types of texts accessed and created by users of technology and afford children opportunities to make connections between their in and out of school literacy experiences. The authors observed children over extended periods as they collaborated with teachers and peers to author non-linear texts for a range of purposes. Three case studies will be reported, providing examples of how three cohorts of primary school children (one lower primary, one middle primary, one upper primary) responded to the challenge to create texts using Information and Communication Technology and the specific learning observed. What is interesting about these cases is the process that the children engaged with as they planned, constructed and evaluated their texts. This paper describes this process and the implications it presents for what we understand about the pedagogy of writing, the creation of text and the opportunities for providing classroom literacy experiences aimed at supporting and fostering student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into schools came the expectation that teachers would adopt ICT and change their practices in particular ways. Research indicates that teachers have not changed in the ways expected. Suggested in this paper is that limitations in current research methodologies documenting change in teachers' practices are restricting thorough examination of change in teachers' practices mediated by ICT. This paper reports on the design of a study aimed at investigating teachers' practices from an alternative position from the current research. The research design is a grounded, longitudinal, qualitative study using assorted analysis for the collection and interpretation of the data. This involves a combination of secondary analysis of archive data and collection and analysis of primary data. Participants were able to retrospectively describe and understand their own archived and new data, in interviews and observations. This paper focuses on ways this research design supported examining teachers' practices as including a number of dimensions and the way these dimensions were influenced by the context in which they were situated. Also, the ways this research design provided a means for examining the changes that developed from the teachers' own narratives. This gave some insight into the ways the teachers' understood the changes in their own practices. Examining change from this perspective supports understanding of how and why changes in teaching practices mediated by ICT occur or don't occur. It also contributes to examining the bigger phenomenon of ICT and the long-term impact it is having on teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on qualitative research on the use of ICT in four foundation stage (3-5 years) classes in two state-maintained schools in the UK. The case study involved observations of and interviews with children between 4 and 5 years of age, as well as interviews with practitioners. Interpretation of the data drew on an editing analysis style. The paper supports claims that ICT has the potential to extend and enhance provision for younger pupils by providing new and complementary opportunities for children to be creative; to hone generic learning skills and aptitudes; and to practice their social skills. The paper also suggests that not all young children are enthused by the introduction of ICT and that in some cases pedagogy still has to catch up with resourcing in order to get the most out of the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes an educational intervention model from Educommunication, integrating communication, pedagogy, information technologies and human development principles. The methods used included, first, an exploratory and quantitative procedure to identify the theoretical foundations of Educommunication and critical attitudes. Then a qualitative procedure was carried out to analyse the reference texts. This resulted in an ad hoc objective corpus that allowed the integration of the main strands of Educommunication and provided epistemic support for the model. The development of the corpus also led to the identification of the field's advances, thus creating theoretical constructs based on the question of how to promote critical attitudes through Educommunication. The model highlights the link between education and ICT development and aims to promote critical attitudes through seven dimensions: media literacy and communication, relationship with others, hypertext, curricular aspects, technology use, methodology and learning objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally accepted that intrinsic student motivation is a critical requirement for effective learning but formal learning in school places a huge reliance on extrinsic motivation to focus the learner. This reliance on extrinsic motivation is driven by the pressure on formal schooling to ‘deliver to the test’. The experience of the use of ICT in formal learning is marked with a naive and largely unfulfilled assumption that it would of itself promote a ‘game-changing’ shift in student motivation. This study investigates the effectiveness of a team-based, technology-mediated model called Bridge21 to encourage intrinsic student motivation. The data for the study come from 425 secondary school students, average age 16 years, who participated in workshops of 3.5 days in duration. The workshops took place in an out-of-school learning environment in one academic year. Bridge21 seeks to provide a vehicle to allow the transfer of control of learning from the teacher to the team and in this way to encourage and promote student autonomy. The principal findings reported in this paper are that participation in the workshops had a direct positive impact on the students’ perceptions around their learning and on their intrinsic motivation to learn. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a study that examined pupils’ views on an ICT-based learning environment in health learning. The study was a part of the wider European Network of Health Promoting Schools programme (ENHPS; since 2008, Schools for Health in Europe, SHE) in Finland, and particularly its sub-project, From Puijo to the World with Health Lunch, which sought to renew secondary schools’ health education by developing and utilising an ICT-based learning environment. The research data were collected through a structured questionnaire presented to pupils (N= 92) in two secondary schools, one rural and one urban, in Eastern Finland. The results showed that pupils’ opinions about the ICT-based learning environment were fairly positive. Pupils felt that the ICT-based learning environment was easy to use and supported cooperative learning. Computing and Internet skills positively supported pupils’ favourable attitudes towards the ICT-based learning environment. An interesting result from the point of view of e-learning was that the pupils increased their awareness of how to critically evaluate health information found on the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a study of ICT-related teacher development in the context of a national reform of College English teaching in China. The reform, in which emphasis was placed on use of information and communications technology (ICT) in classroom teaching and self-access learning, had challenged teachers of English as a foreign language to adapt to new teaching materials, student-centred classroom teaching and to guide students in their autonomous learning. The study examined teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in education and ICT-related continuing professional development (CPD) policies and practices in a university in southern China. Mixed methods were used: questionnaires to teachers, classroom observation, interviews with teachers, management and administrative staff, and focus groups with both teachers and students. The findings indicated that limited ICT skills and pedagogic expertise were obstacles to the use of ICT in English language teaching. Moreover, although initially the majority of teachers had held positive attitudes towards ICT use in English teaching and the national reform, their enthusiasm was waning in the light of inadequate support and training. Implications for policy and teacher education are discussed and an ICT-based CPD model for language teachers is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the compilation of an instrument in order to investigate pre-service early childhood teachers' views and intentions about integrating and using computers in early childhood settings. For the purpose of this study a questionnaire was compiled and administered to 258 pre-service early childhood teachers (PECTs), in Greece. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and a one-factor model was accepted. Our results revealed very strong links between PECTs' views and intentions, being indistinguishable. Students expressed positive views-intentions and this constitutes one way forward towards the integration of information and communications technology in the classroom. From the path analysis model, direct and indirect links were shown between PECTs' views-intentions and the year of study as well as other computer use-related variables. Year of study and computer self-efficacy had a significant effect on PECTs' views-intentions. Access to a computer at home had an indirect impact on PECTs' views-intentions via computer self-efficacy and years of experience with computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite substantial growth in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) throughout western societies, there is much evidence of technology-led innovations within Higher Education (HE) failing to achieve the anticipated transformations in learning and teaching. This paper reviews evidence from research and evaluation studies relating not only to e-learning, but also to wider HE practices. It argues that the use of ICT does not, in itself, result in improved educational outcomes and ways of working. It considers contextual factors that are of greater significance in determining how and why e-learning is used in HE. Students' engagement with e-learning relates to their expectations and conceptions of learning and to assessment demands. Academics need to re-assess their own beliefs and practices concerning teaching and assessment and their impact on the experience of learners. Both teachers and learners need to understand why e-learning activities are to be undertaken and the rewards expected to be derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of the experiences of a group of teacher educators during the 2006-2007 academic year, when they participated in a project to try out and implement digital individual development planning (which in Swedish is digital 'Individuella Utvecklings-Planer' or IUP) in a teacher education faculty at a Swedish university. The project group consisted of seven female teacher educators and three colleague mentors. They shared their experiences of the project and how they viewed their roles in the implementation process through individual narrative interviews. In order to illuminate how the attributes of digital IUP were perceived and how these attributes were communicated within the faculty, the data were analysed in the light of Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovation theory. Furthermore, concepts of symbolic capital from Bourdieu (1984) were used in analysing the teacher educators' positions as change agents. The article presents a discussion of the circumstances in which digital IUP promotes reflective dialogue. Furthermore, it illuminates the change process and the participants as change agents from a power relations perspective, highlighting communication and shared pedagogical visions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings from a study of student teachers at a university-school initial teacher education partnership in England. Forty student teachers, on primary and secondary teacher education programmes, were identified through tutor and mentor reports as making very good use of information and communication technologies (ICT). These student teachers were interviewed, and in many cases observed, teaching a lesson using ICT. Interviews covered their use of ICT in a particular lesson; their past experience of using ICT; factors encouraging or discouraging their use of ICT in school; and their beliefs about teaching and learning. Observations recorded their uses of hardware and software. Findings indicate that access, support for, and modelling of, ICT use in the classroom were key issues in developing this very good use of ICT. Equally important, however, seemed to be the belief that ICT could make a positive difference to teaching and learning and a willingness to 'learn by doing'. These findings are reported in the context of the wider literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PowerPoint and other visual technologies have become pervasive in schools. Adoption of these technologies is perceived as a necessary - or, at the very least, an educationally appropriate - innovation in UK schools, even though systematic examination of their use is relatively recent. On the basis of a wider ethnographic study of ICT use in one UK school, this paper presents ways in which visual technologies are used in the school setting, analyses the impacts of those technologies on students and teachers, and raises a set of important issues about how such visual technologies are used in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a case study research strategy of data collection, the empirical component of the study presented in this paper is aimed at exploring the interplay between content knowledge and pedagogy when information and communication technologies (ICT) are used by a number of secondary school mathematics teachers. An orienting framework advanced as a result of critically reviewing research on teachers’ professional knowledge base for teaching structured what was noticed, paid attention to and taken as important in teachers’ accounts of their practices with ICT. Cross-case analysis of the data collected by means of interviews and lesson observations followed the writing of each teacher’s profile, enabling comparison of the seven teachers’ practices with ICT. The analysis of the data yielded a number of salient factors, of both contextual and personal nature, which were identified as key to the integration of ICT into mathematics teaching. The findings of this study add new dimensions to understanding teachers’ use of ICT by treating the teaching of mathematics and ICT use as interwoven aspects of a teacher’s practice. A framework which conceptualises teachers’ learning about ICT and teachers’ incorporation of ICT in their teaching of mathematics is advanced with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the pedagogy of teaching mathematics with ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors utilise findings from the Economic and Social Research Council-funded InterActive Education project to present a characterisation of the sub-culture of school music with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in England. They consider the opportunities and challenges ICT presents to the teaching of primary (ages 4–11) and secondary (ages 11–18) classroom music through an investigation of the perceptions, personal philosophies and pedagogical styles of seven teachers with whom they worked over a period of three years. Their work is underpinned by Goodson and Mangan’s definition of subject sub-culture and they draw on Shulman’s notion of ‘knowledge bases’ in order to categorise and discuss the data. Through the identification and elaboration of key themes, the authors provide a snapshot of the emerging sub-culture of music and ICT in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a challenge for teacher educators to develop innovative pedagogical practices amongst initial teacher education (ITE) students when much of their learning is gained in schools where practice is slow to change. This paper examines two such practices which are currently being promoted through government policy for children’s education in Wales: the use of play as a mode of learning and the development of capability in information and communications technology (ICT). A study of how ITE students learn from informal experience with novel technologies and structured play in an ICT course setting is analysed in relation to their experiences of teaching ICT in their teaching practice and their perceptions of play as a mode of learning for themselves and for the children they teach. The ITE students’ teaching approaches do not exhibit the principles of learning through play which they predominantly espouse, and this evidence points to a tension between the beliefs that they have gained from reflection on their own experiences and the ICT pedagogy which they meet in schools. A number of barriers are identified which must be overcome in order to develop the use of play in both developing ICT capability and using ICT for learning in other subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the articles published in the October 1, 2004 issue of the journal "Technology, Pedagogy and Education." Authors Mary Webb and Margaret Cox have published an article on information and communications technology (ICT) and pedagogy in this issue of the journal, which analyzes pedagogical theories and empirical studies of teachers' pedagogies. The article "Developing Successful Pedagogy With Information and Communications Technology: How Are Science Teachers Meeting the Challenge?," by Laurence Rogers and Helen Finlayson, focuses on the use of ICT as a teaching tool in science classrooms.

The author reflects on the perspectives on continuing professional development in and through information and communications technology (ICT). He states that the studies regarding ICT and continuing professional development attempt to address some of the issues on teacher enhancement in knowledge and practice. Some of the studies explore the improvements and developments in information literacy, specifically the role it plays in digital culture.

The article presents information on various papers which are published in the July 2003 issue of the periodical. One of the papers presents a range of studies which provide insight into different research questions in areas of professional development and engagement with information and communication technologies. In a paper author Dorit Maor focuses on the stories told by participants in an online unit for practicing science and mathematics teachers undertaking postgraduate study in higher education. In another paper author Gregory MacKinnon presents information on electronic discussion groups.

This article reports on teachers' experiences of ICT training in rural areas of Nepal. It discusses aspects of policy documents to help understand the Nepali educational context, before highlighting the challenges of establishing and maintaining infrastructure and professional learning opportunities across a country with challenging terrain and extreme environmental conditions. It then examines teachers' perceptions in five rural primary schools about their experiences of training to use modern educational technologies in instructional activities. The findings indicate that none of the teachers received training in the use of ICT in their initial teacher education and that the Government has allowed non-governmental organisations to provide ICT infrastructure and training for rural schools and teachers. Although this is a small study, it offers insights into the gap between policy and practice and highlights the contextual challenges of Nepal's attempts to operate on a global educational level as well as the challenges for teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital distraction has become a prominent concern in the world of education, as evident in the growing trend of banning mobile phones. Since laptops are practically indispensable to contemporary schooling, however, banning these devices remains a rare and controversial response. Far more commonplace is the deployment of classroom rules and policies outlining appropriate uses of information and communication technology (ICT). By way of an empirical example, this article provides two contrasting theoretical analyses of such ICT rules: a critical story inspired by neo-Marxism and a posthumanist story inspired by actor-network theory. In the critical story, teachers use ICT rules to tame unruly students and make them compliant workers. In the posthumanist story, however, students and teachers jointly use ICT rules to tame unruly laptops and domesticate these entities. The article tells these two stories, unpacks their basic assumptions and discusses their implications for the field of educational technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed methods case study presents the experience of a group of middle school students in a year-long, after-school computing programme in a large, inner-city school district in the southeastern United States. The purpose of this research is to explore informal educational strategies that are conducive at giving underrepresented minority youth access to information and communication technology tools and content. Results indicate that hands-on support from mentors, peer collaboration, and options for customising work and creating unique projects contributed positively to the student experience in the programme. This study suggests giving students more creative freedom, adequate scaffolding and the option for peer collaboration when working in informal learning environments. Results are specific to the context of the one school in which this pilot study was conducted, though the findings confirm the research of others in this area. Data sources included a perceptions survey, participant interviews and researcher observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, government policies have placed significance on the development of school students' digital literacy as essential to their future participation in society. Yet, assessments of digital literacy continue to indicate that most young people use ICT in a relatively limited way, with varying patterns of digital literacy associated with family background. Drawing on the theory of practice, this qualitative study sought to examine the school-based digital literacy of four Australian primary school students from their own perspectives. Data were collected from home technology experience questionnaires, school-based digital literacy tasks and semi-structured interviews. The results of the study illuminated factors that worked to enable and constrain school-based digital literacy including students' home and school experiences with digital technologies and the different ways that students were able to leverage such experiences. The authors consider the implications for curriculum and pedagogy and provide suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission emphasises the need for educational institutions to integrate digital technologies in their teaching, learning and organisational practices. This study contributes to the field of digital transformation of schools by proposing and validating a Framework for Digitally Mature Schools (FDMS) and an instrument for assessing the level of schools' digital maturity. The FDMS and the instrument recognise five areas divided into 38 elements described across five different levels in the form of a rubric. This assessment instrument enables schools to measure their current level of digital maturity and pinpoint the areas that require improvements. The developed Framework and instrument support educational institutions in the assessment, promotion and integration of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and organisational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital devices and ubiquitous online access contribute to the nature and amount of digital labour conducted by school staff. Drawing on more than 40 interviews with staff at one Australian secondary school, the general nature of this digital labour is presented, then Clancy's notion of temporal autonomous spaces is introduced and applied to theorise why some teachers used digital technologies constantly in their teaching. The article highlights how some teachers invested their time in learning about and using digital technologies because it enhanced their sense of autonomy and increased their sense of freed time. It theorises how teachers who invest their time into developing their knowledge and effective use of digital technologies in their teaching practice do so because of the perceived benefits that temporal autonomous space brings. Therefore, their practice is sustained as a high temporal priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perspective of teachers is important for advancing the use of technology in classrooms. A considerable number of research studies have explained context in ways that have narrowed the understanding of its impact on successful technology integration. This study employs the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model as a lens in understanding factors influencing teachers' integration of technology in classrooms. Data were collected using focused interviews of 19 teacher educators of three colleges of education from the southern part of Nigeria. The results reveal that among the level contexts, the meso level presented the most challenges to teachers' efforts at integrating Information Communication Technology (ICT) in their classrooms. In addition, the benefits of technology integration were expressed more in terms of the significance, practical use and the opportunities that ICT offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology (ICT) increasingly is utilised in second-level English education, aiming to engage students, yet quantitative instruments for evaluating the impact of technology-mediated learning experiences are lacking. This article presents the rationale, development and psychometric analysis of the English and Technology Attitudes Scale (ETAS): a 19-item instrument designed to evaluate students' attitudes towards English and technology and monitor changes. Five constructs are measured: behavioural engagement; technology confidence; English confidence; emotional engagement; and learning with technology. Using the ETAS, this study revealed insights to Irish students' (n = 419) attitudes that can inform approaches to teaching and learning with ICT. Despite strong technology confidence, a high proportion of students report poor attitudes towards learning English with technology. Moreover, males have significantly more positive attitudes towards learning English with technology, yet females have significantly higher engagement in English. These findings demonstrate both the need for and the usefulness of this instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in information technology and communication through new social media platforms have enormous benefits in many contexts, including education. At the same time, self-distractive use of technology – or 'absent presenteeism' – can have negative effects in the classroom. The main research question of this study is the relationship between organisational leadership, enforcement of discipline and self-distractive use of technology in the secondary school setting. The finding indicated that the permissive style of discipline appeared to be the most effective at reducing self-distractive mobile phone use. However, a more authoritative style of discipline, short teacher tenure and the principal's transformational leadership style contributed to high self-distractive mobile phone use. The authors rely on empirical data collected in Israeli public high schools from two independent sources: 144 teachers and 591 students, which yielded 4440 teacher-student events. Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of the school setting characterised by rapid changes in technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the use of digital videos in education, from the perspective of the teacher as an agent of technological integration. Secondary and university teachers were surveyed in a region-wide case study. Three topics were specifically surveyed: common uses of digital video in teaching, instructor self-production of educational videos, and preferences in common presentation formats (chalk-and-talk, screencast, PowerPoint, demonstration and whiteboard writing). Results show that secondary teachers make more use of digital video and are more innovative than university teachers. Video self-production is scarce, though respondents declare a positive attitude, with time constraints and technical qualification as main reported obstacles. Preferences in video presentation formats reveal notable differences between secondary and university teachers for some formats. Preferences are also moderately influenced by the teacher's knowledge field, and by experience with ICT and video production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to propose a conceptual framework for classifying ICT use in education and (2) to develop and test a structural model including both teacher- and school-related factors, to explain technology integration. A conceptual framework has been developed in order to classify use of ICT (information and communications technologies) in education with an instrumentalist perspective. Indicators of technology integration have been clearly identified and associated with the constructs in the framework. Access, technical support, administrative support and professional development support are examined under school-related variables, while teachers' beliefs and ICT competencies are investigated under teacher variables. A model based on these variables has been proposed and tested through structural equation modelling. Data was collected from 403 teachers working in primary and secondary schools. Results have indicated that factors in the model explained 70% of the variance in the technology integration that showed that the substantial amount of variance was predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of studies that support the usefulness of tablets in primary education is encouraging. For this reason, this research analyses this device's didactic use. The present project is part of a qualitative narrative research. The data of experiences supported by the tablet were collected through nine discussion groups and a set of observation techniques (with 76 primary education students aged between 6 and 11). It is concluded that tablets are not used systematically in primary education. Spanish language and literature are the subjects where the tablet is used the most, although it is also used in mathematics to a lesser extent. On the subject of type of activities carried out in the classroom, worth mentioning are those related to classifications and the ones related to identification and representation of concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a knowledge-driven society, secondary education should let students develop appropriate and meaningful skills to live, think and work. To attain this aim, teachers require specific knowledge and competences about technology-mediated collaborative learning strategies while overcoming preconceptions and a general sense of inadequacy towards these learning approaches. This exploratory study focuses on a learning path based on the 'Trialogical' Learning Approach to consider the role of technology-mediated collaborative learning in the educational development and classroom practices of trainee teachers. A multi-methods approach was used to analyse the collected data. Results indicate a good level of active participation in the activities leading to a general perception of effective learning. Participants report having acquired knowledge and skills which will improve their professional practice. The positive value of introducing collaboration and technology in the learning path is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for teacher professional development (TPD) and the characteristics of their participants is scarce. This article presents a case of a MOOC initiative supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education aiming at teachers' professional development on the use of ICT for teaching and learning. The analysis is focused on (a) the sociodemographic and school characteristics of the teachers participating in MOOCs; (b) their experience and beliefs about lifelong learning; and (c) the relevance of MOOCs for their work. By contrasting the characteristics of the participants in this initiative with the characteristics of the whole population of teachers in Spain, and a sample of Spanish participants in MOOCs not aimed at TPD, the article sheds light on the specificities of the teachers who use this way of TPD. The results have implications for the design of programmes aimed to develop MOOCs for TPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) can have positive effects on the learning and development of children. Adults and peers have a critical role in harnessing the potential. The authors’ attention in this article is on teacher practices. Through case studies of four early childhood teachers’ pedagogical roles and practices while children were using ICTs in Shanghai preschools, the authors reveal four main roles: facilitator, observer, guide and knowledge transmitter. Teachers were predominantly instructing and transmitting knowledge and were rarely observed to take responsive mediating approaches, despite proactive Chinese ICT policies which however lack specific curriculum guidance on pedagogy. Teachers were falling back on their traditional training and practices, leading to misalignment between policy which advocates guidance and democratic practice, and teachers’ actual practices. Drawing on Vygotsky’s concept of mediation, the authors advocate further learning about sociocultural approaches that have been shown to be beneficial in supporting teachers to take active and dynamic pedagogical roles and to employ a range of interactive and democratic strategies to empower children’s learning. Further investigation is needed to ascertain whether such teachers are rejecting interactive pedagogical approaches, or have not yet learnt about effective interactive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the suitability of telecollaboration practices to enhance ICT integration in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)-based units by analysing the number and type of episodes related to students’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) produced in a telecollaboration whose aim was the design of a technology-enhanced CLIL unit. Results revealed a high number of episodes focusing on the domains and intersections of the TPACK framework, that pedagogical content knowledge was the main focus of attention and prompted most of the suggestions for change in the unit and that telecollaboration promoted collaboration and made participation more equal. Consequently, telecollaboration showed a great potential for directing students’ attention to their TPACK even though the scarcity of episodes focusing on the TPACK intersection also indicated there is ample room for more teacher training efforts to prepare pre-service teachers for technology integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in universities has increased dramatically, there is no clear evidence that ICTs have been incorporated effectively in the process of teaching and learning. This article investigates the knowledge that university professors need in order to integrate ICTs into their teaching practices. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model has been frequently used for this purpose, but its application in higher education has been limited. The objectives of the study are both the confirmation of the applicability of the model in universities, and the study of the key variables of professors for effective technology integration. A self-assessment questionnaire was administered to 113 professors of three different university schools. The results of this study confirm the usefulness of the model and revealed significant differences regarding the previous academic experience of the teacher. The investigation thus contributes to studies that aim to foster the effective integration of technology in teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communications technology (ICT) now plays a prominent role in pre-service teacher education programmes across the globe. Despite this emphasis, research indicates that pre-service teachers’ use of ICT is often less than expected, even though they express positive opinions of its benefits. This study aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ views of ICT and consider the function of their expressed opinions. This longitudinal study, using one-to-one semi-structured interviews, was conducted with pre-service teachers on entry and on completion of a one-year Masters programme in Spain. The pre-service teachers held quite traditional views of teaching and learning, presenting teaching in an either-or manner - either ICT supported or non-ICT supported. They also spoke positively about ICT while simultaneously expressing reservations about it. The article argues that these contradictory positions may be a result of the need to navigate two competing environments, the higher education institution and the practicum school, where expectations of ICT use may differ. The article explores this performative function of their talk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers’ attitudes towards technology are crucial to foster its use in schools and to improve its educational affordances and this is still a topic for research. This article relates the attitudes school teachers have towards information and communication technologies (ICT) with the different levels of technology integration in schools. A multiple case-study research methodology was applied, and in which the school was the unit of sampling used. Thirty-five schools from eight Spanish regions were selected, and 1222 questionnaires were collected, representing 78.9% of the sample. Three combined variables were utilised to classify schools in four different levels of technology integration. Results suggest level 4 school teachers exhibit better attitudes towards ICT, which results in creating a positive circle which improves the learning process. This becomes relevant for teacher education and professional development, as effective ICT integration in the classroom can perform as a catalyst for educational innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence shows that teachers' use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom is still limited in variety and frequency. However, their use of ICT outside the classroom, while more frequent, has been less studied. Our research aims to identify personal factors associated with teachers' ICT use inside and outside the classroom. Data from a questionnaire administered to a nationwide sample of 6932 teachers in Chile was used to characterise their activities and perceptions associated with ICT. Multiple regression analyses were applied to determine relationships between them. The findings show first, that teachers use ICT more frequently outside the classroom for class preparation; second, that their perceptions of ICT impact on professional practice is the main factor associated with their use of ICT inside and outside the classroom; third, that less experienced teachers use communication tools with colleagues and students more often; and finally, that there is a need to examine teachers' use of (ready-made) Internet resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]