Computer use during primary school teaching practice: a survey

Abstract The National Curriculum for England and Wales specifies a number of programmes of study and attainment targets relevant to Information Technology. New regulations to be introduced for teacher training courses specify compulsory elements related to the effective use of computers in class. This study reports a survey of 109 student teachers who were asked about their experiences of IT on their first teaching practice. It revealed a rather low spontaneous use of computers, a focus on a narrow range of software, which emphasized practice of basic skills. The course which these students are following fails to meet new requirements, and teachers were ill-prepared to face the rigours of the National Curriculum; nevertheless, some positive lessons were learned from the study. While non-users identified a lack of confidence and basic skill as the major reason for not using IT in class, users reported high pupil enjoyment, few problems using IT, and gains in personal confidence as a result of their classroom experiences. It is concluded that future courses should focus initially on the development of personal confidence, and should encourage the early use of IT in teaching practice, if we are to avoid the situation where new entrants to the teaching profession simply add to the pool of teachers in need of training in the use of IT.     

Student IT capability within a school-based primary ITT course

Abstract This study reports on a comparative survey of primary student teachers' use of IT in schools. Groups on a similar course but with different amounts of school placement were compared. Their changing attitudes and perceived competencies were identified. The level of support available in schools was also investigated. Whilst the support available in schools was usually limited by lack of equipment and teacher expertise, students on the more school-based course were found to gain more experience of IT in schools and were more likely to have used a range of IT applications. The level of use of IT in schools is found to have a significant impact on students' confidence and attitudes towards IT. However, wide variation in students' experience is identified and strategies for overcoming this continuing problem are suggested.     

Learning to learn: New TA preparation in computer pedagogy

In examining graduate student teaching assistants’ (TAs’) adjustment to their first teaching experience in first-year composition (FYC) classrooms, scholars have recently noted that the experience mirrors that of their FYC students. Both groups—new TAs and new FYC students—are grappling with instantiations of Courtney Cazden’s (1988) notion of performance before competence. Specifically, both new groups work within initially uncomfortable but ultimately developmentally positive levels of ambiguity, multiplicity, and open-endedness. Because the computer classroom experience of new TAs is generally not examined, in this qualitative study several first- and second-year TAs recount, in personal narratives, some of their early personal and educational experiences with computers and recall their perceptions of their first semester teaching FYC in the computer classroom. Their voices, combined with computers-and-composition theory and learning theory, suggest that the temptation to respond to new TAs’ feelings of dissonance with more intensive computer training prior to their teaching may not ameliorate their discomfort and may, in fact, be counterproductive. After examining these new TAs’ experiences, a perspective on TA preparation for computer pedagogy, based on Etienne Wenger’s (1998) notion of communities of practice, is presented.     

计算机应用专业本科教学实践环节探讨

针对计算机学科专业的特点、教学过程中存在的问题、社会应用需求和当今IT人才的现状,本文指出毕业生动手实践能力的重要性,并给出了分阶段、分层次的教学实践体系。通过调整本科教学过程中的教学实践环节,践行本科生—导师制原则,并给予小组团队的能力培养形式,以求实现本科教育与社会需求的无缝连接。     

Developing a NFC-equipped smart classroom: Effects on attitudes toward computer science

This study describes a smart classroom system that integrates near field communication (NFC) technology to automate attendance management, locate students, and provide real-time student feedback. The proposed system’s attendance management feature can conserve time and reduce paper-work because students use their NFC-enabled smartphones or NFC smart cards to register their attendance automatically. Also, the system’s student-positioning feature is particularly useful for teaching large classes because teachers typically experience difficulties in both recognizing students and familiarizing themselves with their students’ learning progress. In addition, the real-time feedback function could be beneficial especially for Asian students because they are usually reluctant to express their opinions during class. This study also evaluates the proposed system’s effect on students’ attitude toward science education by applying relevant theories. Our case study of a computer science course shows that the attitudes of students toward computer science generally improved following the implementation of the proposed system. Because more than half of the measures from the aspects of learning computer science at school and importance of computer science are positive and significant, this indicates that students find computer science more interesting, expecting, exciting, beneficial, helpful, and appealing after the using the proposed system.     

What goes on in school-based ITT?

Abstract Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is destined to become more, perhaps entirely, school-based. Teacher competence with IT is still being developed. How might this lack in competence impact on trainee teachers learning to use IT in school? This paper considers the classroom experiences of trainee teachers following an early years, school-based BA (QTS) degree. Working in pairs the trainees undertook a range of IT work that was planned to exploit cross-curricular links. Observations of their work in school and recordings of class teacher/trainee conversations are used to describe the reality of school-based ITT. The data suggest that the value of the school-based work is largely restricted to that of planning for, and doing, in a specific context. There is little evidence that the class teachers are able to act as mentors for the trainee's IT work. This could have serious consequences for the IT competence of the future teaching profession.     

Prompting authentic blogging practice in an online graduate course

Blogging is characterized by an individual exploration of ideas of personal interest through frequent online posts, documenting ideas as they emerge over time. Community emerges as bloggers read and link across blogs, based on shared interests. Blogs have gained acceptance in higher education for a variety of instructional activities, among which, reflective journal writing is popular. In this study, we examine a project in which blogs were implemented within an online graduate course in order to create opportunities for students to reflect on their academic, professional and personal interests, with the goal of establishing consistent blogging that exhibits the timely, frequent and interest-driven practices of blogging practices outside educational contexts. Students enrolled in an online graduate course maintained individual blogs in which they were prompted to write about their interests and experiences as graduate students. Through an analysis of the patterns of prompt use and blog content, as well as data from a post-course survey and an online discussion, we explore how to support student engagement with blogging practice within an educational setting. Findings suggest that frequency of writing, topic resonance with the students own interests, and the timeliness of entries were key factors in scaffolding writing that aligns with blogging practice. By focusing on writing as characterized by authentic blogging practice, this study contributes to an understanding of how to harness the unique communicative elements of the blog in post-secondary settings.     

Could a laptop computer plus the liquid crystal display projector amount to improved multimedia geoscience instruction?

In this study, a multimedia computer‐aided tutorial (MCAT) on the topic of debris‐flow hazards was developed for senior high‐school students in Taiwan. The format of the new course is a blend of whole‐class presentations, interactive discussions among the teacher and students, and classroom activities using the MCAT software. The whole‐class presentation was presented using both a laptop computer and a high‐resolution liquid crystal display projector to display the MCAT contents on a large white screen in front of a whole class. Besides, class discussions between the teacher and the students and among students were also embedded in the teaching format. Students' earth science learning outcomes were evaluated by administering an achievement test and a survey of attitudes towards the earth science subject before and after the course. The results indicated that MCAT accompanied by the current ‘interactive whole‐class teaching’ form could significantly help the students' grasp of earth science concepts and greatly improve their attitudes towards earth science.     

IT under school-based policies for Initial Teacher Training

Abstract This paper describes aspects of a survey carried out amongst students and staff in the use of Information Technology (IT) in the initial training of teachers at the University of Leeds during the academic year 1992/93. The survey attempted to chart the IT profiles of students during their Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) year, assessing their initial and final IT confidence, their IT activities and problems they encountered, and the extent to which IT was used on their teaching practice. The results of the survey are discussed in the light of the changes which are taking place in the training of teachers.     

A case study of the in-class use of a video game for teaching high school history

This study examines the case of a sophomore high school history class where Making History, a video game designed with educational purposes in mind, is used in the classroom to teach about World War II. Data was gathered using observation, focus group and individual interviews, and document analysis. The high school was a rural school located in a small town in the Midwestern United States. The teacher had been teaching with the game for several years and spent one school week teaching World War II, with students playing the game in class for three days of that week. The purpose of this study was to understand teacher and student experiences with and perspectives on the in-class use of an educational video game. Results showed that the use of the video game resulted in a shift from a traditional teacher-centered learning environment to a student-centered environment where the students were much more active and engaged. Also, the teacher had evolved implementation strategies based on his past experiences using the game to maximize the focus on learning.     

IT in post-graduate teacher training

Abstract  The IT capabilities expected of all students training to be teachers are now laid down in government guidelines but time on one year postgraduate courses is limited. It is therefore important to be aware of the IT skills that students bring with them to help develop the courses on offer. A questionnaire survey of nearly 400 PGCE primary and secondary students was completed for a 1989/90 cohort. This study set out to find what prior IT experience students brought with them, and what they perceived as their IT training needs. Two thirds of these students were found to have little experience of using computers either at home, school, college or work, and there was a very low level of experience of some of the more high priority National Curriculum software packages (e.g. electronic communications, modelling software, control software). Most students gave high training priority to learning how computers can be used in teaching. These results are discussed in relation to other surveys of IT in teacher education, and the implications for PGCE course development.     

The research-teaching nexus in a graduate CALL course: An action research study

The ‘research-teaching nexus’ means integrating disciplined-based research into course content to develop students’ research ability. Though such integration has been investigated in various higher education content areas, no previous CALL teacher education research seems to have addressed it. This study explored how research should be integrated into a graduate CALL course and how such integration influences students’ research awareness and skills. The content-focused and process-focused forms of the research-teaching nexus were integrated into a graduate CALL course taught in a language teacher education programme at an Arab university. The course was taught to a group of female MA student teachers for a 15-week academic term. Qualitative data was collected using observation and an open-end questionnaire within an action research framework. The students reported positive evaluation of research integration into the CALL course. Meanwhile, the observational data indicates that research integration has fostered their CALL research awareness and enabled them to learn how to craft some key research elements, namely developing research titles and questions, and selecting the research method. The results generally imply that developing students’ CALL research skills through the process-focused teaching forms is a more complicated task than enhancing their research awareness via the content-focused ones.     

An evaluation of medical residents utilization of tablet computers

Today’s medical students are digital natives who, for their entire life, have been surrounded by digital technology. Our research focuses on a tablet computer’s usability in medical education, and the subsequent transfer from the classroom to the work environment. For a period of three years, all incoming pediatric residents at a large southeastern university were provided an iPad. At the end of the 3-year program, we surveyed the residents measuring perceptions of iPad use and satisfaction. Fifty-six (60%) of the residents responded to the survey. A statistically significant number reported an increased amount of time spent with the tablet throughout their medical education. Similarly, a significant difference exists between those who believe the device to be a necessary part of medical education versus those stating it would be nice but not necessary. We present figures detailing how three conceptual areas: receiving information, inputting information, and collaboration (consisting of ten different facets of the tablet’s use) impacted their medical education. Residents throughout their medical education use the tablet extensively. There is variance in the areas where the tablet is the preferred tool versus a smartphone or computer. A clear majority of students expect to transition the tablet into their workplace upon completing residency. We argue a tablet is a useful tool for graduate medical education and later medical practice.     

A team-teaching model for practicing project-based learning in high school: Collaboration between computer and subject teachers

Project-based learning (PBL) is a highly effective means of motivating students to learn independently. However, training or encouraging teachers to practice PBL in their classrooms is challenging, especially if the educational system does not accommodate creative teaching practices. In particular, in a test-driven educational system, time constraints and an excess of teaching content makes it difficult to practice PBL at the high school level. This work presents a novel team-teaching model that is based on collaboration between subject teachers and the computer teacher to facilitate PBL in the classroom. A two-year experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of the proposed model, in which the school computer teacher conducts PBL with the 10th grade students in the first year, and subject teachers conduct PBL with the 11th grade students in the second year. Experimental results indicate that the proposed model is feasible in the given educational setting. No class time was lost, and the subject teacher successfully conducted PBL activities. Furthermore, a follow-up survey indicated that the students enjoyed the PBL activities in both classes.     

创新型计算机专业研究生培养课程教学改革与探索

如何改变传统的讲授方式、增强课程教学的研究性,培养学生创新思维,是近年来研究生课程教学的热点问题。针对我国计算机专业研究生创新能力不足问题,从课程教学的角度探讨高质量、创新型计算机专业人才的培养。以软件工程类研究生课程为例,介绍我们近年来在研究性课程教学方面的一些探索与实践。实践表明,以专题报告为切入点的研究性教学改革有利于学生探索新领域、培养团队合作精神、提高学术报告的技能,为将来进一步从事科学研究打下了良好的基础。     

回归课堂的程序设计课程教学设计

当前,程序设计相关课程的重点向实践偏移,但是一些老师在重视实践的同时,却忽视了课堂教育。笔者认为,课堂教学是大学教育的基础,不能被课外实践所取代,在重视实践的基础上,应让程序设计课回归课堂。如何通过课堂教学,让学生学懂、学会、学活,是需要任课老师进行持之以恒的研究。从知识体系、知识边界、讲授逻辑、教学技巧、原创思维、使用能力等多个角度分析了课堂教学研究的核心要义,并以程序设计课程为案例展示了回归课堂教学的效果。     

项目教学法在高等医学院校计算机课程中的应用

结合教学实践,探讨项目教学法在计算机课程中的设计原则,阐述项目教学法的具体实施步骤。实践表明,将项目教学法引入医学院校的计算机课程教学中,不仅可以提高教学效果,还可以丰富学生的思维模式,帮助他们成为具有IT知识的医学人才。     

Teaching, Exploring, Learning—Developing Tutorials for In-Class Teaching and Self-Learning

This paper presents an experience report on a novel approach for a course on intermediate and advanced computer graphics topics. The approach uses Teachlet Tutorials, a combination of traditional seminar–type teaching with interactive exploration of the content by the audience, plus development of self-contained tutorials on the topic. In addition to a presentation, an interactive software tool is developed by the students to assist the audience in learning and exploring the topic's details. This process is guided through set tasks. The resulting course material is developed for two different contexts: (a) for classroom presentation and (b) as an interactive, self-contained, self-learning tutorial. The overall approach results in a more thorough understanding of the topic both for the student teachers as well as for the class participants. In addition to detailing the Teachlet Tutorial approach, this paper presents our experiences implementing the approach in our Advanced Computer Graphics course and presents the resultant projects. Most of the final Teachlet Tutorials were surprisingly good and we had excellent feedback from the students on the approach and course.     

Successful stories and conflicts: A literature review on the effectiveness of flipped learning in higher education

As technological advancements continue to revolutionize teaching, the use of technology in both college/university and K‐12 classrooms is making flipped learning a trending instructional model. “Flipping” the classroom reverses a traditional model of in‐class lecture followed by practice and homework. The roles and responsibilities of instructors and students often require a new or enhanced skill set where the instructor designs intentional learning experiences to engage students outside of the classroom. The learner is accountable for exploring materials outside of class in a self‐directed manner, attempting to gain foundational knowledge before class, and then actively applying it in the classroom. This review analyses the research on flipped learning and flipped classrooms in higher education from a variety of aspects including implementation, efficacy, and quality.