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Please, check out these articles, appears in AACE Journal, Vol. 16, Iss. 3, 2008.
Prospects for the Use of Mobile Technologies in Science Education
Lucy Avraamidou,
University of Nicosia, Cyprus
Abstract
During the past few years there have been great strides in the advancement of technology with the rise of mobile devices leading to an era characterized by the instant access to and mobility of information. Mobile technologies have more recently been used in a variety of educational settings for a variety of purposes and educational goals.
Nevertheless, while the claims about the positive impact of the use of mobile technologies in different aspects of education are compelling, data on how these technologies support, for example, the understanding of complex concepts or the development of learning skills that enable students to think critically and problem-solve, are limited.
This theoretical article contends that missing, remains a detailed characterization of the accounts and the processes through which mobile technologies mediate learning, and proposes that future research in science education is directed towards: (a) exemplifying the theoretical aspects and the characteristics of design frameworks associated with mobile learning; (b) characterizing rich and complex pedagogical practices that use mobile devices; and (c) sketching the details of the processes by which students come to know through engagement in activities that use mobile technologies.
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Mathematics Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs and Conceptions of Appropriate Technology Use
Patrick Wachira,
Cleveland State University, USA;
Jared Keengwe and Grace Onchwari,
University of North Dakota, USA
Abstract
Many preservice teachers report having had little exposure on the use of technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Without guidance on the appropriate use of technology, prospective teachers are left to form their own beliefs about what is appropriate technology use. This study assessed preservice teacher beliefs and conceptions of appropriate use of technology in mathematics teaching and learning.
Findings indicate that preservice teachers generally did not share the vision of appropriate use of technology in Mathematics (as provided in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] Standards) to support and facilitate conceptual development, exploration, reasoning and problem solving.
Preservice teachers’ beliefs and conceptions of appropriate technology use were limited to the use of technology as computational tools and for checking accuracy of these computations. Evidence from this study suggests a lack of understanding of technology as powerful tools to help students gain knowledge, skills, and appreciation of mathematics.
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Blogging as L2 Writing: A Case Study
Kimberly Armstrong and Oscar Retterer,
Franklin & Marshall College, USA
Abstract
Weblogs—personal online, web-based publications—have exploded on the internet scene in recent years. They are among the technologies indicating changes in the way information is created, managed, and exchanged.
This study examined the use of a blog in an intermediate level Spanish class and its effect upon students. Could blogging provide an opportunity to help students become more actively immersed in a foreign language over the course of a semester?
Would students write more using a blog than in traditional course? Would students feel more confident writing in a foreign language because they were writing weekly? By the end of the semester, students had written 375 postings; 81.25% of the class reported posting to the community blog at least twice a week; 100% responded that they felt more comfortable writing in Spanish; and 100% indicated that they felt more confident in their ability to manipulate verbs forms in Spanish.
While students were, at first, surprised to learn that they were expected to “hyperwrite,” the overall experience proved to be a positive one for students leading the authors to conclude that this generation of computer literate students found blogging an appealing way to communicate in a foreign language.
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Educating the Web-Savvy Urban Teacher: Website Evaluation Tips and Internet Resources for Secondary Educators
Immaculee Harushimana,
Lehman College, City University of New York, USA
Abstract
This article, The Web-Savvy Urban Teacher, addresses the question of what educational technology educators and scholars can do to close the pedagogical mismatch, which exists today between “digital native” secondary students and their predigital educators.
The infrequent use of the Internet as a resource in urban schools is detrimental for today’s generation of students, the majority of whom consider the World Wide Web as the source of all knowledge.
The purpose of his article is to: (a) introduce and establish the rationale that the Internet is an appropriate medium by means of which differentiated instruction and multiple intelligences can help foster content literacy among struggling and reluctant adolescent learners, (b) provide secondary educators with teacher-specific website criteria that will facilitate the website selection process, and (c) supply a sampling of timeless websites for students and teachers interested in working in a self-regulated environment.
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Source: AACE Journal
