i-manager's Journal on School Educational Technology (JSCH)


Volume 3 Issue 4 March - May 2008

Article

Performance Assessment In Language Testing

Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan*
* Assistant Professor of TEFL, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan (2008). Performance Assessment In Language Testing. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.640

Abstract

Over the past few decades, educators in general, and language teachers in specific, were more inclined towards using testing techniques that resembeled real life-language performance. Unlike traditional paper-and-pencil language tests that required test-takers to attempt tests that were based on artificial and contrived language content, performance tests are authentic so that the test-taker is asked to perform language tasks that he or she will need to perform in real-life interactions. A very valuable type of performance test is called portofolio assessment in which a record of students' performance across a wide range of language tasks over a logical period of time is kept so that a profile of performance can be obtained for the evaluation of achievement. This paper will define performance assessment, trace its origins and development, explain how performance tests can be constructed, and describes the nature and advantages of portofolios.

Article

Information Technologies and Globalization: New Perspectives of Teaching Learning Process

Irshad Husain*
* Assistant Professor, Department of Education, lnternational lslamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Irshad Hussain (2008). Information Technologies and Globalization: New Perspective of Teaching Learning Process. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 8-16. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.642

Abstract

This article discusses how information technologies and globalization have opened new avenues and horizons for educators and learners. It discusses different experiences of using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching learning process the world over in the age of globalization. It focuses on the ways these new trends have promoted opportunities of flexible learning; possible at any time and any place in any discipline and a shift from teacher centered teaching to student centered learning. Presently accumulated knowledge and experience occupies central place and students have direct access to it. They can develop collaboration to work in groups. Teachers have to work in preparing and evaluating instructional materials and spend most of their time in coaching students how to retrieve and process information.

Research Paper

Developing and Sustaining Schools as Technology-Enriched Learning Organizations

Linda Cole Atkinson* , Mary John O'hair**, H. Dan O'hair***, Leslie Ann Williams****
*Associate Director for K12 Partnerships,K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal,University of Oklahoma
** Vice Provost for School and Community Partnerships & Director of the K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal,University of Oklahoma
*** Presidential Professor & Director of the Center for Risk and Crisis Management,University of Oklahoma
****Associate Director for K12 research,K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal,University of Oklahoma
Linda Cole Atkinson, Mary John O'hair, H. Dan O'hair and Leslie Ann Williams (2008). Developing and Sustaining Schools as Technology-Enriched Learning Organizations. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 17-33. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.644

Abstract

During the last two decades, an assumption was advanced by policy makers that making technology available would result in effective technology transfer and integration in the teaching and learning process (Cuban, 2001); however, reality has been less kind with research presenting a pessimistic picture regarding the impact of technology in the classroom and on teachers’ instructional strategies (Becker, 2001).  The purpose of this study was to examine how technology-enriched learning environments can be developed and sustained through professional learning community (PLC) paradigms that make meaningful differences in teacher and student learning.

Research Paper

Technology in Mathematics Classrooms: A Meta-Analysis of the Recent Literature

Qing Li* , Xin Ma**
*Associate Professor ,Faculty of Education ,University of Calgory
**Professor ,Department of Curriculum and instruction,University of Kentucky
Qing Li and Xin Ma (2008). Technology in Mathematics Classrooms: A Meta-Analysis of the Recent Literature.i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 34-54. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.701

Abstract

The increasingly use of technology in education does set off a flurry of research studies that focus on the successfulness and effectiveness of technology in elementary and secondary education. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of research literature on technology in relation to mathematics teaching and learning. Particularly, the following main research questions were addressed in our meta-analysis:

1. What is the magnitude of the effects of technology on schooling outcomes concerning mathematics education?

2. How does the magnitude of the effects of technology fluctuate in response to various study features (e.g., gender, age, race) and design features (e.g., randomization, sample size, instruments)?

Based on a total of 81independent findings extracted from 39studies involving a total of 59,147 learners, the results of the series of meta-analyses conducted in this review indicate that technology can affect mathematics teaching and learning.

Research Paper

Computer Use in Diverse Learning Contexts in ELS 2002: Gender, Race and Learner-Centeredness Effects and Implications

Sunha Kim* , Mido Chang**
*Research Scholar ,Instructional Design and Technology ,Virginia Tech USA.
**Assistant Professor ,Department of EDucational Leadership and Policy studies ,Virginia Tech USA.
Sunha Kim and Mido Chang (2008). Computer Use in Diverse Learning Contexts in ELS 2002: Gender, Race and Learner-Centeredness Effects and Implications. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 55-65. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.702

Abstract

This paper examines the relation between computer use in diverse learning contexts and math achievement, and the gender and ethnicity-based differences in that relation. The study selected learner centeredness as a meaningful pedagogy in using computers because of its importance in technology-based learning. Along with the emerging notion of the importance of learner control in learning environments, technology has been expected to enable learner-centered learning environments. Moreover, learning models (including learner centeredness) suggest an important framework for successful integration of technology into teaching and learning. The study employs multiple regression models to 15,430 10th grade students from the Education Longitudinal Study 2002 (ELS: 2002), a US nationally representative database. The results confirm the significant effects of computer use in diverse contexts on student academic performance and its differential effects for gender and race. In particular, computer use for schoolwork was a significant predictor of math achievement for 10th graders, especially for Caucasian students. The effects of female students’ computer use for their own learning in math were lower than those for males; these effects were pronounced in the Hispanic and Asian groups. The study results have implications for the theory and practice of computer use.

Research Paper

Preparing Teachers to use Technology: Effects of Training Experience on Confidence and Knowledge

Michele Alfieri* , Jeremy I. Tutty**
* Doctoral Student, Educational Technology Northcentral University
**AssistantProfessor, Educational Technology, Boise State University
Michele Alfieri and Jeremy I. Tutty (2008). Preparing Teachers to use Technology: Effects of Training Experience on Confidence and Knowledge. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 66-74. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.714

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between computer technology training experiences and pre-service teachers’ confidence and knowledge.  Participants enrolled in one of four distinct training experiences at two universities (computer literacy only, computer integration only, separate integration and literacy, combined integration and literacy) completed a survey developed to measure their confidence and knowledge of computer skills and integration.  Findings revealed that pre-service teachers whose experience included both computer literacy and computer integration training had more confidence for computer skills and integration than when the training experience included only one of the two.  Results also indicated that participants who completed computer literacy training by itself or in combination with integration training had significantly more knowledge than those who did not complete the literacy course.  Implications for training pre-service teachers on how to integrate technology are provided.

Research Paper

The Ideology of Innovation Education and its Emergence as a New subject in Compulsory Schools

Svanborg R Jonsdottir* , Gisli Thorsteinsson**, Tom Page***
* Chair of the lcelandicTeachersAssociation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education.
** Assistant Professor, Department of Design and Craft, Iceland UnNersify of Educatlon, Research Scholar, Loughborough University
*** Lecturer of Electronic Product Design,Department of Design andTechnology LoughboroughUniversitY,England.
Svanborg R Jonsdottir and Gisli Thorsteinsson, Tom Page (2008 The Ideology of Innovation Education and its Emergence as a New subject in Compulsory Schools. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 75-84. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.715

Abstract

Innovation Education and Practical Use of Knowledge was introduced into the Icelandic National Curriculum for compulsory schools in 1999, where it is defined by the curriculum writers as a “school subject” but is not allocated any direct time in the recommended guidelines for subjects. This paper describes a master’s research project from the University of Iceland, Faculty of Pedagogy and Education which focuses on how Innovation Education emerged in Iceland and how the subject has developed; what makes the subject special; and what factors, internal and external, have influenced its dissemination. The paper will include an overview of the data collection and analysis methods and an overview of the findings.

Research Paper

Role of Educational Technology in Distance Teacher Training Programme

Aijaz Ahmed Gujjar* , Bushra Naoreen Choudhry**
* Lecturer, Federal College of Education, Islamabad, Pakistan.
** Lecturer, GC University, FaisaIabad Pakistan., Research Scholar, Department of Education, The lslamia College.
Dr. Aijaz Ahmed Gujjar and Dr.Bushra Naoreen Choudhry (2008 Role of Educational Technology in Distance Teacher Training Programme. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology. 3(4), 85-92. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.3.4.717

Abstract

Educational technology is the development, application and evaluation of systems, techniques and aids to improve the process of human learning. In almost all the important activities engaged in the name of teaching, training or instructions the possibility of using educational technology has been explored and is being explored, even today. Educational technology is a matter of making education more meaningful or a question of improving its quality or even the issue of making it accessible to more children. One thing that always prominently matters is the teacher, the quality of his preparation and his maintenance as a professional. His/her performance is the most crucial input in the field of education. So their training with special linkage with technology is one of the most essential needs. The use of educational technology is an innovative practice, which needs to be adopted by every teacher. The present study was undertaken with a view to evaluate the quality of educational technology used in teacher training, to specify the advantages of educational technology in teacher training and to identify the problems in the use of educational technology in teacher training. To achieve the desire end, data was collected from 200 student teachers/prospective teachers enrolled in B.Ed course of Allama Iqbal Open University in the semester spring 2006 from Multan region through a thirty one items questionnaire on likert scale. The study reports that use of educational technology does not get its due status in the Pakistani settings. The major findings are the course does not include all the essential components of educational technology, attitude towards usefulness of educational technology is not positive, teacher training programme is not supported by the use of mass media, the teacher training programme is not supported by models and display cards, teacher training programme is not supported by use of computers, teacher training programme is not supported by micro teaching. Besides it very interesting findings were found. It is recommended that computer must be provided during training, Internet facilities should be provided during training session and teacher training programme can be improved by the effective use of educational technology.