Evaluating Educational Software

Teachers are under increasing pressure from government and school management to incorporate technology into lessons. They need to consider which technologies can most effectively enhance subject learning, encourage higher order thinking skills and support the performance of authentic tasks. This chapter reviews the practical and theoretical tools that have been developed to aid teachers in selecting software and reviews the software assessment methodologies from the 1980s to the present day. It concludes that teachers need guidance to structure the evaluation of technology, to consider its educational affordances, its usability, its suitability for the students and the classroom environment and its fit to the teachers’ preferred pedagogies.

Web Conferencing and Remote Laboratories as Part of Blended Learning in Engineering and Science

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview and subsequent application of research into the impact web conferencing and remote laboratories have on engineering and science education within the context of blended learning. The impact is examined especially in assessing the reaction and achievement of learners in using these new technologies compared to that of a traditional classroom or (the currently popular approach of) asynchronous e-learning. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the level of remote or distance learning (or e-learning) using the Internet. One of the gaps in current research is the examination of the impact of web conferencing and remote science and engineering laboratories on the learning experience. The chapter is commenced by defining e-learning, synchronous, asynchronous and blended learning. Hereafter, web conferencing and remote laboratories are then defined and reviewed in detail. The impact that web conferencing and remote labs have on the e-learning experience as compared to the classroom and asynchronous approaches is then examined. The chapter is concluded by an examination of our research into what the perceived requirements are for web conferencing and remote laboratories and suggestions are given on how to apply web conferencing and remote labs to engineering and science education.

Mixed Realities

Teaching with technological support brings its own set of problems, some of them technical and others social in nature. Familiarity with specific technology can enhance the teacher’s, the practicing professional’s and the student’s experience, otherwise each will face a potentially steep learning curve before being able to achieve the best outcomes. We live in a time of rapid technical advancement bringing us new and ever more exciting opportunities at ever decreasing cost. In this chapter the authors will look at technologies which present opportunities in the virtuality continuum, from the ubiquitous mobile phone to more specialized augmented and mixed reality systems. They show examples from various fields of endeavor in an attempt to whet the appetite of those interested in new and innovative approaches to training and education.

Empowering Students in Computer-Supported Education

In the past two decades, computers and web-based technologies have created a computer-based focus in the field of education. The computer-supported teaching and learning has revolutionised the concept of education around the world, which creates both opportunities and challenges in the field of education. It is believed that computer-based technologies have developed to augment the traditional learning and teaching at all educational levels. Computer-supported education empowers learners by promoting the notions of learner-centred learning approach, encouraging interactions among students or between students and lecturer, and addressing the individualized learning needs. This chapter explains some important concepts in computer-supported education, and presents the learning theories that underpin this area. Furthermore, it discusses the benefits of web-based technologies for students at various levels and issues that require further research.

MyLO

As one of the key infrastructures within web-based learning, courseware is adopted by schools and universities to enable a systematic learning delivery and education management. Students in both traditional face-to-face learning and online courses can benefit from this technology. The wide range of courseware platforms are supporting course needs by offering great flexibility in information delivery, communication services, and collaboration. This chapter looks at the role of web-based courseware in tertiary education, using MyLO (My Learning Online) as an example. It reveals that courseware systems like MyLO have a great potential in facilitating collaborations and enhance interactions among lecturers and students. To achieve this, potential efforts from all perspective are required; including students, lecturers and faculties.

Technology Empowerment and the Deployment of Netbooks in Education

Netbooks are mini-laptop computers designed for mobility, online access and general office applications. Their great popularity with consumers promises equal impact on the technological landscape. This chapter is an exploration into the current state of netbook technology, its strengths and weaknesses, impacts on society and industry, and the challenges for deployment in educational institutions. While a netbook may not be able to satisfy all educational requirements because of performance and security issues, it is a reasonable alternative to fulfill the basic need for most students. Faculty and students will use netbooks on their own because they are trendy, cheap and portable. It is important for educational technologists to get involved, establishing policies so that the technology can be used safely.

Accessibility Issues of Educational Web Sites

The World Wide Web (Web) has become an essential part of our daily life. Web accessibility remains an important issue because many people have limited access to the Web. It is essential to make this content accessible to all people. This chapter provides an overview of the importance of web accessibility. It explains the current status of the issue, accessibility guidelines and techniques to evaluate and achieve web accessibility. Useful resources and practical recommendations to increase accessibility are also included.

Creating an Environment for Pre-Service Teachers to Develop Technical Pedagogical and Content Knowledge

This chapter reports a teacher education program in applying the framework of TPACK to the design of its ICT curriculum: the design principles employed, its implementation and a formative evaluation. A survey adapted from Schmidt et al. (2009) was administered at the beginning and completion of the course. The post-course survey showed an increase in pre-service teachers’ self-reported ratings in all three types of knowledge, namely technological knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, and technology, pedagogy and content knowledge. Although majority (53.1%) of the pre-service teachers favored the approach of learning technology through engaging in design projects, many suggested that more structured instruction would benefit their learning.

ICT in Higher Education

Over the past decades, there has been an intensive drive to implement information and communications technology (ICT) in diverse contexts. In education, ICT has produced significant benefits to research, teaching and learning. Enhanced learning outcomes and effective teaching practices, for example, are reported as positive impacts of ICT integration, particularly in higher educational contexts. However, in order to examine how ICT influences tertiary teaching and learning, it is important to look at the main stakeholders’ perspective. This chapter reports a case study about the perceptions of ICT among university lecturers and students on key aspects of ICT in an Australian university context. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The major findings revealed that there were wide variations in respondents’ perceptions of ICT’s impact, which may partly affect the effectiveness of ICT implementation in this context.

Student Engagement with Technology

This chapter explores significant findings from a two-year study of 9 and 10 year old students working in a technology-rich classroom in the northern region of New Zealand. It specifically reports on outcomes relating to the nature of student engagement with learning tasks while using the technology, and poses some questions about the nature of this learning, and how it occurred. Using a case study methodology, the research utilized innovative screen recording software that allowed for authentic data to be collected about student work processes and interactions, as they navigated their way through learning tasks using the technologies at their disposal. Findings indicate that while student engagement and what appeared to be ‘on task’ behaviors were high, this was often not focused towards meeting planned learning outcomes, and that while the technology was a valuable resource to support the learning of more capable and independent students, others struggled to gain any significant learning benefit from its availability.