Beyond Technology - Children's Voices and Digital Realities at School (original) (raw)
Related papers
Invisible Potential: The Social Contexts of Technology in Three 9th-Grade ELA Classrooms
Research in the Teaching of English, 2018
In this article, we consider how an ELA inquiry-based curriculum centered on technology provided avenues for students to share beliefs about their own identities and the world around them. Through classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, and analysis of the work produced by students in three 9th-grade English classrooms, this study builds on existing assumptions about the role technology plays in schools. Rather than simply noting how technology enables and strengthens digital production practices and access in English classrooms, we argue that technology mediates student identities and helps students articulate the complex cultural experiences and beliefs that they bring daily into schools. Further, by exploring how student beliefs about identity and society were couched in statements about technology, this study connects English classroom discussions about technology to broader understandings of the world beyond schools. Through our analysis of student talk, student writing, and classroom observations, we identified three ways that students described technology. When engaging in the curriculum, students represented technology as invisible or in relation to humanity, and frequently explored the relationship between technology, society, and power. Ultimately, this study suggests that when considering how technology layers meanings of power within schools, we must view technology according to the domains in which it does and does not "count" in students' eyes. The implementation of technology in English classrooms is far more complicated than the utilization of tools. It is about power, student identity, and positioning. Overview Every day, students are integrating technology into their reading, writing, and inquiry practices in English language arts classrooms. From socializing with peers to producing academic work, technology is often at the root of how students communicate and produce in today's "participatory culture" (Jenkins, 2006). Technology both in the world beyond schools and within classroom settings-is at the center of how students access information, interact with peers, and create materials
Technology is a tool for Learning: Voices of Teachers and Parents of Young Children
JESS, 2019
Education in early years is becoming challenging to inculcate the best practices with specific support and demand to meet the global initiatives (Beckley, 2011). In this regard, teaching through technology plays a significant role if it is connected with relevant learning experiences (Willis, Weiser, & Kirkwood, 2014). The students are exposed to a technologically rich environment through positive and consistent patterns in their learning experiences, it helps them in their cognitive development. Within the context of Pak-istan, one thing commonly observed is the misuse of technology and lack of guidance provided by their parents to the young children. This study helps to understand the perspectives of parents and teachers regarding the application of technology-based teaching and their observation to this approach. Interviews and observations through qualitative research method helped to understand how people comprehend their experiences in relation to the use of technology with early year children and what meanings they derive from their personal experiences (Merriam, 1998). The outcomes of this research informed that parents and teachers highly recommended technology use in classrooms as the source to develop 21st century skills; technology allows children to get the accessibility of multiple resources; become multi tasked, develop the level of communication skills through which they can connect themselves to the world; readiness to learn new concepts; motivates in reading through visual learning; helps in understanding complex concepts and retain information for a longer time. Role of schools in promoting technology-based teaching in early year classroom highlighted as minimizing the gap of resource allocation through providing sufficient technology-based resources to the students through which many learning opportunities will be given to the students to become effective learner and developing ways of assessment for effective learning. Some of the challenges informed by the participants with the use of technology are eye sight issue due to access use and students' lack of interest towards book reading.
Students� Voices about Learning with Technology
Journal of Social Sciences, 2012
Problem statement: This study argues for the inclusion of student voice as a valid means of identifying 21st century pedagogical approaches to learning. Today's students are increasingly living and thriving in a digital world and have a new "digital vernacular" which leads to differences in the way students think about learning. Approach: In Australia many students are already immersed in technologies and have preconceived ideas of what technologies they can expect to use in the classroom and how they will learn. Our schools are slowly changing but are struggling to understand what a contemporary learning environment might look like. Current and emerging technologies are forcing teachers to rethink how best to prepare students for the demands and challenges of the 21st century. Results: Technology plays a key role in how students play, learn, gain information and interact with others. Teachers are challenged to find ways of tapping into the natural curiosities of students allowing them to do more learning on their own. This study explores the use of student voice in an Australian primary school as a valid method to inform teachers about what tools can best support students in their learning. Focus groups, questionnaires and drawings are used to identify technologies, strategies and settings that help students to learn. Conclusion: The findings indicate that students expect to use a variety of technologies in their learning as many students use technologies as a natural tool in their everyday life. This research attempts to clarify what a contemporary learning environment might look like and what teaching strategies and technologies can increase motivation and engagement thus improving student learning opportunities. The student data also includes suggestions to teachers on how they may provide rich learning experiences for students.
Student-initiated use of technology – Friend and foe
E-Learning and Digital Media
A multitude of different technologies are used in school today. Some are provided by the school and others are brought by the individual teacher or student. In addition, different applications are available. In this study the focus is on student-initiated uses of technology and how it conditions learning. Based on a case study with surveys, interviews and an observational time study, it is shown that students appear to be the most frequent users of technology in the classroom and for the most part initiate its use. We also show that they often initiate uses directed towards communication and inquiry. Against the prevailing understanding that students mainly use technology for extra-curricular activities, we found that most of the student-initiated technology and applications related to the task in hand and were therefore not regarded as problematic by teachers or students. However, with regard to student-initiated uses of social media, games and communicative applications the pictur...
Considerable investment has been made to bring technology to schools and these investments have indeed resulted in many “success stories”. However there are two significant gaps in educational uses of technology that must be addressed. The first is a usage gap. Compared to how and how much today’s students use technology outside school, in-school technology usage is much less intensive and extensive. The second is an outcome gap. Compared with the outcomes achieved through investment in technology in sectors outside education, the gains in terms reduced costs and increased productivity achieved by schools is significantly smaller. This article discusses the causes of these two gaps and provides suggestions for bridging them by engaging in discussions about effective teaching and committing to technology planning.
Rethinking Technology in Schools
Among the many challenges facing public schooling in the United States is the often irrelevant usage of technology in the classroom in ways that support the textbook and computer industries more than student learning and achievement. This primer reframes the longstanding debate about instructional technology in school classrooms and challenges the reader to think more critically and conscientiously about the fundamental communication and technological processes that mediate learning and ultimately define education. The primer offers educators at all levels a three-dimensional map for exploring the philosophical, pedagogical, and practical uses of technology to serve rather than subvert the public purposes of education in a democracy.
Access denied? Twenty-first-century technology in schools
Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 2013
This article considers how developments in technologies have transformed the kind of social interaction possible over the Internet, making it feasible to undertake discourse and dialogue without having to rely solely on text-based mediation. This represents a fundamental change to learning, shifting from passive acquisition of someone else’s ideas to active learning experiences that empower people to inquire, critique, create, collaborate, problem-solve and create understanding. Such technologies are also about the portability of mobile digital devices which now have the potential to allow any-time access for users either through Wi-Fi or mobile broadband providers and for those devices to become personal. The implications for education are enormous and the anticipated change probably ranks alongside the introduction of the printing press in terms of historical importance. This article considers those implications and draws on research recently conducted in schools and other educational settings in the United Kingdom. The authors conclude that the need to allow use of personal digital devices in schools seems inexorable, the further we go into the new millennium. This simple premise is fraught with many difficulties and challenges, however, which suggest that for many students the current situation is ‘Access denied’.
Use of Technology in Young Learner Classes - 2009
Technology is getting more and more importance in our society. Technology is all around us whether we want it to be or not: it is the vehicles we drive, it can be found in our homes, gardens and can even be found even in the grocery store. Every place we look there is some type of technology. Widespread use of technology is changing the way we work, learn, and communicate-even the way we carry out our regular, daily activities. Technology usage is inevitable also in schools. Because, it is clearly known that technology has had a considerable impact on our school systems and changed them rapidly and is still impacting it today.
Waiting for the future: digital technologies and school communities
2018
This thesis explores how two school communities envision the revolutionary potential of digital technologies in education, and their thinking about the ways in which the policies around ICT in education may impact on their current and future use of digital technologies for learning. Two research questions guided this thesis, firstly, how do the various members of a school community that includes students, parents, teachers, administrators, and leadership, think about and deal with the use of digital technology at school in the context of the Australian Digital Education Revolution Policy? And secondly, what differences and similarities in perception, emphasis and orientation are evident between students, parents, teachers, administrators, and leadership in their views of digital technology use and its possibilities and revolutionary potential? This study was conducted in two schools, in two different states of Australia, drawing on the views and experiences of the different members of each school community. Using a casestudy approach and visual methods, members of these schools' communities were asked to draw concept maps of their thinking and imaginings of the use of digital technologies in their school, as well as how they see these technologies being used in the future. The four findings chapters deal with teachers, students, and parents as separate groups, with the fourth findings chapter dealing with ICT Coordinators, Principals, and Department of Education Project Officers together. The findings of this study uncovered and interpreted three organising themes: practical concerns, concepts of education and the purpose of digital technologies, and affective orientations. These findings showed a complex and difficult relationship with digital technologies, with a range of hopes and concerns, as well as sometimes contradictory expectations and tensions being shown. The final chapter of this thesis brings together these organising themes into four underpinning narratives that are inherent in the responses of the various members of these school communities. The first narrative is 'the nature of schoolwork', which deals with the range of expectations and tensions about what now constitutes schoolwork. The next narrative examines the 'computer as artefact', and the ways in which the computer carries different meanings to different people, as well as the social, cultural, political, and economic dynamics involved in the use of computers in schools. Thirdly, the narrative of technological determinism deals with the idea that technology determines history and that it is therefore A PhD is a long and difficult journey, and there are many people to thank who gave me their guidance, encouragement, and wisdom along the way. Firstly, I have to thank my Supervisor, Lyn Yates, who guided me through my studies with her wealth of expertise, and wisdom. I have learned a great deal from you, thank you. My Co-supervisors, Linda Corrin, and Nicholas Reynolds, have also contributed their knowledge and experience to the production of this thesis, and I thank you both. I would also like to thank my Advisory Committee: David Beckett, Julieanne Moss, and John Polesel. I first encountered David Beckett's kindness and support as a first-year undergraduate at The University of Melbourne many years ago, and it has been a privilege to complete my academic studies so many years later with his care and guidance. Julieanne's expertise was critical to my use of visual methods, and her enthusiasm for this aspect of my work was energising and very much appreciated. Thank you, John, for helping me keep this study organised and on track over the course of the project. I also need to thank all my friends and colleagues at Charles Sturt University, as without your encouragement and support this journey would have been much more challenging than it was. Rod Francis was constantly cheering for me at the sidelines , and picking me up when things were difficult-I will be forever grateful for your care and wisdom. Cassily Charles, Lindy Croft-Piggin, and Lisa Given were wonderful friends and supporters, generously offering their time, expertise, and care when it was neededthank you so much, it really made a difference. Thanks also to Stephen Kemmis, and to Ros Brennan-Kemmis, whose belief in me started me on this journey all those years ago. I know you would be proud of me now Rozzie. To all my colleagues in the School of Education, especially Barney Dalgarno, Lincoln Gill, Peter Rushbrook, Annette Green, Barry Cocklin, and Andrea Rupert, thank you for all your help, advice, and inspiration. I need to also acknowledge the work of Lisa McLean, whose extraordinary work in the Research Office made me feel I had other PhD students around me when I wasn't on campus in Melbourne-it made the journey much less lonely. Thanks are also due to Christina Preston, whose work with concept maps and technology was inspirational, and who happily took a very new academic under her wing at the beginning of this project. Thanks also to Tara Brabazon, whose generosity, energy, and faith in my abilities were sorely needed at times. To my dear friend Tamsin Meaney, you also played a pivotal role in the completion of this thesis and my growth as a researcher-I am so grateful, thank you. To my dear friend Wade Kelly, a special thank you for all your energy, enthusiasm, support and friendship, you played a very special role in this project. And for Becky Willson (Dr. Becky), a very special thank you indeed-for the friendship, support, and