Introducing educational computer programmes through evaluation: A case in South African disadvantaged schools (original) (raw)
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Evaluation of an Educational Computer Programme as a Change Agent in Science Classrooms
Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2007
I report on benefits from teacher-participant evaluation. 26 teachers in South Africa participated in a comprehensive evaluation of a computer game designed to motivate learning and to ease conceptual understanding of biology, using a developmental, social constructivist and interpretative model. I recommend an evaluation of Educational Computer Programmes (ECPs) to include: the value system of end-users (through social dialogue); curriculum issues (learning theories in the ECP and those the education authorities recommend, as well as ECP-curriculum integration); the nature of the subject the ECP presents (e.g., Nature of Science); and the compatibility of the ECP with school computers.
Evaluation of educational computer programmes as a change agent in science classrooms
2004
Status of computers and teachers' opinions about the use of computers in a sample of Dinaledi schools 21 Conclusion from the first level of evaluation: validation of CAA and Zadarh The second level of evaluation THE STRUCTURE OF THIS THESIS PART II THEORETICAL ORIENTATION AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES IN SOUTH AFRICA 2 8 SOME OF THE SCIENCE METHODS AND PHILOSOPHIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS 28 Why worry about methods and philosophies in science classrooms? Philosophy of science or Nature of Science? Scientific inquiry, processes, and methods Science and culture Science in South African classrooms Conclusion on philosophies of science in South African classrooms TEACHING STRATEGIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN GRADE 10-12 SCIENCE CLASSES 44 Why include learning strategies? Learning strategies Learning strategies in the context of science education in South African classrooms Conclusion on learning strategies-No single theory explains all learning 56 ASSESSMENT 57 2005/03/23 PLAY 70 Play and learning strategies 70 Playing games 71 Play and learning 73 Conclusion on play 77 CONCLUSION-PRACTICES IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCIENCE CLASSROOMS 78 PART III POSSIBILITIES OF USING COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION 80 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN SCIENCE CLASSROOMS 81 Solving science education problems using computer technology 81 Instructional design (ID) 82 Learning theories and Instructional Design (ID) 82 Fourth generation ID and microworlds Constructivist ID as a change agent for the teacher-learner relationships Instruction and construction? Application of ID in assessment-Computer-Aided Assessment (CAA) Examples of intercourse between science and ID Implications of learning theory-ID relationship for evaluation Considerations for evaluating ECPs 100 Conclusion-points to note in evaluating ECPs 104 PART IV EVALUATING COMPUTER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR CHANGE 105 COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF COMPUTER EDUCATIONAL
Computers in Classrooms: Contextualizing the South African Participation in the SITES 2006 Module
The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) initiated the Second International Technology in Educa-tion Study (SITES), a longitudinal large-scale international comparative survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in schools. The goal is to understand how ICTs effect teaching and learning in schools. SITES 2006 was the third module in this pro-gram to determine how teachers use ICTs, and to find out how school and education system factors influence teachers’ pedagogical orienta-tion. SITES 2006 administered three questionnaires: one for school principals, one for technology coordinators, and one for mathematics and science teachers, around 400 schools in each of 23 education systems. The main study took place during 2005-2007. This paper describes the South African educational context, provides an overview of the South African participation, speculates on South Africa’s future participation, and provides a comparativ...
Generative use of computers: promoting critical outcomes of the South African curriculum
Education As Change, 2008
In this study we focus on the development of the critical outcomes of the South African National Curriculum Statement via a generative use of computers approach developed within a framework of learning as design, Csikszentmihalyi's notion of optimal flow and Activity Theory. The strategy aimed at introducing a sense of novelty, developing cooperation, providing a structure to analyse data and solve problems, as well as enabling learners to use technology. Data were generated via a questionnaire, interviews, learner journals, observational notes, learner artefacts and evaluation reports. These data suggest that the generative use of computers within a hypermedia projectbased learning approach was successful in terms of helping to develop Grade 6 learners to be creative-critical-effective problem solvers, collaborators, responsible persons, collectors and analyzers of information, effective communicators and informed and skilled users of science and technology. Although not an explicit objective of the project, it became apparent that the learners had also developed a higher level of awareness of the notion of audience and significance of evidence during the course of the intervention. The dynamics of the strategy are considered in the light of Activity Theory as applied to ICT integrated classrooms.
Educational Research and Reviews, 2010
The use of computers in the classroom could allow both educators and learners to achieve new capabilities. There are underlying factors, however, that are obstructing the adoption rate of computer use for instructional purposes in schools. This research focused on these problems with a view to determining which critical success factors promote a higher adoption rate of computer usage in education. To investigate the secondary school educator's perceptions of the use of computers for teaching purposes and to analyse the effect of these strategies on their teaching pedagogies in the present environment. The nature of the study required a mixed methods approach to be employed, making use of both quantitative and qualitative data. Two questionnaires, one for the educators and one for the principals of the schools were hand-delivered to 60 secondary schools. Exploratory factor analysis and various internal consistency measures were used to assess and analyse the data. The analyses of the data indicated that educator pedagogies were the highest predictors on the use of computers in the classroom. Although the quantitative analyses for educator support, training and attitude were the lowest predictors on the use of computers, the qualitative analysis, nevertheless, found sufficient support for it. Educationists and policy-makers must include all principals and educators when technological innovations are introduced into schools. All these role-players need to be cognisant of the implications if innovations are not appropriately implemented. Including the use of computers in educator training programs is important so that pre-service educators can see the benefits of using the computer in their own teaching. Educator pedagogy, theories and beliefs and access to computers were the highest predictors of using computers, hence a model was developed. The model aims to strengthen the educators' initiatives to increase the likelihood that would result in enhanced teaching and learning when using computers.
Empowering teachers for educational ICT competence: a South African case study
The need for increased access to ICT by all learners in the South Africa has been recognised by educational authorities. Significant challenges exist, only 27% of schools nationally have access to computers for teaching and learning. Educational authorities embarked on ambitious programmes to introduce ICT's in every school. One of the greatest challenges facing the integration of ICT into the curriculum is that many teachers are not ICT competent. The Gauteng Education Department approached the University of Johannesburg to train 100 teachers in Educational Computing. The aim of this study is to determine how valuable students found the course and the extent to which they transferred their learning to the workplace. Overall, it appears that students rated the course highly. Significant impact was reported on changes in the way that teachers taught which showed that transfer of learning took place, but that it was moderated by access to computers at home or at the workplace.
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This article presents an overview of research into computers and education undertaken at a the University of Pretoria since 1995. It seeks to explore the patterns that have emerged and to indicate potential directions for future research. In response to a call for research in the field to be taken seriously the article identifies the main themes that have been researched over fifteen years.The analysis shows that the main themes addressed are "Didactic/Pedagogical Issues and Teaching/Learning Strategies" and "Architectures for Educational Technology Systems". Finally the paper recommends the development of a taxonomy of terms to be used in the classification of research on e-Learning.
The impact of computer literacy on community school teachers in South Africa
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Abam~/,-Tne resea~ nq~ in this a~kk mmprkes a kid exl~rin~n in which a ~ d ~ ~m from communi~/schook in m infon~ ~ were involved. 'Din findings of the invesd~ia~, which was with m~dy q~di~ive dam, ~ that them mw, hm' mifisl experie~e of computer liter~y education is diqumtimlly important with ~ m "bmunn-up" ¢ommmion of inmmctional them'y md profmsional,,~don.
Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology
This case study, involving 30 participating teachers from six previously disadvantaged South African schools, provides data on teacher perceptions of the challenges related to implementing Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The schools had minimal resources as a residual result of the South African apartheid policy prior to 1994 and are located in areas that lack basic infrastructure. Twenty computers were provided to each of the schools by a donor solicited to support an ICT training intervention conducted by academics at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa. A quantitative Likert scale questionnaire, qualitative interviews and a qualitative open-ended questionnaire were used to gather data. These data suggest that, despite the fact of the schools were provided with computers and teacher training, several first and second order barriers still exist. Examples of these barriers are insufficient ICT resources for the large classes that have to...