Jeni Henrickson

Technology Integration in K–12 Geography Education Using TPACK as a Conceptual Model

There is a need for quality professional development programs and instructional models addressing the needs and challenges of K–12 technology integration in the geography classroom. This study used a mixed-methods design employing surveys and observations to evaluate teacher experiences within a professional development program focused on developing in-service geography teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) through content-specific learning tools and resources. Results indicate that instructional scaffolding plays an important role in improving teachers’ ability to integrate technology in pedagogically meaningful ways geared toward enhancing students’ geographic inquiry skills.

Field-based professional development of teachers engaged in distance education: experiences from the Arctic

We examine the experiences of five teachers who traveled with a team of educators, scientists, and explorers on circumpolar Arctic expeditions to deliver adventure learning (AL) programs to K–12 students at a distance. Results highlight the personal and professional impacts this opportunity had on teachers, including their empowering, fulfilling, and mentally exhausting experiences while assisting in delivering distance education to students worldwide. The article concludes with a discussion of issues to consider in the development of similar programs.

Designing for Learning Engagement in Remote Communities: Narratives from North of Sixty / Concevoir pour favoriser la participation active à l’apprentissage dans les communautés éloignées : récits d’Au nord du soixantième parallèle

There are multiple challenges to designing learning experiences for schools in remote communities, including technology and infrastructure limitations, high teacher and administrator turnover, and conflicting interests between local culture and school curricula. In this paper, we offer a brief history of educational initiatives in remote Arctic communities, focusing on: 1) the importance of traditional knowledge, 2) the role of Indigenous culture in school learning materials and activities, and 3) how and why technology might be used to enhance and preserve traditional knowledge, language, and culture. We share implementation examples of one design model, adventure learning, that has successfully engaged learners worldwide in remote and urban communities alike. We conclude by presenting design principles for engaging learners in remote communities through a focus on reflective presence, interaction, educator support, and simplicity of design. These principles are illustrated with a narrative centered on the design of a new online learning environment titled North of Sixty°. Concevoir des experiences d’apprentissage pour les ecoles de communautes eloignees comporte de multiples defis, relatifs notamment aux limites liees a la technologie et aux infrastructures, au haut taux de roulement des enseignants et administrateurs et aux interets conflictuels entre la culture locale et le programme scolaire. Dans cet article, nous offrons un bref historique des initiatives educatives dans les communautes arctiques eloignees, en mettant l’accent sur : 1) l’importance du savoir traditionnel, 2) le role de la culture autochtone dans le materiel et les activites d’apprentissage scolaire, et 3) les raisons et les facons d’utiliser la technologie pour renforcer et preserver les connaissances, la langue et la culture traditionnelles. Nous partageons des exemples de mise en œuvre d’un modele de conception, l’apprentissage par l’aventure, qui a reussi a faire activement participer des apprenants de partout au monde, tant dans les communautes eloignees qu’urbaines. Nous concluons en presentant des principes de design pour la participation active des apprenants dans les communautes eloignees en mettant l’accent sur la presence reflective, l’interaction, le soutien a l’educateur et la simplicite. Ces principes sont illustres par un recit centre sur la conception d’un nouvel environnement d’apprentissage en ligne intitule Au nord du soixantieme parallele.