Joan E. Hughes

Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now?

Since Windschitl first outlined a research agenda for the World Wide Web and classroom research, significant shifts have occurred in the nature of the Web and the conceptualization of classrooms. Such shifts have affected constructs of learning and instruction, and paths for future research. This article discusses the characteristics of Web 2.0 that differentiate it from the Web of the 1990s, describes the contextual conditions in which students use the Web today, and examines how Web 2.0’s unique capabilities and youth’s proclivities in using it influence learning and teaching. Two important themes, learner participation and creativity and online identity formation, emerged from this analysis and support a new wave of research questions. A stronger research focus on students’ everyday use of Web 2.0 technologies and their learning with Web 2.0 both in and outside of classrooms is needed. Finally, insights on how educational scholarship might be transformed with Web 2.0 in light of these themes are discussed.

Response to Comments: Research on Learning and Teaching With Web 2.0: Bridging Conversations

In the past decade, significant shifts have occurred in the nature of the Internet and the conceptualization of classrooms. Such shifts have affected constructs of learning and instruction and paths for future research. In this article, the authors build on three ideas set forth in comments on their article “Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now?” The authors believe that these comments, which extend ideas from their initial article, make important contributions to the vision for transformative scholarship and practice they outlined. Specifically, the authors discuss the professional development of teachers, considerations for building research capacity and social scholarship, and the importance of bridging divides to advance a common research agenda on learning and teaching with Web 2.0.

Teaching and Learning Biology With iPads for High School Students With Disabilities

This descriptive case study examined the first year of iPad-supported teaching and learning in a high school modified biology class. Results revealed that the iPad practices replaced, amplified, and transformed pedagogy and learning, but they predominantly supported general learning or instructional practices with little science specificity. A strong technology vision and collaborative planning with teachers were strong supports for iPad integration. The teacher’s deep pedagogical and content knowledge and positive attitude toward using iPads were significant in persevering through barriers to integration, such as increased time to plan lessons, little professional learning, and technical difficulties. While iPads effectively supported learning in this special education classroom, the discussion suggests for more content-focused iPad integration and deeper technological content knowledge among teachers.

Spacemakers: A Leadership Perspective on Curriculum and the Purpose of K–12 Educational Makerspaces

Abstract This qualitative research study investigated how educational makerspace leaders, whom we refer to as spacemakers, framed the purpose of the makerspace in K–12 education and how makerspaces support school curriculum. Using interviews with twelve K–12 spacemakers, the study found spacemakers were experienced, self-motivated educators. These leaders described purposes for makerspaces including increasing student-centeredness, relevancy, career-readiness, and inclusion, showcasing the campus, and helping students become creators instead of consumers. Makerspaces supported school curriculum through dedicated making classes, as curricular projects, or as extracurricular activities. The discussion examines future challenges facing K–12 makerspaces in terms of curriculum, tools, sustainability, and equitable practices.

Developing Elementary Students’ Digital Literacy Through Augmented Reality Creation: Insights From a Longitudinal Analysis of Questionnaires, Interviews, and Projects

This mixed-method case study investigated digital literacy (DL) development among 32 elementary-level students who created multimodal, contextual, and interactive augmented reality (AR) artifacts in a 20-week after-school program in Northern Taiwan. The instructional design combined situated and spiral learning experiences with AR, implemented through a blended learning environment. Data sources included pre- and post-program digital learning student surveys, student and teacher interviews, classroom observations, and AR artifact assessments. Results indicated statistically significant increases with moderate effect sizes in five areas of students’ DL practices: information management; collaboration; communication and sharing; creation; and evaluation and problem-solving. Students did not increase DL in one area: ethics and responsibility. The situated and spiral learning-by-design approach offered increasingly complex AR creation projects in which students developed and transferred their DL. The face-to-face and online learning settings offered multiple ways to collaborate and facilitated the development of students’ DL. The AR technology enabled students to develop DL through designing AR using three types of representation features: multimodal, interactive, and contextual. Practical and theoretical implications for adapting or enhancing this instructional design in future DL programs and for future research are discussed.

ICT Research Into K-16 Teaching and Learning Practices

In this chapter, we, the faculty from the Learning Technologies Program at The University of Texas at Austin, describe our research interests and share findings from our research conducted in past few years. Through multiple research projects examining various factors affecting technology use in K-16, we discuss the affordances of different technologies and outline the challenges as revealed via our research.