John W Patterson

Integrating Social Networking Technologies in Education: A Case Study of a Formal Learning Environment

The concept of Internet-facilitated social networking is not new - we have evidence of the development of the concept and the technologies over decades. However, Web 2.0 technologies and the emergence of social networking sites has expanded accessibility and use beyond levels that may have been thought imaginable just two or three years ago. These developments have been accompanied with calls to integrate the new technologies and experiences of social networks within formal education. Yet, there is limited research on the potential or outcomes of such initiatives. This paper presents a case study that examines the technology and experience in a formal education context.

Mastery of fundamental motor skills among New South Wales school students: prevalence and sociodemographic distribution

Mastery of fundamental motor skills among children and adolescents is a potentially important contribution to satisfying participation in sports, games and other physical activities and may enhance the development of an active lifestyle. However, few attempts have been made to determine the prevalence of fundamental motor skill mastery among young Australians. The NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey, 1997 (N = 5518) randomly selected schools proportionally from all three education sectors and selected students in Years 4, 6, 8 and 10. Performance on six fundamental motor skills (run, vertical jump, catch, overhand throw, forehand strike and kick) was assessed qualitatively. The prevalence of mastery and near mastery of each skill and mastery of each skill component is reported for boys and girls in each school year. The findings indicate that the prevalence of mastery and near mastery of each of the fundamental motor skills was generally low. There were no differences between students from urban or rural schools and the prevalence of skill mastery was directly associated with socioeconomic status more consistently among girls than among boys. Greater curriculum time and resourcing and training of teachers is required to increase the proportion of students who have mastered the skills fundamental to common sports, games and other physical activities.

Ict in higher education: evaluating outcomes for health education

This paper presents an investigation that examined and compared the effectiveness of collaborative tutorial activities carried out in both web-based and face-to-face learning environments within an undergraduate health education subject. Effectiveness of the different learning environments was measured in terms of observed learning outcomes, analysis of learner interactions and reported perceptions of the learners regarding their experience. Results demonstrated that web-based environments, with embedded collaborative activities, can effectively foster rich learning experiences that result in attaining positive learning outcomes.

Measuring effectiveness of health education in a Web-based learning environment: A preliminary report

ABSTRACT Driven by claims of efficacy, flexibility and resource effectiveness, higher education is increasingly utilising the Web as an instructional tool. The claims for pedagogical effectiveness are often just that – claims — and appear not to have been proven in the reality of subject presentation and evaluation. Thus, it is necessary to examine assumptions regarding the benefits of Web‐based instruction in terms of effectiveness. This article discusses aspects of an investigation which examined and compared the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS related collaborative tutorial activities carried out in both a Web‐based learning environment and a face‐to‐face class situation within an undergraduate health education subject. Effectiveness of the pedagogical strategy and the different learning environments were measured in terms of observed learning outcomes and reported perceptions of the learners regarding their learning experience. Preliminary results based on measured learning outcomes related to the subject m...

Technology Use, Technology Views: Anticipating ICT Use for Beginning Physical and Health Education Teachers

In Australia, the national initiative known as Learning in an Online World, focuses school jurisdictions across the country meet the challenge of achieving the national vision of all schools “… confidently using ICT in their everyday practices to improve learning, teaching and administration” (MCEETYA, 2005, p. 3). One strategy in reaching this goal is the effective preparation of pre-service teachers to use and integrate technology in their teaching and learning practices. This article reports on a research study that aimed to explore the issue preparation for use of technology in teaching by understanding the current and anticipated technology usage for Australian health and physical education pre-service teachers.