Julie Mueller

Teachers’ Perceptions: barriers and supports to using technology in the classroom

Abstract Fifty‐four elementary and secondary school teachers participated in focus‐group discussions and completed a survey to examine barriers and supports to computer integration. Although teachers used computers at home and school, they were not wholly comfortable with the technology. Familiarity with computers predicted greater comfort with technology and greater comfort was related to greater integration in the classroom. Thematic analysis of the focus groups yielded six major themes, including issues related to: support, teachers, context and access, students, computer hardware and software problems, and external or other priorities. The discussion of computer integration also inspired substantial emotional responses on the part of teachers. Together, the survey and focus‐group findings yielded a framework for identifying individual and environmental issues which impact on computer integration.

Fast searching for information on the Internet to use in a learning context: The impact of domain knowledge

The purpose of the study was to examine the role of domain knowledge when retrieving and using information from the Internet as a resource for essay tasks, as well as to investigate the quality of Internet searches and its relation to essay performance. In two experiments, 100 undergraduates searched the Internet for 30min and completed two essays; one in which they had high domain knowledge and one in which domain knowledge was low. Two control groups of 70 undergraduates just wrote the essays. Searching the Internet for information enhanced essay performance relative to the control groups only for the topic for which participants had high domain knowledge. In the second experiment, analyses of Internet searches revealed large individual differences in search behaviors and these behaviors did not relate to essay performance, although individuals highlighted the importance of domain knowledge in making their searches easier. Domain knowledge is one factor that educators should pay attention to when using the Internet for learning tasks, particularly when study time is limited, in order to maximize the ability of students to successfully retrieve and use information from the Internet.

Patterns of Beliefs, Attitudes, and Characteristics of Teachers That Influence Computer Integration

Despite continued acceleration of computer access in elementary and secondary schools, computer integration is not necessarily given as an everyday learning tool. A heterogeneous sample of 185 elementary and 204 secondary teachers was asked to respond to open-ended survey questions in order to understand why integration of computer-based technologies does or does not fit with their teaching philosophy, what factors impact planning to use computer technologies in the classroom, and what characteristics define excellent teachers who integrate technology. Qualitative analysis of open-ended questions indicated that, overall, educators are supportive of computer integration describing the potential of technology using constructivist language, such as “authentic tasks” and “self-regulated learning.” Responses from “high” and “low” integrating teachers were compared across themes. The diversity of the themes and the emerging patterns of those themes from “high and low integrators” indicate that the integration of computer technology is a complex concern that requires sensitivity to individual and contextual variables.

Pre-service teacher research: an early acculturation into a research disposition

This study examines the role of pre-service teacher research in facilitating early and meaningful links between research and practice. Results from this mixed methods study show that pre-service teacher research is a promising method of early acculturation. However, despite a programme-wide emphasis on research as a mechanism for learning to teach and about education, challenges continue to exist. One notable contribution to the existing literature is the importance of principals taking a leadership role in school-based research.

Exploration of the Relative Contributions of Domain Knowledge and Search Expertise for Conducting Internet Searches

ABSTRACT The relative contributions of expertise in search skills and domain knowledge were examined when using the Internet to find information. Four conditions were compared: expert searchers/high domain knowledge; expert searchers/low domain knowledge; novice searchers/high domain knowledge; and novice searchers/low domain knowledge. Search outcomes and verbal protocols were analyzed. The combination of search expertise and high domain knowledge yielded the most efficient searches. Higher search expertise yielded access to sites rated more accurate and credible. High domain knowledge yielded sites rated more thorough. Verbal protocols depicted searching as a complex decision process. Findings have implications for instructional support.

Assessing Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum

Computational thinking (CT) refers to a set of processes through which people arrive at solutions to problems using principles based in computer science. A CT approach to problem-solving is increasingly valuable in education and workplace settings as the economy grows more dependent on digital literacy. Given the importance of CT, it is essential to assess these skills. However, a reliable assessment tool is absent from the current literature. This chapter, therefore, defines CT across the Ontario (Canada) Elementary School curriculum in elementary classrooms and addresses the need for effective instructional strategies and assessment of CT-related problem-solving abilities. Finally, we establish where CT concepts and skills already exist or are missing from the curriculum and suggest a workable tool to assess CT based on existing literature.