Keryn Pratt

Information and communication technology (ICT) in secondary schools: the role of the computer coordinator

A study was conducted in 2002 to evaluate the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in 21 secondary schools in one region of New Zealand. As part of the study, the role of the ICT coordinator was investigated. All the ICT coordinators were surveyed and 14 of them were interviewed in-depth. It is found that they were all well-equipped to take up a significant leadership role in their schools and some of them have already demonstrated visible leadership. This paper also identifies some obstacles that have reduced their effective leadership in ICT use in their schools.

Positive to a Degree: The Effects of ICT Use in New Zealand Secondary Schools

ABSTRACT A key question for educational researchers is whether information and communication technology (ICT) use enhances teaching and learning. In this paper, the authors report findings from a three-year study (2001–2004) investigating teaching and learning effects of ICT use in 26 secondary schools in New Zealand as perceived by teachers. The most obvious effects did not include changes in teaching philosophy or pedagogy but rather increased efficiency of management and administration of teaching, including lesson preparation and presentation. In terms of student learning teachers considered that improved presentation was the biggest impact of ICT use. In addition to the positive consequences of ICT use in education, negative aspects were also reported by teachers, with plagiarism being a frequent concern. Overall, social and motivational effects were more frequently observed in comparison to learning and cognitive effects so that, although the study identified some positive effects of ICT use on teaching and learning, these were mostly surface or indirect and did not change pedagogical beliefs or practice to a great extent.

Using Show and Tell Apps to Engage Students in Problem-Solving in the Mathematics Classroom

Show and Tell apps, which record students as they speak and write on a tablet, have a number of affordances for student learning in mathematics. One of these affordances is their utility in engaging students in problem-solving processes. Three iterations of research into Show and Tell apps present evidence that using Show and Tell apps for problem-solving can lead to improvements in the level and quality of student engagement. Students are encouraged to socially negotiate their understandings and Show and Tell apps can make student thinking more visible during this process. The apps also scaffold students to reflect on the processes they used for problem-solving.