Kwok-Wing Lai

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.

Online communities of practice in education

There is a growing recognition of the importance in using online communities of practice (CoPs) as a model for teacher professional development, and in particular, to support teachers and educators in reflecting on their practice, in a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Unfortunately, while there is a wealth of literature in exploring the conceptual and theoretical issues related to CoPs, very few empirical studies have been undertaken to document how CoPs work and how they can be sustained in an educational community. The five articles included in this special issue have attempted to address some of the major issues in the design and implementation of online communities of practice, and have provided some much‐needed empirical evidence to document the nature of online communication in the CoPs, and how online interactions can be analyzed.

ICT Supporting the Learning Process: The Premise, Reality, and Promise

With the advent of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom how, and under what conditions, it can be successfully adopted to further enhance a student-cantered learning process in schools has become a key concern in educational research. This chapter provides a general overview of how ICT has been used to support learning, within the context of the changing conceptions of learning. A range of promising and effective applications and tools are described to provide examples of the different ways technology can be embedded in learning environments underpinned by learning principles drawn from learning sciences research. This chapter also provides a background for the discussion of the five specific areas of ICT supporting the learning process included in this section of the Handbook.

Technology Use and Learning Characteristics of Students in Higher Education: Do Generational Differences Exist?.

As digital technologies form an inextricable part of young people’s everyday lives, some commentators claim that the current generation of learners think and learn differently from their predecessors. This study investigated the validity of this claim by surveying 799 undergraduate and 81 postgraduate students at a large research-intensive university in New Zealand to document their use of digital technologies on university and social activities and comparing three age groups of students (under 20, 20–30 and over 30) to see whether there were any differences in their learning characteristics. The findings of the study showed that while students spent a large amount of time on digital technologies, the range of digital technologies they used was rather limited. There were also no practical generational differences in the technology use pattern and learning characteristics found in this study. The results of this study suggest that generation is not a determining factor in students’ use of digital technologies for learning nor has generation had a radical impact on learning characteristics of higher education students.

Information and Communication Technology and the Teacher of the Future

The information and communication society is a networked society. We reflect on the concept ofa network and identify some profound changes in society. In such a society, knowledge is changing, new knowledge appears, and the structuring of knowledge is evolving. Access to knowledge is changing. The networked form of knowledge makes an evolution of educational systems and structures towards a networked organisation necessary. Complexity, which is a key characteristic of new knowledge in the new society, is reinforced and structured by networks. The teachers role is becoming more and more complex. We analyse some of the ways it is evolving, see how new technologies force us to confront the core roles of the teacher and reinforce some specific aspects of his/her profession, particularly the role as a mediator, and the role in the development of the collective intelligence. The teacher is now dealing differently with time and space; he/she uses new learning environments, which are more global and link pedagogy and school life within its whole. The growing complexity and the changes in education lead not only to an evolving teaching profession, but also to new teaching

Teachers as Facilitators in a Computer‐supported Learning Environment

ABSTRACT This paper argues that teachers in this technology‐rich era have a new role to play in their classrooms. As a knowledge facilitator, rather than a knowledge presenter, the job of the teacher is to create a computer‐ supported learning environment where learners are encouraged to think critically and creatively and to develop personal ownership and appreciation of the knowledge constructed. Classroom examples are given in this paper to provide evidence that the teachers role is crucial in a successful computer‐ based learning environment. The implications of computer‐supported learning environments to teacher development and education are also discussed.

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.

Computer-mediated communication for teenage students: acontent analysis of a student messaging system

This paper documents an exploratory study investigating the patterns of communication and the contents of the messages of an electronic messaging system set up specifically for teenage students in Hong Kong. The results of this investigation suggest that this undirected and unco- ordinated public messaging network was used both for socializing and information exchange. There was in general a lack of in-depth communication and the network users were not keen to involve themselves in serious discussions. It is suggested that a co- ordinator is needed to facilitate in-depth and task-specific discussions in a public messaging system

Knowledge construction in online learning communities: a case study of a doctoral course

This paper documents a study investigating co-construction of knowledge by doctoral students in an online learning community. In this study 12 students participated in the coursework and thesis proposal development stages of a doctoral program offered by a research-intensive university in New Zealand. Socio-cultural and social constructivist approaches were adopted to frame the design of this program. The findings of this study show that there was a high level of knowledge construction in some of the discussion forums of the program. Teaching strategies, in terms of how the learning tasks were designed, the amount of direct instruction provided, as well as how the discussions were moderated, were factors affecting knowledge construction. The active agency of the learners as well as the role assigned to them in the online discussion forums also had an impact on knowledge construction. This study also confirmed the importance of structure and leadership in online discussions.

Role of the Teacher

The recent increase of Internet connectivity in the classroom has far-reaching implications for the professional development of teachers. The role of the teacher as a facilitator has been well documented in literature, the role of the teacher as a custodian is seldom mentioned. In this chapter, the concept of the custodial role is introduced. The role of the teacher and the students responses are discussed in detail. This chapter raises critical issues, leading to recommendations for the professional development of teachers.