Yasemin Gülbahar

Technology planning: A roadmap to successful technology integration in schools

Since the advent of technologies available for teaching and learning, schools have been advocating considerable amount of their funds for the procurement of hi-tech technologies. Despite this huge investment, there is a little success achieved so far. It is obvious that technology integration is a complex and demanding issues and this puts more burdens on schools. On the other hand, technology planning, as a process and product, holds a number of promises to overcome those problems. Thus, the purpose of this present study was to illustrate how technology planning process was carried out in a private K-12 school in Turkey. Data were collected from 105 teachers, 25 administrative staff, and 376 students. Teachers and administrative staff were asked to fill out a questionnaire to gather data on their perceived computer literacy, issues related to ICT usage. Students were also asked about their perceptions on the current utilization of ICT at their school. Additionally, unstructured interviews were conducted with administrative staff and teachers to validate data obtained through questionnaires. Data were descriptively analyzed to provide necessary input for the technology planning process. Findings indicated that even teachers and administrator staff felt themselves competent in using ICT available at the school; they reported a lack of guidelines that would lead them to successful integration. On the other hand, students reported that ICT is not utilized sufficiently in their classes. Finally, the study illustrated how necessary data were collected and findings were transformed into suggestions to frame a technology plan for a school.

Implementing Project-Based Learning And E-Portfolio Assessment In an Undergraduate Course

Abstract In this case study, the aim was to implement project-based learning by utilizing e-portfolio assessment in a small-scale classroom (N = 8). The compulsory Design, Development, and Evaluation of Educational Software course in the curriculum of the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology was selected due to its strong relationship with real life while lending itself to addressing the major concern of project-based learning. Despite insufficient classroom size and students’ challenges on animation software, it was found that project-based learning was an appropriate choice for conducting such a course. Moreover, e-portfolio assessment proved to be valuable in project-based learning. In the rest of the paper, findings from other research studies evaluating project-based learning are discussed and recommendations are presented.

Exploration of Teaching Preferences of Instructors' use of Social Media

Abstract With the excessive use of social media in the 21st century, attempts to integrate social media within higher education have also increased. In this area, research has been particularly focused on the aspects of students, rather than the instructors. This study puts the emphasis on the instructors with the aim to explore their use of social media in educational settings. Their respective teaching preferences were explored, from a pedagogical perspective, with the help of a Social Media Toolkit. The toolkit was developed to guide instructors that want to integrate social media in their teaching. This study was designed as a descriptive study and quantitative data was collected from 583 instructors from 39 countries. The participants responded to four main questions in an online environment. Results revealed that instructors mostly prefer to teach their subject at the applying and understanding levels. They frequently use text-based materials and design their courses as problem-based or on a presentation model. They mostly prefer to assess students using alternative methods based on their performance, like portfolios, group works, etc. whilst classical methods were also preferred. Overall findings indicated that any instructor from any discipline or culture can transform courses onto a social media platform thanks to many different and varied features provided by social media tools.

A Snapshot of the First Implementation of Bebras International Informatics Contest in Turkey

Computing was perceived as an essential skill for computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians and those from similar disciplines. Today, to the contrary, people of most ages are expected to possess basic computing skills in parallel with the requirements of up-to-date technological tools. To equip students with the necessary skills, computer science courses need to be delivered compulsorily, or at least delivered as a part of another course for almost all age groups and levels. Besides delivering these courses, awareness of this valuable skill is also essential, and for this aim, Olympiads or contests are now held in many countries. Bebras International Contest is one such organisation. In December 2014, Turkey also participated in this contest with 1,788 elementary students from different cities. This paper examines the student performance of the 2014 Bilge Kunduz (the Turkish term for Bebras) International Informatics Contest and explores coordinators’ perceptions about the contest. Based on the student performance and overall success, the average score in Turkey was 65.01 (where scores varied between 0 and 135). According to the perceptions of coordinators, it can be said that the contest was favoured by all coordinators, but that some enhancements to the contest platform are needed.

A scale development study for assessing the effectiveness of blended learning environments

Bu calisma, hem yuz yuze hem de e-ogrenme ortamlarinin ozelliklerinden yola cikarak harmanlanmis ogrenme ortamlarinin ne derece etkili oldugunu belirlemeye yonelik bir olcek gelistirmek ve bu dogrultuda paydaslar icin oneriler olusturmak amaciyla gerceklestirilmistir. Olcek gelistirme surecinde 314 ogrenciden alinan veriler degerlendirmeye alinmistir. Elde edilen verilerin gecerlik ve guvenirlik calismalari sonunda bulunan degerler alan yazinda belirtilen kabul edilebilir degerler arasinda veya ustundedir. Yapilan analizler sonucunda olcegin toplam 55 maddeyi iceren dort faktorlu bir yapidan olustugu gorulmustur. Harmanlanmis ogrenme ortamlari olceginin ortama iliskin belirlenen faktorleri olcebilecegi ve yeterli duzeyde gecerlik ve guvenirlige sahip oldugu soylenebilir. Bu calisma kapsaminda gelistirilen, gecerlik ve guvenirlik analizleri yapilan “Harmanlanmis Ogrenme Ortamlarinin Etkililigi Olcegi”nin, gelecekte harmanlanmis ogrenme yontemini ele alan calismalarda yonlendirici olmasi beklenmektedir.

Competencies of High School Teachers and Training Needs for Computer Science Education

The computer science discipline is evolving with problems in both technological and pedagogical aspects almost worldwide. With the advent of new technologies and approaches for teaching programming at all ages, many countries including Turkey have revised their computer science curriculum. These revisions have resulted in serious training needs being highlighted for teachers with inadequate competencies to meet the expected learning outcomes. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore; (a) the self-perceived competencies of teachers about the topics in the curriculum, (b) perceptions about programming, programming tools and approaches, and (c) contribution of university education to their teaching profession. The findings revealed that most teachers believe they are not sufficiently competent to be an effective computer science teacher. Related to this finding, most of them especially mentioned their training needs for programming, emerging tools and technologies. Plus more than half of the participants think that the higher education curriculum is inadequate to meet teacher expectations and to create competent teachers.