Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Phil C. Lange. Dissertation Committee: Charles Daly. Includes bibliographical references.

In the last decade, research on children's interactions with digital technology in early childhood has been emerging. A growing body of research has shown that children from a very young age have access to digital technology in their homes. Researchers have turned their attention on the potential of digital technology to be integrated in a playbased pedagogy and investigate what the positive outcomes for children might be. However, limited research has explored the different ways children between the ages of three and four years engage with digital technology or compared their engagement with non-digital activities in early childhood education. Therefore, this study aims to explore how children engage and interact with digital and non-digital activities. A mixed method approach was employed for this research study in order to explore how children engage and interact with digital and non-digital activities. The FraIM design: Framework for an Integrated Methodology supported the integration of quantitative method and qualitative method in this research study. The observation checklist was used to measure the children's levels of engagement to capture the extent to which they were engaged and the less structured observation gave an in-depth view into the different ways the children were engaged with digital and non-digital activities. 14 children between the ages of 3-4 years in an early childhood setting in England participated. Findings revealed that digital activities such as applications on an iPad can impact on children's engagement positively. Although the quantitative data indicated that higher levels of engagement occurred with digital activities than non-digital activities, the qualitative data showed that this difference is not immense. The data also showed that the children exhibited similar playful patterns of interactions while they interacted with digital and non-digital activities. The patterns include pleasure, spontaneity, role identification, intrinsic motivation, self-regulation, self-initiated actions and preference.

Although there has been an increase in the availability of digital technology and related media (DT&RM) in many educational institutions across the UK, it has been frequently suggested that the barrier to the successful development of an effective digital learning environment is teachers' (digital immigrants) lack of technological proficiency to take into account the needs of the new digital generation of students (digital natives). With the aim of contributing to this debate, I investigated the adoption of technology by exploring digital differences between a population of students (n = 444) and teachers (n = 158) in a further education (FE) college in South East England, addressing the research question, 'In what ways do students and teachers differ in how they relate to digital technology in the context of teaching and learning practices?' In order to understand more about how students and teachers relate to DT&RM, this study utilised sequential mixed methods research with a collaborative approach to data collection. This entailed giving the participants a voice and an active role in some aspects of the qualitative recording of evidence, as well as enabling a reflection on the processes of the study. The results of the research indicate differences in digital awareness and the ability to use DT&RM among students and teachers. Although observable, those differences are not specific or age- or gender-related. The findings suggest that many participants among students and teachers struggle with and have limited knowledge of technology, and that differences in how they relate to DT&RM are associated with the different roles they play in an educational setting, as well as the role that technology plays in meeting their individual needs. The data also indicates that both groups of participants recognised the potential of using DT&RM in the classroom. Furthermore, they presented critical awareness of technology, seeing the role of technology in education as supportive rather than transformational.

A expansão da modalidade de Educação a Distância (EAD) e a presença cada vez maior das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) na educação, tornam a utilização de ferramentas computacionais imprescindíveis no auxílio aos professores, tanto para produção de conteúdos digitais, quanto na tarefa de avaliação do aprendizado. A avaliação do aprendizado acarreta muito trabalho ao professor, principalmente aquelas de caráter formativo, que favorecem o desenvolvimento continuado do aprendizado dos alunos. Uma forma de aliviar essa carga de trabalho tem sido a utilização dos Sistemas Gerenciadores de Curso (SGC). Dentre esses sistemas encontra-se o Moodle, que disponibiliza o módulo Quiz, que dispõe de recursos para avaliações automáticas. Contudo seu uso não é simples, sendo frequentes as reclamações de professores quanto a sua usabilidade, o que pode desmotivar seu uso. Nesse contexto, o objetivo do presente trabalho é ajudar a compreender e reduzir as dificuldades enfrentadas por professores no emprego do módulo Quiz do Moodle. Para isso foi realizado um estudo para identificar os principais elementos que interferem na usabilidade de ferramentas para autoria de questionários online. Os resultados obtidos foram utilizados para modelar e produzir um protótipo alternativo ao do módulo Quiz, denominado de iQuiz, que resultou na seguinte contribuição tecnológica: uma interface para aplicação sobre o núcleo do Quiz e um modelo para integração dos componentes envolvidos na composição do novo ambiente. Para a criação do protótipo foi aplicado a abordagem de desenvolvimento centrado no usuário, utilizando testes de usabilidade em conjunto com outros métodos, tais como avaliação heurística. Neste trabalho também apresentamos os resultados de uma avaliação do modelo implementado, indicando uma efetiva melhoria de usabilidade. Tanto especialistas em TIC e professores participantes das avaliações mostraram-se mais confortáveis com o uso do iQuiz, alcançando melhores resultados quanto à produção de questionários. / The expansion of the distance learning education, allied to the ubiquitous presence of the Infor- mation and Communications Technology (ICT) in education, make the use of computational tools essential to the teacher. They are used in the content production, as well to help teacher to assess the students. However, the learning assessment entails a lot of work to the teacher, especially under the model of formative assessments. One way to alleviate this workload, has been the use of Course Management Systems (CMS). Among these systems is Moodle, which provides the Quiz module, used for creating assessments with automatic evaluation. However the Quiz operation is not simple, it is not rare a teacher complains about its usability. In this context, the objective this work is to help understand and reduce the difficulties faced by teachers in the use of Moodle Quiz. To do this, a study was conducted to identify the main elements that influence the usability of tools for online questionnaire authoring. From this study, was defined a model, that generated an alternative environment to the Quiz module, denoted by iQuiz. This resulted in the two technological contribution: an interface for application to the core of the Quiz and a model for integration of components involved in the composition of the new environment. To produce the prototype of iQuiz, was used an approach centered in the user, together with usability tests, among other methods, such as heuristic evaluation. In this work, it is also presented the results of an application of the iQuiz with ICT specialists and teachers, indicating an effective improvement of usability. Both, ICT specialists and teachers, rated iQuiz as comfortable to produce new questionnaires. For the creation of the prototype has been applied to approach to development focused on the user, using usability tests together with other methods, such as heuristic evaluation. This resulted in significant improvement in the quality of the final interface and consequently, greater user satisfaction, an essential factor to motivate them to use the new environment.

Computadores impactam em quase todos os aspectos de nossas vidas, porém as escolas não conseguem acompanhar esse caminho sem volta. A simples utilização massiva de aparatos tecnológicos na sala de aula não garante a melhoria do ensino, porém pode ser o meio pelo qual os estudantes encontram alternativas para a solução de problemas complexos. O Pensamento Computacional é uma abordagem de ensino que usa diversas técnicas oriundas da Ciência da Computação e vem gerando um novo foco educacional no quesito inovação nas escolas mundiais como um conjunto de competências de solução de problemas que devem ser compreendidos por uma nova geração de estudantes em conjunto com as novas competências do século 21 (i.e., pensamento crítico, colaboração, etc.). Até o momento, não há um consenso de metodologia de ensino e disponibilidade de material para atender as expectativas dos professores. Para auxiliar sanar essa incerteza, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo a verificação da possibilidade de desenvolver o Pensamento Computacional na Educação Básica utilizando exclusivamente atividades desplugadas (sem o uso de computadores) em estudantes da educação primária para que crianças em regiões/escolas onde não há computadores/dispositivos eletrônicos, Internet e até mesmo energia elétrica também possam se beneficiar desse método. Os resultados obtidos através de uma abordagem Quase-Experimental em escolas Espanholas e Brasileiras, apresentam dados estatísticos que apontam uma melhoria significativa no desempenho dos estudantes que tiveram atividades de Pensamento Computacional Desplugado em ambos os países. / Computational thinking is nowadays being widely adopted and investigated. Educators and researchers are using two main approaches to teach these skills in schools: with computer programming exercises, and with unplugged activities that do not require the use of digital devices or any kind of specific hardware. While the former is the mainstream approach, the latter is especially important for schools that do not count with proper technology resources, Internet connections or even electrical power. However, there is a lack of investigations that prove the effectiveness of the unplugged activities in the development of computational thinking skills, particularly in primary schools. This paper, which summarizes a quasi-experiment carried out in two primary schools in Spain and Brazil, tries to shed some light on this regard. The results show that students in the experimental groups, who took part in the unplugged activities, enhanced their computational thinking skills significantly more than their peers in the control groups who did not participate during the classes, proving that the unplugged approach is effective for the development of this ability.

Pelo último censo realizado no ano de 2014 e divulgado no site da Secretaria de Educação de Pernambuco, o número de escolas da Rede Estadual de ensino básico chega a 1.052 escolas, que atendem aproximadamente 654 mil alunos e tem um quadro de 29.898 professores. Dessas escolas, 900 possuem internet e 732 escolas com banda larga. Existem 17.834 computadores distribuídos e instalados nesta rede de ensino dos quais, 3.430 para uso administrativo e 14.404 para uso dos alunos. No ano de 2008, o Governo de Pernambuco entregou notebook a todos os professores de regência da Rede. Em 2012 este Programa, chamado Professor Conectado, distribuiu notebooks aos professores que não haviam recebido, aos técnicos administrativos e aos professores do Conservatório de Música. Nos anos de 2012 e 2013 foram distribuídos tablets/PC aos alunos do 2º e 3º anos do Ensino Médio desta mesma Rede. No último Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica (IDEB), divulgado no ano de 2015, o Estado de Pernambuco ficou em 1º lugar junto com o Estado de São Paulo. A saber, que no ano de 2007, a colocação do Estado foi de 21º lugar. Este avanço deve ter a contribuição dessas ações de inserção das tecnologias nas escolas pernambucanas Diante destas informações, o objeto deste trabalho foi analisar os impactos ocasionados por essa política pública de inserir as tecnologias digitais nas escolas estaduais. Para tanto foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa com os professores da Gerência Regional de Educação do Médio São Francisco (GRE/MSF), através de um questionário estruturado baseado na pesquisa nacional realizada pelo Centro Regional de Estudos para o Desenvolvimento da Sociedade da Informação – CETIC. O questionário foi aplicado de forma online, em um primeiro momento, a todos os professores da GRE/MSF e no segundo momento de forma presencial aos professores lotados nas 11 Escolas de Referência em Ensino Médio (EREM) desta mesma gerência. O objetivo geral foi identificar como os professores utilizam o computador e internet na sua prática, se utilizam os notebooks distribuídos e seus softwares, que ferramentas fazem uso nas salas de aula, quais atividades realizam em conjunto com seus alunos, dentre outras informações. Os resultados foram positivos nas percepções desses professores, porém, com alguns obstáculos a serem vencidos para que se consolide o uso das tecnologias digitais, permanentemente, nas práticas pedagógicas das escolas estaduais em Pernambuco. / By the last census conducted in 2014 and published on the website of the Education Secretariat of Pernambuco, the number of schools in the State Basic Education Network reaches 1,052 schools. They serve approximately 654,000 students and have a staff of 29,898 teachers. Of these schools, 900 have internet and 732 schools with broadband. There are 17,834 computers distributed and installed in this educational network of which, 3,430 for administrative use and 14,404 for student use. In 2008, the Government of Pernambuco delivered a notebook to all teachers of the Network's regency. In 2012 this program, called Connected Teacher, distributed notebooks to teachers who had not received, to administrative technicians and teachers of the Conservatory of Music. In the years 2012 and 2013 were distributed tablets / PC to the students of the 2nd and 3rd years of High School of this same Network. In the last Index of Development of Basic Education (IDEB), released in 2015, the State of Pernambuco ranked first with the State of São Paulo. It is worth noting that in 2007, the ranking of the State was the 21º place. This advance should have the contribution of these actions of insertion of the technologies in the schools of Pernambuco. Given this information, the objective of this work was to analyze the impacts caused by this public policy of inserting digital technologies in state schools. For that, a qualitative research was carried out with the teachers of the Regional Management of Education of the Middle São Francisco (GRE / MSF). Through a structured questionnaire based on the national research carried out by the Regional Center for Studies for the Development of the Information Society - CETIC. Applied online, initially, to all GRE / MSF teachers, and secondly, face-to-face with the teachers who are filled out at the 11 High School Reference Schools (EREM) of this same management. They sought to identify how teachers use the computer and internet in their practice, using distributed notebooks and their software, what tools they use in classrooms, what activities they do together with their students, and other information. The results were positive in the perceptions of these teachers, however, with some obstacles to be overcome in order to consolidate the use of digital technologies, permanently, in the pedagogical practices of the state schools in Pernambuco.

Atualmente, existem vários recursos para catalogar e disponibilizar objetos de aprendizagem em vários padrões de metadados. No entanto, encontramos um problema relacionado ao armazenamento e recuperação de objetos de aprendizagem. Talvez porque os professores/autores não tenham tempo para armazenar seus objetos ou mesmo porque o processo de armazenamento de metadados em um repositório é muito trabalhoso. Como resposta ao problema encontrado é apresentada uma possibilidade de minimizar o mesmo e, pretende-se com a pesquisa facilitar o processo de catalogação e disponibilização dos objetos de aprendizagem através da interoperabilidade da plataforma virtual de aprendizagem Moodle com um repositório de objetos de aprendizagem Cognix. Este trabalho tem como objetivo propor uma ferramenta que permite a catalogação automática de objetos de aprendizagem do Moodle no repositório Cognix. Para tal, foram descritas quatro etapas metodológicas para o desenvolvimento do projeto, bem como para a implementação da ferramenta. Espera-se com esta ferramenta possibilitar a reutilização e o acesso aos objetos de aprendizagem em outros ambientes/sites, garantindo assim a descrição uniforme e completa dos metadados. / Nowadays, there are several resources for cataloging and making available learning objects in various metadata standards. However, we found a problem related to the existence of the storage and retrieval of learning objects. Perhaps because the teachers/authors do not have time to storage their objects or even because the process of storage metadata in a repository is very laborious. As one way to this problem, it is here presented a possibility of minimizing it and with this research we aim to facilitate the process to storage and making available the learning objects through the interoperability of the virtual learning platform Moodle with the repository of Cognix. This work aims to propose a tool that allows the automatic storage of Moodle learning objects in the Cognix repository. For such, four methodological steps were described for the development of the project as well as for the implementation of the tool. This tool is expected rant reutilization and access to learning objects for their users, thus ensuring the uniform and complete description of the metadata.

"Interactive fiction" has been used to describe many of today's multimedia products. In reality, there is not a universal understanding of what interactive fiction is or what it should entail. The meaning of "interactive" is often interpreted in different ways. Many stories are considered to be interactive because they are placed on the computer. Meanwhile, such stories may lack most of the essential qualities for good literature. Interaction fiction should be upheld to the same standards as traditional texts. Following this belief, this research covers the underlying theories of interactive fiction, examples of misleading "interactive fiction" studies, and guidelines for design pulled from the fields of writing, children's literature and instructional technology. I have used these guidelines to develop a prototype of interactive fiction, which was be tested and revised in several cycles. First, I revised the prototype based upon reviews by several groups of experts from the areas of instructional technology and childhood education. The prototype was then pilot-tested by two participants from the target market. Based upon the pilot-test results, I revised the prototype. Finally, several participants read the prototype. In this final stage, I observed the participants and conducted interviews with open-ended questions. Using the prototype that was developed according to proposed standards, I was able to gain insight into the target market's perception of interaction fiction. All details of the design and development of the prototype are included in effort to provide guidelines for building future interactive fiction. Additionally, several themes emerged when participants from the target market were observed and interviewed. Among the most prominent were the themes of storybook characters and identifying with those characters. Children in this study were able to identity themselves as the protagonist, making the main character's decisions throughout the story. Further, participants added their own elaborations of the story. In the end, the evidence of this research showed that participants were able to go beyond reading the story. The submersion into to story can be rooted in several existing literacy theories, which are discussed. Lastly, this research provides suggestions for future research, development and implementation of interactive fiction.

The combination of literature and technology provides a powerful scenario for learning and it is made a reality through the use of electronic storybook software. This study concentrates on the everyday decisions made by teachers concerning why, how and in what way learning occurs in their classroom. Three case studies show how primary teachers engaged in action research to introduce electronic storybooks into their classrooms, monitoring changes in pedagogy, organisation and management. It is confirmed that teachers can integrate electronic storybooks into their classroom practices to create enjoyable and productive learning experiences. A range of pedagogical approaches was used and the introduction of electronic storybooks had a positive effect on student motivation, enthusiasm and achievement of learning goals, and resulted in changes in the physical composition of the classroom and the way learning was structured. The teachers received confirmation of their own ability to integrate technology into teaching and learning. The results of this study have direct implications for teaching practices and reinforce the need for teachers to develop confidence and competence as technology users / Master of Education (Hons)

Walden's Paths, created by the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries, provides a mechanism for leveraging student learning with the incredible amount of educational material on the web by organizing selected web pages into a structured learning activity. Applying specialized templates to the creation of Walden's Paths can aid a path author in creating pedagogically sound, Web-based activities, by assisting in the collection of information and organization of the activity. Authoring templates may be based on established educational frameworks, learning theories or specific activity type. This research project investigates how using pedagogically based templates affects the authoring process for paths created using Walden's Paths. A template based on the educational framework Inquiry-Based Learning was created and tested by a group of users to determine what effects the template has on creating paths as compared to creating similar paths using the existing Walden's Paths interface.