This qualitative research study investigated the experiences of five education faculty members about their experiences with technology. These faculty members come from different areas of education. They participated in a technology-based project, the purpose of which was to help faculty members integrate technology into their classrooms and implement technology in their instructions. Before the project, all of the faculty members had experiences with technology, such as emails, Internet searches and PowerPoint applications. During the project, most of them learned web page design and more technology integration into their curriculum and instruction. The purpose of this study is to respond to the need to identify, study and disseminate examples of technology using teachers and portray a group of education faculty members after they experienced a federally funded technology-based project. Their practices, beliefs, and factors that influence their beliefs and practices with technology integration are the focus of this study. Based on the literature and the research studies, the following questions were formulated in the following: 1. How has participation in the technology-based project influenced faculty members' beliefs and practices with technology integration? 2. What are the factors that influence faculty members' practices regarding technology? The findings are the following. All participants have always believed that technology is an important tool and should be integrated into the teaching and learning. However they believe that technology is not the only tool that can be used to enhance teaching and learning. Their experienced in the grant project have increased their confidence and comfort in using technology by being exposed to presentations and having real hands-on activities within a certain time period that did not conflict their academic calendars. Factors that influence their beliefs and practices are: experiences in the project, access to technology and technical problems, Administrative support (from the department and project directors) and technical support: from the students, from faculty, from technician, technological leadership, communication within the community and outside, time, and subject Issues. Internal factors identified include personal belief, personal feelings with technology use, demand of time to learn, learning style, and classroom teaching.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 139 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-96).

<p> Storytelling is an effective means of imparting knowledge, beliefs, and traditions. In its multimedia form, digital storytelling has been made popular by the digital storytelling movement led by the Center for Digital Storytelling established in 1998. While digital storytelling has existed for a few decades, its use in education has been researched relatively recently over the past fifteen years (Holtzblatt &amp; Tschakert, 2011). As a result, it is important that continued research is done in order to understand how students are learning through digital storytelling. The constructivist environments created through digital storytelling classes and workshops need to be researched in order to gain a deeper understanding of students&rsquo; learning processes and to ascertain how to continue to create effective learning environments for them. In this study, the researcher endeavored to determine how the use of digital storytelling exercises is providing quality, learning experiences for students by examining the process of creating digital stories through the lens of social learning theory. This was done by analyzing data from an in-person interview conducted with the founder of the Center for Digital Storytelling, Joseph Lambert, the examination of another published interview from Lambert&rsquo;s (2013) book, <i>Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community </i>, as well as other publications. Utilizing Honebein&rsquo;s (1996) seven pedagogical goals of constructivist learning environments to design the categories of coded data, the researcher created a set of guidelines that served as a framework of assessing to what extent digital storytelling workshops created constructivist learning environments. By analyzing the themes that emerged from the data, the researcher concluded that Lambert&rsquo;s digital storytelling work at the Center for Digital Storytelling, reflected all seven essential characteristics of constructivist learning environments in a significant manner, thereby indicating that the workshops at CDS were indeed constructivist environments.</p>

<p> This study examined the experiences of collegiate, online, distance learners. This research developed an understanding of the dynamic interplay between students&rsquo; emotions and their experience of social presence within this unique learning environment. Through surveys and interviews, the research secured perspectives of the emotional and social climates in the learners&rsquo; experience of this evolving educational environment. The data were sorted based on themes from prior research exploring successful distance learning experiences. Analysis and synthesis of emergent themes, Likert scores, and percent agreement led to the development of a professional discussion, conclusions regarding the guiding research questions, and recommendations for future practice and study.</p>

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 1999. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 117 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-77).

<p> The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine the three different types of interactions (student-student, student-instructor, and student-content) that occur in an online language learning classroom and whether the amount of time spent predicted the performance in two key areas, grammar proficiency and vocabulary knowledge. This study also examined the way students felt about motivating themselves in an online language learning classroom. The study involved 40 students enrolled in an entirely online entry-level Spanish course who completed a survey about their experience in the online environment and an assessment of their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar points in the language. </p><p> The multiple regression analyses revealed that the amount of time spent in interactions with the content for the course was a predictor for grammar proficiency, but no other interactions were predictors for grammar proficiency or vocabulary knowledge. The participants discussed the difficulty of motivating themselves and how they stayed motivated in the online environment. This study provided some considerations for practitioners in an online environment, but also called into question the efficacy of learning a language in an entirely online environment.</p>

<p> There is very little research about the use of virtual reality (VR) technology within special education environments, in particular Emotional and Behavioral Disorder (EBD) classrooms. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of students with EBD as they use a VR learning platform as their primary learning environment. The study was focused on four participants as they told their stories about their experience with the virtual learning world of <i>Quest Atlantis.</i> Three main themes related to the participants&rsquo; experiences emerged: emergence of self-confidence; play and learning within a virtual learning environment; and fostering positive social interactions. Their experiences within the <i>QA</i> environment showed how they found learning to be a &ldquo;fun&rdquo; and meaningful process, which was much different from their experiences in non-virtual learning environments. For these participants, this medium helped them to begin to develop a greater sense of self-confidence, which led to more self-control and management of their lives. In addition, they had begun to learn how to increase their understanding of working in collaborative learning environments, a much-needed skill for the years to come. The benefits of this study may help educators add to their understanding of how the use of VR can help to create a positive learning environment for a group of students with EBD that tend to be in the highly restrictive learning setting.</p>

This is a practical experience study to examine the perspectives and experiences of the teachers, students and parents towards teaching and learning Home Economics or Food and Textiles Technology (FTT) in Secondary schools in Samoa. The study attempts to understand the major factors that impede the successful implementation of the Food and Textiles Technology teaching and learning in the classroom. The research methodology of the study is drawn from qualitative case study approaches. Teachers, students and parents were interviewed and observed to gather relevant data for the study. Additional research includes analysis of educational documents to assist in creating a well-developed view of the FTT teaching. The study showed that though a great deal of research is being done to address identified needs in the Samoan education system, little work has been done in the area of home economics/food and textile technology. Additionally, the promotion of technical assistance through the vocational education training programmes is relevant for Samoa but it has not been addressed adequately in the change literature. This study attempts to contribute to meeting these two needs. The important findings of the study address innovation and support for all curriculum areas. The FTT innovation is a component of the Samoan education system, however, it is still regarded by many Samoans as a ‘second–class’ option in relation to formal education rather than ‘second chance education’ (Jones 1994; and Sharma 1995). Many Samoans accustomed to academic education regard FTT as a low status subject, a belief that is shared by many parents. In some countries women are considered second-class citizens but it is clear that ‘second chance’ education provides an equal opportunity to educate everyone and to provide a safe, respectful and nurturing environment. In addition, the opportunity of a second chance education can enhance the options available for early school leavers. The Ministry of Education Sports and Culture (MESC) needs to develop strategic policies to strengthen its approaches to the implementation of FTT in the secondary school. It is clear that teaching and learning FTT in schools in Samoa is not a compulsory component of the school system. It is only taken by the schools with resources, a trained teacher and enrolled students who are willing to participate in these courses. The MESC policies are related to its shared vision of a change process that provides teachers with strategies to achieve the desired goal or a set of goals. Therefore MESC policies should be flexible, usable, timely and applicable to the teaching and learning of FTT. Very importantly, the supply of pre- service and in- service training of teachers by MESC is needed to ensure there is a pool of high quality teachers to provide the successful implementation of FTT in the secondary school curriculum. It is also clear and understood that MESC should provide the appropriate quality resources to the learners to ensure the effective delivery of the FTT programmes in the secondary schools. Normally, FTT is expensive but this should not prevent or limit students’ access to the programmes. All efforts should be made to make the programmes accessible to all students. In order for the implementation of FTT to be successful, all the stakeholders should be active participants of the change process in the FTT programmes and all these programmes should be high quality, sustainable and on going. In the light of the above findings, it is important for the MESC, principals, teachers and stakeholders to participate and appreciate FTT implementation as a learning opportunity to develop new concepts, skills and behaviour (Huberman and Miles 1984; Joyce and Showers 1998; Fullan, 1991). These interactive and cumulative learning processes have important implications, which are addressed in this study in relation to the numerous target groups involved.

<p> The pervasive nature of technology in society is not reflected in schools. Research indicates that teachers are reluctant to integrate technology to the levels that are expected by organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the author of the national standards used to assess technology in schools. Included in the ISTE standards are standards for educational administrators that place the responsibility for leading the change towards integration firmly in the hands of the principals as the educational leaders of the schools. </p><p> While there is no clear definition of leadership, the common thread is the ability to create change in the beliefs and actions of followers. According to the Situational Leadership &reg; theory, an effective leader is one who uses the appropriate leadership strategy to create and manage change in the given situation. The LEAD other instrument is used to assess the effectiveness of leaders as perceived by their followers. The purpose of this study was to explore the existence of a relationship between effective leadership as measured by the LEAD other instrument and teachers&rsquo; levels of technology integration as measured by the Mankato Technology Survey. While not indicating causality, a positive correlation would indicate that principal leadership effectiveness needs to be further explored in the process of understanding why technology integration is not occurring at expected levels. The results of the study did not provide sufficient support to reject the null hypothesis, thus suggesting that no relationship exists between principal leadership effectiveness and the level of teacher technology integration. The lack of a significant relationship suggests that additional research is required to determine if in fact the responsibility for technology integration and comfort has been inappropriately placed on the principal, and to examine what other factors require further consideration.</p>

<p> Cursive writing is a skill that contributes to learning, yet in the digital age it is no longer considered a necessary part of the curriculum in America&rsquo;s schools. Research demonstrates the importance of handwriting, particularly cursive, in the development of fluency, compositional complexity, and literacy skills. Because of the ever-expanding use of technology, it is necessary to understand the value that cursive brings to the thinking and writing process. </p><p> This study compared the differences in fluency and compositional quality between two modes of transcription (cursive and keyboard) among fifth- and eighth-grade students. It also examined the attitudes and beliefs of today&rsquo;s educators and students regarding cursive&rsquo;s value and benefits as compared with the value and benefits of keyboarding. Students from three private schools in the midwestern United States wrote two stories each, one in cursive and one by keyboard using the <i>Test of Written Language-4</i>. The researcher tabulated the total word count (fluency) for each story and compared the results by grade level and mode of transcription. The researcher also compared the standard scores for each story measuring compositional quality by mode of transcription, grade levels, and schools. The students and their teachers completed a survey expressing their views on cursive writing and the use of a keyboard. The teachers also participated in follow-up phone interviews. </p><p> The researcher conducted a series of parametric and non-parametric tests, and the results indicated that the keyboard-generated stories in both the fifth and eighth grade generally scored higher in fluency and compositional quality over the cursive stories. In contrast, the teachers and students placed a substantial value on learning and using cursive as indicated by the qualitative data. Future studies should focus on understanding this dichotomy and how cursive writing may enhance best practices in educating the next generation of digital natives.</p><p>