The use of computers equipped with Internet access by students during face-to-face (F2F) class sessions is perceived as academically beneficial by a growing number of students and faculty members in universities across the United States. Nevertheless, some researchers suggest unstructured computer use detached from the immediate class content may negatively influence student participation, increase distraction levels, minimize recall of recently presented information, and decrease student engagement. This study investigates graduate students' beliefs about computer use with Internet access during graduate face-to-face lecture classes in which computer use is neither mandated nor integrated in the class and the effect of such use on student recall. Methods include a 44-item questionnaire to investigate graduate students' beliefs about computers and two experiments to investigate the influence of computer use during a lecture on students' memory recall. One experimental group (open laptop) used computers during a lecture while the other (closed laptop) did not. Both groups were given the same memory recall test after the lectures, and the resulting scores were analyzed. Two weeks later, a second phase of the experiment was implemented in which laptop groups were reversed. Results from the first experiment indicated no statistically significant difference in recall scores between the open laptop group (M = 54.90, SD = 19.65) and the closed laptop group (M = 42.86, SD = 16.68); t (29) = -1.82, p = .08 (two tailed). Conversely, the second experiment revealed statistically significant differences in scores between the open laptop (M = 39.67, SD = 15.97) and the closed laptop group (M = 59.29, SD = 26.88); t (20.89) = 2.37, p = .03 (two tailed). The magnitude of the difference in mean scores (mean difference = 19.62, 95% CI: 2.39 to 36.85) was large (eta squared = 0.17). Multiple regression analysis suggests two factors accounted for 10% of the variance in recall scores: (1) students' beliefs about distractions from computer use, and (2) beliefs about the influence of computer use on memory recall. Based on survey findings, participants (N=116) viewed computers and Internet access in graduate classes as helpful academic tools, but distractions from computer use were major sources of concern for students who used computers in graduate classes and those who did not. Additionally, participants believed academic productivity would increase if instructors integrated computer use appropriately in the curricula. Results of the survey and experiments suggest unstructured computer use with Internet access in the graduate classroom is strongly correlated with increased student distractions and decreased memory recall. Thus, restricting unstructured computer use is likely to increase existing memory recall levels, and increasing unstructured computer use is likely to reduce memory recall. Recommendations include changes in the way students use computers, pedagogical shifts, computer integration strategies, modified seating arrangements, increased accountability, and improved interaction between instructors and students.

No description available.

Au collège, en France, l’apprentissage des usages de l’ordinateur désormais piloté par la certification du B2i (Brevet Informatique et Internet) mais sans formation clairement identifiée, est en filigrane d’usages scolaires multiples souvent distincts des usages non scolaires. Chaque collégien est alors au centre d’une tension entre entre les univers d’usage apparemment inconciliables de la sphère scolaire et de sa sphère privée. Sans guidage ni étayage, il se livre à une sorte de butinage numérique, sans pouvoir transférer les acquisitions qu’il réalise dans chacune des sphères. Le problème didactique que cette recherche cherche à résoudre consiste à identifier et à caractériser des éléments et structures propices à l’émergence d’une cohérence à la globalité des rencontres avec les ordinateurs ou systèmes informatisées et des activités numériques du jeune. dans cette perspective, une première analyse propose une possible organisation scolaire qui tiendrait compte de toutes les activités du collégien, sans exception. Une seconde analyse consiste à objectiver ses rencontres numériques pour qu’elles constituent un objet d’étude pertinent. Enfin, sont examinés des éléments structurants communs, porteur de cohérence. Cette triple investigation permet de proposer un cadre d’interprétation et d’analyse comme outil d’intelligibilité du référent empirique constitué par toutes les rencontres. Cet outil pour l’enseignement est organisé par les tâches, leur technicité… Pour mettre à l’épreuve cette suggestion, une série d’enquêtes a été menée auprès de 203 élèves d’un même établissement. Les usages des outils informatisés ont été repérés ainsi que les conditions de l’opérationalisation de la proposition de cette recherche. Les résultats révèlent qu’il est possible d’adapter l’outil conceptuel d’interprétation des rencontres afin d’aider l’élève à construire, à l’échelle d’un curriculum, son propre itinéraire balisé par des étapes structurantes collectives. / In France, at middle school level, teaching for the uses of computer is now driven by the B2i certification (Brevet Informatique et Internet). Meanwhile, it doesn’t exist clearly identified training. So, each pupil stand in the center of tension between two worlds of uses from scholar sphere and the private sphere, that do not seem to go together. Without guidance or support they engage in a sort of digital gathering, without being able to transfer what they acquire in each sphere. The didactic issue that this research aims at solving is to identify and characterise components and structures ideal for the emergence of a consistency in all the digital practices of the pupils. To do that, a first study is conducted on a possible school organisation that would take into account all the activities of the pupils, without any exception. A second one is to objectivise their digital encounters so that they form a relevant object of study. Finally these two studies are challenged in order to reveal common, coherent structural elements. This threefold investigation enables to offer a framework for interpretation and analysis as a tool for the understandability of the empirical referent comprising every encounter. In order to test this study a series of surveys was conducted among 215 pupils attending the same school. Uses of pupils were identified, as well as the terms of the operationalisation of what this research suggests. Results show that the conceptual tool of the interpretation of the encounters can be adapted in order to help pupils build – at curriculum scale – their own path controlled by structuring and collective steps.

I dagens informationssamhälle ses kunskap om IKT som en viktig kompetens för att människor ska fungera i samhälle och näringsliv. Källor visar på flera motiv till varför barn i tidig ålder ska introduceras för datoranvändning (då datorn som verktyg kan generera ny kunskap och möjliggöra nya arbetssätt). Utifrån en kvalitativ metod har vi undersökt retoriken bakom barnens datoranvändning på förskolan. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med två rektorer för att ta reda på deras pedagogiska idéer om och satsningar på IKT. Med utgångspunkt ur detta har även två fokusgruppintervjuer genomförts med pedagogerna i deras arbetslag med syfte att studera vad dessa uttrycker för tankar om att använda IKT i den pedagogiska verksamheten. Utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv blir termer som samspel, meningsskapande och artefakter centrala. Resultatet visar bland annat på ambitioner hos både rektorer och pedagoger gällande utveckling av IKT-arbetet på förskolan, samtidigt som det praktiska arbetet förekommer i väldigt liten skala. Vidare påvisas att inga egentliga utvärderingar sker kring de satsningar som genomförs gällande IKT på förskolan. I diskussionen ställer vi oss kritiska till den bristande kommunikation som ses mellan rektorer och arbetslag gällande IKT-satsningarnas implementering i verksamheten. Studien behandlar även behovet av kompetensutveckling samt bakomliggande orsaker till hur arbetet med IKT organiseras. Avslutningsvis formuleras råd till rektorer och pedagoger för utveckling av IKT-arbetet inom förskolan. / In today's society ICT-knowledge is viewed as an important skill for humans to function in society and business. Sources indicate motives which underline the importance of the fact that children at an early age are introduced to computing, as the computer becomes a tool to generate new knowledge and enable new ways of working. Based on a qualitative approach, we have studied the reasoning behind children's computer use in preschool. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two principals to determine their opinions on educational benefits of and investments in ICT. On this basis we have also, through focus groups, studied what kind of thoughts teachers express on ICT in educational practice. From a sociocultural perspective terms like interaction, meaning and artifacts became central. The results show that the principals and teachers both have ambitions regarding the development of ICT work at the preschool, while the practical work occurs on a very small scale. The study further demonstrated that no real evaluation takes place regarding the ICT-investments in preschool. In the discussion we are critical to the lack of communication that is seen between principals and their teacher-teams regarding the implementation of ICT-investments in the practice. We also discuss the teachers’ need for further education regarding ICT-development and the underlying causes of the use of ICT today. In the conclusion we present guidelines for the development of ICT work in preschool.

This investigation examined the effects of instruction, within the context of the Headsprout Reading Basics program, on the oral language and early reading skills of at-risk preschool students, and their teachers perceptions of the program. Random assignment was used in a pretest-posttest, control group design to assess the effects of this program. Thirty-one students, across two preschool settings, participated in the experimental group, and 31 students participated in the comparison group. The experimental group received instruction through the Headsprout Reading Basics program, which teaches the alphabetic principle, decoding strategies, print awareness, vocabulary, and deriving meaning from texts. The comparison group received instruction through Millies Math House, which teaches numbers, shapes, counting, sizes, patterns, quantities, sequences, addition, and subtraction. Daily instruction was provided for 30 minutes over a period of eight weeks. Oral language skills were measured using the Test of Language Development-Primary: 3rd edition (TOLD-3) and early reading skills were measured using the Test of Early Reading Ability- 3rd edition (TERA-3). Teachers and teachers assistants perceptions of the Headsprout Reading Basics program also were assessed through analysis of their responses to a structured, open-ended interview. Results indicated that students who received instruction through the Headsprout Reading Basics program exhibited gains in oral language and early reading skills that were statistically higher than the students who did not receive this instruction. Effect sizes associated with these gains were found to be large. Examination of the effects of gender, and minutes of instruction received did not yield significant statistical differences. Analysis of interview data indicated that the teachers and teachers assistants viewed Headsprout Reading Basics as a desirable way to increase the oral language and early reading skills of their students and would continue to use the program if given the opportunity. Implications for future research are discussed.

Die vorliegende Arbeit hat ihre entstehungsgeschichtlichen Wurzeln in der öffentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Diskussion über die Risiken und Potentiale der Computernutzung. Hinzu kam neben der persönlichen Aufmerksamkeit für die metaphorische Zusammensetzung von Sprache auch die besondere Stellung dieser im Bezug auf die Computernutzung. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven wurden diese Phänomene näher betrachtet. Dabei stehen neben der öffentlichen Diskussion und der fachlichen Auseinandersetzung nach einem forschungsmethodischen Einschub schließlich die männlichen Nutzer zwischen dem 20. und 30. Lebensjahr und ihre metaphorischen Konzepte von Computernutzung im Fokus der Auseinandersetzung. Den theoretischen Hintergrund bilden gestalttheoretische Betrachtungen, Studien über Lebenswelt und Alltag und symbolisch-interaktionistische Auffassungen. Ergänzend wurden theoretische Ausführungen zur Indentitäts- und Rollenentwicklung in Verbindung mit Aspekten geschlechtertypischen Verhaltens herangezogen. Das Vorgehen bei der Erhebung des Inteviewmaterials stützt sich auf die Empfehlungen von Witzel und Schorn zum problem- bzw. themenzentrierten Interview. Nach der Transkription wurden die Gespräche metaphernanalytisch ausgewertet. Die Methode basiert auf dem von Lakoff und Johnson geprägten Metaphernbegriff. In Bezug auf den theoretischen Hintergrund konnten Anknüpfungspunkte bzw. Überschneidungen skizziert werden, die eine Kombination sinnvoll erscheinen lassen. In der Interpretation der dargestellten metaphorischen Konzepte konnte gezeigt werden, dass dem Computer weit mehr Bedeutungen zugeschrieben werden als nur die einer mikroelektronischen Maschine, wenngleich deren Eigenschaften als Auslöser für diese Zuschreibungen zu betrachten sind.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-10-25T16:46:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 andreanovelinovianna.pdf: 1523361 bytes, checksum: ed05baccaf4af41cddc1e6983a3e91a8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-12-15T12:25:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 andreanovelinovianna.pdf: 1523361 bytes, checksum: ed05baccaf4af41cddc1e6983a3e91a8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-12-15T12:26:02Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 andreanovelinovianna.pdf: 1523361 bytes, checksum: ed05baccaf4af41cddc1e6983a3e91a8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-15T12:26:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 andreanovelinovianna.pdf: 1523361 bytes, checksum: ed05baccaf4af41cddc1e6983a3e91a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-19 / Este trabalho se organizou a partir de uma pesquisa qualitativa de abordagem histórico-cultural fundamentada em Vygotsky e Bakhtin. Com base nos pressupostos teóricos desses autores, buscou-se compreender os sentidos construídos por um grupo de professores de Matemática do Colégio de Aplicação João XXIII acerca do uso do computador na Sala de Telemática para o trabalho com conceitos matemáticos. Foram utilizadas com esses professores entrevistas coletivas como desencadeadoras de discursos. Na análise compreensiva desses discursos, foram organizados três núcleos de significação. No primeiro focalizaram-se os desafios e possibilidades na implantação de uma proposta de uso do computador no ensino de matemática na escola. Com base nos discursos dos professores, compreendeu-se o potencial do software livre GeoGebra, utilizado nas aulas pelos professores para o trabalho de conteúdos matemáticos. No segundo núcleo, foram analisadas as ações e atitudes dos alunos e professores diante do computador, na sua multiplicidade de recursos que seduzem e desafiam. Observaram-se como os professores e alunos estavam se adaptando àquele espaço, fazendo dele lugar de aprender de forma participante, colaborativa e com autonomia. No terceiro núcleo, foi possível analisar as diferenças observadas pelos professores entre o processo de construção do conhecimento desenvolvido na Sala de Telemática e na sala de aula convencional. No espaço da Sala de Telemática, com o uso do computador, através dos recursos do software GeoGebra, foi possível compreender que a introdução de conteúdos matemáticos era flexível e o conhecimento se construía de uma forma ativa, favorecendo a interação e colaboração entre alunos. / This work was developed by means of qualitative research based on the historical and cultural approach as proposed by Vygotsky and Bakhtin, attempting to analyse the meanings constructed by a group of Math teachers from the Federal School João XXIII as regards computer use in developing mathematical concepts in the Telemath Room. Collective interviews with these teachers were used in order to prompt discourse. In analyzing such discourse, three sets of meanings were observed. As for the first one, challenges and feasibility in implementing a proposal for computer use in math teaching were focused. Based on the teachers´discourse, the free software GeoGebra was found to be a potential tool in teaching mathematical concepts. The second set refers to the actions and attitudes by both teachers and students before the computer, analysing their multiple resources which seduce and challenge people. Both teachers and students were found to become used to that environment, making it a participative, collaborative, autonomous learning environment. The third set analyses the differences found by the teachers in regard to the knowledge building process in the Telemath Room and in the conventional classroom. As for the Telemath Room, the use of computers and the resources of the Geogebra Software were found to be as a flexible way to introduce mathematical concepts and knowledge was found to be built actively, favouring both interaction and collaboration among students.

This study sought to determine if the dominant learning styles of high school teachers is related to the amount of time computers are used in the classroom by students. It also examined the types of software used by those teachers, and their levels of technology adoption. Subjects (N=177) were from high schools in a large urban school district. Instrumentation included the Gregorc Style Delineator, a modified version of the Snapshot Survey and the Stages of Adoption of Technology. An ANOVA showed no statistical significance between teachers with different dominant learning styles in the numbers of minutes per week that computers were utilized in their classrooms with students. A chi square test showed no statistical significance in the types of software used in the classrooms of teachers with different dominant learning styles. A chi square test showed no statistical significance in the Stages of Technology Adoption of teachers with different dominant learning styles.

The visually impaired community forms a small but integral part of South Africa with the potential to contribute meaningfully to its infrastructure and society, yet blind learners still seem to struggle with computer use. There are various barriers that stand between blind learners and computer access. In this study, I explore the experiences of blind high-school learners (n=4) with regards to computer use. A qualitative case study was applied as research design at a high-school for the visually impaired. Data sources included semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. Observation-in-thecontext was documented in research diaries and field notes. Following thematic analysis, the following themes emerged: value of computer use for blind users; barriers related to blind computer use; and future solutions and possibilities of blind computer use. Insights may inform future conceptualisation and implementation of computer use amongst blind high school learners. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Technological standards have existed for years encouraging the use of computer technology as a teaching tool. By increasing technology use in the classroom, educators are able to address teaching and learning opportunities for all students. The need for these opportunities is essential in the rural areas of the U. S. The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers in a rural city school district in Mississippi experience computer anxiety in using new and emerging software technologies for instructional purpose; examine the level of computer anxiety teachers experience in using computers; and explore if relationships exist in the level of computer anxiety experienced by teachers based on the following demographic variables: gender, age, years of teaching, subject area taught, and educational attainment. The population consisted of 110 teachers with a minimum of bachelor‟s degree and certified to teach in their respective areas of specialization. Findings from descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of the participants were female teachers with 43% of participants possessing either a Master‟s or Ph.D. degree. A large portion of these teachers had one year or more experience with learning about or working with computers with access to a computer at home. The means revealed that when teachers have a moderate degree of confidence, liking, and usefulness when using new and emerging software technology there is a low degree of anxiety. Pearson Correlations were used to examine the relationships between the subscales (anxiety, confidence, liking, and usefulness) and demographic variables (gender, age, years of teaching, subject area taught, and educational attainment). Results confirmed that there were significant relationships between age and anxiety, gender and confidence, gender and liking, and years of teaching and anxiety. However, there were no significant relationships between the other variables. Findings of this study have the potential to contribute to the development of a profile that could be used to identify teachers who need exposure to technological training and professional development to help reduce computer anxiety and minimize resistance to computer usage. Additionally, findings of this study can serve as a growing baseline of literature that relates to computer anxiety among teachers.