<p> Computational Thinking continues to gain popularity and traction within conversations about curriculum development for the 21^st century, but little exists in the literature to guide the inclusion of Computational Thinking into curriculum outside of K12. This Delphi study seeks to fill part of the gap in the literature and instantiate conversation in the Higher Education community about the importance of CT as a topic, and how it may be approached formally in curriculum development. </p><p> Over 3 rounds of Delphi panel deliberation, several interesting and informative themes emerged related to issues of domain expertise, interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensurance of quality and integrity of computational knowledge, attitudes and practices through curricular initiatives. Additionally, potential solutions and vehicles for delivering strong outcomes are identified and discussed, through the lens of Landscapes of Practice (Wenger, 2014). </p>

<p> This qualitative design based research study examined the Connected Learning theoretical framework coupled with academic language scaffolds for Long Term English Learners (LTELs) in a secondary public school setting. The participants of this study were students that have been in the United States for more than six years and have yet to be reclassified as fluent in English, thus they are labeled as LTELs. The setting for this design-based research study was one ninth grade sheltered English class and one 12th grade sheltered English class in an urban high school in Northern California. There were two implementations of this design based curriculum and each cycle lasted four days. The first implementation took place in October of 2016 and the second implementation took place during November of 2016. Students created and shared media across digital platforms using paragraph and sentence frames. As a result of this design based curriculum several students were able to create video letters to the next president of the United States on an iPad and share them on a digital platform. The design and implementation of a connected learning environment included three design principles and three learning principles and can be a successful system in other classrooms structured to serve LTELs if enough time is provided to enact all components of the design.</p><p>

<p> Addictive disorders are a public health crisis that affects our society by draining our workforce, health care, judicial, education, and law enforcement, resources. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to social influence&mdash;for better and for worse&mdash;and addiction. Through social media, today&rsquo;s youth experience a whole new way of communicating. Not enough is known about adolescent perceptions of addiction, and messages of addiction they are exposed to on social media. Social Learning Theory and the Learning Theory of Addiction provided the framework for understanding how adolescents are at risk for developing unhealthy practices that create numerous psychological, social and physical problems in adulthood. Concurrent, mixed-methods, were used to explore adolescent perceptions of addiction and Instagram hashtags related to addiction. A content analysis of Instagram hashtags related to addiction and interview data from 11 adolescents aged 16-18 from a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club in New Jersey was collected and analyzed. The sample for phase one of this study was comprised of 819,155 Instagram posts, hashtagged #addiction, #recovery, #alcohol, and #drugs, collected on 5 dates over a month. Phase 2, adolescent interviews, included open-ended and Addiction Belief Survey (ABS) questions. The study&rsquo;s findings led to the conclusion that the adolescents interviewed have uncertain, and at times prejudicial, understandings of addiction. They see social media as potentially helpful in the fight against addiction and feel protected from negative messages of addiction by a strong circle of friends and family. Addiction related posts on Instagram, though littered with unhealthy messages, reflect the belief that addiction is recoverable and avoidable through social support. Adolescent perceptions of addiction align with those expressed on Instagram in both healthy and unhealthy ways. Beliefs of addiction expressed by adolescents and on Instagram reflect recent findings in the scientific literature on the nature of addiction, stigma, social support, and wellness. Study recommendations include for school and government leadership to take a multi-pronged, community based, approach in supporting adolescents. Future research should focus on social media support for adolescents and adolescent social learning of addiction. Secondary school curricula and interventions that include social media should be created and improved using design-based research because it allows for evidence-based improvement.</p><p>

<p> This project presents the development of a lesson design format on "Introduction to Organic Chemistry" for CBI - computer-based instruction. The design is to be used with the authoring program, Private School, an intelligent delivery system database.</p> <p> The community college system has experienced many changes over the past few years. The changing political, economic and social climate has forced the community college system to re-examine how courses are delivered. Along with this, employers are demanding computer-literate students. There is a need for teachers to look at alternative delivery methods such as CBI. The addition of Computer-based learning to the chemistry curriculum at the community college is designed to do just that. CBI enhances student learning by providing an alternative delivery methodology for studying chemistry concepts, which can be abstract and difficult to comprehend.</p> <p> Computer-based learning has been slow to be implemented at community colleges. This lesson, designed for the computer courseware database, Private School, offers community college teachers a framework to use for their own curriculum initiatives, thus allaying some of the fears and anxieties associated with computer technology.</p> <p> Throughout the development of the computer-based instructional package, teacher involvement is critical. The success of such a teaching medium depends upon the commitment of the teacher/designer. The monitoring of student learning and of student progress must be built into the design.</p> <p> The instructional development model of Kemp, Morrison and Ross was used as the foundation for making decisions about instructional objectives, content, learning activities, resources, learner characteristics and student evaluation. The curriculum was then used as an example for the User Guide to help teachers with the development of their own CBI. This project describes 5 phases for the implementation of CBI into community colleges: teacher familiarization, instructional design, data entry, student familiarization and student evaluation and progress.</p> <p> CBI can provide resources for learning which are effective, richer, available for longer hours, and open to a wider range of college students. CBI also provides students with greater control over timing and pace, and there is more likelihood of resources suiting their style and stage of each student's learning.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (Teaching)

This study explores the nature of computing-at-home for student learning and examines some ways computer-using teachers are encouraging use of personal computers at home. The study answered two research questions: (1) How do families who have a personal computer at home use them for student learning? (2) To what extent do computer-using teachers encourage their students to use home personal computers for learning? Data were collected from two samples. The first consisted of PC-owners who read A+ Magazine. This sample of self-selected participants described, in 500-words, how they used their Apple II to teach at home. Using content analysis, the investigator documented three patterns of how families used PCs at home for student learning: (1) Parent as Child's Teacher; (2) Child as Teacher; and (3) Child Teaching Self. Data also implied that families considered the PC a valuable educational tool that increased learning and helped improve attitudes toward learning. The second sample consisted of 178 computer-using teachers who attended the Minnesota Educational Computing Conference on November 12-14, 1989. Data collected from a self-administered questionnaire implied 79% of the sample encouraged students to use PCs at home. Seventy-two percent indicated they had talked with students' parents about using PCs at home to promote learning, and 46% indicated they had loaned software to students for use at home to reinforce a concept or skill. The study also uncovered data for future research. A statistically significant relationship existed between teacher PC ownership and (a) teacher encouragement of students use of home PCs to complete school-related assignments, and (b) teachers talking with students' parents about using the home PC to promote learning. Recommendations for practice were proposed. The primary recommendation was to encourage educators and school districts to explore ways to support use of PCs by families, while also being conscious of issues of equity. In order for the home-based PC to be an effective educational tool, educators need to find ways to coordinate with families to maximize its use.

The purpose of this study was to determine topics being taught by power technology instructors in Texas and to develop a curriculum from these topics. This curriculum was meant to be a guide for a power technology course for the ninth grade. Questionnaires were distributed to power technology instructors in Texas. The topics from these questionnaires which instructors indicated they were teaching or they believed should be included in instructional content were made a part of the power technology curriculum. It was concluded most topics mentioned were in use or were indicated important to a comprehensive curriculum.

In 1993 a new draft technology curriculum was introduced to New Zealand schools, followed by the publication of the final document in 1995. Its design and intentions required a shift in thinking within schools, in teaching and learning, and in the wider community. This had significant implications for the way schools managed curriculum implementation, for staffing in technology, and for resourcing. Professional development opportunities, funding support and support resource material were made available over a number of years as research in this area continued. Access to this support was not consistent for teachers and schools, and in some cases, not always sought. By the time the implementation of the technology curriculum became mandatory in 1999 for all students, Years 1 – 10, anecdotal evidence and some initial research showed that its interpretation and delivery in schools was varied,or no different from that of the previous workshop focussed syllabus. This research sets out to discover how technology education has been implemented across a small selection of schools in the Wellington region and to consider the way school management and technology staff in each school have interpreted and implemented it. Student responses to this implementation are also examined. The study draws from four secondary schools, and the focus is on senior technology as this was viewed by the researcher as a level where the interpretation and implementation of technology education could be most diverse. Changes in national assessment practices also highlighted this diversity. Each school was treated as a case study involving interviews with principals, teachers and senior students, in order to examine how technology is understood and practised. The ways in which teachers and students understood technology is examined within a framework of contemporary national and international research literature. The findings need to be considered in view of the fact that only four sites were used, the research is interpretive in nature, and makes use of case study methodology. In other words, the results cannot be directly generalised; however, readers are able to identify from the descriptions the extent to which findings transfer to their own context. The distinctive factors that emerged from this study highlight that the teachers concerned interpreted and implemented the technology curriculum with a strong consideration of their students’ backgrounds, learning needs, abilities and aspirations. In addition, the teachers’ own experience and qualifications, along with contextual factors associated with the school, such as its decile rating, appeared to be linked with the teachers’ interpretation of the curriculum. Teachers identified a need for ongoing, robust professional development so that they could be confident in their practice, and have a common understanding of terminology presented in the curriculum and national assessment standards. Resourcing for schools in the form of facilities, materials and staffing was varied and also needed to be supported. The study also identifies further research requirements to inform and support this curriculum area. These requirements ask for the extension of the present research to other schools, the evaluation of professional development programmes in technology, and the evaluation of the impact of school technology programmes on students’ learning and students’ future educational/work pathways.

In 1993 a new draft technology curriculum was introduced to New Zealand schools, followed by the publication of the final document in 1995. Its design and intentions required a shift in thinking within schools, in teaching and learning, and in the wider community. This had significant implications for the way schools managed curriculum implementation, for staffing in technology, and for resourcing. Professional development opportunities, funding support and support resource material were made available over a number of years as research in this area continued. Access to this support was not consistent for teachers and schools, and in some cases, not always sought. By the time the implementation of the technology curriculum became mandatory in 1999 for all students, Years 1 – 10, anecdotal evidence and some initial research showed that its interpretation and delivery in schools was varied,or no different from that of the previous workshop focussed syllabus. This research sets out to discover how technology education has been implemented across a small selection of schools in the Wellington region and to consider the way school management and technology staff in each school have interpreted and implemented it. Student responses to this implementation are also examined. The study draws from four secondary schools, and the focus is on senior technology as this was viewed by the researcher as a level where the interpretation and implementation of technology education could be most diverse. Changes in national assessment practices also highlighted this diversity. Each school was treated as a case study involving interviews with principals, teachers and senior students, in order to examine how technology is understood and practised. The ways in which teachers and students understood technology is examined within a framework of contemporary national and international research literature. The findings need to be considered in view of the fact that only four sites were used, the research is interpretive in nature, and makes use of case study methodology. In other words, the results cannot be directly generalised; however, readers are able to identify from the descriptions the extent to which findings transfer to their own context. The distinctive factors that emerged from this study highlight that the teachers concerned interpreted and implemented the technology curriculum with a strong consideration of their students’ backgrounds, learning needs, abilities and aspirations. In addition, the teachers’ own experience and qualifications, along with contextual factors associated with the school, such as its decile rating, appeared to be linked with the teachers’ interpretation of the curriculum. Teachers identified a need for ongoing, robust professional development so that they could be confident in their practice, and have a common understanding of terminology presented in the curriculum and national assessment standards. Resourcing for schools in the form of facilities, materials and staffing was varied and also needed to be supported. The study also identifies further research requirements to inform and support this curriculum area. These requirements ask for the extension of the present research to other schools, the evaluation of professional development programmes in technology, and the evaluation of the impact of school technology programmes on students’ learning and students’ future educational/work pathways.

In 1993 a new draft technology curriculum was introduced to New Zealand schools, followed by the publication of the final document in 1995. Its design and intentions required a shift in thinking within schools, in teaching and learning, and in the wider community. This had significant implications for the way schools managed curriculum implementation, for staffing in technology, and for resourcing. Professional development opportunities, funding support and support resource material were made available over a number of years as research in this area continued. Access to this support was not consistent for teachers and schools, and in some cases, not always sought. By the time the implementation of the technology curriculum became mandatory in 1999 for all students, Years 1 – 10, anecdotal evidence and some initial research showed that its interpretation and delivery in schools was varied,or no different from that of the previous workshop focussed syllabus. This research sets out to discover how technology education has been implemented across a small selection of schools in the Wellington region and to consider the way school management and technology staff in each school have interpreted and implemented it. Student responses to this implementation are also examined. The study draws from four secondary schools, and the focus is on senior technology as this was viewed by the researcher as a level where the interpretation and implementation of technology education could be most diverse. Changes in national assessment practices also highlighted this diversity. Each school was treated as a case study involving interviews with principals, teachers and senior students, in order to examine how technology is understood and practised. The ways in which teachers and students understood technology is examined within a framework of contemporary national and international research literature. The findings need to be considered in view of the fact that only four sites were used, the research is interpretive in nature, and makes use of case study methodology. In other words, the results cannot be directly generalised; however, readers are able to identify from the descriptions the extent to which findings transfer to their own context. The distinctive factors that emerged from this study highlight that the teachers concerned interpreted and implemented the technology curriculum with a strong consideration of their students’ backgrounds, learning needs, abilities and aspirations. In addition, the teachers’ own experience and qualifications, along with contextual factors associated with the school, such as its decile rating, appeared to be linked with the teachers’ interpretation of the curriculum. Teachers identified a need for ongoing, robust professional development so that they could be confident in their practice, and have a common understanding of terminology presented in the curriculum and national assessment standards. Resourcing for schools in the form of facilities, materials and staffing was varied and also needed to be supported. The study also identifies further research requirements to inform and support this curriculum area. These requirements ask for the extension of the present research to other schools, the evaluation of professional development programmes in technology, and the evaluation of the impact of school technology programmes on students’ learning and students’ future educational/work pathways.

This descriptive case study focuses on how Technology teachers interpret and enact the interrelationship of the Technology-Society-Environment (TSE) theme with the Technological Process and Skills (TPS) and Technological Knowledge and Understanding (TKU) curriculum themes of the South African school subject, Technology. Science and technology have influenced society in the twentieth and twenty-first Century to a considerable extent. A critical study of this group of related influences is termed Science- Technology-Society and addresses socially relevant topics that encourage critical and high level thinking skills, problem-solving and decision making capacity. These issues are included in the Technology curriculum as the TSE theme. Using the TSE theme in teaching would have the potential to make the curriculum more relevant and learning more meaningful as it provides scope for teachers to engage learners to construct knowledge at a critical level in different real life contexts. This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ understanding of the interrelationship of TSE with Technological Process and Skills (TPS) and Technological Knowledge and Understanding (TKU) themes and the extent to which the unique features and scope for teaching Technology are met. The study was set in Bohlabela district of the province of Mpumalanga, in South Africa and implemented between August 2011 and April 2012. Four teachers of different schools and circuits were interviewed, three were observed during teaching, their lessons, work schedules and learners’ workbooks and project portfolios were analysed. A novel combination of an adaptation of the Ben-Peretz scheme of curriculum document analysis and Rogan and Grayson construct of implementation frame was used in the analysis of the information obtained through documents and observations. The study established that only in exceptional cases teachers use learner centred approaches that allow the integration of the TSE theme with the process (TPS) and knowledge (TKU) themes. Evidence was found that while teachers planned such integration, learners themselves do not show any examples of such integration in their workbooks. Teachers have difficulties with specific knowledge areas of the Technology curriculum, in spite of formal adequate basic training in the subject. Teachers ascribe these difficulties to resource limitations, the absence of specific technology training and inadequate support by teacher support personnel. It is recommended that teacher support groups be established, and that the Department of Education develop specific curriculum materials and train teachers in the interpretation and enactment of the documents. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted