This diploma thesis is focused on technological sights located in the Pilsen region. The selection contains only those technological sights that are suitable for primary schools. The theoretical section introduces terms project and project-based learning. It describes the realization of a project, its advantages and difficulties. It explores extensively the educational theme A human and His World, technology education and technological literacy. The end of the theoretical section deals with the term technological sight and also the characteristics of six selected technological sights in the Pilsen region. The practical section of the thesis involves a field research of technological sights, planning field trips, possibility to join a field trip to a selected project for primary school pupils and in the end also creating worksheets for field trips.

<p>Detta arbete har två olika delar som behandlats på olika sätt. Inledningsvis har dagssituationen för teknikämnet i grundskolan kartlagts. Bland resultaten återfinns ett samband mellan behöriga tekniklärare samt de lärare som själva valt att undervisa i teknik, och intresset för ämnet teknik. De behöriga tekniklärarna återfinner vi framförallt i de större städerna. I den största gruppen lärare som undervisar i teknik, No lärarna, har endast tio procent valt att undervisa i ämnet själv. I övriga ämnen finns det någon slags agenda, men teknikundervisningen bedrivs utan ordentliga riktlinjer och utan garanterad undervisningstid.</p><p>Andra delen av arbetet har undersökt en tänkbar framtid för teknikämnet i grundskolan. Samtalsintervjuer med fyra personer som fått ge sin personliga syn på vad man borde ha i tankarna när man planerar framtidens teknikundervisning. Några gemensamma ståndpunkter är att teknikämnet är viktigt för att förstå vår samtid och vår framtid. Teknik handlar om att lösa problem och skall hjälpa till att föda ett intresse för teknik och naturvetenskap. Sist men inte minst tycker man att ämnet är för lågt prioriterat.</p> / <p>This work has two different parts that has been treated in different ways. Initially, the present situation for the subject Technology in primary and lower secondary school has been monitored in a survey. Among the results, a correlation between authorized Technology teachers and the teachers that chose to teach Technology and the interest for Technology was found. The authorized Technology teachers are primarily found in the major cities. Among the majority of teachers that teach Technology, the Natural Science teachers, only ten percents choose to teach Technology them self. In other subjects, there is a curriculum, but the Technology education is carried out without proper guidelines or guarantees for a minimum time of education.</p><p>The second part of this work is looking into a possible future for the subject Technology in primary and lower secondary school. Four persons gave their personal views on what one should have in mind when planning the Technology education of the future. Some common positions are that Technology is important in order to understand our present and our future. Technology is about solving problems and should help to create an interest in technology and natural science. Last but not least the subject Technology is not prioritized.</p>

Detta arbete har två olika delar som behandlats på olika sätt. Inledningsvis har dagssituationen för teknikämnet i grundskolan kartlagts. Bland resultaten återfinns ett samband mellan behöriga tekniklärare samt de lärare som själva valt att undervisa i teknik, och intresset för ämnet teknik. De behöriga tekniklärarna återfinner vi framförallt i de större städerna. I den största gruppen lärare som undervisar i teknik, No lärarna, har endast tio procent valt att undervisa i ämnet själv. I övriga ämnen finns det någon slags agenda, men teknikundervisningen bedrivs utan ordentliga riktlinjer och utan garanterad undervisningstid. Andra delen av arbetet har undersökt en tänkbar framtid för teknikämnet i grundskolan. Samtalsintervjuer med fyra personer som fått ge sin personliga syn på vad man borde ha i tankarna när man planerar framtidens teknikundervisning. Några gemensamma ståndpunkter är att teknikämnet är viktigt för att förstå vår samtid och vår framtid. Teknik handlar om att lösa problem och skall hjälpa till att föda ett intresse för teknik och naturvetenskap. Sist men inte minst tycker man att ämnet är för lågt prioriterat. / This work has two different parts that has been treated in different ways. Initially, the present situation for the subject Technology in primary and lower secondary school has been monitored in a survey. Among the results, a correlation between authorized Technology teachers and the teachers that chose to teach Technology and the interest for Technology was found. The authorized Technology teachers are primarily found in the major cities. Among the majority of teachers that teach Technology, the Natural Science teachers, only ten percents choose to teach Technology them self. In other subjects, there is a curriculum, but the Technology education is carried out without proper guidelines or guarantees for a minimum time of education. The second part of this work is looking into a possible future for the subject Technology in primary and lower secondary school. Four persons gave their personal views on what one should have in mind when planning the Technology education of the future. Some common positions are that Technology is important in order to understand our present and our future. Technology is about solving problems and should help to create an interest in technology and natural science. Last but not least the subject Technology is not prioritized.

This thesis explores the use of an online robotics course, in the context of Technology Education, for senior secondary school students in an urban New Zealand (NZ) school. The reasons for using an online course are discussed through investigating the need for quality resources to assist schools in providing students with appropriate learning experiences, and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices with respect to technology careers. There is a shortage of students pursuing technology careers and that in turn influences the NZ economy (Baron & McLaren, 2006). The purpose of the study was to examine how an online robotics course can be used for teaching robotics and engaging students in a blended environment. The author planned, implemented, monitored and reviewed an online course in robotics through an action research approach using formative evaluation methods to determine the effectiveness of the individual action research cycles. After reflection at the end of each AR cycle, the online course was modified and updated to improve student engagement. Qualitative methods were used to analyse online discussions, classroom observations and discussions, and one to one interviews with the participants. Research findings identified four themes that influenced student engagement with the online robotics course: access to the online course, the students’ background knowledge and skills, the students’ interaction with the online course and the students’ conation or internal motivation. The research findings are discussed in terms of areas that need to be addressed when using an online course to teach robotics. These areas are the course design, student considerations and course implementation. Course design, or how the course is structured, includes opportunities for students to develop their thinking skills, experiences and activities for learning, and opportunities for conversation and interaction. Course design must also accommodate student considerations. Student considerations focus on the needs of the learners and their readiness to ensure successful engagement in the online course in terms of their background knowledge and skills in electronics and Web 2.0 tools, their conation and their key competencies. Course implementation includes the factors that need to be taken into account in the execution of the online course such as reliable access to the online course, the students’ interactions with the online course, and the learning culture of the school and classroom, and the role of the teacher. The thesis justifies the rational for using an online robotics course and describes how an online robotics course can address and advance student learning outcomes, how online tools can be used for assessment purposes, the aspects of course design that are successful for teaching robotics and online learning experiences that provide positive outcomes for students. Recommendations for teaching practice in terms of school-wide programmes to develop and support students’ digital literacy and key competencies, and teacher professional development in Technology Education and online robotics courses are provided. Suggestions for future research are given in terms of student conation, the development of critical thinking skills through forums and how teachers’ philosophies can be aligned to Technology Education and the intent of the NZ Curriculum.

This dissertation investigates the nature of learning and knowing in adult formal vocational education and training. In a two-year period, I attended a training institute in western Canada and collected data from a variety of courses that were designed for practitioners to initiate a career or promote their rank in maritime industries. My research consists of four separate yet interrelated studies that, as a whole, comprise core chapters of this dissertation. I used video-mediated ethnography as my method to record and socio-cultural and situated perspectives as my primary framework to analyze and better understand my research data, participants’ interactions, and the learning and knowing possibilities in the course of the activities. In my first study, I looked at the assessment system for certification, a major impediment and contradiction that prevents the current vocational education system from reaching its objectives. I analyzed how current practices adversely affect the performance of the system and how it can be improved. In the second study, I examined and addressed the shortcomings of vocational education policies. I proposed a conceptual framework for policy analysis and design that affords the reduction or elimination of the current impediments in the implementation processes. In the third study, I developed the concept of quasi-community as a theoretical framework for theorizing the learning and teaching of adult practitioners in formal educational settings. I theorized learning as the membership and co-participation in a quasi-community developed by its members. The aim of a quasi-community is to create an interactive environment for the participants to share their expertise and utilize cultural resources in order to provide opportunities for collective activities and collaborative learning. In my final study, I focused on a new phenomenon in workplaces, namely the introduction of technology and the demand it created for change in educational systems. Based on the concept of quasi-community, I proposed a distinct pedagogical method for adult technology education. This dissertation provides empirical evidence that the conceptual framework of quasi-community allows for the creation of effective pedagogies that provide authentic learning opportunities for adult learners to develop vocational and technological competencies required in their workplaces. / Graduate

New advances in computer programming and more powerful technology have opened up new opportunities for learning though immersive virtual reality simulations. This research highlighted the importance of the role of a lecturer in fostering learning in a technology rich learning environment. Undergraduate business studies students worked collectively to try resolve a problem depicted through an immersive simulation involving a burning factory. The simulation provided a rich personal experience that enabled students with lecturer support to generate effective strategies to address the problem.

Paging jumps from viii to xi. / National calls for equality of opportunity have not been matched by reciprocal responses by girls to participate and achieve in design and technology subjects in Zimbabwean secondary and high schools. Current levels of girls' participation and achievement are of national concern. The study found that fourth form girls' low design and technology subjects enrolment and limited success have ensured a near all-male environment resulting in personal career progression limitations for girls and a gender segregated national socioeconomic society. It is acknowledged that outside Zimbabwe, models of student subject participation and achievement have been studied in the past resulting in the implementation of various motivational and retention strategies. Whilst accepting that girls' decisions concerning participation and achievement-related choices for or against design and technology subjects are individual and complex, some complex and interrelated contributory factors are explored. These are carried out in the context of Zimbabwe in this case study research which involved eight secondary schools of four different types targeting 321 fourth form girls, 26 design and technology subject teachers, eight principals, eight families and two education officers. The eclectic data collection approach chosen for the study relied on multiple sources of information being collected using a variety of techniques such as the student questionnaire, focus group interviews, in-depth interviews, lesson observations, and document and content analysis. The effects of various overt and covert forms of home and school processes of difference, inequality and oppression were explored in the data and how these have affected fourth form girls' design and technology subjects participation and achievement-related decisions. In particular, the effects of home and school contextual and climatic factors have been found to largely militate against girls' 'fit' with design and technology subjects culture, staff and workshop environment. A model involving the student and school contextual and climatic dimensions, to explain girls' participation and achievement perspectives is suggested and explained encompassing sociological, psychological and gender perspectives. Findings in this study contribute to an understanding of girls' participation and achievement processes in design and technology subjects in the African context, a dimension that has been largely missing from mainstream debates on the subject.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Technology teachers’ knowledge in promoting learners’ higher order thinking skills. This aim was addressed by conducting the relevant literature survey and an empirical investigation. Four schools were selected in the Johannesburg West District. Here, twelve Grade 7 Technology teachers, three from each school, were interviewed and observations conducted. The data was analysed and findings presented ultimately. The findings reveal that Technology teachers who possess a greater depth of technological content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and assessment knowledge are more effective in as far as promoting learners’ higher order thinking. On the other hand, Technology teachers who possess a shallow technological content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and assessment knowledge struggle to promote learners’ higher order thinking. The main conclusions drawn from this study are that Technology teachers’ knowledge can play a role in learners’ acquisition of higher order thinking skills. Therefore, Technology teachers should acquire a sound technological knowledge in order to be able to promote learners’ acquisition of higher order thinking skills. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / Technology -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Johannesburg -- Case studies / Critical thinking -- South Africa -- Johannesburg -- Case studies

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O objetivo central deste trabalho é analisar se os modelos de educação a distância mediados por Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação - TICs, gerados pelas políticas públicas desenvolvidas no Brasil, focam a formação de profissionais cidadãos ou são um mero instrumento de educação de massa. A pesquisa teve como objetivo o estudo de caso sobre as duas universidades mineiras, para identificar se os modelos de Ead se apresentam como um instrumento eficaz para formação humana e não apenas um mero instrumento de educação de massa, com o intuito único de distribuição de diplomas. Este estudo se torna relevante no sentido de contribuir como um referencial teórico para o modelo de Ead vigente no Brasil, em especial do Ensino a Distância do Estado de Minas Gerais, considerando sua especificidade e complexidade, que se reforçam por seu tamanho geográfico e pela carência de formação profissional dos municípios de Ouro Preto e Juiz de Fora, incluindo a população de seu entorno. O trabalho dos tutores, em conjunto com os professores, é considerado como eixo norteador de qualquer atividade realizada no ambiente virtual de aprendizagem, mesmo considerando que os alunos possuem um manancial de ferramentas disponíveis para a realização de atividades. A presença e atuação desta equipe representa importante papel no processo educativo, na medida em que sua atuação pedagógica tem como objetivo estimular o domínio dos conteúdos disciplinares, bem como das respectivas metodologias, recursos e meios, visando o preparo de ambientes de aprendizagem e a condução de situações educativas. Num aspecto mais amplo, este trabalho pretende ser um referencial para a confirmação de que a Ead pode oferecer de fato uma formação educacional qualificada, trazendo a oportunidade de uma formação crítica e autônoma, contribuindo para a formação humana / The main goal of this dissertation is to determine whether distance education models mediated by information and communication technologies-ICT, generated by public policies in Brazil, focus on the education of professionals or citizens are a mere instrument of mass education. The research was based on a case-study about models of distance learning in two universities. It seeks to determine whether these models constitute an effective instrument for human education and not just a mere instrument of mass education for dispensing diplomas. This study is relevant as it contributes to a theoretical model for distance education practiced in Brazil, especially in the state of Minas Gerais. This case of distance learning was chosen because of its specificity and complexity, and in view of the states size and the lack of training in the municipalities of Ouro Preto and Juiz de Fora, and surroundings. The work of tutors, together with teachers is considered as a guide for all activities in virtual learning environment, even though the students have a wealth of tools available to carry them out. The presence and work of this team plays an important role in the educational process to the extent that their pedagogical action aims to encourage the mastery of subject content, their methodologies, resources and media aimed at the preparation of learning environments and conducting educational situations. In a larger sense, this work is intended as a reference for confirmation that distance education can offer in fact a qualified educational experience creating an opportunity for autonomous education, contributing to human development

Skolinspektionen (2014) presents numerous weaknesses in the Swedish technology education in primary school. Their main message is that technology is a subject that must be made visible in Swedish primary schools. They also point out the fact that technology lessons contain too much practical work in relationship to the amount of discussion. To achieve highly effective technology teaching some areas must be improved. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of what effective technology teaching really is and how it may give pupils an opportunity to develop their problem-solving skill. This was researched through interviews with teachers teaching technology at a school with promising conditions to represent effective technology teaching. The result shows the importance of high quality teacher education, collegiality, functioning material management, efficient usage of time and an awareness of what kind of structure pupils should face in the technology education. Technology education with too much structure confines the pupils’ ability to be creative while solving problems. Teacher competence is crucial when actualizing effective technology teaching and including discussions to it on a daily basis. / Skolinspektionen (2014) lyfter ett omfattande antal områden som behöver förbättras för att teknikundervisningen i den svenska grundskolan ska anses vara högkvalitativ. Deras huvudbudskap är att teknikämnet är för osynligt och att det måste synliggöras i skolarbetet. Dessutom menar de att lektioner i för hög utsträckning består av praktiskt arbete utan utrymme för reflektion. Syftet med den här studien är att bidra till förståelsen av vad högkvalitativ teknikundervisning kan vara och hur den kan ge eleverna möjlighet att utveckla sin problemlösningsförmåga. Detta undersöktes genom intervjuer med tekniklärare på en skola som ansågs ha goda förutsättningar att exemplifiera högkvalitativ teknikundervisning. Resultatet påvisar vikten av god lärarutbildning, kollegial samverkan, fungerande materialhantering, effektiv tidsanvändning och en medvetenhet kring graden av struktur i undervisningen. Det finns en svårighet för tekniklärare att finna en sund balans mellan struktur och frihet i undervisningen. För mycket struktur begränsar elevernas möjligheter till att utnyttja sin kreativitet och problemlösningsförmåga, medan för mycket frihet ökar uppgiftens svårighetsgrad. Lärarens kompetens är avgörande för att iscensätta högkvalitativ teknikundervisning och för att göra givande diskussioner till en naturlig del av undervisningen.