Section archive - ICT & Teaching

Although video self-analysis has been used for years in teacher education, the camera has almost always focused on the preservice teacher. In this study, the researcher videotaped eight preservice teachers four times each during their student-teaching internships. Their perspectives both before and after watching DVDs of themselves and their students' responses provided the qualitative data for this study. Findings indicate that the participants strongly believe in the effectiveness of video self-analysis to help them notice classroom interactions.

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of inserting laptops and science technology tools in middle school environments. Working together with a local university, middle school science teachers wrote and aligned curricula, explored relevant science education literature, and prepared evaluation measures for their year-long implementation of laptops, probeware, and other scientific hardware and software. The findings revealed differences in student achievement, responses to pedagogy, and effectiveness of tools implemented by teachers over the course of the year.

The goal of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Web-based instruction (WBI) and traditional teaching methods on preservice elementary teachers’ fraction knowledge. Students’ knowledge of fractions was measured using a Fraction Knowledge Test. The test was administered as pre and posttests to a total of 42 preservice teachers in two classes at the same university. One of the classes was randomly assigned as the experimental group and was given WBI. The other class was assigned as a control group and was given traditional instruction. The analysis of results showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and the control groups’ posttest mean scores in favor of the experimental group.

This paper explores the role of engaging teachers in constructive dialogue within ICT professional development activity. As part of an ICT professional development program, sixteen teachers across eight geographically removed schools participated in an online threaded discussion forum for a school year. The findings suggest evidence of both collegial and critical forms of discussion. Collegial discussion was found to be important in developing and maintaining community while critical discussion was vital for its role in transforming teachers' beliefs.