Technology-enhanced classroom

Draft

Definition

• Technology-enhanced classroom or computer-enhanced classroom or Technology-Integrated Classroom can refer to ICT-enhanced classroom teaching, Technology Integrated into Learning and Teaching, ICT in schools, Pedagogy related to ICT etc. In this article we use this definition (but we may move contents else place some day).

Alternatively, it also can just refer to equipment used in a classroom: E.g.:

• classrooms that have a minimum amount of hardware (e.g. 2-3 PCs for learners and an overhead projector)
• classrooms that have specific devices (e.g. an electronic whiteboard or lots of PCs plus some control station for the teacher).

See also:

• the computer-integrated classroom which we use to refer to more ambitious ICT-in-the-classroom designs
• lecturing for discussion of lecturing design

Typical ICT in the classroom

According to Webb & Cox (2004) ICT use and associated pedagogical practice can be described in the following categories:

• Internet Use
• Simulations and Microworlds
• Modeling activities by learners wich modeling software.
• Programming and Logo. See programming microworlds.
• Data-logging and real-time graphing
• Text and multimedia editing software (see cognitive tools, writing-to-learn, etc.

We add to that the whole range of tools popular project-oriented learning designs (and that go beyound simple use of Internet tools).

Increasingly, classroom ICT are web applications.

Teacher development issues

See also: teacher development

Highlights of excellent Web & Cox (2004) study of the literature include:

• “Effective collaboration as well as effective learning with ICT when students are in control requires careful planning [...] Teachers need to assess the types and extent of support or scaffolding that students will need in order to use the affordances provided by ICT as well as the affordances provided by collaboration together with ICT.” (Web & Cox, 2000: 277), but:
• “Research on effective teaching reveals a complex picture in which it is difficult to characterise effective teachers [...] and it has been reported that pedagogical practices associated with effective use of ICT, e.g. the development of students as independent learners, are currently only achieved by the best teachers [...]” (Web & Cox ,2004: 278).
• Teachers need a wide range of knowledge about the affordances of ICT in addition the knowledge they always have needed.
• Teachers' beliefs about the value of ICT for learning are important in their pedagogical reasoning (but it's not enough).

Software

• Mainly cognitive tools of all sorts (see also above, this section needs to be completed)

• Classroom technology seems to see some revival since there are now many several interesting web 2.0 services, i.e. teachers don't need to install anything and do not depend on sometimes hostile computing support.

• May websites that focus on teacher also will include large lists of tools, e.g. try out Cool tools for schools.

• An interesting initiative is ALTEC and 4Teachers.org, maker of *Star and other tools. DKS suggests spending some time exploring all the tools.

Links

• Jamie McKenzie (1998), The WIRED Classroom, Creating Technology Enhanced, Student-Centered Learning Environments, From Now On - The Educational Technology Journal, Vol 7 No 6 March|1998 HTML

• Technology-enabled learning page from the Foundation Coalition. This foundation is one of eight engineering coalitions funded by the US National Science Foundation and was established as an agent of systemic renewal for the engineering educational community.

• Teachers and Educational Technology, Resource Folder 7 of UBC Wiki

References

• Basque, Josianne and Sylvie Doré (1998). Le concept d’environnement d’apprentissage informatisé, Journal of Distance Education/Revue de l'enseignement à distance, ISSN: 0830-0445, HTML

• Froyd, Jeffrey, and Karen Frair, "Theoretical Foundations for the Foundation Coalition Core Competencies," Proceedings, 2000 ASEE National Conference, St. Louis, MO, 18-21 June 2000. PDF

• Hannafin,Michael J., Land,Susan M., The foundations and assumptions of technology-enhanced student-centered learning environments, Instructional Science, 25, 3, 5/1/1997, Pages 167-202, DOI 10.1023/A:1002997414652 (Access restricted)

• Pedretti, Erminia; Jolie Mayer-Smith, Janice Woodrow, (1998). Technology, text, and talk: Students' perspectives on teaching and learning in a technology-enhanced secondary science classroom, Science Education, 82 (5) 569-589, Abstract and PDF

• Sherblom, J. C. (2010). The computer-mediated communication (CMC) classroom: a challenge of medium, presence, interaction, identity, and relationship. Communication Education, 59(4), 497-523. doi:10.1080/03634523.2010.486440

• The Foundation Coalition, Technology-Enabled Learning, [1]

• Webb, Mary & Cox, Margaret, A review of pedagogy related to information and communications technology, Technology, Pedagogy and Education, Volume 13, Number 3, October 2004, pp. 235-286 (52) PDF (This open acces - as a sample article of this journal)