Download or read book Investigating the Impact of Professional Development on Teacher Practices and Beliefs Regarding the Use of Mobile Educational Applications in the Classroom written by Tommi C. Barrett-Greenly and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is well known that technology holds an important place in the classroom, and that students must be prepared for working and functioning in a society abundant with swift and constant advances in technology (Mitchem, Wells & Wells, 2003). Thus, in order to ready the learners, teachers themselves must be equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge for effective technology integration, one of which is learning how to learn about emerging technologies and their applications in the school curriculum. This project investigated the impact of a professional development (PD) institute designed to help practicing teachers realize the potential of mobile devices (i.e., iPads) for both teaching and learning, and consisted of three objectives. The first objective was to describe the pedagogical activities of a technology professional development program titled "iPad Technology Institute," which was offered on campus at the University of Delaware (UD) during the summer of 2011. The second objective was to investigate the impact of the institute activities on the technological knowledge, teaching practices and beliefs of the participating teachers. The final objective was to gain an understanding of the benefits, limitations and challenges of using mobile technology, specifically the iPad and its applications, in the classroom (from the teachers' perspective). The program involved the training of 14 participating teachers in the fundamentals of using an iPad, in preparation for successfully utilizing the mobile device for instructional purposes in their individual classroom settings. The institute was organized into five clusters corresponding to five days of direct instruction and hands-on practice, followed by an opportunity to apply learning into practice through the design of lesson plans that integrated iPads with curriculum content. The program was supported by a federal grant administered by the State Department of Education and included resources for teacher stipends, an iPad for each teacher, and a set of 30 iPads for each teacher's school. Data were collected qualitatively via surveys for all participants, as well as from observations and interviews with four case study participants, and were analyzed using a constant comparative method to identify common themes (Miles & Huberman, 1994). These data were used to identify specific practices influenced by participation in the PD institute and utilization of mobile technology in the classroom for teaching and learning. Findings from the data indicated that participation in the professional development institute increased the teachers' comfort and skills in using iPads and mobile educational applications for instructional purposes. In particular, results from case study data suggested that many benefits were recognized during utilization of the iPad applications within classroom environments. All teachers agreed that utilizing the applications increased student engagement; some teachers also noted improvement in student test scores. Other benefits mentioned by teachers included the accessibility and variety of child-friendly apps, opportunities to learn and use a variety of skills within applications, and the potential to hone a multitude of learning skills, from reading comprehension, fluency and confidence, to an ability to address technology issues. With benefits came limitations and challenges when using applications during teaching and learning. Although most of the participants expressed a belief that a variety of applications were available, they still expressed a wish to have more knowledge of and access to quality, educational applications. Participants also expressed a desire to have observed iPad lessons, ideas, and applications that have been tested out by educators. Student distractibility was another concern shared by all teachers, as well as the desire to have the authority to lock the iPads for better control and management of device usage. Cost of applications, troubleshooting technical issues, and want for more time (for lesson planning to device problem solving) were other challenges for the participants. Recommendations were made for future instructors and designers of technology focused professional development programs for teachers, as well as other educational institutions, specifically those considering the implementation of mobile devices for educational purposes: (a) provide demonstrations from K-12 teachers experienced in the technology; (b) provide classroom management tips to accommodate the needs of integrating iPad technology into instructional practices; (c) provide suggestions and model scenarios for addressing technical problems; (d) integrate more iPad-focused lessons, lesson ideas, and applications that have been tested out by educators; (d) allow opportunities for participant collaboration and networking; and (e) provide follow-up support by qualified personnel. The results serve as a resource for consideration during future designs of technology-focused, professional development programs for educators, and also as a resource for descriptions of teaching practices in regards to iPad implementation in education.

Download or read book Tablets in K 12 Education Integrated Experiences and Implications written by An, Heejung and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2014-07-31 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book explores the use of hand-held mobile devices in primary and secondary classrooms to assist in learning, sharing, and communication among students and teachers"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-10-04 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teachers, like other professionals, need to stay informed about new knowledge and technologies. Yet many express dissatisfaction with the professional development opportunities made available to them in schools and insist that the most effective development programs they have experienced have been self-initiated. Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers explores how the provision of professional development through online media has had a significant influence on the professional lives of an increasing number of teachers. Growing numbers of educators contend that online teacher professional development (OTPD) has the potential to enhance and even transform teachers' effectiveness in their classrooms and over the course of their careers. They also acknowledge that it raises many challenging questions regarding costs, equity, access to technology, quality of materials, and other issues. Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers suggests that teachers be active participants in planning and implementation of any new technologies that enhance professional development. The book recommends that federal and state policy makers take on the responsibility of promoting equal access to technology while the federal government and foundations play an important role by supporting the development, evaluation, and revision of OTPD.

Download or read book Using Mobile Technologies in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics written by Nigel Calder and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-08-09 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mobile technologies influence the way that we interact with the world, the way that we live. We use them for communication, entertainment, information and research. In education settings, there has been substantial investment in mobile devices, often without a concomitant investment in developing pedagogy and practices. With mobile technologies evolving rapidly, and the number of educational apps growing, there is a need for research into how they facilitate mathematics learning. Such research is of particular importance regarding how such devices may be used to open up new ways of envisaging mathematics and mathematics education, and to help develop conceptual rather than procedural or declarative knowledge. This volume draws upon international research and reports on a range of research projects that have incorporated mobile technologies for mathematics education. It presents research on the use of mobile technologies, such as iPads, iPods, iPhones, Androids, and Tablets, across a diverse range of cultures, year levels and contexts. It examines the ways in which mobile technologies, including apps, might influence students’ engagement, cognition, collaboration and attitudes, through the reshaping of the learning experience. In addition, the book presents appropriate ways to integrate mobile technologies into teaching and learning programmes. It is a significant reference book for those involved with teaching mathematics or using mobile technologies in education, while also offering insights and examples that are applicable to the use of digital technologies in education generally.

Download or read book Case Study written by Dolores Medina and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last decade, the educational system has undergone a number of changes from policies to standards taught and covered in classrooms. Policymakers, school districts and administrators have invested an increased attention and financial resources to provide teachers with professional development to improve teacher performance, change schools and impact student learning. However, it is no secret teachers across the nation fail to engage in professional development because they do not find learning activities to be effective and relevant to their classroom's instructional needs. As a result, there is minimal to insignificant implementation of learned instructional strategies into everyday classroom settings, failing to impact and improve student learning. This case study addresses the research question: In what ways do teachers' beliefs and practices regarding professional development impact their instructional strategy implementation in lessons each day in the classroom? Research suggests teachers' beliefs and practices about professional development are core reasons why learning transfer is inconsistent and little to no impact is visible in instructional strategies implemented in the classroom to impact student learning. Additionally, existing research explains teachers' concerns with professional development are in its effectiveness to provide engaging, collaborative, teacher-centered, and continuous opportunities to learn and improve as teachers, in an effort to impact student learning and achievement, as opposed to simply objecting to engage in professional learning opportunities. However, there is no substantial amount of research focusing on teachers' beliefs and practices and the impact these have in what ways instructional strategies are implemented in the classroom. Therefore, this qualitative case study examines, through semi-structured interviews and and analyzed with Holistic in vivo coding, teachers' beliefs and practices about professional development, at a small private school-purposefully sampled-and the impact these have in what ways instructional strategies are implemented in the daily teaching practices. Findings of this case study contribute to the existing research suggesting teachers' beliefs and practices directly impact in what ways instructional strategies are implemented in the classroom, confirming further longitudinal researcher is needful to gain a greater understanding of teachers's beliefs and practices to inform structure and effectiveness of professional development to improve teacher performance and impact student learning and achievement. The researcher found teachers' beliefs impact their engagement in professional development are the deciding factor in what constitutes an effective professional development and therefore determine in what professional learning opportunities teachers are willing to participate, which, in turn, profoundly impact in what ways teachers implement instructional strategies in their everyday classrooms. Based on findings of this case study, school districts and administrators should evaluate current professional development systems and structures, obtain teacher input to guide teacher-centered topics in professional development, and collaborate with teachers to impact student learning and achievement. On a greater scale, similar longitudinal case studies would be beneficial with a great sample-size of participating teachers and students for the purpose of gaining a better and deeper understanding of teachers' beliefs and practices and the impact these have on instructional strategies and student learning.

Download or read book Mobile Devices in Education Breakthroughs in Research and Practice written by Management Association, Information Resources and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2020-01-03 with total page 1076 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As technology advances, mobile devices have become more affordable and useful to countries around the world. The use of technology can significantly enhance educational environments for students. It is imperative to study new software, hardware, and gadgets for the improvement of teaching and learning practices. Mobile Devices in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is a collection of innovative research on the methods and applications of mobile technologies in learning and explores best practices of mobile learning in educational settings. Highlighting a range of topics such as educational technologies, curriculum development, and game-based learning, this publication is an ideal reference source for teachers, principals, curriculum developers, educational software developers, instructional designers, administrators, researchers, professionals, upper-level students, academicians, and practitioners actively involved in the education field.

Download or read book An Investigation Of Teacher Efficacy Understandings Practices And The Impact Of Professional Development As Perceived By Elementary School Teachers written by Arnold Jeffrey White and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Professional Learning Community (PLC) has increasingly gained worldwide acceptance as a research- based approach to professional development for educators. Benefits of the PLC are touted by many researchers who also identify the challenges to authentic implementation of the PLC model. This action research explored teachers' perceptions of the Professional Learning Community. Data sources for this research included an anonymous online survey, in-depth one-on-one interviews and a focus group. Study participants were elementary school teachers of grades five through eight who participated in horizontal professional learning communities for at least one year. Research questions providing the framework for this study were (1) To what extent do teachers think professional learning communities have impacted classroom instruction? (2) What do teachers perceive to be the greatest challenges to effective implementation of professional learning communities? and (3) What do teachers perceive to be the greatest benefits of professional learning communities? Data from these multiple sources indicate that teachers believe that the professional learning community is a viable method of professional development that produces sustainable and positive results for teachers and students. Teachers participating in this study identified numerous benefits of the professional learning community, the most significant being collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Participants believe that the work they do in professional learning communities has impacted classroom instruction and the culture of the school. Challenges to implementation of professional learning communities stem from scheduling issues and time conflicts. Other key themes emerged from the data. For example, teachers believe that they have improved as teachers and consequently, student achievement has improved as a result of PLCs. Teachers working in PLCs share a collective responsibility for pupil learning. Teachers also believe that a school should implement and maintain both vertical and horizontal PLCs. Teachers reported that PLCs fostered better relationships between teachers and administrators and that leadership at the building level impacts the fidelity of a PLC. One other important theme is that relationship building and trust are essential components of a highly functional professional learning community.

Download or read book Sustaining Mobile Learning written by Wan Ng and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-16 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mobile technologies are one of the fastest growing areas of technology in education. For learners, they offer an appealing opportunity to transcend teacher-defined knowledge and approaches by being able to access multiple, alternative sources of information anytime and anywhere. While the pace of engagement with and research into the educational applications of mobile technologies has picked up dramatically in the last decade, there is no consolidated view of how to sustain the practices or opportunities that are being explored. Sustainability is a complex but crucial issue in mobile learning as educational institutions are usually required to make substantial investments in mobile devices and associated technologies, time and training to initiate mobile learning programs. The complexity of sustainable mobile learning programs is further exacerbated by the fast pace of change of digital technologies, where with every change, new possibilities are opened up and investments required. In addition, educators are still attempting to reconcile institutions of formal education with informal mobile learning. The book addresses these issues, with a particular focus on: exploring the challenges surrounding the sustainability of mobile learning in K-12 and higher education investigating the importance of sustaining mobile learning for diverse populations of students globally discussing theoretical models for the sustainability of mobile learning providing the reader with strategies for sustaining mobile learning. Presenting new research alongside theoretical models and ideas for practice, the book will appeal to researchers, academics, and postgraduate students in the fields of education and mobile learning, as well as those working in teacher education.

Download or read book The New Landscape of Mobile Learning written by Charles Miller and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-24 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New Landscape of Mobile Learning is the first book to provide a research based overview of the largely untapped array of potential tools that m-Learning offers educators and students in face-to-face, hybrid, and distance education. This cutting edge guide provides: • An essential explanation of the emergence and role of Apps in education • Design guidelines for educational Apps • Case studies and student narratives from across the US describing successful App integration into both K-12 and Higher Education • Robust, research-based evaluation criteria for educational Apps Although many believe that Apps have the potential to create opportunities for transformative mobile education, a disparity currently exists between the individuals responsible for creating Apps (i.e. developers who often have little to no instructional experience) and the ultimate consumers in the classroom (i.e. K-20 educators and students). The New Landscape of Mobile Learning bridges this gap by illuminating critical design, integration, and evaluation narratives from leaders in the instructional design, distance education, and mobile learning fields.

Download or read book Using Mobiles in Early Childhood and Elementary Settings written by Cynthia C.M. Deaton and published by IAP. This book was released on 2021-01-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mobile learning is a primary learning format in the education of young children from birth through 6th grade. This format has been found to have a positive impact on the academic achievement, self-efficacy, motivation, and learning attitudes of students, including those with special needs (Ciampa, 2014; Hwang, 2014; Nikou & Economides, 2018; Xie, Basham, Marino & Rice, 2018). In both formal and informal learning contexts, mobile learning affords opportunities to innovate and explore new forms of authentic experiences, meaning-making, and creativity with untethered technology (Choi, Land, & Zimmerman, 2018; Schuck, Kearney & Burden, 2017). This edited book acts as a springboard to expand discussions surrounding how mobiles might best be situated in contexts relating to young children. With a focus on early childhood and elementary settings, this book both expands the definition of mobiles to encompass digital-physical tools (e.g. Osmo, probeware) and wearables. It also provides insight into how intentional integration of mobiles supports the development and practice of both in-service and preservice teachers working with students in early childhood and elementary settings.

Download or read book Mobile Learning Design written by Daniel Churchill and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-21 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on mobile learning design from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It introduces and discusses how mobile learning can be effectively integrated into curricula, highlighting the design of four key components of learning-centric pedagogy: Resource, Activity, Support and Evaluation in the context of mobile learning. It also investigates the learning theories underpinning mobile learning design, and includes case studies in different contexts. It provides practical insights that allow teachers to change and transform teaching practices using mobile technology. Anyone involved in mobile-technology enhanced learning and teaching will find this book both informative and useful.

Download or read book Components of Teacher Professional Development in Online Pedagogy in Higher Learning Context written by Nicholas Odwar and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2024-08-13 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientific Study from the year 2024 in the subject Pedagogy - The Teacher, Educational Leadership, , language: English, abstract: This study investigates the landscape of online teacher professional development (PD) through a comprehensive analysis of two large-scale datasets. The data for this paper has been collected from two international assessments, namely the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 and the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) 2017-18. Gender, Teaching Experience, Subjects Taught, School Locations, Internet Connection and the Availability of Professional Development Teachers' beliefs about the value of participating in professional development also have Variables that affect Online PD Participation Patterns, Teaching Practices, and Effectiveness. Descriptive findings document effects at teacher, school, and country levels and shed light on online PD programs' elaborate and hierarchical structure. According to the aforementioned results, a high percentage of PD’s online participation is affirmed (68.7% TALIS, 72.3% NTPS) as well the positive outcomes of the analyzed PD on teaching practices, especially regarding ICT use (Cohen’s d = 0.59). ICT self-efficacy was also the most significant predictor of perceived online PD effectiveness (β = 0. 227, p

Download or read book Mobile Learning written by Scott McQuiggan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-03-04 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the game-changing technology that allows mobile learning to effectively reach K-12 students Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Developers, Educators and Learners provides research-based foundations for developing, evaluating, and integrating effective mobile learning pedagogy. Twenty-first century students require twenty-first century technology, and mobile devices provide new and effective ways to educate children. But with new technologies come new challenges—therefore, this handbook presents a comprehensive look at mobile learning by synthesizing relevant theories and drawing practical conclusions for developers, educators, and students. Mobile devices—in ways that the laptop, the personal computer, and netbook computers have not—present the opportunity to make learning more engaging, interactive, and available in both traditional classroom settings and informal learning environments. From theory to practice, Mobile Learning explores how mobile devices are different than their technological predecessors, makes the case for developers, teachers, and parents to invest in the technology, and illustrates the many ways in which it is innovative, exciting, and effective in educating K-12 students. Explores how mobile devices can support the needs of students Provides examples, screenshots, graphics, and visualizations to enhance the material presented in the book Provides developers with the background necessary to create the apps their audience requires Presents the case for mobile learning in and out of classrooms as early as preschool Discusses how mobile learning enables better educational opportunities for the visually impaired, students with Autism, and adult learners. If you're a school administrator, teacher, app developer, or parent, this topical book provides a theoretical, well-researched discussion of the pedagogical theory and mobile learning, as well as practical advice in setting up a mobile learning strategy.

Download or read book The Mobile Learning Voyage From Small Ripples to Massive Open Waters written by Tom H. Brown and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-10-14 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning, mLearn 2015, held in a cruise ship leaving from and arriving to Venice, Italy, in October 2015. The 22 revised full papers and 6 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 81 submissions. The papers deal with the topics related to the theme of the conference: "The mobile learning voyage: from small ripples to massive open waters". The conference theme paid tribute to the developments that brought mobile learning from its infancy steps in the early 2000s to maturity in 2015, while simultaneously paving the way for the broad and open waters ahead with new developments and progress in mobile learning, and emerging ambient technologies.

Download or read book Reflective Practice in Teaching written by Gretchen Geng and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-07-17 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the ways in which pre-service teachers develop and articulate their professional knowledge by presenting their reflections on contemporary issues and topics they have explored during their own teaching practicums. It uses reflective practice to connect pre-service teachers’ personal backgrounds with their placement experience concerning a self-selected topic, including teacher educators’ reflections on the pre-service teachers’ reports on these placement topics. By illustrating the broad range of issues encountered by pre-service teachers, sharing multiple perspectives on the complexity of classroom practice, and demonstrating the importance of reflective practice, it also provides a valuable mentoring framework. Moreover, the book studies how examining pre-service teachers’ life experience can facilitate in-depth understanding, specifically in the context of pre-service teachers’ reflections on their own practices in different educational settings. In short, the book helps current and prospective pre-service teachers and teacher educators get to know their students and themselves better using reflective practice.

Download or read book Theorising and Implementing Mobile Learning written by Matthew Kearney and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on teaching and learning with mobile technologies, with a particular emphasis on school and teacher education contexts. It explains a robust, highly-acclaimed contemporary mobile pedagogical framework (iPAC) that focuses on three distinct mobile pedagogies: personalisation, authenticity and collaboration. The book shows how mobile pedagogical practice can benefit from use of this framework. It offers numerous cutting-edge research resources and examples that supplement theoretical discussions. It considers directions for future research and practice. Readers will gain insights into the potential of current and emerging learning technologies in school and teacher education.

Download or read book Professional Development Across Communities written by Robin Keturah Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teaching is a dynamic profession with many factors influencing change and growth. There are new standards every decade, new students every year, and new technology seemingly adopted before full integration of old technologies. Teachers must regularly develop to keep up with change. Unfortunately, when teachers reflect on traditional learning opportunities through school-sponsored professional development, only 25% report satisfaction with what their schools offer (Boston Consulting Group, 2014). Teachers cite dissatisfaction with both the insufficient time included for professional development during the school year, and also the misalignment of content in the professional development with their contextual needs. To combat inadequate development teachers are often looking outside of their school for learning opportunities. This study investigates the ways teachers expand their personal learning networks to meet their individual learning needs. While teacher learning opportunities are often guided by agreed upon design principles of professional development (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Gardner, 2017), teacher voice is rarely called upon in the design process. Despite evidence suggesting the positive impact of teacher-directed professional learning on student outcomes (Akiba & Liang, 2016), little is known about how teachers leverage their personal learning networks to meet their contextually relevant learning needs. To further our understanding of mathematics teachers' personal learning networks and the knowledge that is shared within these networks this study seeks to examine: a) the complexity of teacher personal learning networks, b) how teachers use their networks to develop professionally, and c) what knowledge is available to teachers as they expand their learning networks into informal online learning communities. This dissertation analyzed survey data to examine the complexity of teachers personal learning networks. Using a learning ecology survey design (Barron, 2004) the survey measured what teachers desired to learn about and whom they networked with to professionally development around their desired learning topics. The findings from this survey provide a detailed description of how teachers are both conceptualizing and navigating their personal learning networks to learning about the teaching and learning of mathematics. The survey also provided a detailed understanding of the complexity of teacher learning networks by quantifying the number of learning topics and learning partners teachers turn to for support. Teachers are relying on larger learning networks for a variety of learning topics that go beyond those topics and opportunities provided by traditional professional development. To further understand how teachers use their personal learning networks, 19 case study interviews were conducted. These interviews informed the creation of two teacher learner profiles. The profiles (Knowledge Broker, Lurking to Learn) illuminated how, and why, some mathematics teachers expand their learning networks to augment traditional professional development opportunities. Findings from these case study interviews suggest particular ways teachers are using their networks to support their own learning and also the learning of those they support in their face-to-face learning communities. Finally, this study examines the knowledge that teachers access within an online informal learning community. As teachers expand their personal learning networks into these communities they gain access to numerous new learning partners. These learning partners, often other classroom teachers, are providing support and knowledge around the teacher and learning of mathematics. Using topic modeling, a computational textual analysis method, all posts from one Facebook group were analyzed based on Shulman's (1986/1987) teacher knowledge framework. The knowledge within these spaces reflected critical knowledge around the teaching and learning of mathematics. Findings from this study further our understanding of what knowledge teachers are sharing within these online spaces and validate online informal learning communities as valid spaces to professionally develop. Developing a better understanding of how teachers' create personal learning networks, why they are expand them beyond traditional professional development, and what knowledge is available as they expand to online spaces is crucial for continuing to support teacher professional learning. This study amplifies teacher voice in mathematics teacher professional development. Findings from this study have the potential to enhance our understanding of both teacher learning needs and what learning opportunities they find valuable. By empirically identifying knowledge that is available in an online informal learning community, this study offers an authentic example of how teachers are personally networking together to share their experiences within a learning community that defies both time and space.