Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe impact of information technology on the development of literacy skills in a secondary school( 2001)This study reports on a relationship between the increased use of Information Technology (IT), in both domestic and school environments and the development of literacy in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills in a sample of 52 students in a junior high school. The study was prompted by a perception based on my own personal observation as a classroom teacher in the computer studies area, that the increased availability of personal computers was coinciding with a decline of literacy skills demonstrated in submitted written work by my students. Other teachers also expressed their concern that students were displaying more interest in using IT and a coinciding reduction in reading and writing in class. The study reveals that a majority of students has access to personal computers at home and that they spend more time playing computer games than they do reading the kind of variety of printed text that would benefit the development of their basic comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills. Some correlations were found between high computer use and low scores on Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading (Vocabulary and Comprehension) as well as with low scores on other written exercises. These findings indicated that a high use of personal computers impacts on the development of literacy in reading (comprehension and vocabulary) and writing skills. The parents of the children studied were also surveyed and their comments indicated that the majority felt that their children spent more time on computers than they did on reading any type of printed text or practising their handwriting skills. Despite this, parents were convinced of need for the computer technology in their domestic environment for the educational development their children require. A majority of teachers who were interviewed also expressed their concern at how students were not developing literacy skills at this age. They felt that the acquisition and the development of basic literacy skills should occur at this stage of schooling. It was felt that it was crucial that students, growing up in the "Information Age", developed language literacy skills as well as computer literacy skills. Further study on a wider scale is necessary to specifically identify whether the decline in language literacy is directly tied to the advancements in Information Technologies and their increased use by students. In reality there may be a transformation of literacy that is occurring faster than society and schools can adapt to it. Literacy is a relative concept that must be set in the context of economic and social demands.
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ItemInformation technology : policies and practices( 1998)This paper suggests that policy is the appropriate planning structure through which schools are empowered to act when new conditions arise that impact upon education. Further, that policy on the part of the Government and Departments provides indicators for schools about prioritising those conditions. Policy in action is often triggered by events which pre-empt policy in planning, and that such is the case with Information Technology (I.T.) The paper recounts the research undertaken within a rural regional area where access through Information Technology might be seen to have added value to students and teachers. The purpose was to establish a benchmark of readiness for the impact on schools of Information Technology. The findings are grouped according to the nature of the schools, the current practices of those schools which did have policies in place, and the expectations and perceived requirements of schools which did not currently have a final policy in place. The paper examines current uses of programs delivered by satellite, and those opportunities offered by the Internet. It also examines the way in which decisions are made about obtaining basic information, seeking assistance and managing the balance between school income and school technology. It seeks information on the needs for professional development, and conditions which affect decision choices. The findings are related back to current literature, and some recommendations are highlighted which should be included in further research. A collection of considerations has been included, along with a list of relevant Internet /World Wide Web sites suitable for education. A copy of the questionnaire is also included.
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ItemEffects of teaching and learning atomic structure concepts through the use of constructivist influenced multimedia( 1997)The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of female students toward multimedia learning and the way in which they accessed information from an interactive CD-ROM. The CD was an award winning educational software aimed at improving students' understanding of the periodic table and atomic structure. Twenty year-10 (14-15 year old) female students from a girls school in Melbourne, Victoria, participated in the project. An ethnographic approach was adopted which included a pre and post questionnaire and some videotaped laboratory observations. Results indicated that female students were generally aware of the value of multimedia learning programs and showed strong interest toward multimedia learning though they did not register a special preference toward multimedia learning in comparison with traditional ways of teaching (teacher talking and using textbooks). After working with the CD-ROM, no significant change was noticed in students' interest toward multimedia learning, their confidence in ability to learn and use multimedia software packages, and personal preference of instruction mode. Direct observation of students' interaction with the CD-ROM revealed that there was a strong tendency by the students not to access unfamiliar topics/areas. They tended to choose aspects of the CD-ROM that offered little learning difficulty or presented quick responses to short term goals. They spent most (60%) of their available time on the quiz section and ignored the tutoring aspects of the CD-ROM. According to the result of an opinion poll, students stated that the quiz game aspect of the CD was the most interesting area. Overall, students were unable or unwilling to explore the contents of the CD-ROM in a judicious way when teacher instruction or guidance was absent.
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ItemLaptops and literature : a constructivist approach to teaching English through multimedia( 1999)Staff in the English faculty at Central College are part of a laptop program, but are reluctant to make use of the laptops for anything except word processing. In this thesis I propose that staff need models for using laptop computers in a Secondary English classroom. Using an Action Research (Kemmis and McTaggert 1982) approach, the author researched learning styles, multimedia and subject English to develop a model for use in a novel-based classroom. The first model was developed, created and used in class. Student reactions were collected and analysed, and a second model created in response to this data. Students' reactions were collected and the models, along with student responses were presented to staff. Conclusions and recommendations drawn from this project were two-fold: that multimedia resources for student laptops are best designed and created by classroom teachers; and that the development of these resources are time intensive, so schools should support staff in the development of these resources with time and training.
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ItemBeyond the transition : the microelectronic school( 1984)Society is currently experiencing a microelectronic based revolution in communications and information technology; the most visible sign of this revolution is the increasing role played by: the computer in everyday life. The evidence suggests that the impact will be even greater in future decades. Because the school will not be insulated from these changes, this thes is examines a potential outcome of the revolution; namely, the phenomenon of the 'microelectronic school'. The possible format of such a school is described and some of the educational issues that would need to be considered with the advent of such a format are analysed. In establishing criteria of desirable practice particular reference is made to the views of a number of educational theorists, especially Thomas Huxley, John Dewey and Martin Buber.
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ItemMaintaining the human touch : defining the boundaries of new learning spaces( 2001)Organisations are implementing online and multimedia training to remain competitive in a rapidly changing global environment. Yet technology based training has failed to improve learning in the past. The importance of educators to the success of technology- based training has largely been ignored. This study proposes that people, not technology drive learning improvement. Therefore, organisations need to provide appropriate professional development for training practitioners as they move from classroom-based teaching to an online environment. The fieldwork uses an ethnographic approach to investigate how training practitioners perceive online and multimedia training before they become involved in an innovative online training program. The training practitioners were interviewed to understand how the program challenged their roles and identities as educators. Issues raised by the training practitioners included their need to maintain a physical presence, coping with the changing social context for teaching, erosion of authority and the need for cultural acceptance of the program.
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ItemNew tools for an old craft : introducing information and communication technologies to Victorian schools( 2001)Many teachers in Victorian schools are using information and communication technologies (ICT's) in their teaching. This study investigates the relationship between the use of ICT's and teachers' work practices. The first part of the thesis (sections one and two) outlines the prevailing stories associated with ICT's and the various perspectives on technology. Different perspectives of technology are explored to show how they influence what we believe can be achieved with the use of ICT's in the classroom. The second part of the thesis (sections three and four) uses actor network theory (ANT) to build a local network of teachers and machines. The aim is to show that the relationship between teachers and ICT's may be better conceived as a 'sociotechnical' network of people and technical objects. The work concludes by examining the political implications of a sociotechnical network on the practices of teaching and explores the available opportunities for teachers to re-fashion their craft.
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ItemTeachers and technology: experiences and perceptions of professional development( 2001)This study investigated professional development to support teachers' use of information and communication technologies in one primary school setting. It explored teachers' attitudes and feelings towards information and communication technologies and their perceptions about professional development to support them in this area. The ways in which this group of teachers are currently utilising information and communication technologies to assist teaching and learning processes were also investigated. Current practice and professional development experiences were explored to discover links, and to investigate participants' perceptions of effective types of professional development to support their use of information and communication technologies. Other support such as access, technical assistance and support from management were also explored to discover their impact on teachers' use of information and communication technologies. An exploratory case study approach was taken and both qualitative and quantitative methods utilised to cater for the richness of the context. Data were collected from three sources; documents relating to professional development for information and communication technologies, a survey of teachers' technology skills and use, and a semi-structured interview. Data management and analysis were computer assisted. The study aimed to discover the types of professional development and the modes of presentation of this professional development that would be most effective in assisting this group of teachers with their use of information and communication technologies. This 'human dimension' is the key to appropriate use of technology, as illustrated by a working party for the Directorate of School Education: �The Working Party considers that attention should be directed to the human dimension, which promises to provide the key to more successful implementation of information technology in schools. It believes the issue should be addressed through structured professional development programs based on information technology and an understanding of such matters as learning, change and the factors that affect school culture.� Directorate of School Education, Victoria (1994, p. 2)
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ItemThe nature of technology and its effect on the introduction of learning technologies( 1998)The development of adequate student conceptions of the nature of technology has followed in the footsteps of the work on the nature of science. Not only the students' but teacher's, education administrators' and curriculum writer's understanding of the nature of technology is of vast importance, given the unquestioning way technology is working its way into the educational culture. The purpose of this case study was to determine the technological literacy of the senior science students and teachers of a single sex secondary school. The study was conducted over a period of 18 months using a variety of qualitative instruments. The students and staff were surveyed to determine their beliefs about technology and its relationship with science. These results were preliminary to identifying the power structure needed to introduce information collecting technology (or learning technologies) into Senior Physics. The power structure was identified using Callon (1986, 1987) Actor Network Theory (ANT) and explained using Latour's (1987) theories on ANT. The study found that both staff and students had similar beliefs about technology and thought it was associated with computers, progress and making life easier. Both groups thought that technology was applied science. Whilst these beliefs were found to help the introduction of learning technologies the main power levers identified were the neo progressive Physics coordinator and Physics technician, combined with the linkage of learning technologies to assessment tasks. The case study also found that the staff and students' naive beliefs about technology meant that the opportunity to use learning technologies as instruments to explain the relationship between science and technology, was being lost.
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ItemWhat are the perceptions of changes in teacher and student use of information and communication technologies during the implementation of the Learning Technology Strategy Plan at a Victorian Catholic secondary college?( 2001)This research used an interactive evaluation methodology, to evaluate the impact of the Learning Technology Strategy Plan at a Victorian Catholic Secondary College on the classroom use of learning technologies by teachers and the extent to which learning technologies are used within all key learning areas. It gathers the perceptions of changes in teacher and student use of information and communication technologies through a teacher survey and a series of group and individual interviews of teachers, students and school leaders. The research found that the Learning Technology Strategy Plan had a significant impact on the use of learning technologies within the College. Students were openly accepting of the use of learning technologies in all key learning areas and wanted to use technology when it was available. There was a range of perceptions presented by staff members about the implementation of learning technologies in the classroom, with the majority extremely willing and capable to some staff reluctant and unsure. The research found that access to reliable and appropriate learning technologies needs to be improved. That teachers and students believe that they use learning technologies well when it is provided appropriately and is in working order. Schools are in the cusp of significant change and need to embrace learning technologies as part of the future schools agenda.