New Zealand higher education in the age of technological convergence

There are competing discourses within New Zealand higher education on the impact of the converging 'forces' of technology, globalisation and corporatisation. Educational leadership in NZ exhibits a demonstrably weaker response compared with the literature and elsewhere. The current behaviour of media organisations may be indicative of any future educational response.

Doing things differently? : technological practice and change in higher education

Explores changes brought about by new technologies. "Technology" is seen to influence, reorder and restructure social and political relations and practices of staff. The study is intended to increase awareness of changing work practices and to encourage an informed and critical view of new technology adoption in education.

Mathematics teacher education and technology

Various applications of electronic technology have contributed to the field of mathematics teacher education, but the array of tools now' available to teacher educators in developed countries can be somewhat daunting. In this chapter, the authors present an overview of some of these tools and the ways that they are being used. In addition, they address issues surrounding the development and applications of digital technology in teacher education programs in a number of countries. In particular, they present recent applications of videotapes, multimedia resources, internet-based communities, and tutorial conferencing facilities in pre-service and in-service education of mathematics teachers. As professionals who have used technology in teacher education, the authors blend their own insights into this review of technological tools and relevant issues.

Towards the mature ePortfolio : some implications for higher education

Electronic portfolios [ePortfolios] are a recent addition to the language of higher education. Commencing with a summary of their role from EDUCAUSE, whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology, the distinctive characteristics of ePortfolios are outlined and salient differences from conventional portfolios in terms of process and outcomes are explored. Having considered the attributes of a mature ePortfolio, the paper focuses on pedagogical and technological issues for students and staff to move to mature ePortfolios. While accepting the valuable role ePortfolios can play in higher education, and that students increasingly come to the tertiary sector with expectations and experience that appear to warrant this approach, the paper concludes that decision making in this area is not yet adequately supported by research. Educators need to be open to the promise ePortfolios offer their students and staff but be aware of the implications for their adoption.

Enhancing the creative process for learning in primary technology education

When undertaking design and technology activities, children are provided with opportunities to create solutions to problems in new and innovative ways. The mental processes involved in the generation of new ideas may be enhanced when children’s attention is not focussed and is allowed to wander in a relaxed and uncompetitive environment. Research indicates that the two mental states, generative and non-generative, cannot exist simultaneously. This paper reports on a research project which investigated the impact on children’s thinking when a period of non-focussed thinking became part of the technology process. The results support the previous proposition that a child’s non-generative/analytical mental state needs to give way to a generative state so that a child can be more fully creative. Moreover, from this study that documented children’s ideas during their involvement in a design and technology activity, teachers are urged to provide an incubation period as part of the technological process in the classroom, so that children’s creativity can be fostered.

Teacher and peer assessment of creativity in technology education

This study, part of a PhD thesis, investigates a number of aspects relating to technology education, creativity and the assessment of creativity and aesthetics. Following tuitional sessions, panels of upper primary school children were involved in assessing the creative and aesthetic characteristics of technological products made by other children. Teachers assessed a selection of student drawings for creativity and these results were compared against the corresponding products assessed by the panels of Year 5 children. Subjects were administered a test on their knowledge of technology and these scores were compared to product creativity scores. The results showed high correlations between the assessor ranks for both creativity and aesthetics although there was generally more consistency with creativity. While some subjects produced both creative drawings and products, others showed creativity in only one outcome. A further finding of the investigation identified the relationship between students' knowledge of technology and the creative product constructed by the older children in the study.

Futures now - teaching futures education

In the post-modern world, it has been said that there is now greater uncertainty in life than in any previous period, simply because so much has changed as a result of the speed of technological change.

From the educational view point, Futures education is a necessity as times continue to change, in regards to both the sustainability of the person and that of the environment. It is true that uncertainty will always remain an aspect of thinking about the future, however in order to make what is ahead more accessible to everyone, educators have a duty of care to their students to facilitate or educate in regards to tools, concepts and understandings which will help students to become world shapers, and shapers of their own personal futures. This must occur as part of ongoing educator training.

Playing a critical role: experiential learning resources and analytical media studies in higher education

This article compares two Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) used in the Faculty of Arts, Deakin University Australia, and investigates the relationships between technology, pedagogy and key issues in the teaching and practice of public relations, in a media studies context. The online role-play ‘Save Wallaby Forest’ and the e-simulation ‘PRessure Point! Getting Framed (GF), in their different ways, afford learning  environments with capabilities that present public relations and media students with opportunities to discover a critical consciousness, break out of naturalised world-views, and explore alternative approaches to organisational communication. Furthermore, they present students with complex ethical issues to investigate based around the idea that media industries are powerful discursive producers and reproducers of social norms, values and beliefs which in turn shape notions of identity and influence the formation of public opinion in society (Fairclough 1999; Habermas 1995). This article explores the intersections and differences between these distinct ICTs in their relationships to a constructivist learning approach and ethical questions about how public relations both produces and reproduces world views through practice. This interacting nexus – between technology, pedagogy and theme – is significant because “what happens in the learning process” relates to the learning outcome and therefore has the potential to develop holistic reflexivity in studies of public relations (Laurillard 2003, p.42).

Valuing creativity in technology education

When he was only twelve, Peter Jackson (director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) cut fur strips from his mother's stole, and using wire he made a 20 cm model of King Kong. After a long incubation period for his ideas, he devised a modem version of the film King Kong. Research shows that the generation of new ideas (generative mental state) cannot exist at the same time as the non-generative/analytical mental state. This research has implications for technology educators who value creativity. We explored how an incubation period of non-focused thinking affected children's creative ideas for their technological products. Five teachers and 117 children from primary schools in a Victorian regional city and a semirural village participated in the study. The teachers factored in an incubation period that allowed time for the children's attention to wander in a relaxed and uncompetitive environment. We analyzed transcripts of teacher interviews and the children's written evaluations and drawings. We found a correlation between the incubation of ideas and the degree of creativity exhibited by the children. This key finding suggests that teachers of technology should take the incubation period into account in order to enhance creativity in the children's technology designs.

The impact of information and communications technology on teaching and design of flexible, online and distance education courses at Deakin University

This paper describes the use of an online learning environment which has been established for postgraduate students studying at Master’s level in Professional Education and Training Deakin University. A detailed evaluation of the use of computer conferences in an Open and Distance Education specialism was undertaken during 2000 as part of a CUTSD funded project, Learner Centred Evaluation of Computer Facilitated Learning Projects in Higher Education. As the Open and Distance Education specialism is being revised and new units are written, the information gathered in this evaluation is being integrated into the pedagogical planning and the technological decisions being made about the design of the new master’s program.

Trends, fads and futures : computers in learning in tertiary education, 1983-2002

ASCILITE, the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, is a professional society focusing on computers in learning in tertiary education that has been sponsoring conferences for its membership since 1986. Prior to this, three earlier conferences formed the genesis of ASCILITE. Over that period there have been significant changes in pedagogy and technology but few attempts, if any, have been made to analyse the ways in which conference proceedings have reflected these changes and shifts. The purpose of this research paper is to review the ASCILITE proceedings and provide an analysis of “trends, fads and futures” to reflect on past initiatives, propose potential directions and assist the society identify strategic directions. In addition, the analysis will provide a basis from which further research can be justified in terms of better understanding “computers in learning in tertiary education”.