The Golden Ratio of IT investment in system providing to training - A Potential Research Topic

I have observed that there are a huge different between the IT investment in hareware, software and training. This situation lead to inefficiency of using Information Technology. For example, IT department buy a lot of hareware and software that the teachers and students seldom used; the teachers have no idea what they can choos; even some simply technology that the teachers require most are never introducted.

I believe that there is a "golden ratio" of IT investment in system providing to training which is most effectiveness to education, and it's worth to find the ratio.

Firstly, I  hypothesized that there is a ratio of IT investment in system providing to training that can maximize the effect. Here I define that "system providing" mean the hareware and software that provide to teachers and students, and "training" included the knowledge of Information Technology that they can choose, the knowledge to applicate them and the idea to combine them in education.

The method we will use is collect the information from different schools and find the relation between the ratio of investment and the effect. Questionnares can be sent to the IT coordinator to collect the information about the investment. The data collected is reliable if the questionnare is set in detailed to guide them what is included in which fields. However, the effectiveness of IT in education is difficult to measure. I think it can be approximately measure by setting questionnares to all the teachers and the students in the school to determine the effectiveness of IT in education. For examples, we can ask the teachers how much they know about the latest Information Technology and how often they use them; or we can ask the students do they agree it is useful for the Information Technology that the teacher used.

After the information is collected, we can calculate the Correlate Coefficient between them and make a conclusion of the most suitable ratio of IT investment in system providing to training.

Mobile Learning Age

Preview

• A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age (pre-print)
• Mike Sharples, Josie Taylor, Giasemi Vavoula 
• A society which is mobile, which is full of channels for the distribution of a change occurring anywhere, must see to it that its members are educated to personal initiative and adaptability. Otherwise, they will be overwhelmed by the changes in which they are caught and whose significance or connections they do not perceive.’ Dewey (1916, p. 88) 

Full Version

The book describing the Criteria for a theory of mobile learning, exploring what is learning as Conversation on mobile, it not only coverage the possibilities of mobile learning it also inspire us the implication of e-learning or learning with technologies.

How “Digital Natives” educate next generation “Digital Natives”

I came across an interesting story recently which is about an innovative use of iPhone to perform scientific experiment. (“Father and a son performed home science experiment and an iPhone goes into space” http://communities.canada.com/VANCOUVERSUN/blogs/geekingout/archive/2010/10/18/father-and-son-perform-home-science-experiment-and-an-iphone-goes-into-space.aspx)

The father and his son wanted to see what it looks like in the space, so they used a fast food container to build up a craft, tied a HD camera up on the end of a weather balloon to find out. The digital technology devices they used are not only a camera that took picture from outer space, but also an iPhone which allowed them to follow the GPS signal of the craft and find it when it landed.

When a kid wants to know what the outer space looks like, they might go online to have a Google image search (if they have Internet access and basic search technique) or they may just find a relevant book to read through. But nothing can be more excited and impressive to find it out by yourself, taking pictures of space with your own camera, it means a lot to a child and definitely a better way to learn basic astronomy than just listening to your geography teacher in a regular class.  

What might be an implication of this case is not only that technology is playing a more and more impressive role in education, but also parents can be their children’s best teachers. Prensky (2001) pointed out that generation born between 1980 and 1994 are “digital natives” who are familiar with and reliance on ICT. These 20 or 30 some are most having children now and I believe their ways of educating their children would be quite different from last generation who we called as “digital immigrants”. Just like the father in this story (who I believe is a “digital native”) has this kind of mindset to use digital technology to teach his son, it might at first for a fun for doing that; but eventually, with this kind of activities enabled by ICT, children would be influenced and get used to using ICT to enhance their learning process.

Another thing that is worth to point out is the “Mathew Effect” (Merton, 1968), if a person already in possession of good culture capital, they will be easier to benefit from technology use. The father in this story had created a good culture environment for the family to be innovative and to use ICT effectively for education purpose.

Of course, this is also a help from i-series product which enable the whole activity. Clearly i-series products are trying out their market in education and there are tons of Apple applications out there for education purpose, but what’s more important is how you can use them effectively and innovatively and in what way they can be used differently to provide more valuable educational results.

Creative use of Web 2.0 on learning

Creative use of Web 2.0 on learning

Creative Web 2.0 Learning

View more presentations from Judy O’Connell.

Drupal - CMS in education

Tsoi Hang Sang Ron
2006053839

Transforming learning through technology

Use SMSs to support learning

This is the case of using SMSs to support distance students in South Africa, most of the students in South Africa are from remote rural areas, where there is very limitd infrastructure for access, however, there are almost 100 billion mobile users in Africa, this research state how they using Short Message Services (SMSs) as administrative tool in 2002.

The research trying to explore how adult learners registered at UP’s Unit for Distance Education, experience the academic short message service as a learning support tool, for a specific module.

For details pls read the following archive.

http://www.learningmaterials.co.za/resources/Transforming_learning_through_technology.pdf

Kinley Chan Cho Kin

e-learning standards for educators

e-Learning is getting more popular. When we develop e-learning utilities or courses, how can we ensure the quality of e-learning? To ensure the quality of e-learning, standards have been proposed and developed. The design and implementation of e-learning should then follow the standards, the "standard" of the courses can be maintained to an acceptable level. Besides, the reusability and interoperability of the e-learning “products” can be enhanced.

Many resources regarding e-learning standards are available on the Internet. I found one paper, "The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Distance Education: Guidelines for Good Practice” - prepared by THE HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AND POLICY COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS May 2000, provides very useful guidelines (You may press HERE to view the paper).

On this paper, a total of 14 standards have been stated. AFT has long been active in distance education. This report constitutes the next step in the AFT’s involvement. In the fall 1999 academic term, the union surveyed 200 members of AFT higher education locals who are themselves practitioners of distance education to produce this report. These standards are expected to be applicable equally to public, private, non-profit, and for-profit educational providers.

Heading of these standards are listed below and the implications to our eLearning course development are briefly discussed.

1. Faculty must retain academic control

Distance learning courses should be reviewed and approved in advance in order to receive college credit. Teaching and research faculty, together curriculum specialists must be involved.

2. Faculty must be prepared to meet the special requirements of teaching at a distance

Proficiency in the communications technology employed is a must. Strategies and skills to communicate with students electronically in the absence of visual and oral cues is a must.

3. Course Design should be shaped to the potentials of the medium

Course design (curriculum planning, class projects, visual aids, library materials and student interaction) should not be replicate of the traditional classrooms, but be maximizing the potential of the medium that will be employed.

4. Student must fully understand course requirements and be prepared to succeed

Students must be prepared of the new mode of learning and teaching. For example, they should be given a clear statement of course requirements in advance and their responses to be submitted electronically.

5. Close personal interaction must be maintained

Distance learning should not scarify close personal interactions, real-time electronic interchange and asynchronous forms of communication must be available.

6. Class size should be set through normal faculty channels

This is to ensure that education rather than bureaucratic or financial considerations drive the process.

7. Course should cover all material

The amount and the depth of material covered should equal that of a classroom-based course.

8. Experimentation with a broad variety of subjects should be encouraged

The process should be reviewed very carefully and courses that have been unsuccessful should not be offered in future.

9. Equivalent research opportunities must be provided

Distance learning students are provided with same opportunities as the traditional students. They should be given assess to all possible electronic research material.

10. Student assessment should be comparable

The level of achievement expected of students, and tested for in a distance education environment, should be as challenging as that in a classroom-based course.

11. Equivalent advisement opportunities must be offered

Same-time same-place advisement should be made available.

12. Faculty should retain creative control over use and re-use of materials.

Students should have guarantee that the course they take is of the same quality as before and has been updated to reflect changes in the subject area.

13. Full undergraduate degree programs should include same-time same-place coursework

The faculty should assume responsibility for carefully considering how much coursework is appropriate to be obtained through distance education. A full program taught at a distance may be acceptable as determined by the faculty.

14. Evaluation of distance coursework should be undertaken at all levels.

We must conduct more rigorous evaluation of distance education programs and disseminate the results broadly.

TSE Chi Kui (Andy)

1988054934