Volume 6, Issue 1, January 2015

ABSTRACT

Even though technology has brought great benefits to current society, there are also indications that the manner in which people use technology has undermined their humanity in some respects. In this article the authors frame human nature in terms of four dimensions: cognition, social interaction, emotion, and ethics. We argue that while basic human nature remains constant, the four dimensions are molded to some extent by interaction with our environment, particularly through the use of technology. As a powerful factor, we need to use technology in a way that human cognition, social interaction, emotion, and ethics are supported and not seriously disturbed by digital devices. Education can be a means of helping learners use technology in a positive way, minimizing its negative potential. This paper shows how people’s choice and level of interaction with technology can allow them to live in harmony with technology. It also points to possible directions to teach healthy co-existence with technology. The suggestions include applying decision-making theory, increasing self-awareness, teaching academic honesty, and responding to problems with technology addiction through impulse control training and other programs

Keywords: Digital age, Humanity, Cognition, Social interaction, Ethics, Digital citizenship

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on learners’ self-regulation which is one of the essential skills for student achievement in blended courses. Research on learners’ self-regulation skills in blended learning environments has gained popularity in recent years however only a few studies investigating the correlation between self-regulation skills and student achievement in blended learning environments exist. Self-regulation is related to self-efficacy, anxiety, interactivity, satisfaction with and usefulness of the system. Self-regulated learners are more likely to accomplish at online learning. In this study, a total of 267 military vocational college students were taught computer programming during a 15-week-long semester in a blended learning context, which involved using both face to face teaching and online learning through MOODLE over intranet. Participants were the graduates of vocational high schools and the students at the departments of Computer Technologies and Electronics & Communication Technologies and were all male. Liaw and Huang’s Self-Regulation Scale with six subscales was used to collect the data during the last two weeks of instruction. Regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data. The results revealed that self-regulation was affected by perceived anxiety, interactivity in the online learning environment, and perceived self-efficacy. Learners’ academic achievement has been affected only by perceived self-efficacy

Keywords: Blended learning, Computer programming course, Course achievement, Interactivity, Self-regulation, Perceived self-efficacy

ABSTRACT

This study used a cross-sectional, ten-point Likert-type scale survey design, to examine the perception of Jordanian seventh to twelfth-grade social studies teachers of the competency needed for technology implementation in their classrooms. The instrument for this study was a modified version of a survey developed by Kelly (2003) called the Technology in Education Survey (TIES). The scale ranged from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest score, indicating not important or not competent, and 10 being the highest score, indicating very important or very competent. Due to the cultural context of the study, the researcher used an Arabic-language version of the survey used by Al Ghazo (2008). The convenience sample (n = 221) was a blend of male (n = 135) and female teachers (n = 86). A significant interaction was found between age and gender of social studies teachers and their perceptions of competency needed to implement technology. Female teachers who were thirty or younger and who were thirty-one to thirty-nine scored the highest mean of perceptions of competency toward implementing technology in social studies classrooms, higher than all male teachers, while male and female teachers who were forty or older scored the same lowest mean (49.5) of perceptions of competency. Female teachers with the least teaching experience had high perceptions of competency for implementing technology in social studies classrooms, while female teachers with the most teaching experience had lower perceptions of competency than male teachers. The result of the study provides useful information to social studies educators, professional development leaders, national policy makers and teachers of social studies who are interested in understanding the factors that affect technology use in social studies classrooms in Jordan

Keywords: Social studies education, Educaional technology implementation, Teacher competency, Technology in the classroom

ABSTRACT

In 2013 five universities from across Europe undertook an innovative project ‘Media Culture 2020’, combining skills and forces to develop new practices that would face the challenge of the convergence of digital media, taking full advantage of social media and cloud-based technologies. The aim of the Media Culture 2020 project was to demonstrate what 21st century converged and interactive European Media Culture could be in comparison to the broadcasting based one-way 20th century model. The main objective of the project was to break down classroom and campus walls by creating open virtual learning environments where students from different countries and fields could explore and learn together. Media Culture 2020 developed innovative digital learning environments that consider new forms of production, transmission and representation of knowledge. The project utilized a range of online platforms, social media and cloud-based technologies including Facebook, Google+ Google Hangout, Google Docs and Blogger in the collaborative development, management and delivery of the project

Keywords: Media culture, Collaborative teaching, Blended learning, Social Media, Cloudbased technologies

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study is to examine digital literacy competences and learning habits of learners enrolled in the open and distance education system of Anadolu University in Turkey. Data were gathered from 20.172 open and distance learners through a survey which included four parts: demographic information, abilities to use digital technologies, learning habits, preferences in using digital technologies for learning purposes. Principal Component Factor Analysis was applied in order to group and classify the attitudes and statements of the learners in their personal learning preferences, problem solving skills, project work skills, and abilities to use digital tools for learning purposes. Their personal learning preferences produced five factors: visual, auditory, dependent, collaborative, and reading-writing learning styles. According to the results of the study, learners believe that they have problem solving and project working skills to deal with educational difficulties. However, they seem to have only basic competences of digital literacy and the skills to use information and communication technologies at a basic level. They need training on how to use digital tools more efficiently for learning purposes. Further research is needed to explore how to increase the use of digital tools for the purpose of effective learning and also how to design learning environments to improve digital literacy of open and distance learners

Keywords: Open and distance learning, Digital literacy, Learning preferences, Learning styles, Problem solving, Project skills

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