Listening to Students' Voices on Learning with Information Technologies in a Rich Technology-Based Classroom

Abstract

This study explores the views on learning, technology and classroom practices of both students and teachers in a technology-enriched classroom environment. It examined the characteristics and uniqueness of 4th-6th grade students' views and the changes in their teachers' views as result of longitudinal experiences of an innovative approach to learning and teaching that focused on learning through information rich tasks in a technology rich environment. The main findings show that in almost all participating classrooms, students' views were aligned with constructivist ideologies and mainly emphasized the characteristics of authentic and social-dialogical learning and its contribution to their cognitive development. The findings also express three key views regarding learning in an information-rich environment: learning from ICT, about ICT, and with ICT. The findings demonstrate the multi-dimensional nature of teachers' beliefs, and reflect the complex nature of the relationship between students' views and teachers' educational beliefs and practices.