Level Of Technological Knowledge Research Articles

Science Teachers’ Level of Technological Knowledge and the Effect of Demographic Variables in Ondo State, Nigeria

This study examines the level of Ondo State science teachers’ Technological Knowledge (TK) and the effect of demographic variables such as school geographical location and gender, with a view to bring about effective teaching of science concept through integration of technology. This study is based on survey research design. The population comprised all science teachers in public secondary schools in Ondo State. Data was collected from 628 science teachers across the three senatorial districts in the State. The instrument used was technological knowledge questionnaire and a reliability coefficient r = (0.93) was obtained using Cronbach Alpha. Two research hypotheses and one question were posed to guide the study. Findings from this study revealed that 66.9% of science teachers in Ondo State have low level of TK, a significant difference between the TK of rural and urban teachers and no significant difference between the TK usage between female and male teachers. It is recommended that government should develop a comprehensive framework for professional development that will assist teachers to develop skills to teach in the 21st century environment.

The perception and use of technology within braille instruction: A preliminary study of braille teaching professionals

A convenience sample (n = 35) of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVIs) and Rehabilitation Specialists completed a survey about their instructional techniques and perspectives on the relationship between braille and technology. While 62.5% of TVIs and Rehabilitation Specialists working with children, adolescents, or adults use technology in braille instruction, only 26.3% of those working with seniors use technology when teaching these clients. Rehabilitation Specialists felt significantly less knowledgeable about technologies than TVIs and used technology less frequently. TVIs felt more strongly that technology increased learner motivation and that the use of technology improved learning outcomes. These results suggest that the level of technological knowledge and instructor beliefs in the benefits such technologies provide may impact the decision to incorporate technology within braille instruction. Additional study is required to assess the validity of the motivational and learning benefits of various technologies within braille training programs.

Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate mobile technology into science laboratory learning: an evaluation of technology-integrated pedagogy module

With the rapid advance and popularity of wireless communication and mobile technologies, pedagogy of mobile and ubiquitous learning has become more important and teachers' technology pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) within mobile learning context is more emphasised in pre-service teachers' education. As such, pre-service science teachers' TPACK of mobile learning has been recommended as an essential framework for preparing literate pre-service science teachers in the use of mobile technology in teaching practices. Therefore, the researchers have implemented the framework for designing a technology-integrated pedagogy module, called Mobile Laboratory Learning in Science (MLLS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate an effect of MLLS module in improving 119 Thai pre-service science teachers' TPACK. The preliminary results showed that the pre-service science teachers have better level of technological knowledge (TK), technological content knowledge (TCK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and TPACK of mobile laboratory learning in science after interacting with the MLLS.

Uses and Gratification of the Internet among Mass Communication Students in Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

This study investigates the uses and gratification of the Internet among students in the Department of Mass Communication, Delta State University (DELSU) Abraka. The study became necessary following the influx of and increase in the use of the Internet in education, which portends functional as well as dysfunctional roles on students if not properly handled. Hence, the need to empirically evaluate uses and gratification of the Internet by students. Findings show that students in the Department of Mass Communication, DELSU Abraka, are heavy users of the Internet despite their low level of technological knowledge in the use of the Internet. Also, it was found that the students use the Internet to send e-mails, gather information for educational purposes and to chat despite being occasionally hampered by network failure. Therefore, the study concludes that students are not affected by dysfunctional roles of the Internet. Hence, the programme curriculum of the Department of Mass Communication, DELSU, Abraka, be reviewed to incorporate a broader study of the Internet in order to boost the technical knowledge of the students. Nevertheless, the study recommends that Nigerian government should work out a workable framework that would ensure that Internet Service Providers in Nigeria tackle the incessant network failure so that users of the Internet get value for the subscription of Internet services.

Understanding Aesthetic Innovation in the Context of Technological Evolution

I theorize the coevolution of technology and design by integrating research on the evolution of technology with ideas from sociology, marketing, and psychology that explain the effects of design. Specifically, I apply work arguing that visible design attributes, such as color, shape, or texture, allow producers to explain what their products do and how best to use them, to excite users in a way that generates sales, and to extend the basic functionalities of their products by highlighting their symbolic meanings. I then theorize that the relevance of these three uses varies in the context of technological evolution such that affecting products' design-related attributes is a more central organizational process as product technologies emerge and when they are very mature, suggesting a U-shaped relationship between technological evolution and design. I also elaborate the moderators of this relationship: the frequency of successive product introductions, the social dynamics affecting consumption, the users' level of technological knowledge, and the volume of discourse attending to design. Thus, the article offers a holistic theory for understanding the strategic use of design in the context of technological production and, as such, advances recent work positioning design as a primary strategic challenge.

Parents as Learning Partners in the Development of Technological Fluency

This paper presents research on parent support of the development of new media skills and technological fluency. Parents’ roles in their children’s learning were identified based on in terviews with eight middle school students and their parents. All eight students were highly experienced with technology activities. Seven distinct parental roles that supported learning were identified and defined: Teacher, Collaborator, Learning Broker, Resource Provider, Nontechnical Consultant, Employer, and Learner. The parents in this sample varied in their level of technological knowledge, though in every family at least one parent worked in the computer industry as an engineer or designer. The paper presents the approach used to identify these roles, the coding system used, and examples of each role across the cases. The diversity and density of roles played by parents for individual students are also quantified. Findings indicate that for these eight learners parents play signifi cant roles in supporting creative technologically mediated activities. The findings highlight the importance of understanding family-based learning relationships when considering pathways to early expertise with new media.

R&D intensity, value appropriation and integration patterns within organizational boundaries

Complementary insights from Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) and the Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm are combined to predict the relationship between firm specific technological knowledge and patterns of integration within organizational boundaries. The findings show that the level of Research and Development (R&D) intensity (representing the creation of firm specific technological knowledge) has an inverted U-shaped relationship with the propensity of firms to integrate activities within organizational boundaries. At low levels of R&D intensity, firms’ propensity to integrate their activities is low, but increases with escalating levels of R&D intensity in order to avoid the misappropriation of value generated by technological knowledge. However, beyond a certain R&D intensity level, the propensity to integrate activities declines, since the level of technological knowledge is high enough to prevent imitation by third parties. As expected we further find that firms which follow this integration pattern outperform those which do not. As the level of R&D intensity increases, the integration of production and marketing activities enables firms to improve performance until a certain R&D intensity threshold, after which such integration negatively affects performance.

The Acculturation of Knowledge Workers in Malaysian Industries

Human capital plays an important role in enhancing competitiveness of firms by adopting a culture that emphasizes the use and optimizing of knowledge, a work culture that adapts and masters new technology easily, encourages research works and innovation. In a competitive global economy, technology progress requires workers to give high priorities towards the acquisition of knowledge. The acculturation of knowledge workers would facilitate Malaysian industries to adopt, adapt and invent objects in order to meet the challenges of their natural and social environment. This paper examines the patterns of workers’ cultural attributes and its relationship with their acquisition of knowledge. It identifies the level of technological knowledge amongst the workers, factors that influence computer literacy and their capabilities in research and development (R&D) and innovation. It also highlights the challenges that hinder the acculturation of knowledge workers in Malaysian industries

Challenges of The Changing Profession

Dramatic changes are under way in the civil engineering workplace. They are the result of society's development, the rapid growth of scientific and technological knowledge, and the increasing complexity of physical systems, among other factors. A parallel has been drawn between the requirements of a changing profession and the exponential growth rate of technological knowledge. A development of civil engineering practice can be described using three phases: (1) Rapid development (with an emphasis on design and construction): (2) slower development (consideration of more complex projects with an emphasis on planning and design); and (3) utilization of existing projects (with an emphasis on operation, preventive maintenance, and rehabilitation). Each phase is characterized by a certain level of technological knowledge. Analytical tools and numerical procedures are logical choices for the first phase. Systems analysis techniques are powerful tools to support the planning phase. For further development, exper...

Teaching technology in the oil rich countries

As a result of the desire for development, there has been a sudden influx of modern technology in oil rich but tradition steeped countries. This influx has prompted the teaching of modern technology similar to that of industrialized countries of the west. However, problems have arisen due to the already existing level of technological knowledge and vastly different social patterns in these societies. These problems which can impede the teaching of technology and affect development are illustrated and analysed. Practical suggestions to improve the teaching of technology to suit the needs of students and their societies are also offered.