Trends In Educational Technology Research Articles

Effectiveness of Gamification of Web-Based Learning in Improving Academic Achievement and Creative Thinking among Primary School Students

Gamification is one of the most significant modern trends in educational technology. The present study aims to identify the effectiveness of gamification of web-based learning on academic achievement and creative thinking among primary school students. A learning environment was designed based on gamification of web-based learning. A quasi-experimental approach was utilized to identify the effect of the independent variable, gamification, on the dependent variables, academic achievement and creative thinking among participants. An academic achievement test and the Torrance test of creative thinking were applied to the participants. Results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the means of scores of the experimental and control groups in the post-test academic achievement test and the Torrance test of creative thinking in favor of the experimental group. This suggests a high level of academic achievement and creative thinking after using gamification. The study recommends training in-service teachers in the use of gamification for web-based teaching of English.

Enjoy physics classes with your own devices

Introducing the latest educational technology trends has accelerated enormously in the past few years; therefore, the use of personal devices, especially smart phones, tablets, laptops has increased considerably also in the educational processes. Many researchers used M-learning for different purposes (Hsu & Ching, 2013), but only a few of them used it for physics teaching experiments (Crompton, Burke, Gregory & Gräbe, 2016; Jarosievitz, 2016; Kuhn & Vogt, 2013). The use of M-learning devices in experiments is based on the rich set of built-in sensors in smart phones (Kuhn & Vogt 2013; Staacks, 2016). However, beside the devices themselves, also free applications and teachers’ (instructors’) expertise is required.In this work some meaningful use of M-learning during physics lectures will be presented. Some of the key terms describing the quality of the measurement have also been discussed with the students, and will be presented here. After the conclusion of the measurements, students used their own devices as clickers, and answered the questions synchronously and anonymously through an on-line assessment system.

Distance Learning—Predictions and Possibilities

Education systems, educational institutions and educational professions, including those of distance learning, can often be inward-looking, backward-looking and self-referential, meaning that they are often fixated on their own concerns, values and processes. In many respects, this is necessary and valuable but the topic of challenges and future trends in distance learning is an opportunity to explore the place of distance learning in a wider world where cultures and ideologies clash, where education and employment are no longer stable and secure, where universities and colleges are under unprecedented pressures, where the technologies and trends of educational technology represent a crowded and chaotic space and where a critical examination of distance learning is necessary to underpin its methods and its mission. This paper addresses in essence three questions, firstly, is the distance learning community clear about the definition and purpose of its work, secondly, what are global political, economic and technological pressures on the institutions of higher education delivering distance learning, and thirdly, what do typical innovations and trends in educational technology signify for distance learning? These are linked questions and the answers constitute challenging predictions and possibilities. The nature of these questions means there are no simple answers only a more complete understanding of a fluid, partial and complex environment within which education, including distance learning, cannot operate in ignorance or isolation.

Analysis of New Technology Trends in Education: 2010–2015

This paper analyzes the evolution of technology trends in education from 2010 to 2015, using as input the predictions made in the Horizon Reports on Higher Education, published yearly since 2004. Each edition attempts to forecast the most promising technologies likely to impact on education along three horizons: the short term (the year of the report), the midterm (the following two years), and the long term (the following four years). This paper applies social analysis, based on Google Trends, and bibliometric analysis, with data from Google Scholar and Web of Science, to these predictions in order to discover which technologies were successful and really impacted mainstream education, and which ones failed to have the predicted impact and why. This paper offers guidelines that may be helpful to those seeking to invest in new research areas.

Editorial: CALL Continues to Evolve

Language is a foundational aspect of educational technology. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), has coalesced educational technology trends with advancing theories in language pedagogy; to this day, CALL remains a vital interdisciplinary field, looking at general trends in technology and communication, language learning, and language teaching. Exactly how digital learning affects cultural meaning making processes is still up for debate. We invite you to contribute to that debate through new research and your writing and reviewing for ITET. DOI:10.2458/azu_itet_v5i2_schmidt

Educational Technology trends in the Ibero-American world: 20 years of the Edutec-e journal

El artículo muestra las tendencias y áreas de interés dentro del ámbito de la tecnología educativa en el mundo hispanohablante mediante el análisis de contenido cualitativo y cuantitativo de la revista Edutec-e. Se han analizado un total de 320 artículos utilizando sus títulos y resúmenes entre 1995 y 2015, así como la información respecto a sus autores e impacto de los artículos (citas). Considerando la evolución de la revista, se identifica una perspectiva más amplia y teórica sobre las oportunidades educativas de las tecnologías en el primer periodo (1995-2004), seguida de un enfoque más concreto y experimental con estudios empíricos y experiencias con el uso educativo de las TIC (2005-2015). Las futuras líneas de investigación apuntan a comparar los resultados con otras revistas hispanohablantes y con las tendencias en el área en el mundo anglosajón.

An Interview with Paula Garrett-Rucks, Georgia State University

An Interview with Paula Garrett-Rucks, Georgia State University

Message from Editor

Dear Readers,It is the great honor for us to publish eighth issue of World Journal on Educational Technology (WJET). World Journal on Educational Technology welcomes original empirical investigations and comprehensive literature review articles focusing on topics related with educational technology. WJET is a published quarterly and it is devoted to be a joint platform for presenting and discussing the emerging developments on educational technology in an international arena. The aim of the journal is to publish original research, development and review articles to contribute to the development of educational technology field. WJET covers all aspects of educational technology; trends in educational technology, the emerging and innovative instructional technology integration in variety educational settings, instructional design, learning-teaching methods and applications, instructional multimedia, e-learning, mobile learning, human-computer interface design in distance and electronic learning, educational games and simulations, assessment and evaluation and related fields. Digital script, e-learning environments, cyberbullying, flipped classroom approach, technology integration, learning managements systems, use of digital and online tools in academic research and e-learning solutions for industry topics have been included into this issue. The topics of the next issue will be different. You can make sure that we will be trying to serve you with our journal with a rich knowledge in which different kinds of topics are discussed in 2016 Volume. A total number of nineteen (19) manuscripts were submitted for this issue and each paper has been subjected to double-blind peer review process by the reviewers specialized in the related field. At the end of the review process, a total number of eight (8) high quality research papers were selected and accepted for publication. We present many thanks to all the contributors who helped us to publish this issue. Best regards,Editor – in ChiefAssoc. Prof. Dr. Fezile Ozdamli

Technology and Education: The Future of Plastic Surgery Training

Surgical education is constantly changing. Recent changes in surgical education have been driven by patient safety. There is a demand for greater accountability to prove surgical competence. These trends have prompted queries on how to best use limited time and resources to maximize resident education. Many plastic surgery programs struggle with balancing clinical, hands-on education with their didactic program. Work duty hour restrictions add another layer of complexity to surgical education. Furthermore, the rate-limiting step in learning is not the transmission of information from the teacher to the learner but rather the processing of the information by the learner. Our changes in surgical education, then, must appreciate information processing by remembering the ancient Chinese proverb that states, “tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” The goal of teaching, therefore, should create comprehensive understanding for the residents. Today’s technology can provide the tools to offer environments for residents to learn and understand to a greater degree than that offered to previous generations. Surgical skills laboratories have improved the early acquisition of defined manual skills for residents, but these laboratories are only the start of what educational technology offers. Educational technology is defined as materials and devices created or adapted to solve practical problems related to training, learner assessment, or education administration. Technology in the 1920s involved lectures on the radio. The 1950s brought reel-to-reel audiotape recordings. Eventually, technology moved to compact discs and MP3 players. The 90s changed everything when the internet changed education for evermore. “Flipped” classrooms have become popular and offer learning opportunities 24 hours a day. The current trends in educational technology include internet-based instruction, hands-on simulation devices, mobile devices, virtual and augmented reality, point-of-care learning and assessment, and learning analytics. Indeed, entire hospitals have been developed as simulation centers where every aspect of the care of a patient can be simulated to foster better medical understanding and skills acquisition. Holograms bring interactive learning and involvement of the learner within the surgical environment. Telemedicine combined with holograms brings distant expertise into the surgical suite for learners of all levels. Before entering the operating room, interactive mobile applications allow the residents to practice procedures over and over again to solidify the understanding of each aspect of any given surgery. The practice of surgery is becoming increasingly more complex. Surgical educators need to use innovation and technology to make the best use of data and knowledge to train our next generations of plastic surgeons. Educational technology offers unique tools to help learners acquire and process the information needed to become masters of their surgical specialty.

Blended Learning Perception among Undergraduate Engineering Students

Technology is constantly evolving in more sophisticated forms giving new opportunities for educators to transfer learning into virtual space. New educational technology trends are associated today with blended learning where traditional methods of teaching merge with online sessions. Blended learning with its learner-centered approach has a potential to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Russian higher institutions embrace this technology as a strategy to engage and motivate students and thereby augment the learning process. The paper studies students’ engagement and satisfaction with the online courses and their overall perception from learners’ perspective. The findings could serve as a reference point to promote online courses and to achieve considerable educational benefits.

Facilitating Language Tests Delivery Through Tablet PC's

Modern trends in educational technology have evidenced the increasing importance of mobile devices in language learning. The need of sophisticated devices that can facilitate lifelong learning wherever the students might be. Facilitating learning, however, implies that students have to be assessed through the same delivery models that are used in their learning mode. Mobile devices are commonly used to learn languages through mobile phones, iPads and Tablet PC's. However, testing methods remain the same as in the last 40 years. In most cases, computer based test tasks resemble too much to those used in pen and paper. This paper shows a pilot study done at the Universidad de Alcala (Madrid-Spain) with tablet PC's indicating its strong aspects as well as its weaknesses. The study concludes that more research is necessary to implement such convenient method of test delivery.

Review of Research on Online Learning Environments in Higher Education

A growing number of studies have been carried out to understand learning and teaching activities in online learning environments (OLEs) and to design effective OLEs for meaningful learning in higher education. Although there were a small number of studies to provide research trends in educational technology in regards to research topics, methods, and researchers, more research is necessary to help educators to understand new trends and issues of OLEs in higher education. This study intends to provide an overview of practical and theoretical issues pertaining to OLEs by analyzing literature recently published in peer-reviewed journals. The present study qualitatively analyzed research questions and purposes to identify themes of OLEs in higher education. The OLE research topics were grouped into three major themes: (1) participants, (2) micro-level environments, and (3) macro-level environments. The findings are followed by discussion of an ecological approach as a new theoretical framework to guide future OLE research and practice.

Editorial: New Publication Mode for "Issues and Trends in Educational Technology"

Recognizing that academic culture is adapting to technological affordances, Issues and Trends in Educational Technology will now publish articles as they are approved for inclusion in each issue.

Editorial: On the First Issue of "Issues and Trends in Educational Technology"

A brief introduction to our view of the history and role of educational technology and its practitioners, and a statement of our standards and vision for this journal.

Editorial: New Publication Mode for "Issues and Trends in Educational Technology"

Recognizing that academic culture is adapting to technological affordances, Issues and Trends in Educational Technology will now publish articles as they are approved for inclusion in each issue.

Editorial: On the First Issue of "Issues and Trends in Educational Technology

Editorial: On the First Issue of "Issues and Trends in Educational Technology

El camino histórico de la educación tecnológica en los sistemas educativos de algunos países del mundo y su influencia en la educación tecnológica en Colombia

El artículo tiene como objetivo presentar algunas tendencias sobre la educación tecnológica o la tecnología en los sistemas educativos de algunos paísesdel mundo. Se revisaron los modelos educativos que influyeron en Colombia para lo cual se realizó una revisión bibliográfica sobre los sistemas educativos de algunos países. Al comparar los desarrollos del país se identificó el atraso en que está sumido debido a la forma como se plantea la política nacional por parte del gobierno y su implementación. Su interpretación se desvía hacia el modelo de la educación para la tecnología, es decir, para el manejo y uso de la tecnología, convirtiendo así al país en consumidor.

The Blended Design Studio: An Appraisal of New Delivery Modes in Design Education

The design studio is widely accepted as the core of curriculum because it aims to include many curricular topics within a project-based approach. Despite the importance of the studio in design education, it was observed that the delivery modes in studio teaching have not much evolved as a response to changing generations and developing technology. Having reviewed current trends in educational technology, this paper presents a framework for a blended design studio in which the strengths of traditional and online learning methods are combined. Among the new online learning tools Web 2.0 applications (such as Facebook, Blogs and Wikis) and learning management systems (such as Moodle, Blackboard, and WebCT) deserve particular attention. The uses of Web 2.0 applications and learning management systems in design studios have been very rare and are just emerging. This paper proposes a blended and social constructivist model for the design studio and presents the results of an empirical research in an exploratory case study which combined traditional design studio, a learning management system and social networking media. It is found that the blended studio suits well to the needs and preferences of new generation of design students who are often named as “digital natives”. The opportunities and challenges of using social networking media and learning management systems in design education context are discussed and suggestions are made for further experimentation and research.

New technology trends in education: Seven years of forecasts and convergence

Each year since 2004, a new Horizon Report has been released. Each edition attempts to forecast the most promising technologies likely to impact on education along three horizons: the short term (the year of the report), the mid-term (the next 2 years) and the long term (the next 4 years). This paper analyzes the evolution of technology trends from 2004 to 2014 that correspond to the long-term predictions of the most recent Horizon Report. The study analyzes through bibliometric analysis which technologies were successful and became a regular part of education systems, which ones failed to have the predicted impact and why, and the shape of technology flows in recent years. The study also shows how the evolution and maturity of some technologies allowed the revival of expectations for others. The analysis here, which focuses on educational applications, offers guidelines that may be helpful to those seeking to invest in new research areas.

Current Trends In Educational Technology: Implication On Educational Managers In Nigeria

This paper presents the current trends in educational technology and the implication on educational managers in Nigeria. The current trends in the field of educational technology are centred on the influence of information and communication technology on the development of educational management. Various challenges have been created for the educational managers, who are the custodians of educational resources. Some of the challenges include the use of computer management packages, Internet application, teleconferencing and so on. With the proliferation of computer networks and information technology there is increased efficiency in the management of educational resources and decision making hence, the Nigerian educational managers can boast of meeting the expected height of their contemporaries across the globe. The Information Manager Vol. 6 (1&2) 2006: pp. 8-12