Educators who believe: understanding the enthusiasm of teachers who use digital games in the classroom

This study used qualitative methods to explore why some educators embrace the use of digital game-play (DGP) in the classroom. The results indicated that these teachers had a very strong belief that DGP could be beneficial for learning which stemmed from experiencing their own form of subjective success with using DGP in the classroom, availing themselves of information and advocacy about using DGP in the classroom and personal experiences with DGP either through their own DGP or through watching their own children play games. They also shared positive attitudes towards information and communication technologies generally and had initially been invited to use DGP in the classroom by someone in authority. Their use of DGP was also something that they felt made them different to other teachers. Applying these findings to Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory predicted that the diffusion rate of using DGP in the classroom will continue to be slow. Finally, this study indicates that teachers need to experience their own form of subjective ‘success’ in order to find DGP valuable and this subjective ‘success’ often goes beyond test score performance.Keywords: game-based learning; video games; elementary education; secondary education; educational beliefs; pedagogical issues(Published: 4 September 2015)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2015, 23: 26155 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v23.26155

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Harnessing Information and Communication Technologies for Diffusing Connected Government Applications in Developing Countries

Knowledge and Technology Adoption, Diffusion, and Transfer - Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-1752-0.ch001 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

E. Ruhode ◽

V. Owei

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Developing Country ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Management Practices ◽

Government Agencies ◽

Public Administrators ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations Theory ◽

Public And Private ◽

Information And Communication

Improving information management practices is a key focus for many organisations across both the public and private sectors. An information society begins with a connected government and ICTs are the bedrock and founding pillars of such societies. To assist public administrators think beyond traditional e-government, this study describes a concept of connected government, whose philosophy rests on the integration story that happens behind the scenes of the visible web interface as well as the collaboration among government agencies. Diffusion of Innovations theory is the conceptual framework underpinning this study. The connected government phenomenon is also put into perspective by the systems theory that is explained in this study. This article describes a case study of an organisation in a developing country environment where even the basic e-government services are barely extant. This study was done to determine the connectedness within and across government agencies, with the idea of stimulating some thinking within and among public administrators, around the possibility that a connected government can indeed be established in a developing country setting. The study exposes shortcomings to e-government diffusion not only of the organisation under investigation, but also of other similar enterprises in developing countries within the same context. The paper concludes by proposing a set of recommendations toward diffusing connected government applications as an antidote to identified problems.

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Historical Roots of Dissemination and Implementation Science

10.1093/oso/9780190683214.003.0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

James W. Dearing ◽

Kerk F. Kee ◽

Tai-Quan Peng

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Dissemination And Implementation ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations Theory ◽

New Information ◽

Dissemination And Implementation Science ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Based Medicine

This chapter describes the evolution of diffusion of innovations theory, and how concepts from that paradigm as well as knowledge utilization and technology transfer research have contributed to the evidence-based medicine and evidence-based public health emphases in dissemination and implementation. It covers methods of studying how new innovations are adopted. The authors suggest that dissemination and implementation researchers and practitioners will continue to find relevance and applicability in these former research traditions as they seek ways to study and apply new information and communication technologies to the challenges of dissemination activity by innovation proponents, diffusion responses by adopters, and then subsequent implementation and sustained use.

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Harnessing Information and Communication Technologies for Diffusing Connected Government Applications in Developing Countries

International Journal of Technology Diffusion ◽

10.4018/jtd.2010010101 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

E. Ruhode ◽

V. Owei

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Developing Country ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Management Practices ◽

Government Agencies ◽

Public Administrators ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations Theory ◽

Public And Private ◽

Information And Communication

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Diffusion and adoption of ICTs in selected government departments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Information Development ◽

10.1177/0266666911424864 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 251-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Blessing T. Mbatha ◽

Dennis N. Ocholla ◽

Jerry Le Roux

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Work Productivity ◽

Survey Method ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations Theory ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Adoption And Diffusion ◽

The Government

This study reports on the use, types, and availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in four government departments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the context of work productivity and creativity. Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory was used to inform the study in an attempt to understand the diffusion and use of modern ICTs in the government departments under investigation. Through a survey, government departments that are considered to be central to service delivery were targeted. Due to the dispersed nature of the public sector in South Africa, the study was confined to government departments in KwaZulu-Natal. The study used multistage probability sampling to select the elements for the survey method. The sample size for the study was 260 managers. One hundred and fifty-two questionnaires were completed and returned. The data collected was analyzed using thematic categorization and tabulation and the findings presented descriptively. The results indicate that a variety of ICTs have been adopted in the sector for interaction and communication. The respondents' level of interaction with some of the ICTs was very high, while the use of ICTs such as video conferencing, television and radio was very poor. The most common obstacles to the effective use of ICTs in government departments were found to be lack of skills or competence, the lack of an ICT policy, and the lack of proper planning for the adoption and diffusion of ICTs in the sector. Recommendations for the way forward are provided.

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DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN TELECENTRES: SELECTED TELECENTRES IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Mousaion ◽

10.25159/0027-2639/845 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 103-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Blessing Mbatha

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Local Community ◽

Information And Communications Technologies ◽

Community Members ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Ict Tools ◽

The Government ◽

Types Of Information

This study investigated the usage and types of information and communications technologies (ICTs) accessible to community members in four selected Thusong Service Centres (TSCs or telecentres) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The telecentres that participated in the study were: Nhlazuka, Mbazwane, Dududu and Malangeni. The study was informed by Rogersâ€™ (1995) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory. Through a survey, four TSCs were purposively selected. A questionnaire was used to collect data from community members in the four telecentres involved. The data collected was tabulated under the various headings and presented using tables, frequencies, percentiles and generalisations with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicated that a variety of ICT tools have been adopted in the TSCs to provide the local community with the much-needed access to information and improved communication. The government should ensure that adequate varieties and levels of ICT competence are offered to all the citizens. In conclusion, there is a need for sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the local community to use these ICTs effectively.

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The evolving landscape of learning technology

Research in Learning Technology ◽

10.3402/rlt.v10i3.11407 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Gráinne Conole

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Virtual World ◽

Organizational Context ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Infrastructure Policy ◽

Emerging Issues ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Ict Development ◽

The Uk

This paper provides an overview of the current and emerging issues in learning technology research, concentrating on structural issues such as infrastructure, policy and organizational context. It updates the vision of technology outlined by Squires' (1999) concept of peripatetic electronic teachers (PETs) where Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide an enabling medium to allow teachers to act as freelance agents in a virtual world and reflects to what extent this vision has been realized The paper begins with a survey of some of the key areas of ICT development and provides a contextualizing framework for the area in terms of external agendas and policy drivers. It then focuses upon learning technology developments which have occurred in the last five years in the UK and offers a number of alternative taxonomies to describe this. The paper concludes with a discussion of the issues which arise from this work.DOI:10.1080/0968776020100302

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Using Open Source to Building and Accessing Learning Objects and Online Courses

Open Source for Knowledge and Learning Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-117-9.ch009 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 266-297

Author(s):

Christos Bouras ◽

Maria Nani

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Online Courses ◽

Learning Objects ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Learning Content ◽

Technology Products ◽

Web Standards ◽

Information And Communication ◽

E Learning

As e-learning continuously gains the interest of the scientific community, industry, and government, a wide variety of learning technology products have been incorporated into the marketplace. Advances in information and communication technologies are in favor of the incorporation of innovative services and functionalities in such systems, though content creation and delivery remain the two key factors in any e-learning system. Therefore, in this chapter, we present the design and implementation of a tool targeted at building and accessing learning objects and online courses through the Web. This tool aims to facilitate instructors and trainers to easily develop accessible, reusable, and traceable learning content that can meet their distant students’ needs for anytime and anyplace learning. Learners are able to access learning content, in addition to consulting, at any time, reports on their interactions within a course and get support by subject experts. Furthermore, all users can request to upgrade their role in the system and, thus, actively participate in the learning process. Special attention has been paid on the utilization of reliable and qualitative open source technologies and Web standards so that the proposed solution can form an easily accessible system.

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AS TECNOLOGIAS DE INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO COMO AGENTES DE INTEGRAÇÃO DO CURRÍCULO COM A GLOCALIDADE

Revista Observatório ◽

10.20873/uft.2447-4266.2017v3n4p387 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 387

Author(s):

Bento Duarte Silva ◽

Ademilde Silveira Sartori ◽

Rafael Gué Martini

Keyword(s):

Elementary Education ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

School Environment ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

School Curriculum ◽

Palabras Clave ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Extension Program ◽

Tecnología Educativa

A partir de um estudo de caso qualitativo sobre o programa de extensão Educom.Cine, que promoveu a produção audiovisual no ensino fundamental, refletimos sobre a possibilidade das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) se configurarem como a espinha dorsal de um currículo mais atento aos processos de integração da escola com sua localidade. Nesta perspectiva, a escola se tornaria o centro de gerenciamento de diversos canais comunitários de comunicação, onde a produção escolar seria vinculada e publicizada à toda a comunidade. Esta se configuraria em uma proposta de integrar o uso das TIC no ambiente escolar com seu uso não-formal, estimulando os estudantes a agir no local (bairro) pensando também no global, numa perspectiva glocal. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: tecnologia educativa; educomunicação; currículo escolar; ecossistema comunicativo; audiovisual. ABSTRACT Based on a qualitative case study on the Educom.Cine extension program, which promoted audiovisual production in elementary education, we reflected on the possibility of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) becoming the backbone of a more attentive curriculum to the processes of integration of school with its locality. In this perspective, school would become the center of management of several community communication channels, where school production would be linked and publicized to the whole community. This would be part of a proposal to integrate the use of ICT in school environment with its non-formal use, stimulating the students to act in the local (neighborhood) considering also the global, in a glocal perspective. KEYWORDS: educational technology; educommunication; school curriculum; communicative ecosystem; audio-visual. RESUMEN A partir de un estudio de caso cualitativo del programa de extensión Educom.Cine, que promovió la producción audiovisual en la escuela primaria, se reflexiona sobre la posibilidad de que las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) si configuren como columna vertebral de un currículo más atento a cerca de los procesos de integración de la escuela con su localidad. En esta perspectiva, la escuela se converte en el centro de la gestión de los canales comunitarios de comunicación, donde la producción de la escuela sea divulgada a toda la comunidad. Esto se configura en una propuesta para integrar el uso de las TIC en el entorno escolar con su uso no formal, estimulando los estudiantes para tomar medidas en nivel local (bairros) y también a pensar globalmente, en una perspectiva glocal. PALABRAS CLAVE: tecnología educacional; comunicación educativa; currículo; ecosistema de comunicacíon; audiovisual.

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Teachers’ changing practices with information and communication technologies: an up-close, longitudinal analysis

Research in Learning Technology ◽

10.3402/rlt.v22.21354 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Joanne Orlando

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Digital Technology ◽

Secondary School Teachers ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Digital Scholarship ◽

Complex Process ◽

Consistent Change ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Changing Practices

While digital technology has become a significant resource for contemporary schooling, we still have little understanding of how these resources shape teachers’ scholarly practices and what support is needed to improve and move forward. This paper reports on a 5-year qualitative, longitudinal study on the scholarly practices of a small number of Australian primary and secondary school teachers in their use of digital technology. The study aimed to understand the complexity of their changing practices. Four categories of change were evident in the teachers’ practice with digital technology over time: knowledge, learning organisation, pedagogy and core approaches to teaching. The changes each teacher demonstrated reflected their distinct knowledge sets and beliefs. Tracing their changes longitudinally showed that some teachers demonstrated faster and more consistent change in their practices with digital technology than others and that visible change in their practices was not evident over the short term. This study highlights that change in digital scholarship is a personal and complex process and worthy changes are those that meaningfully respond to the context and also contribute to the teachers’ commitment to reflection and renewal of practice. Significant support is therefore that which provides the space and opportunity for teachers’ individualised professional understandings and aspirations to be acknowledged and built on.Keywords: digital technology; teachers; change; longitudinal; digital scholarship(Published: 8 August 2014)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2014, 22: 21354 -http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v22.21354

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THE IMPACT OF E-LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES ON QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

PRIMO ASPECTU ◽

10.35211/2500-2635-2020-2-42-50-65 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 50-65

Author(s):

Elena A. GORBASHKO ◽

Natalia Sh. VATOLKINA

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Global Education ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Digital Transformation ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Information And Communication ◽

E Learning ◽

The Impact

Digital transformation of society and economy led to the rapid spread of information and communication technologies (ICT) in higher education, which became a new driver of development for global education and for the emergence of the phenomena of e-learning and blended learning, introduction of new types of educational resources, and increased diversity of information and communication technologies in higher education, which also led to a rise in the number of publications in this field. The article considers the essence and offers a classification of technical tools of e-learning. The authors conducted a comparative analysis of approaches to the formation of models of quality of electronic services and information technologies, as well as specific models of e-learning quality. This allowed the authors to propose a model of e-learning quality and determine the set of consumer properties of e-learning technology. The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 20-010-00571 "The Impact of Digital Transformation on Improving the Quality and Innovation of Services".

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