Technology Integration in Higher Education: The use of Website Design Pedagogy to Promote Quality Teaching and Learning

The integration of technology within higher education, specifically teacher education, has become vital in preparing pre-service teacher for the 21st-century classroom. Literature shows that the integration of technology allows students to engage deeply with content and promote authentic learning. Over two years, pre-service teachers who nrolled for a language education module at a university in South Africa were tasked with designing their own websites using Google Sites – an online, free, collaborative, web-based application that forms part of Google’s G Suite. As part of the as part website design assignment, they had to include a blog, informative text and a YouTube video explaining a language-teaching-related topic. The study was conducted from an interpretivist paradigm and an embedded mixed-methods research design. The technological pedagogical content knowledge model served as the theoretical framework. Data collected from 214 pre-service teachers revealed that the use of website design pedagogy promoted the integration of different types of knowledge domains, authentic learning and proximal development. The pre-service teachers furthermore reported that the use of website design pedagogy better prepared them for the 21st-century classroom. Challenges that the students experienced included inadequate access to the internet and problems with recording and uploading videos. This study advocates for authentic learning and scaffolding and therefore recommends that higher education institutions integrate technology holistically by adhering to the principles of the technological pedagogical content knowledge model.

Australian music teacher’ reflections and concerns during the pandemic: Resetting the use of technologies in 21st century classroom practice

Classroom practice around the globe has changed considerably due to the global pandemic. Although ICT (information and communication technology) is at the heart of 21st century teaching and learning, many teachers and students had to make significant adjustments shifting from face-to-face to remote (online) delivery in response to lockdowns and government restrictions since March 2020. This paper focuses on one focal question: ‘What were some of the concerns using ICT during Covid-19 pandemic?’ which was part of a wider Australian study ‘Re-imaging the future: music teaching and learning, and ICT in blended environments in Australia’. The authors seek to understand how music teachers look to employ technology in ways that connect teaching frameworks to 21st century classroom practice. As part of the ongoing study, they present preliminary survey data gathered between March–June 2021 from a range of music teachers around the country. Using thematic analysis, they discuss advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and challenges in relation to responses that thematically relate three key elements: pedagogy, social interaction, and technology. They identify concerns and call on music educators to reset what, how, and why they teach when using technology to develop 21st century competencies, as the future of schooling continues to change its landscape due to the pandemic.

From frustration to enlightenment: experiences of student exchange program awardees in Taiwan

Background: This qualitative study investigates the experiences of international students’ exchange who faced difficulties in adjusting to their new environment. They experienced awkwardness in the use of advanced equipment from technology and in various cultural aspects. This study investigates two Indonesian students who participated for a semester at a Taiwanese university. It aims to explore the Indonesian student exchange program awardees’ experiences by examining both the obstacles and benefits of attending the Taiwanese university. Methods: This study used qualitative data analysis. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview, informal participant observations, and a set of open and closed-ended questions. Two Indonesian undergraduate students who belonged to the same major, year, and university were recruited to participate in this study. Results: Challenges and Benefits are the two major themes in this research. Challenges include: (1) Departure and journey; (2) Difficulties in settling in; (3) Inability to use technology facilities. Benefits include: (1) Meeting new people and exploring new places; and (2) 21st-century classroom environments. Conclusions: Despite the challenges that are associated with being students exchange awardee, there are vast opportunities for self-development and learning that is associated with teaching from the 21st-century classroom pedagogy.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) in Nepalese EFL Classroom

Project-based learning is an innovative method to improve language skills. This study explores the five assets of project-based learning in the Nepalese context. It aims to examine how different dynamics of projects help students overcome their language learning difficulties and to show the relevancy of Project-Based Learning despite having many approaches and techniques in the anti-method era. Data for this study were collected both from primary and secondary sources. For eliciting primary information, I interviewed two of the EFL teachers and for the secondary data, I consulted research articles, books, dissertations, and reports related to project-based learning. I also employed the document analysis method in the paper since it is a theoretical review-based article where the researcher coded, thematized, and analyzed very sequentially to elicit meaning, gain understanding, and develop empirical knowledge about project-based learning. Innovative and learner-friendly curriculum demands for practical, pedagogical and project-based engagement in the 21st-century classroom which has seriously been ignored in the Nepalese EFL classroom. Noticing the unexplored status of the project-based learning approach, I stressed exploring the relevancy of PBL in the EFL classroom. More specifically, the prior methods used for achieving the expected outcomes of the paper are synthesis, deduction, analysis, interpretation and generalization. Findings indicate that project-based learning is an alternative tool and the best option for students to enhance their pedagogical content knowledge, creativity, and critical thinking.

Teacher education in Nigeria and the emerging technologies in the 21st century classroom

The paper examines Teacher Education in Nigeria and the emerging technologies in the 21st century classroom. The concepts; emerging technologies, teacher education, and the roles of teachers in the 21st century classroom were analyzed. Availability, Accessibility and Competency were discussed in the light of the emerging technologies as an instructional mode in the classroom. This is an opinion based paper. It was concluded that the 21st century classroom requires a prepared teacher with an emerging technology-compliance and the right frame of mind. It was recommended among others; government’s policies and legislative approaches that will support in practical terms availability, accessibility and professional development be formulated and implemented to ensure competency and motivation as well as monitoring and evaluation framework.

Measuring Teacher Creativity-Nurturing Behavior and Readiness for 21st Century Classroom Management

The COVID-19 pandemic is drastically reshaping the 21st century classroom management to remote learning via various online teaching and learning platforms across the world. The aims of this study are threefold: to assess the level of creativity nurturing behavior and teacher readiness for 21st century classroom management, to test the differences of this relationships towards teaching experience, and to examine the relationship between teachers' creativity nurturing behavior and their readiness for 21st century classroom management. The ANOVA test revealed that teachers' creativity-nurturing behavior is significantly different according to teaching experience. What's more, regression analysis revealed that teachers' creativity-nurturing behavior affects their readiness for 21st century classroom management. Teachers should stimulate positive changes in pedagogical practice to transform the classroom into a more active learning community with greater potential for creativity. Direction for future research is also furnished.

Mathematics Instruction for Students With Disabilities: Applied Examples Using Virtual Manipulatives

Technology has changed the practices related to teaching and learning mathematics in schools. The demand for learning mathematics in virtual environments is imminent and increasing in the 21st century classroom. There has been widespread expansion of the use of technology in education. The following article reviews three types of instruction—synchronous, asynchronous, and blended instruction—and provides applied examples regarding the use of virtual manipulatives in teaching mathematics to students with disabilities in the virtual environment.

Mathematics Instruction for Students With Disabilities: Applied Examples Using Virtual Manipulatives

Technology has changed the practices related to teaching and learning mathematics in schools. The demand for learning mathematics in virtual environments is imminent and increasing in the 21st century classroom. There has been widespread expansion of the use of technology in education. The following article reviews three types of instruction—synchronous, asynchronous, and blended instruction—and provides applied examples regarding the use of virtual manipulatives in teaching mathematics to students with disabilities in the virtual environment.

The Use of 'VocScape' in Vocabulary Acquisition Among Year 2 Pupils in Sarawak

Learning English through games is one of the most preferred strategies in the 21st Century classroom. However, limited digital portability, connectivity, and flexibility throughout Sarawak posed a milestone for teachers to utilize educational games in their classrooms. This research focuses on how the educational game VocScape can be used to facilitate vocabulary acquisition and retention among pupils in Sarawak primary ESL classroom. The action research is therefore conducted in 4 different schools with 100 participants of Year 2 pupils. To seek the capacity VocScape holds in vocabulary acquisition and retention among Year 2 pupils, pre and post-tests are used in this study. Observation checklist and questionnaire are used to determine participants’ perceptions of the educational game. Most students show significant interest and motivation in using the application while others become demotivated due to unfamiliarity and time-constraints of the challenges in the game. Hence, the findings suggest that VocScape is effective to be used in Sarawak primary ESL classroom. It can function as both learning and assessment tools. Therefore, the new application paves an exciting possibility for Sarawak educational settings.