Understanding the Effectiveness of Collaborative Activity in Online Professional Development with Innovative Educators through Intersubjectivity

Effectiveness of professional development is affected by the quality of social interaction. This study examines how online collaborative dialogues might influence teachers’ decisions in their classrooms —sometimes hurting when not appropriated well. This study extends principal sociocultural approaches to cognitive concepts of intersubjectivity and activity through illustrations of empirical data. Part of a larger innovative professional development involving four classroom locations across Missouri, synchronous chatroom dialogues comprising teachers and researchers, and pre- and post-unit interviews underwent qualitative discourse and focused microanalyses. We argue that teachers purposefully used their dynamic intersubjective spaces and strategies in the management of meaning-making negotiations within an online interactive environment. The findings reveal two novel variable forms of intersubjectivity: (a) temporary suspension, and (b) resistance and disagreement. These findings provide useful implications for advanced applications and developments with information communication technology in innovations for enhanced learning and teaching as they relate to the evaluation of teacher effectiveness in implementing collaborative online problem-based activities.

Teaching Java™

Information systems students in a graduate section and an undergraduate section of an introductory Java graphical user interface course completed the following initial assignments to learn a simple program: (1) automated programmed instruction tutoring, (2) hands-on learning with a lecture, and (3) collaborative peer tutoring. Tests of knowledge transfer and software self-efficacy were administered before students began the first assignment and following completion of each one. The results showed progressive improvement in rule test performance and software self-efficacy across the several instructional events. Taken together, the results of these classroom observations extend the generality of previous work to an updated set of instructional materials and assignments, and that outcome shows the reliability of the learning processes with new groups of students. Students who are new to Java had the privilege of exposure to an initial repertoire of teaching tactics that are synergistic and cumulative.

Planning Staff Training for Virtual High Schools

This chapter briefly profiles three virtual schools, each at a different stage of development, yet each dependent upon a successful and sustained distance education program for its professional staff in order to remain viable long into the future. As virtual schools become more accepted by the public and the attention given to the online schools shifts from their sources of funding to their standardized test scores, a model for sustained distance training and education must be in place to deliver quality professional development that can positively impact students’ achievement scores on standardized tests for each school’s online student population.

The Impact of PowerPoint Presentations on Student Achievement and Student Attitudes

Seventh grade students were tested on their knowledge of sentences and nouns in a language arts classroom. This study was conducted over a two-year time frame. In the first year, classes consisted of twenty-eight (28) males and thirty-one (31) females. All students are Caucasians with the exception of two African American males. In year two, the classes consisted of thirty-two (32) females and thirtytwo (32) males. All students are Caucasians with the exception of one African American female and one Nicaraguan-American female. Students are predominantly from middle class families. All three classes are grouped heterogeneously. During instruction for two units, classes were taught with the following approaches: 1) using traditional methods of book work and handouts for one unit, and 2) using technological aids such as Microsoft PowerPoint for a second unit. Test results from three classes during both units were compared. The data indicates that when using technological aids as teaching tools, student test grades increased in year one, especially for low-achieving students or for those with learning disabilities. In year two, those same results were not achieved. A technology survey was also used to establish each student’s comfort level with technology and their attitudes towards the use of technological aids in the classroom

Training Prospective Online Instructors

Research shows that training prospective online instructors in an online learning environment is advantageous. One effective training topic is on use of theory when designing curriculum. Information in this study reports what empirical research shows about online instructor use of different design theories. It identifies design theories that have not been researched in regard to online instructor utilization of theory, and it illustrates how frequently online instructors use nine of the design theories.

Creating an Interactive PowerPoint Lesson for the Lesson

This article helps classroom teachers create an “Interactive Lesson,” a self-paced, student-controlled, individualized learning opportunity embedded with assessments. These lessons are offered to learners who need individualized instruction; corrective instruction, additional practice, or enrichment activities. Interactive lessons are not new. However, the practical, sequential methodology offered herein provides a practical design model for creating and integrating Microsoft’s PowerPoint for presenting self-paced, personalized lesson content. The presentation can be captured to a floppy diskette, burned onto a CDROM, or sent as an email attachment to students in a classroom, computer lab or at home. The interactive lesson has many practical applications for students needing remedial attention or those attending cyber schools or home-bound students.

The Influence of Constructivist E-Learning System on Student Learning Outcomes

In this article, the study of how a constructivist e-learning system affects students’ learning outcomes was explored and a two-phase study was designed. The first study sought to create a constructivist e-learning environment (CEE) and discover how students expected their learning outcomes under CEE. CEE is composed of three constructs, which are exploration, collaboration, and construction. The statistical results showed the high level of student expectation on every construct. Consequently, constructivist e-learning system (CES) was developed. In the second study, CES was used in the actual classroom environment. The purpose was to compare the learning outcomes and knowledge development of students who studied the course using CES with those of students who learned it under a traditional learning environment. A T-test method was used to analyze the learning outcomes. The results showed that students who used CES had better learning outcomes and knowledge development than students who did not use CES.

Supporting Arguments for Including the Teaching of Team Competency Principles in Higher Education

For optimum workplace effectiveness in knowledge-intensive industries in which principles of knowledge management need to be applied, it is necessary to take into account not only the competencies of individuals themselves but also the competencies of the teams in which they must operate. Although the incorporation of various types of group work into pedagogies is already widespread within institutes of higher education, many examples fail to embrace a rationale for, or the potential benefits of, multiple contributor environments. We present in this chapter arguments for including the teaching of team competency principles in higher education, supported by an original multi-dimensional team competency teaching model, a taxonomy for assessing team competency levels and an example of the implementation of these principles.

Student Perceptions of Data Flow Diagrams vs. Use Cases

Data Flow Diagrams and Use Cases are two popular methodologies in teaching as well as in practice. For the last 4 years, we have been using both methodologies in our Systems Analysis course. Questionnaire results indicate that students find the Use Cases methodology slightly easier to understand. However, students believe that Data Flow Diagrams are significantly better at communicating with users and programmers.

The Didactical Agency of Information Communication Technologies for Enhanced Education and Learning

This article presents substantial results from two projects that deal with teaching and learning with digital media in basic and higher education and offers a new perspective on the active role of technology in learning processes. The first case draws on the project “Roberta—girls conquer robotics,” which was launched by the Fraunhofer Institute (AIS) with the aim to help promote girls’ interest in sciences, mathematics and technology. It suggests a new pedagogical approach towards the use of robotics in education and discusses how didactics and technology (LegoMindstorms) interact and how the character of robotics itself plays an important role here, such as it already comes along as gendered material. The second case focuses on distance education teaching methods in childcare management. The space left for practitioners in Higher Education is either to embrace the new media or to watch its inevitable unfolding. We take a critical stance towards that perspective and suggest that the shape and learning effect of new media in higher education is contested and evolves in communities of practice. No technologies are neutral and it is more appropriate to speak of technological and societal features as interactively fostering e-learning processes through distributed actions (Rammert, 2002).