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Education Sciences
Special Issues
Critical Issues in Educational Technology
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Critical Issues in Educational Technology

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2014) | Viewed by 43397

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jing Lei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation, 336 Huntington Hall, School of Education, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
Interests: technology integration; digital citizenship; teacher technology preparation; social-cultural and psychological impact of technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well recognized that modern information and communication technology (ICT) has great potential to fundamentally transform education, however, this potential has not yet been realized. As modern ICTs continue to advance rapidly and profoundly change almost every aspect of our society, it is critical that the field of education reaps the benefit of ICT advancement to prepare the next generation of digital citizens. This special issue calls for conceptual and empirical papers that examine critical issues around technology integration in education.

Particularly, this Special Issue's Call for Papers addresses topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • The design of technology-facilitated learning systems and environments
  • The integration of emerging technologies, such as social media, web.2.0 tools, and games in teaching and learning
  • Preparing teachers to use emerging technologies in classrooms
  • The theoretical frameworks and/or practical strategies on how technology can be used to facilitate teaching and learning
  • The assessment of technology-facilitated learning
  • The psychological, social and cultural impacts of technology in education
  • Digital citizenship: Concept, practices, and assessment

Dr. Jing Lei
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.


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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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442 KiB  
Article
Challenges for Educational Technologists in the 21st Century
by Robin Mayes, Gloria Natividad and J. Michael Spector
Educ. Sci. 2015, 5(3), 221-237; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci5030221 - 17 Sep 2015
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 10145
Abstract
In 1972, Edsger Dijkstra claimed that computers had only introduced the new problem of learning to use them effectively. This is especially true in 2015 with regard to powerful new educational technologies. This article describes the challenges that 21st century educational technologists are, [...] Read more.
In 1972, Edsger Dijkstra claimed that computers had only introduced the new problem of learning to use them effectively. This is especially true in 2015 with regard to powerful new educational technologies. This article describes the challenges that 21st century educational technologists are, and will be, addressing as they undertake the effective integration of new technologies into K-12 educational systems and learning environments. The expanding Internet, ever more powerful mobile devices, and other innovations make the task of designing effective formal and informal learning challenging, especially in light of the high rate of change in these new technologies. While these technologies introduce many benefits, they are also causing serious threats to system security and personal privacy. Furthermore, as these technologies continue to evolve, ethical issues such as equal access to resources become imperative. Educational technologists must expand their forward-thinking leadership and planning competencies so as to ensure effective use of new technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Educational Technology)
354 KiB  
Article
Investigating Gender and Racial/Ethnic Invariance in Use of a Course Management System in Higher Education
by Yi Li, Qiu Wang and John Campbell
Educ. Sci. 2015, 5(2), 179-198; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci5020179 - 10 Jun 2015
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5932
Abstract
This study focused on learning equity in colleges and universities where teaching and learning depends heavily on computer technologies. The study used the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate gender and racial/ethnic heterogeneity in the use of a computer based course management system [...] Read more.
This study focused on learning equity in colleges and universities where teaching and learning depends heavily on computer technologies. The study used the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate gender and racial/ethnic heterogeneity in the use of a computer based course management system (CMS). Two latent variables (CMS usage and scholastic aptitudes)—with two moderation covariates (gender and ethnicity)—were used to explore their associational relationships with students’ final grades. More than 990 students’ CMS data were collected from courses at a Midwest public university in the United States. The final model indicated that there was gender and racial/ethnic invariance in the use of the CMS. Additionally, CMS use was significantly positively associated with students’ academic achievement. These findings have policy and practical implications for understanding the correlation between technology use and academic achievement in colleges and universities. This study also pointed out future research directions for technology use in higher education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Educational Technology)
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9523 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Facilitating Feedback on Online Learners’ Cognitive Engagement: Evidence from the Asynchronous Online Discussion
by Wenge Guo, Ye Chen, Jing Lei and Yan Wen
Educ. Sci. 2014, 4(2), 193-208; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci4020193 - 22 May 2014
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9209
Abstract
With a large-scale online K-12 teacher professional development course as the research context, this study examined the effects of facilitating feedback on online learners’ cognitive engagement using quasi-experiment method. A total of 1,540 discussion messages from 110 learners (65 in the experimental group [...] Read more.
With a large-scale online K-12 teacher professional development course as the research context, this study examined the effects of facilitating feedback on online learners’ cognitive engagement using quasi-experiment method. A total of 1,540 discussion messages from 110 learners (65 in the experimental group and 45 in the control group) were both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Results revealed that facilitating feedback significantly impacted learners’ cognitive engagement: (1) the level of cognitive engagement presented in treatment group was significantly higher than that of control group; (2) cognitive engagement levels of original postings increased overtime in the treatment group, while decreased in the control group; (3) the difference in discussion quantities between two groups was not significant. Effective feedback strategies and the importance of facilitating feedback in creating quality online instruction were discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Educational Technology)
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292 KiB  
Article
Cultivating Reflective Practitioners in Technology Preparation: Constructing TPACK through Reflection
by Liangyue Lu
Educ. Sci. 2014, 4(1), 13-35; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci4010013 - 27 Dec 2013
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 7714
Abstract
Teaching is a complex profession, which is further complicated by the integration of technology into classrooms. Reflection can help teachers unpack the complexity in their practice. Reflection can be an effective instructional strategy in helping preservice teachers develop technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), [...] Read more.
Teaching is a complex profession, which is further complicated by the integration of technology into classrooms. Reflection can help teachers unpack the complexity in their practice. Reflection can be an effective instructional strategy in helping preservice teachers develop technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), the complex and dynamic knowledge necessary for effective technology integration into instruction. In this study, reflective activities were integrated into a Learning By Design (LBD) environment, which was created to help preservice teachers develop TPACK. This paper investigated the participants’ TPACK development and examined how reflection helped them construct TPACK. Through content analysis of the participants’ reflective journals, the researcher found that the preservice teachers developed initial TPACK awareness. However, their reflection in technology knowledge and the content aspects of TPACK were limited and superficial. Interviews with the participants showed reflection helped the preservice teachers remember what they learned by describing and elaborating on their in-class experiences, pushed them to think about how to apply what they learned in their future classrooms, and helped them become more reflective and open-minded about using technology in classrooms. Finally, the researcher discussed this study’s implications for teacher educators and researchers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Educational Technology)
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592 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Catch-Up Behavior: Accession of Lecture Capture Videos Following Student Absenteeism
by Magen Brady, Rachel Wong and Genevieve Newton
Educ. Sci. 2013, 3(3), 344-358; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci3030344 - 11 Sep 2013
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 8400
Abstract
The use of lecture capture in higher education is becoming increasingly widespread, with many instructors now providing digital videos of lecture content that can be used by students as learning resources in a variety of ways, including to catch up on material after [...] Read more.
The use of lecture capture in higher education is becoming increasingly widespread, with many instructors now providing digital videos of lecture content that can be used by students as learning resources in a variety of ways, including to catch up on material after a class absence. Despite accumulating research regarding the relationship between lecture capture and attendance, the nature of catch-up behavior following an absence has not been well characterized. This study measured attendance in relation to lecture video accesses to determine whether students catch up after missing a class, and if so, within what timeframe. Overall, it was found that 48% of absences were not associated with a corresponding lecture video access, and that when absences were caught up, the length of time taken to access the video was highly variable, with the time to the next exam being the likely determinant of when the video was viewed. Time taken to access a video was directly associated with deep learning approach score (as measured by the R-SPQ-2F). Males took significantly longer to view a corresponding lecture video after an absence than females, and missed significantly more classes than females. This study confirms that students use lecture capture variably, and that characteristics such as gender and learning approach influence lecture capture behavior including catch-up following an absence, a finding that is not unexpected given the diversity of students in higher education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Educational Technology)
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