Cypriot Teachers Use Technology for Jobs, but Not in the Classroom

The Center for the Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology (CARDET) release results of a survey recently about information communication technologies (ICT) in Cypriot classrooms.

The main objective was to analyze how teachers use technology in the classroom and what challenges they face.

What the nonprofit organization found is that although ICT is available in most schools and classrooms throughout Cyprus, teachers use it mainly for preparing educational material and planning instruction—not as an integrated piece of their curricula.

More than 64 percent of teachers said they use the internet almost daily for preparing educational material, but only about 28 percent of the teachers and 13 percent of students use the go online in the classroom every day.

According to a press release, teachers who participated in the survey say the most significant barriers to the integration of ICT are curriculum requirements and the amount of time required for the design and implementation of ICT-based educational activities.

The findings come from a survey of 1,051 primary school teachers in the Republic of Cyprus and are based on 12 months of work. The results are part of a project supported by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, the Republic of Cyprus and the European Structural Funds. The project's main goal is to develop a framework for ICT teacher professional development in Cyprus. CARDET completed the survey in partnership with the Open University of Cyprus and INNOVADE L.I., Ltd. The results of the survey are in alignment with international studies conducted by CARDET and its partners in more than 20 countries.

CARDET presented its preliminary findings on 7 October 2009 at the International Council for Educational Media (ICEM) conference in Abu Dhabi. ICEM, a UNESCO-affiliated organization, provides a channel for the international exchange and evaluation of educational media information, as well as a forum for organizations focused on the development and application of educational technology.

CARDET is currently developing programs that will be offered by CARDET Academy, in response to gaps identified in the field of ICT-related education. CARDET will announce further details about CARDET Academy and about recently awarded projects prior to the end of the year.

    Posted by Jill Duffy ( Nov 18, 09 01:53 PM) | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In May 2008, a report was published about e-learning in Africa based on results of a survey sent to people in the e-Learning Africa (conference) database. 307 people completed the survey, so the sample size is somewhat small.

I've been keen to learn more about what's happening in Africa, particularly in regards to how different countries deal with infrastructure problems as they integrate technology into education, industry, and life in general. Here are some details from the survey:

ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Countries Represented

• Kenya (15%)


• South Africa (12%)


• Nigeria (11%)


• Ethiopia (9%)


• Uganda (8%)

Gender of Respondents

• Men (75%)


• Women (25%)

Respondents' Area of Work

• Higher education (37%)


• Primary or secondary education (5%)


• NGOs (5%)


• Vocational and technical institutions (3%)

MAJOR FINDINGS
Key Constraints to Seeking, Implementing, and Developing e-Learning

• Lack of infrastructure, particularly connectivity in rural areas


• Lack of appropriate training


• Lack of relevant digital content


• Cost of implementation

Types of Courses Addressed by the e-Learning (able to select more than one)

• Higher education (53%)


• Continuing education (37%)


• Vocational (23%)


• Secondary school (22%)

LMS Used

• A majority did not name a system, but said "internet" or similar


• Moodle (13%)


• WebCT (7%)


• KEWL.NextGen (6%)


• Blackboard (6 %)


• Sakai/Vula (4%)

Availability of Electricity

• Regular supply (37%)


• Irregular supply (39%)


• No supply (2.6%)

Availability of Computers and Internet

• More than one computer lab at place of business (30%)


• One laptop available per person (9%)


• No computers available (6%)


• One computer per class/lab (4%)


• Excellent internet connectivity (13%)


• Adequate internet connectivity (66%)


• Poor or non-existent internet connectivity (27%)

    Posted by Jill Duffy ( Nov 16, 09 09:19 AM) | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week is National Distance Learning Week. According to the USDLA,

Currently, over 3.5 million college students are taking online course and/or earning online college degrees. At the secondary school level, over 700,000 high school students are taking one or more courses online, and nearly 40 states have established state-wide or state-lead virtual schools. Michigan became the first state in 2007 to require high school students take at least one online course for graduation.

Celebrate by enrolling in an online seminar or by reading some of the newest articles in eLearn Magazine.

    Posted by Lisa Neal Gualtieri ( Nov 10, 09 01:37 PM) | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night's #lrnchat seemed to have even more participants than previous ones, including the one described in eLearn Magazinee by Dave Ferguson and Christy Pettit. It felt more like a cocktail party - with a mention of drinks even. But no hors d'oeuvres or dancing.

Since I missed most of it (other demands: bedtime stories and the like), I turned to a participant who did not seem to miss a tweet, Clark Quinn, who summarized:

The topic was organizational equivalents of the ePortfolio use in the academic world. The range of knowledge about ePortfolios surprised me; many people seemed unfamiliar with the concept. On the other hand, that made it a great learning occasion, which is a frequent occurrence.

There are always new people, it seems, and it seems they take a bit to get up to speed, then start pitching in. Most seem to get it, though I suspect a few get overwhelmed by the flow.

The topic really got me thinking about what would constitute the components of an ePortfolio, and I considered things like independent task performance, work-based task performance (both always with a reflective component on the thinking underlying the choice of approach), 360 perspective on performance.

Jay Cross noted that it's about your network, indicating that part of your portfolio might be who you know. I took that in a separate direction, thinking about having people indicate who they respect in the area, who's theories they follow, etc.

Realize that many other conversational threads are often going at one time!

As always, people crack jokes left and right, too, sometimes topic related, sometimes deliberately misinterpreting a statement. Jay's comment led to a subsequent crack: "Sorry, dude, your social network is not the caliber we're looking for in this position."

All in all, rapid fire learning and fun with a lively and aware crew.

Anyone agree - chat is such a blase term - #lrnparty next Thursday?

    Posted by Lisa Neal Gualtieri ( Nov 6, 09 10:34 AM) | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

An advantage to the classroom, for me, if that I focus on the teacher. When someone isn't a good teacher, certainly my mind wanders, but it's usually to what skills need improving. There are limits to what can be done appropriately in a classroom besides being attentive. Enter e-learning: does it encourage multitasking because students are on their computers, which is where they already spend time playing games, reading email, etc? In Paying Attention to Attention, Michael Feldstein and I wrote, "Multitasking is not only common - many practice it with pride." I know from my own experience how easy it is to be distracted by other demands on my attention.

A Boston Globe article, Multi-tangle, points out that working memory is limited and that everything we do, even the things that seem automatic (with the exception of what we can do in our sleep like breathing), tax the brain. The article goes on to point out that multitasking is becoming part of our culture; which brings me back to my question: does e-learning create a culture of multitasking?

    Posted by Lisa Neal Gualtieri ( Oct 28, 09 08:06 AM) | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

I find it fascinating to see who is reading eLearn Magazine. Our readers from July-September 2009 came from 176 countries and territories, the top ten being United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Philippines, Germany, Spain, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

It is even more interesting to hear from them about how they found us and what they like. Linda Urban wrote:

Once again, I followed a link in an interesting sounding tweet related to online learning and found myself at an article in eLearn Magazine. This time, it's Mitigating Conflict in Online Student Teams, by Richard Dool, with some good solid suggestions based on experience working with teams. One last week I really enjoyed was Michelle Everson's article, 10 Things I've Learned About Teaching Online. And then there was the great experience of using the #lrnchat twitter meet-up, recounted by Dave Ferguson and Christy Petit, which opened up a whole new learning mode for me.

I continue to be delighted by the depth and breadth of knowledge that I find at eLearn Magazine. Thanks so much to those of you who gather and present this information - as well as to all the contributors!

Thanks so much, Linda, for letting us know what you've been reading and enjoying.

    Posted by Lisa Neal Gualtieri ( Oct 26, 09 08:13 PM) | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have been interested in the Kindle ever since Mark Notess wrote about it. As a book lover whose first job in high school was in the Brookline Public Library, I was unable to imagine the joys of curling up with a Kindle. Disclosure: I have never even held one, although I have seen some of the competing products. And my uncle told me that he got one for my cousin, Eileen, who loves it.

Okay, so maybe I am on the fence about using a Kindle for casual reading. What about for education?

The Boston Globe reported on the use of Kindles by 200 college students given free ones by Amazon.com. They found that "some students miss the decidedly low-tech conveniences of paper: highlighting, flagging pages with sticky notes, and scribbling in the margins." Students reportedly did not like the small keyboard and took fewer notes. They missed page numbers. It was hard to read on a dark early morning bus ride. Etc.

Pluses: the weight.

I wonder if a different design is needed to support students, and, if so, would the same one work for online students as those on campus or on the job?

    Posted by Lisa Neal Gualtieri ( Oct 25, 09 11:25 AM) | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)