10 March 2004
It is really interesting to me that the Australian government, particularly in Queensland, invests really much money to build up the teachers� expertise in computers.
After that, we, students had discussion about the text in comparison with the criteria and requirement that Queensland government want the teachers to achieve.
I think that my computer expertise is in the basic level and I realised that I need to learn more about this. And we also talked about expertise in computers of the teachers in each of the student�s country. With hind sight, I realize that the expertise in computing of the teachers in my countries are low when they are compared to the other countries.
Dr. Siva also introduced some programs for us to search for information about ICT namely Sum Office�, �Open Office�, �GIMP�, �FTP�, Innovation: Diffusion by Rogers was also introduced us to find more by ourselves. However, Dr Siva touched on it by showing the graph showing the interest in IT of general people. These people include laggards, fence sitters and innovators. In comparison, the percentages of fence sitters are more dominant while laggards and innovators are similar in amount.
Dr. Siva further mentioned about dynamic Quality of ICT which links to Standards and Excellence in circle.
Simon has talked about some indexes of websites which are htm, html and php. He finally introduced dream waver to us for making our port folio on the website.
The article is about the effects of an implementation plan on middle school science teachers as they implemented and integrated both computer-and calculators- based probeware technology into their curricular. I agree with Wetzel that eight steps are required in order to overcome barriers to teachers as they integrate technology. These are staff development, available time, qualified trainers, access to hardware and software, involvement of teachers, recognition of teachers and support for teachers. Wetzel further points out primary barriers that can not be inevitable, because teacher resistance to change is due to their concerns regarding the influential technology integration on their preparation, beliefs, and values. These concerns include teacher technical ability and proficiency with instructional technology, along with organizational culture and climate influences that are beyond the control of the teachers.
In order to cope with these barriers, Wetzel also suggests some approaches to be effectively used. He asserts that change is a personal human experience that needs to be considered by school systems and change facilitators when implementing a new program. To successfully implement the integration of new technological tool, consideration of what the implementation will mean to teachers� personal beliefs and values is of concern.
Milton lists the perspective of the learning environment, successful integration which include the following:
- A culture of innovation
- Clearly defined educational goals that include deeper understanding
- Teachers and students use technology as tool for their own learning
- Teachers select pedagogical strategies appropriate to both learning goals and individual needs of students
- Learners engage in authentic investigations using a variety of resources and people inside and outside of the learning environment, displaying their learning in a variety of ways as demonstration of their performance.