1,720,992 research outputs found
Pedagogues' perceived technological needs : a qualitative assessment
Get PDFvi, 57 leaves ; 29 cm. --This school-based study arose as a result of one secondary school's application to their
District Technology Coordinator for further funding for technology. A need was perceived
to keep pace with advancing technology by our administration, and by a group of teachers
in the school. There are also new courses which are mandated by the province which
required internet browsing capability and graphics programs which were beyond our
current resources.
A summary of the goals of the District Coordinator and the District Technology
Committee are summarized in this report. A history of the development of technology in
the school is described within the context of programs and people.
Participant and non-participant observations were made by the author over the course
of discussions with staff from January through March of 1999 regarding pedagogical
concerns with technology. A survey was also used to determine the staff's perceived needs
in the area of technology that was developed by the author and school technology
committee
School health programming to meet the needs of at risk students
Get PDFv, 41 leaves ; 28 cm. --''Most health problems in North America today result from health compromising
environments, as well as from personal behaviors established during the school years.
Many people believe and expect adolescents to be healthy, yet they are the only group to
experience an increase in mortality and morbidity since 1960 (Curtis, 1992). Although
prevention is a difficult concept to sell, children who are at risk for school failure are
also at risk for poor health. Schools are already serving as centers for delivering varied
services and are establishing links between students, families and community resources
(Graham & Uphold, 1993). Although there are literally thousands of "canned" health
programs available to schools and teachers, there is little available for at risk students.
Government and administrators have set the standard for mainstream youth and many
teachers are not trained in adolescent development and health promotion. Public health
nurses and community agencies are not being utilized for promoting healthy lifestyles.
The most successful health programs have been those involving youth themselves. To
reach these young people most in need, we need to find ways, in the services and
information we offer, to fit into their frame of reference and their way of doing things.
A health needs assessment was conducted by means of focus groups with at risk students
at an alternate school. The data was analyzed/or themes. A special health activity will
be planned using this data.
Resource fairs for continuing nursing education
Get PDFviii, 83 leaves ; 29 cm. --The purpose of this project is to evaluate the appropriateness of a resource fair as a
method of providing learning opportunities to health care professionals, primarily nurses.
Educators in hospitals today are faced with the ongoing challenge of providing adequate
continuing education. Continuing education is necessary to ensure nurses have the
knowledge and skills to provide quality care to patients and their families. Effective and
efficient methods of providing continuing education need to be explored. Resource fairs
were held at hospitals within the Palliser Health Region. These resource fairs took place
between November 1998 and May 1999. There were a number of similarities but
attempts were made to accommodate the uniqueness of the different hospitals, which
were determined by an informal needs assessment. The methodology for this study
included a number of strategies. An anonymous reaction questionnaire was distributed to
the participants at each site at the fair. Interviews were conducted with each ofthe other 3
educators to determine their perspective. They were directly involved with all of the
resource fairs. A survey was sent to managers for their feedback as well. Personal
observation was also used. The evaluation of the resource fairs indicated that they are a
positive learning experience for nurses. They promote a non-threatening informal
learning environment. They seem to be a viable opportunity to meet some of the learning
needs of nurses, including rural nurses. The success of this educational activity is
partially influenced by the support ofthe managers. Feedback received from the
managers indicates they are supportive of this learning activity. Resource fairs should not
be used exclusively to provide continuing education to nurses, but should be used in conjunction with other educational opportunities. This evaluation supports the ongoing
use of resource fairs as a learning activity for health care professionals
Implementing information technology : the effect on teaching style and the role of the teacher
Get PDFvii, 75 leaves ; 29 cm. --The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the effect of using
computer technology on their role in the classroom and on their personal teaching style.
The subject group consisted of twenty-six educators in School District No. 5 (Southeast
Kootenay) who were part of a vanguard group that received leadership training in using
educational technology in the classroom. The subject group represented all geographic
areas of the school district and included teachers from both elementary and secondary
schools. The study consisted of a four-part questionnaire that asked teachers to rate their
individual technology skills, their attitudes towards the use of technology in the
classroom, and assess their individual teaching style and perceived role in the classroom.
Both Likert type scale and open-ended questions were used. The questionnaire was
administered to all participants in the fall of 1999 and the data compiled and analyzed in
January 2000. The initial findings support the argument that the role of the teacher
changes with the implementation of technology in the classroom. The survey indicates
that teachers integrating technology into their classrooms favor a constructivist approach
to knowledge and learning. Gender differences were noted in teacher attitudes towards
the use of technology in the classroom, teacher skill levels in using technology and also
the role of the teacher. Female elementary and secondary teachers rated themselves lower
in technology skills than their male counterparts and were less likely to view technology
as important to their daily instruction. Elementary teachers were more likely to change
their instructional practices to accommodate students than secondary teachers. In
addition, elementary teachers used computers more frequently than secondary teachers
for class preparation and non-school activities
Adopt, adapt and develop : the work of the Science Implementation Committee of Chinook's Edge Regional Division #5
Get PDFiii, 77 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. --No abstract.No page 1 in original book
Integrating children with autism into the regular classroom : recent research and best practices
Get PDFix, 58 p. ; 29 cm. --Autism Treatment Services of Canada has identified a marked increase in the number
of children who receive the diagnosis of autism, estimating as high as 20 in every
10, 000 children (1998). Such increase demands a need for services to meet the
challenges of these children and their families. The goal of this project is to provide
such a service by providing a manual accompanied by a web site that outlines the best
teaching practices for parents and teachers of children with autism. A review of the
literature examines autism, models in early intervention, integration, and strategies for
teaching. Key aspects of applied behavior analysis are discussed in detail.
Community resources including names of organizations, phone numbers, and web
sites are included. The material is presented in a manual, web site
(http://www.un1imitedmedia.calautisml. and CD-ROM. In providing such a resource
it is hoped that parents and teachers can better address the needs of children with
autism
Using telecommunications to enhance the grade 8 science curriculum
Get PDFxiii, 228 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.The primary objective of this study was to implement a project that utilizes telecommunications as a tool to enhance the grade eight science curriculum. The process of becoming prepared to undertake this study was examined and documentd so that teachers in all subject areas at all grade levels could use it as a guide for similar projects. It was proposed to do this by conducting a collaborative project in which the students would use the scientific method to develop research questions that could be used to discover why the incidence of asthma is so high in Central Alberta. These questions would be sent out to schools across Canada and then the data would be analyzed and interpreted. The results would be shared with all participants as well as asthma researchers. The study met with many barriers whcih impeded the progress as well as made it impossible to fulfil the original goal of having the students collaborate with the experts and contribute their own research to the field. Whe embarking on a new project using technology it is inevitable that there will be barriers. Through repeated reconnaissance we were able to adjust our goals and still pursue very worthwile, but very different computer and telecommunications projects. The students attitudes towards learning science, science in society and computers were measured by pre and post surveys. The findings showed that the students were aware of the importance of all these factors in their lives. Without completing the asthma study, it is impossible to know how much of a difference there would have been in the results. The qualitative results showed very clearly that computers are a motivator for students. They enjoy working on them and the challenge they present. Many of them will do extra homework so that they can take advantage of every opportunity to work on the computer. Unfortunately, many teachers do not have the time or support to learn enough about the Internet/Schoolnet and what is available to take full advantage of what is has to offer our students and ourselves. For the most part, there are few teachers in each disrict becoming involved. This will change over time only if there is a support system in place and the pioneers share what they have learned. We cannot run the risk of the forerunners becoming discouraged and giving up. The Internet is a global community. For that community to grow and flourish we must share what we have learned and provide the means to make the path smoother for those who follow. Through this study, the projects have been documented and resources have been prepared that are intended to help others get online and access a wide variety of resources that are sure to enhance all programs and professional development
Online reflections : a constructivist tool?
Get PDFvii, 74 leaves ; 29 cm. --The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not online reflections are effective
in facilitating student learning, as measured by achievement on unit exams and
instructional planning as reported by the instructor. This study followed an altematingtreatments
design. The achievement of 22 students randomly divided into two groups of
11 students each (Group 1 and Group 2) was compared. The first group of students
followed an A-B-A-B design and the second group of students from the same Biology
class followed a B-A-B-A design. A refers to the condition where students completed
higher order online reflections and B refers to the lower order word search condition. The
word search condition in this study serves as a proxy control condition in this study.
Achievement on unit exams was determined and compared for each student under
treatment condition A and treatment condition B. Correlations between the average
length of students' responses, the number of reflections and word searches completed and
students' final marks were conducted to identify the degree of association between these
variables. 5-10 minutes of class time was provided to students to complete their online
reflections or word searches. Analysis of variance was used to compare the effect
completing online reflections and word searches had on student achievement as measured
by unit-exams marks. No significant differences in achievement were found between the
two conditions. The number and average length of online reflections were positively and
significantly correlated with a student's final mark (Pearson correlation = 0.556, .Q =
0.007; 0.463, .Q = 0.03). 50% (10/20) of students felt that online reflections helped them
study. 45% (9/20) felt that they clarified their understanding of scientific concepts.
Students identified the following benefits of online reflections: it helps you remember, improves understanding and helps you think. The most common suggestion made by
students for improvement was to change the questions with each lesson so that they were
more relevant. The instructor felt the questions asked by students in the online reflections
were important as they provided insight into what students know and don't know. As a
result of online reflections the instructor now incorporates regular and in depth reviews
into his teaching. According to the instructor online reflections helped him and his class
meet 8 technology outcomes (i.e. Students will compose, revise and edit text). Future
studies should control for the Hawthorne effect by changing the reflection questions on a
daily basis and control for the different academic abilities of students
Technology in teaching : an analysis of one school staff's experience in developing personal computer skills through the implementation of the Alberta ICT curriculum
Get PDFviii, 48 leaves ; 29 cm. --A policy of curricular technology integration has been initiated in all Alberta schools
through huge investments in technological and human resources. Educators have been
mandated by the government to provide technology-based learning opportunities, but are
teachers truly in a position to deliver on those expectations? This project will examine
teacher technology skill development at an Alberta school during the course of 1 year.
This issue will be examined from a program improvement point of view with the
recognition that technology program planning is more than an ordered shopping list; it
involves the beliefs, skills, and attitudes of those who will be implementing the program.
Success relative to long-term goals of curriculum integration depends far less on hightech
equipment than it does on the people using the equipment. This project lends itself to
both anecdotal and empirical investigation and both components will be incorporated into
the evaluation design. Through pre-/post-surveys, a better understanding will emerge
regarding teacher technology skill development at the school level. This new
understanding will be critical in future planning of teacher professional development and
support
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