Computer Labs as Techno-Pedagogical Tools for Learning Biology--Exploring ICT Practices in India

Autor/inn/en	Nayark, Ajitha K.; Barker, Miles
Titel	Computer Labs as Techno-Pedagogical Tools for Learning Biology--Exploring ICT Practices in India
Quelle	In: Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 15 (2014) 1, Artikel 6 (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1609-4913
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Biology; Science Instruction; Educational Technology; Technology Uses in Education; Computer Centers; High Schools; Secondary School Science; Science Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Computer Literacy; School Surveys; Junior High School Students; Thinking Skills; India + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Biologie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Unterrichtsmedien; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen; High school; Oberschule; Science; Teacher; Teachers; Science teacher; Wissenschaft; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Lehrerverhalten; Computerkenntnisse; Junior High Schools; Student; Students; Sekundarstufe I; Schüler; Schülerin; Denkfähigkeit; Indien
Abstract	In Indian secondary schools, as in many countries, Information and Communication Technologies, ICT, are changing the image of learning places, the roles of teachers and students, and often the entire classroom learning ambience. This study investigates current practices for learning biology in school computer labs in India in the light of the existing Indian pedagogical practices. The increasing availability of technology-based learning resources has increased the techno-pedagogical possibilities (i.e. the possibilities for pedagogical use of technology) in biology learning, and many schools are augmenting their ICT infrastructure by setting up fully-equipped computer labs. Nevertheless, the teaching of biology currently continues to be partly in the traditional classroom and partly in the computer labs. In fact, most schools are not yet willing to invest large amounts in computer infrastructure, despite school policies that encourage teachers to make use of ICT learning resources made available out of state-provided funding. In this study, biology teachers' techno-pedagogical perspectives and the nature of secondary school students' ICT skills deployed in computer labs are explored. In terms of results, we report that teacher ratings on the techno-pedagogical skills they require while teaching biology in computer labs revealed that they were, in fact, well aware of the wide ranging technological possibilities: text processing, website development, spreadsheets, layouts and multimedia. Again, observations of the lab sessions themselves revealed that students were deploying significant ICT skills: text processing, information retrieval, information processing and information gathering. Also, it turned out that the teachers were actually employing the imaginative range of the skills that they had espoused in their chosen ratings. In summary, when computer labs became the sites for learning biology, the combination of the ICT provided, together with the teachers' emerging techno-pedagogical practices, presents heartening possibilities for promoting student learning in India in the future. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Hong Kong Institute of Education. 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. Tel: +011-852-2948-7650; Fax: +011-852-2948-7726; e-mail: apfslt@sci.ied.edu.hk; Web site: http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10