Educational Technology
M. Rahimi; A. Shahryari
Abstract
Background and Objective:With the expansion of technology infrastructure and the increasing penetration of smartphones, the use of new technologies and applications among the general public, especially the younger generation, is increasing rapidly. The use of these applications not only increases social ...
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Background and Objective:With the expansion of technology infrastructure and the increasing penetration of smartphones, the use of new technologies and applications among the general public, especially the younger generation, is increasing rapidly. The use of these applications not only increases social communication in the context of cyberspace, but also can accelerate and facilitate the process of homework and student projects from the beginning (resource search) to the end (report writing). Obviously, the use of new technologies requires the use of special skills and strategies for successful and beneficial interaction with virtual environments and technology. Research on information literacy provides a long list of skills needed by technology users in the 21st century to manage the challenges of using new technology tools. Definitely one of the basic and important skills that is needed when working with word processors is typing words quickly and correctly to enter data and receive appropriate feedback from the system or other users. The ability to type quickly and insert words correctly is essential in the use of cyberspace and the effective use of many applications, and not mastering how to enter information correctly can disrupt the process of installing or running applications. This study aimed at examining the role of autocorrect software use in learning English as a foreign language. Methods: 203 university students of General English courses participated in the study. Their use of autocorrect software was evaluated by Autocorrect Software Use Scale (ASUS). ASUS assesses autocorrect software use with respect to five components including the importance of spelling skills in learning English with autocorrect, students’ awareness of the way autocorrect works, its educational value, its error correction function, and its value in improving English spelling and writing skills. Achievement in learning English was assessed by both formative and summative evaluations in General English course. The data were analyzed by both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression methods). Findings: The results of correlation showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between learning English and ASUS and its four components; while the strongest correlations were related to factor 1, the importance of spelling skills in learning English (r= .215, p < .01) and factor 3, educational value of autocorrect software (r= .214, p < .01). The result of multiple regressions revealed that these factors function as the facilitator of learning English and can significantly predict more than 10% of its variance. Conclusion: The present study showed that the attitude towards using automatic word correction software has a significant relationship with learning English as a foreign language. The importance of spelling skills and awareness of the educational value of software was one of the facilitating components of language learning, while the general language course focuses on vocabulary learning, reading, and learning techniques. It is suggested that research be conducted on the role of automated software in classes that focus more on oral skills. The role of these software programs in sending text messages via SMS or micro-blogs (such as Twitter) in language learning should also be examine
Educational Technology
M. Rahmanpourt; M.J. Liaghatdar; F. Sharifian; M. Rezaee
Abstract
Background and Objective:Every educational institution and every learner must adapt to the environment for growth and development and have the necessary skills to meet the changing needs of the society. This has special conditions in higher education and among students and graduates, and they are always ...
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Background and Objective:Every educational institution and every learner must adapt to the environment for growth and development and have the necessary skills to meet the changing needs of the society. This has special conditions in higher education and among students and graduates, and they are always expected to adapt to the environmental conditions inside and outside the education system. Using information and communication technologies that are available to them in various forms can be a logical and desirable solution. Purposeful use of these technologies in the field of education is now known as educational technology, which has been expanded on a large scale to increase teaching and learning activities. The student of educational technology is both a producer of information, a consumer, and a link between producer and consumer; and this is where the sense of responsibility comes into play. It is not easy to prepare a curriculum for such students in such a dynamic environment; as it must both meet the needs of students and take into account the changing needs of society and the labor market. At the same time, the mission and nature of the field must be preserved and developed. What is important is that simply issuing the curriculum and implementing it in universities will not be enough. Evaluating and reviewing this program in order to present and suggest a desirable and appropriate curriculum is important and vital. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the curriculum of educational technology from the perspective of graduate students. Methods: Quantitative research was conducted using a survey method. The population, who were senior students of educational technology at senior level in the public universities of Arak, Bu-Ali, Kharazmi and Allameh Tabatabaei in Iran were sampled. Due to limited number of the population, all of them were selected by consensus. Data collection instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by 5 experts and with a Cronbach's alpha of .89. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS. At the descriptive statistics level, the frequency, mean and standard deviation indicators were used and at inferential statistics level t test and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test were utilized. Findings: The results showed that graduate students are not satisfied with master curriculum of educational technology. In other words, final year students who had experienced the curriculum believed that the curriculum was not in line with their needs and expectations. Conclusion: Although the averages were lower than average in all components of the MA curriculum of the major Educational Technology, but there is no reason for the inefficiency of this field and its inappropriate implementation in the country's universities. Part of this dissatisfaction may be due to university management rather than the curriculum. Because universities and departments cannot expect much from professors and students if they cannot provide the necessary facilities and conditions for the implementation of the curriculum. Of course, continuous review and trending of curricula in order to apply this field due to its nature and mission at the national and international levels is an inevitable necessity.
Educational Technology
A. Mirzaie; Z. Khoshneshin; S. Salimi; S.A. Ghasemtabar
Abstract
Backgrounds and Objectives:The use of concept maps is one of the new educational approaches that is rooted in the constructivist approach. In constructivism, the importance of knowledge is emphasized by relating the learned information to the new one. In this relational view and based on the concept ...
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Backgrounds and Objectives:The use of concept maps is one of the new educational approaches that is rooted in the constructivist approach. In constructivism, the importance of knowledge is emphasized by relating the learned information to the new one. In this relational view and based on the concept map approach, people search between previous and new learning, people make their own schemas or mind maps, and in new learning, these mind maps are extensively revised and reconstructed. Concept map is a tool for showing the relationships between concepts in a coherent and hierarchical way that facilitates meaningful learning, because in this method the concepts are not scattered components but are in the form of a network of relationships to each other. Concept maps are also effective in facilitating creative thinking due to their unique features. The present study describes effectiveness of conceptual map implicated through multimedia on social skills improvement among learners with mental retardation. Teaching on the basis of concept mapping known as an active method to teach social skills for learners with special learning needs (as mental retarded). Methods and Materials: Quasi-experimental research method is used with pretest-posttest instrument. Sample of the study is equal to society includes14 mild mental retarded students (aged 16-14 years). It is a researcher-made questionnaire measures learners with mental retardation social skills improvement included three components as interaction with others, social adaptive behavior and self-control. Questionnaires' Reliability estimated by Cronbach's alpha (0.80). Mann-Whitney U test used to analyses the data, compartments of the pre- post-test scores in experimental group after the intervention. The Wilcoxon Signed rank test with the effect size is also approached to data analyzing Findings: It is revealed that there is a significant difference in pre-test and posttest scores of students in different level of social skills. So implementation of concept mapping plus to using multimedia could enable mentally retarded students as it is suggested to construct their minding's as well improvement of their social skills. Conclusion: Learning to apply a concept map in the form of multimedia can improve the learning of subscales in the social skills subset, adaptive social behavior, improve the learning of social skills in the form of interaction with others, learn social skills in the form of self-control and keep components such as having clean your own desk, discussing your feelings and emotions, reacting appropriately to strangers, separating good and bad habits, and expressing happiness will be effective when you succeed in your control component. Experience of teaching with teacher-made concept map methods in combination with multimedia shows the effect of using active and modern methods in education for meaningful learning in children with mental disabilities, objectifying the teachings of students with mental disabilities with up-to-date and effective educational media such as photos, videos, animations and other educational software, providing educational resources required for social skills appropriate to the appropriate time conditions for children with mental disabilities and drawing maps to communicate between the main and secondary components of concepts related to social skills. Educational groups and organizations are recommended to pay attention to this group of students in developing and improving their learning.
