The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet cons... more The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet considered into the domestic context. Through a closed format questionnaire, self-completed by 272 Italian tweens aged 10 and 11 years, the research inquires practical uses of Internet, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about parental mediation activities. The data analyses show different levels of Internet usage, the most often experienced functions, some prevailing dimensions of meaning related to use of Internet and perceptions of a partial parental mediation, and some differences between the two age groups regarding the dimensions of meaning and the perceptions of parental intervention.
The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and ... more The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and professional development, specifically in the scenario of an innovative project Cl@sses 2.0 Action promoted by the Italian Ministry of Education. Based on the TPACK theoretical model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) and LAT-Learning Activity Types (Harris & Hofer, 2009), the research inquires into the level of TPACK development in a group of in-service teachers participating on a voluntary basis in order to find suitable ways to guide them in the integration of technology into their educational practices. The research involves , and the relations among these areas; 2) an application of such knowledge through the design of teaching units. In the former case, an adaptation of the questionnaire elaborated by Shmidt and Colleagues (2009) was administered to 11 class councils (110 lower secondary school teachers). In the latter case, following the approach of Hofer and Harris (2010) with some adaptations, a planning grid was proposed for the same subjects, but a feedback of only 2 full class councils (22 teachers) was received. The research findings , r training as a whole and not only in their technological competency is suggested.
The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and ... more The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and professional development, specifically in the scenario of an innovative project Cl@sses 2.0 Action promoted by the Italian Ministry of Education. Based on the TPACK theoretical model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) and LAT-Learning Activity Types (Harris & Hofer, 2009), the research inquires into the level of TPACK development in a group of in-service teachers participating on a voluntary basis in order to find suitable ways to guide them in the integration of technology into their educational practices. The research involves , and the relations among these areas; 2) an application of such knowledge through the design of teaching units. In the former case, an adaptation of the questionnaire elaborated by Shmidt and Colleagues (2009) was administered to 11 class councils (110 lower secondary school teachers). In the latter case, following the approach of Hofer and Harris (2010) with some adaptations, a planning grid was proposed for the same subjects, but a feedback of only 2 full class councils (22 teachers) was received. The research findings , r training as a whole and not only in their technological competency is suggested.
The presence and the rapid diffusion in Italian children's life of new media, such as mobile ... more The presence and the rapid diffusion in Italian children's life of new media, such as mobile phone, personal computer and the Internet, is broadly recognized both by statistical surveys (Censis, 2007; Istat, 2008; 2009) and by the research. Among national and international ...
The present research aimed at investigating some features characterising the profile of 79 studen... more The present research aimed at investigating some features characterising the profile of 79 student teachers at the end of their pre-service training. Technology proficiency, TPACK and beliefs on the value of technology in teaching and learning were explored through a self-administered questionnaire. Data show the following: student teachers’ low proficiency with new or dedicated technology; some difficulties in integrating technology, pedagogy and disciplinary content, joined with the lack of modelling by Faculty; the prevalence of a functionalist/instrumental view of technology, associated with perceived benefits for teachers, and in contrast with a social/potentialistic view of technology. The results highlight the necessity to boost initial teacher training in the direction of specific/dedicated technology integration and to support Faculty in developing the integration of technology in teaching practices.
This contribution presents an educational proposal, which will be the prelude to a research proje... more This contribution presents an educational proposal, which will be the prelude to a research project aimed at the operative integration of technologies in the education and training of future kindergarten and primary school teachers. The contribution proposes, in particular, an instrument for planning learning units that has been developed according to specific theoretical models – TPACK-Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), LAT-Learning Activity Types (Harris & Hofer, 2009), multimodality (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000) – and can be used in a learning path for the above-mentioned future teachers both as part of courses on educational technology as well as those for specific disciplines. This contribution illustrates and justifies the structure of such an instrument, the use of which could help enable future teachers to develop an integrated planning procedure that should be dynamic and open to refinements and improvements as they meet with different know...
This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Conten... more This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge-TPACK framework developed by Koehler & Mishra (2005; Mishra & Koehler, 2006), and involving 110 lower secondary school teachers in the Italian Region of Veneto participating in the Cl@sses 2.0 Action. After a short introduction of Cl@sses 2.0 Action and TPACK framework, the article presents some results obtained through a questionnaire submitted to teachers, aimed at surveying their knowledge with respect to the areas of the TPACK framework. Finally, suggestions to guide teachers in implementing TPACK and developing flexible knowledge to integrate technologies into instructional practices are concisely presented.
ABSTRACT This study addresses the issue of technology integration in higher education, with the a... more ABSTRACT This study addresses the issue of technology integration in higher education, with the aim to explore the level of integration of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge (TPACK) in university professors, and two specific factors affecting technology integration, namely: proficiency and beliefs on technology use. Forty-seven participants – professors teaching in Primary Teacher Education courses at three universities, in the north, centre and south of Italy – were involved. They were surveyed through a questionnaire on self-evaluation of proficiency in technology use for academic purposes, TPACK, and beliefs on benefits of technology use. The main results of the study reveal: professors’ high proficiency in commonly used technologies, but low proficiency in new or dedicated technologies; some weaknesses in knowledge domains involving technology; positive beliefs on benefits regarding technology use in academic teaching, regardless of the degree of proficiency declared. These findings suggest the need to train university professors, fostering proficiency, which is a prerequisite for technology integration, capitalizing on the positive beliefs on technology that affect integration process and giving them the opportunity to build their courses integrating technology, pedagogy and content. At the same time research results suggest a finer tuning of instruments to provide deeper insights into the problematic aspects that have emerged.
The purpose of this work is to present the initial phase of a research project focused on the int... more The purpose of this work is to present the initial phase of a research project focused on the integration of technologies in the education of kindergarten and primary school student teachers through instructional planning. Firstly, we illustrate a tool designed for planning integrated learning units and describe the training path in which it was used. Secondly, we report the results of a preliminary study conducted with 96 students attending a university course that investigates two personal traits considered as prerequisites for using the tool: perceived proficiency in technology use, and opinions on the importance of each constituent element of the tool. With regard to both traits, some statistically significant variations emerged. The results obtained are an encouragement to continue the research project to verify whether the tool could be suitable to help student teachers develop an integrated planning procedure.
The exploratory research here presented investigates the relationship between children and the mo... more The exploratory research here presented investigates the relationship between children and the mobile phone, the sense they attribute to its use and their perception of parental mediation related to this medium considered into the domestic context: family is the first place where meanings, norms and values on media use are supposed to be socialized and negotiated. According to studies on parental mediation, the research is aimed at understanding if children perceive an educational intervention by parents or, as it is a personal medium, parents don't interfere in children's relationship with the mobile phone. Through a closed format questionnaire, self completed by 272 students aged 9-11 years, the research surveys ownership, practical uses, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about interventions of mediation by parents in relation to mobile phone. The data analyses show different levels of mobile phone usage, the functions most often experienced, the dimensions of meaning that accompany children's practices with the mobile phone and the perceptions of different forms of parental intervention, revealing a not clear correlation between children's practices and parents' educational perceived intervention. The results suggest the opportunity of further investigations to deepen the understanding of parental mediation and to check if the limited educational impact reported by children relates only to the use of this technology or if it deals with a more general problem of educational engagement by parents.
This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Conten... more This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge-TPACK framework developed by Koehler & Mishra (2005; Mishra & Koehler, 2006), and involving 110 lower secondary school teachers in the Italian Region of Veneto participating in the Cl@sses 2.0 Action. After a short introduction of Cl@sses 2.0 Action and TPACK framework, the article presents some results obtained through a questionnaire submitted to teachers, aimed at surveying their knowledge with respect to the areas of the TPACK framework. Finally, suggestions to guide teachers in implementing TPACK and developing flexible knowledge to integrate technologies into instructional practices are concisely presented.
The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet cons... more The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet considered into the domestic context. Through a closed format questionnaire, self-completed by 272 Italian tweens aged 10 and 11 years, the research inquires practical uses of Internet, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about parental mediation activities. The data analyses show different levels of Internet usage, the most often experienced functions, some prevailing dimensions of meaning related to use of Internet and perceptions of a partial parental mediation, and some differences between the two age groups regarding the dimensions of meaning and the perceptions of parental intervention.
The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and ... more The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and professional development, specifically in the scenario of an innovative project–Cl@ sses 2.0 Action–promoted by the Italian Ministry of Education. Based on the TPACK ...
The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet cons... more The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet considered into the domestic context. Through a closed format questionnaire, self-completed by 272 Italian tweens aged 10 and 11 years, the research inquires practical uses of Internet, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about parental mediation activities. The data analyses show different levels of Internet usage, the most often experienced functions, some prevailing dimensions of meaning related to use of Internet and perceptions of a partial parental mediation, and some differences between the two age groups regarding the dimensions of meaning and the perceptions of parental intervention.
The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and ... more The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and professional development, specifically in the scenario of an innovative project Cl@sses 2.0 Action promoted by the Italian Ministry of Education. Based on the TPACK theoretical model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) and LAT-Learning Activity Types (Harris & Hofer, 2009), the research inquires into the level of TPACK development in a group of in-service teachers participating on a voluntary basis in order to find suitable ways to guide them in the integration of technology into their educational practices. The research involves , and the relations among these areas; 2) an application of such knowledge through the design of teaching units. In the former case, an adaptation of the questionnaire elaborated by Shmidt and Colleagues (2009) was administered to 11 class councils (110 lower secondary school teachers). In the latter case, following the approach of Hofer and Harris (2010) with some adaptations, a planning grid was proposed for the same subjects, but a feedback of only 2 full class councils (22 teachers) was received. The research findings , r training as a whole and not only in their technological competency is suggested.
The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and ... more The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and professional development, specifically in the scenario of an innovative project Cl@sses 2.0 Action promoted by the Italian Ministry of Education. Based on the TPACK theoretical model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) and LAT-Learning Activity Types (Harris & Hofer, 2009), the research inquires into the level of TPACK development in a group of in-service teachers participating on a voluntary basis in order to find suitable ways to guide them in the integration of technology into their educational practices. The research involves , and the relations among these areas; 2) an application of such knowledge through the design of teaching units. In the former case, an adaptation of the questionnaire elaborated by Shmidt and Colleagues (2009) was administered to 11 class councils (110 lower secondary school teachers). In the latter case, following the approach of Hofer and Harris (2010) with some adaptations, a planning grid was proposed for the same subjects, but a feedback of only 2 full class councils (22 teachers) was received. The research findings , r training as a whole and not only in their technological competency is suggested.
The presence and the rapid diffusion in Italian children's life of new media, such as mobile ... more The presence and the rapid diffusion in Italian children's life of new media, such as mobile phone, personal computer and the Internet, is broadly recognized both by statistical surveys (Censis, 2007; Istat, 2008; 2009) and by the research. Among national and international ...
The present research aimed at investigating some features characterising the profile of 79 studen... more The present research aimed at investigating some features characterising the profile of 79 student teachers at the end of their pre-service training. Technology proficiency, TPACK and beliefs on the value of technology in teaching and learning were explored through a self-administered questionnaire. Data show the following: student teachers’ low proficiency with new or dedicated technology; some difficulties in integrating technology, pedagogy and disciplinary content, joined with the lack of modelling by Faculty; the prevalence of a functionalist/instrumental view of technology, associated with perceived benefits for teachers, and in contrast with a social/potentialistic view of technology. The results highlight the necessity to boost initial teacher training in the direction of specific/dedicated technology integration and to support Faculty in developing the integration of technology in teaching practices.
This contribution presents an educational proposal, which will be the prelude to a research proje... more This contribution presents an educational proposal, which will be the prelude to a research project aimed at the operative integration of technologies in the education and training of future kindergarten and primary school teachers. The contribution proposes, in particular, an instrument for planning learning units that has been developed according to specific theoretical models – TPACK-Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), LAT-Learning Activity Types (Harris & Hofer, 2009), multimodality (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000) – and can be used in a learning path for the above-mentioned future teachers both as part of courses on educational technology as well as those for specific disciplines. This contribution illustrates and justifies the structure of such an instrument, the use of which could help enable future teachers to develop an integrated planning procedure that should be dynamic and open to refinements and improvements as they meet with different know...
This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Conten... more This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge-TPACK framework developed by Koehler & Mishra (2005; Mishra & Koehler, 2006), and involving 110 lower secondary school teachers in the Italian Region of Veneto participating in the Cl@sses 2.0 Action. After a short introduction of Cl@sses 2.0 Action and TPACK framework, the article presents some results obtained through a questionnaire submitted to teachers, aimed at surveying their knowledge with respect to the areas of the TPACK framework. Finally, suggestions to guide teachers in implementing TPACK and developing flexible knowledge to integrate technologies into instructional practices are concisely presented.
ABSTRACT This study addresses the issue of technology integration in higher education, with the a... more ABSTRACT This study addresses the issue of technology integration in higher education, with the aim to explore the level of integration of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge (TPACK) in university professors, and two specific factors affecting technology integration, namely: proficiency and beliefs on technology use. Forty-seven participants – professors teaching in Primary Teacher Education courses at three universities, in the north, centre and south of Italy – were involved. They were surveyed through a questionnaire on self-evaluation of proficiency in technology use for academic purposes, TPACK, and beliefs on benefits of technology use. The main results of the study reveal: professors’ high proficiency in commonly used technologies, but low proficiency in new or dedicated technologies; some weaknesses in knowledge domains involving technology; positive beliefs on benefits regarding technology use in academic teaching, regardless of the degree of proficiency declared. These findings suggest the need to train university professors, fostering proficiency, which is a prerequisite for technology integration, capitalizing on the positive beliefs on technology that affect integration process and giving them the opportunity to build their courses integrating technology, pedagogy and content. At the same time research results suggest a finer tuning of instruments to provide deeper insights into the problematic aspects that have emerged.
The purpose of this work is to present the initial phase of a research project focused on the int... more The purpose of this work is to present the initial phase of a research project focused on the integration of technologies in the education of kindergarten and primary school student teachers through instructional planning. Firstly, we illustrate a tool designed for planning integrated learning units and describe the training path in which it was used. Secondly, we report the results of a preliminary study conducted with 96 students attending a university course that investigates two personal traits considered as prerequisites for using the tool: perceived proficiency in technology use, and opinions on the importance of each constituent element of the tool. With regard to both traits, some statistically significant variations emerged. The results obtained are an encouragement to continue the research project to verify whether the tool could be suitable to help student teachers develop an integrated planning procedure.
The exploratory research here presented investigates the relationship between children and the mo... more The exploratory research here presented investigates the relationship between children and the mobile phone, the sense they attribute to its use and their perception of parental mediation related to this medium considered into the domestic context: family is the first place where meanings, norms and values on media use are supposed to be socialized and negotiated. According to studies on parental mediation, the research is aimed at understanding if children perceive an educational intervention by parents or, as it is a personal medium, parents don't interfere in children's relationship with the mobile phone. Through a closed format questionnaire, self completed by 272 students aged 9-11 years, the research surveys ownership, practical uses, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about interventions of mediation by parents in relation to mobile phone. The data analyses show different levels of mobile phone usage, the functions most often experienced, the dimensions of meaning that accompany children's practices with the mobile phone and the perceptions of different forms of parental intervention, revealing a not clear correlation between children's practices and parents' educational perceived intervention. The results suggest the opportunity of further investigations to deepen the understanding of parental mediation and to check if the limited educational impact reported by children relates only to the use of this technology or if it deals with a more general problem of educational engagement by parents.
This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Conten... more This article concerns a training intervention, based on the Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge-TPACK framework developed by Koehler & Mishra (2005; Mishra & Koehler, 2006), and involving 110 lower secondary school teachers in the Italian Region of Veneto participating in the Cl@sses 2.0 Action. After a short introduction of Cl@sses 2.0 Action and TPACK framework, the article presents some results obtained through a questionnaire submitted to teachers, aimed at surveying their knowledge with respect to the areas of the TPACK framework. Finally, suggestions to guide teachers in implementing TPACK and developing flexible knowledge to integrate technologies into instructional practices are concisely presented.
The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet cons... more The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet considered into the domestic context. Through a closed format questionnaire, self-completed by 272 Italian tweens aged 10 and 11 years, the research inquires practical uses of Internet, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about parental mediation activities. The data analyses show different levels of Internet usage, the most often experienced functions, some prevailing dimensions of meaning related to use of Internet and perceptions of a partial parental mediation, and some differences between the two age groups regarding the dimensions of meaning and the perceptions of parental intervention.
The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and ... more The research presented in this article addresses the issue of teacher training in technology and professional development, specifically in the scenario of an innovative project–Cl@ sses 2.0 Action–promoted by the Italian Ministry of Education. Based on the TPACK ...
Uploads
Papers by Sara Tabone