title: Technology teacher education in New Zealand

authors: Fox-Turnbull, Wendy

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: Undertaken in universities and other approved private providers, technology teacher education in New Zealand involves students in theory and practice. The New Zealand Teaching Council, the teaching professional body, regulates and approves courses and programs. Based on Constructivist principles situated within Sociocultural theory, teacher education in New Zealand focuses on meeting students’ individual learning needs, and is founded on the principles of equality and inclusion, guided by the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, ensuring the specific rights of Māori and the New Zealand Curriculum. Technology, briefly defined as Intervention by Design, occurs through a range of contexts across three strands for learning: Technological Practice, the Nature of Technology, and Technological Knowledge, and within five technological areas: Designing and Developing Materials Technologies, Designing and Developing Processed Technologies and Designing and Developing Digital Technologies, Design and Visual Communication and Computational Thinking. Technology in New Zealand, although world leading, faces a number of challenges. These include a lack of understanding of the philosophy and key ideas that underpin technology, low subject status based on its predecessor technical education, and the lack of time and facilities available in teacher education programs. Many currently practicing specialist technology teachers struggle with the philosophical changes needed to move technology from a technical, skills-based program to the needs-based student-centered program outlined in the current curriculum. Over recent years in primary education in New Zealand, the Ministry of Education’s focus on literacy and numeracy has led to the marginalization of technology education in schools and teacher education programs. It is hoped that recent revisions to increase the presence of digital technologies in the technology curriculum, and the move to teaching through inquiry, whilst acknowledging students’ lived experiences facilitates the consolidation of technology education as a learning area of status incorporating the duality of practical and academic thinking.

text: Technology teacher education in New Zealand Undertaken in universities and other approved private providers, technology teacher education in New Zealand involves students in theory and practice. The New Zealand Teaching Council, the teaching professional body, regulates and approves courses and programs. Based on Constructivist principles situated within Sociocultural theory, teacher education in New Zealand focuses on meeting students’ individual learning needs, and is founded on the principles of equality and inclusion, guided by the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, ensuring the specific rights of Māori and the New Zealand Curriculum. Technology, briefly defined as Intervention by Design, occurs through a range of contexts across three strands for learning: Technological Practice, the Nature of Technology, and Technological Knowledge, and within five technological areas: Designing and Developing Materials Technologies, Designing and Developing Processed Technologies and Designing and Developing Digital Technologies, Design and Visual Communication and Computational Thinking. Technology in New Zealand, although world leading, faces a number of challenges. These include a lack of understanding of the philosophy and key ideas that underpin technology, low subject status based on its predecessor technical education, and the lack of time and facilities available in teacher education programs. Many currently practicing specialist technology teachers struggle with the philosophical changes needed to move technology from a technical, skills-based program to the needs-based student-centered program outlined in the current curriculum. Over recent years in primary education in New Zealand, the Ministry of Education’s focus on literacy and numeracy has led to the marginalization of technology education in schools and teacher education programs. It is hoped that recent revisions to increase the presence of digital technologies in the technology curriculum, and the move to teaching through inquiry, whilst acknowledging students’ lived experiences facilitates the consolidation of technology education as a learning area of status incorporating the duality of practical and academic thinking.

year: 2020

title: Designing a serious game for community-based disease prevention in the Amazon

authors: Luz, Saturnino

subjects: serious games

abstract: Many developing regions around the world rely on community-based healthcare strategies and practices to deal with prevention and control of often neglected diseases, by educating the local population and healthcare professionals, on the mechanisms by which such diseases spread and how they can be controlled. In this paper we describe a multiplayer serious game designed to raise awareness, and foster adoption of preventive measures among local citizens and community-health professionals about Leishmaniosis. We also discuss how the underlying concept for this game and its mechanics have been iteratively designed and developed in collaboration with a group of people with relevant medical and research expertise as well as practical knowledge resulting from working with our target population.

text: Designing a serious game for community-based disease prevention in the Amazon Many developing regions around the world rely on community-based healthcare strategies and practices to deal with prevention and control of often neglected diseases, by educating the local population and healthcare professionals, on the mechanisms by which such diseases spread and how they can be controlled. In this paper we describe a multiplayer serious game designed to raise awareness, and foster adoption of preventive measures among local citizens and community-health professionals about Leishmaniosis. We also discuss how the underlying concept for this game and its mechanics have been iteratively designed and developed in collaboration with a group of people with relevant medical and research expertise as well as practical knowledge resulting from working with our target population.

year: 2014

title: Constructing strategies for sustainable development the communitarian way

authors: Arunachalam, Murugesh

subjects: communities

abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to draw on recommendations of Agenda 21 and communitarian theory to examine collaboration between local district community and local authorities to formulate strategies for the sustainable development of the Taupo district. 
Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts an interpretative methodology based on philosophical hermeneutic to understand collaboration between local community and local authorities in the Taupo district. Empirical data for this interpretive study comprise public documents, interview transcripts and minutes of meetings attended by the researchers. The paper begins interpretation of empirical data with pre-understanding of communitarian theory and Agenda 21. 
Findings – The findings indicate that historical and political factors and diversity of interests in the community affect processes and outcomes of collaboration. Local authorities play a crucial role in bringing together various groups in the Taupo community which are segregated by diversity of interests, especially between Maori and non-Maori community groups. Without local authority facilitation, the Taupo community may remain segregated; inhibited by lack of information; and not having the opportunity to participate in sustainable development. Community participation in the Taupo district is at an infancy stage and collaboration intended to empower communities may result in local authorities recentralising their positions. 
Originality/value – The paper integrates theory and practice and provides valuable insights for statutory agencies seeking to implement the recommendations of Agenda 21 regarding community participation in sustainable development.

text: Constructing strategies for sustainable development the communitarian way Purpose – The paper aims to draw on recommendations of Agenda 21 and communitarian theory to examine collaboration between local district community and local authorities to formulate strategies for the sustainable development of the Taupo district. 
Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts an interpretative methodology based on philosophical hermeneutic to understand collaboration between local community and local authorities in the Taupo district. Empirical data for this interpretive study comprise public documents, interview transcripts and minutes of meetings attended by the researchers. The paper begins interpretation of empirical data with pre-understanding of communitarian theory and Agenda 21. 
Findings – The findings indicate that historical and political factors and diversity of interests in the community affect processes and outcomes of collaboration. Local authorities play a crucial role in bringing together various groups in the Taupo community which are segregated by diversity of interests, especially between Maori and non-Maori community groups. Without local authority facilitation, the Taupo community may remain segregated; inhibited by lack of information; and not having the opportunity to participate in sustainable development. Community participation in the Taupo district is at an infancy stage and collaboration intended to empower communities may result in local authorities recentralising their positions. 
Originality/value – The paper integrates theory and practice and provides valuable insights for statutory agencies seeking to implement the recommendations of Agenda 21 regarding community participation in sustainable development.

year: 2010