ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Library Automation Design for Visually Impaired People
Author: Yurtay, Nilufer
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Library Facilities,Library Automation,Access to Information,Accessibility (for Disabled),Visual Impairments,Computer System Design,Audio Books,Audiovisual Communications,Foreign Countries,Educational Technology

Speech synthesis is a technology used in many different areas in computer science. This technology can bring a solution to reading activity of visually impaired people due to its text to speech conversion. Based on this problem, in this study, a system is designed needed for a visually impaired person to make use of all the library facilities in Sakarya University. Certain number of books in the library is transferred in digital media via a scanner and they are transferred into their own server. A visually impaired person can use the system with the help of sound orientation of the program and the keyboard commands of the user. System will be developed according to new requests. So, the purpose of this study is to bring a solution to the social problem of visually impaired people. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)
Mobile Learning: At the Tipping Point
Author: Franklin, Teresa
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Educational Technology,Virtual Classrooms,Educational Opportunities,Handheld Devices,Educational Principles,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Educational Practices,Performance Factors,Influence of Technology,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Technology Uses in Education

Mobile technologies are interfacing with all aspects of our lives including Web 2.0 tools and applications, immersive virtual world environments, and online environments to present educational opportunities for 24/7 learning at the learner's discretion. Mobile devices are allowing educators to build new community learning ecosystems for and by today's students using smart phones, iPads, tablets, and iPod devices to stay connected. The use of simulations and virtual environments to build learning spaces that provide connections to students globally and how these 21st Century digital interfaces will challenge our educational institutions to create a more rigorous, immersive, and differentiated learning environments will be explored in an attempt to answer the question: Mobile learning, are we at the Tipping Point? (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)
Perceptions of Students Who Take Synchronous Courses through Video Conferencing about Distance Education
Author: Karal, Hasan
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Student Attitudes,Distance Education,Interviews,Undergraduate Students,Misconceptions,Attitude Change,Problems,College Instruction,Educational Technology,Instructional Effectiveness,Case Studies,Synchronous Communication,Videoconferencing,Video Technology,Observation

The objective of this study is to determine how students who are taking synchronous distance education classes via video conferencing perceive distance learning courses. A qualitative research approach was used for the study. Scale sampling was also used. The study's subjects consisted of a total of nine students comprised of 2nd and 4th grade students engaged in a course via synchronous distance education. For the study, the case method, a qualitative research method, was used, and research data was obtained via semi-structured interviews and observation results. Data was analyzed by means of the descriptive analysis method. Findings obtained at the study's conclusion indicate that students' perceptions of the course changed during and at the completion of the course. It was generally seen in the descriptions students made about the environment before taking synchronous distance education that they did not have advance information or that they had a prejudice due to their misinformation. It is seen in the conducted interviews that these prejudices start to be eliminated thanks to the opportunities provided by synchronous distance education through this process. It appears, from students' descriptions of the course environment prior to taking the course, that they did not have enough information or had preconceived ideas. As the course progressed, student perception changed and they were able to perceive more clearly the opportunities that synchronous distance education can provide. In this study, the most important problem in synchronous distance education was determined to be disconnection and sound problems. In this study, a significant problem was the hardware--i.e., sound, speed and connectivity issues. As well, students became bored after some time because of limited camera angles and cameras. It was concluded that this situation prevents the continuity of the course and so leads to distraction. On the other hand, it was observed that students start to get bored of the course after a while due to the fixedness of the camera angle and the small quantity of cameras. We also noticed that the fixed camera angle, small number of cameras and problems occurring in the images affected student perceptions. Besides these technical problems, the researchers observed, and the students expressed that the factors of teacher, environment, distance, course type and duration also caused the students' perceptions to change. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)
Pre Service Teachers' Usage of Dynamic Mathematics Software
Author: Bulut, Mehmet
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Qualitative Research,Mathematics Education,Computer Software,Mathematical Concepts,Mathematics Teachers,Mathematics Instruction,Internet,Computer Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers

Aim of this study is about mathematics education and dynamic mathematics software. Dynamic mathematics software provides new opportunities for using both computer algebra system and dynamic geometry software. GeoGebra selected as dynamic mathematics software in this research. In this study, it is investigated that what is the usage of pre service mathematics teachers for teaching and learning mathematics concepts. Qualitative research methodologies were used in this study. First participants learned basic commands about GeoGebra. During lessons pre service teachers of mathematics used dynamic worksheets. Data were collected by participants' works and opinions on dynamic mathematics software. According to responses of participants, pre service teachers want to use dynamic mathematics software for teaching mathematical concepts. Their works on GeoGebra showed that participants want to offer interactive dynamic mathematics worksheets on internet to the students for mathematical concepts. (Contains 7 figures.)
Preliminary Study for Technology Enhanced Learning: Comparative Study of England and Northern Cyprus
Author: Tenekeci, Ebru Heyberi
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Comparative Analysis,Comparative Education,Questionnaires,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Practices,Teacher Attitudes,Technical Support,Secondary School Teachers,Professional Continuing Education,Teacher Competency Testing,Teaching Methods,Access to Computers,Performance Factors,Educational Technology

The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary study findings from an ongoing PhD study. In this paper, the researcher presents the preliminary study that was carried out with a number of schools in England and Northern Cyprus in order to identify the background or big pictures of each country in terms of available ICT tools that are being used by teachers in their teaching, trainings and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and support that they have received and their integration stage of ICT. A survey method was employed for this preliminary study. A sample of 117 teachers out of 198 was participated to this study. The researcher of this study developed a questionnaire. A descriptive analysis of data reveals that the two countries are very different in their use of ICT and training and support that they have received. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)
Supporting Interaction among Participants of Online Learning Using the Knowledge Sharing Concept
Author: Chao, Chih-Yang
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Distance Education,Online Courses,Interaction,Educational Environment,Knowledge Management,Instructional Effectiveness,Aptitude Treatment Interaction,Learning Activities,Concept Mapping,Network Analysis,Foreign Countries,Educational Technology

In education business, proper interaction is a crucial factor for learning effectiveness. However, it is difficult to successfully guide the participants to achieve the appropriate interaction in an online learning environment. That is, the interaction as well as internal dialogue should be systemically performed under a valid control. In this paper, the concept of knowledge sharing is applied to achieve the appropriate interaction among participants in an online learning environment. By evaluating and integrating the differences between interaction considerations and knowledge sharing, the proposed methodology transforms the interactions into knowledge flows to easily apply the concept of knowledge sharing. Then, the corresponding activities can be acquired following the conformable analysis. According to experimental results, the learners assigned with interaction supported by knowledge sharing flows have better success in terms of learning effectiveness. That is, the concept of knowledge sharing significantly influences the interaction throughout the use of a learning platform and is a way to enhance the learning effectiveness. (Contains 4 figures and 5 tables.)
The Effect of Combining Analogy-Based Simulation and Laboratory Activities on Turkish Elementary School Students' Understanding of Simple Electric Circuits
Author: Unlu, Zeynep Koyunlu
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Elementary School Students,Quasiexperimental Design,Grade 7,Logical Thinking,Science Activities,Laboratory Experiments,Intervention,Pretests Posttests,Knowledge Level,Instructional Effectiveness,Computer Simulation,Foreign Countries,Physics

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the combination of both analogy-based simulation and laboratory activities as a teaching tool was more effective than utilizing them separately in teaching the concepts of simple electricity. The quasi-experimental design that involved 66 seventh grade students from urban Turkish elementary school was used. The participants were randomly assigned to the control group I in which the real laboratory activities were used, to the control group II in which analogy-based simulation activities were used and to the experimental group in which both analogy-based simulation and laboratory activities were used together. Electricity performance test (EPT) prepared by the researchers was administered to assess the students understanding of electric circuits before and after the teaching intervention. The results indicated that the combination of both analogy-based simulation and laboratory activities caused statistically greater learning acquisition than the analogy-based simulation and laboratory activities did alone. However, on the contrary to our expectations there was no statistical difference between the control I and control II groups. The results highlighted that environments of laboratory and computers are complementing each other, not to prefer one to another in teaching the concepts of simple electricity. (Contains 3 figures and 10 tables.)
The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning on the Reading Comprehension Skills in Turkish as a Foreign Language
Author: Bolukbas, Fatma
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Reading Comprehension,Teaching Models,Achievement Tests,Cooperative Learning,Reading Skills,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Second Language Learning,Second Language Programs,Turkish,Pretests Posttests,Learning Activities,Intermode Differences

Cooperative learning is a process through which students with various abilities, gender, nationalities and different level of social skills carry out their learning process by working in small groups and helping each other. Cooperative learning is a pedagogical use of small groups which enable students to maximize both their own and others' learning. This study was carried out in order to identify the efficiency and the effects of cooperative learning techniques on the reading skills of the students who learn Turkish as a second language. A total of 40 students (20 subjects in experimental group, 20 subjects in control group), who learn Turkish as a second language at Istanbul University Language Center, participated in this study which was done in accordance with the &quot;pre-test post-test control group&quot; model as one of the experimental research designs. In the experimental group, cooperative learning techniques were used for reading comprehension activities, while traditional teaching model was followed in the control group. The data were gathered through the &quot;Reading Comprehension Skills Achievement Test&quot; developed by the researchers, and a number of suggestions were made to develop reading skills in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. (Contains 5 tables.)
The Factors that Motivate and Hinder the Students with Hearing Impairment to Use Mobile Technology
Author: Kuzu, Abdullah
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Fine Arts,Action Research,Hearing Impairments,Interpersonal Relationship,Interaction,Information Technology,Foreign Countries,Accessibility (for Disabled),Assistive Technology,Performance Factors,Handheld Devices,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Barriers

This research which aims to find out the factors that motivate students with hearing impairment to use PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a product of mobile technology, in instructional activities, interactions with their peers and instructors, and in their daily lives, and the factors that hinder these individuals from using PDA was designed as an action research. The research was conducted with 12 students with hearing impairment taking &quot;BIL151Fundamentals of Information Technology-I&quot; course in School for the Handicapped, Department of Applied Fine Arts at Anadolu University. The participants used the HP IPAO hw6915 modeled PDAs for education and social interaction purposes in the activities carried out in the scope of the research for 16 weeks. For data collection, reflections gathered with questionnaire and critic event method were employed. The quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics while the qualitative data obtained from one sample t-test were analyzed with content analysis done in an inductive approach.  The research was supported by TUBITAK, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Project Number: 107K022). This article presents the findings of the project that show the situations that motivate and hinder students with hearing impairment to use PDA. (Contains 8 tables.)
The Inter-Regional Inequality of Access to Information and Communication Technology in Turkey Based on PISA 2009 Data
Author: Guzeller, Cem Oktay
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Internet,Regional Characteristics,Differences,Developing Nations,Access to Computers,Computer Use,Questionnaires,Surveys

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which students from Turkey have access to a computer and the internet at school and at home, and differences in ICT accessibility by geographic region based on the data obtained from the PISA 2009. Data collected through the ICT questionnaire were analyzed by descriptive statistical indexes such as percentage technique. Important findings from the study indicated (i) access to a computer and the internet at school and at home in Turkey is still very low; (ii) Western Marmara is the best region. The region is above the average of country in the accessibility of ICT; (iii) South Eastern Anatolia is the worst region. The region is below the average of country in the accessibility of ICT. These findings confirm that developing countries in general tend to have limited computer and the internet access at school and at home. (Contains 2 tables.)
The Unified Phonetic Transcription for Teaching and Learning Chinese Languages
Author: Shieh, Jiann-Cherng
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Spelling,Dialects,Phonetics,Phonetic Transcription,Romanization,Mandarin Chinese,Data Processing,Native Language,Uncommonly Taught Languages,Chinese,Native Language Instruction

In order to preserve distinctive cultures, people anxiously figure out writing systems of their languages as recording tools. Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka languages are three major and the most popular dialects of Han languages spoken in Chinese society. Their writing systems are all in Han characters. Various and independent phonetic transcriptions have been thus developed to be as the mapping mechanisms between Chinese mother tongue languages and Han characters. For teaching and learning facilitation purposes, we really require a convenient phonetic transcription system between daily Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka to speed Han characters data processing applications. The Roman spelling system is a universal tool that owns the one and only one spelling rule. By studying and analyzing the Roman spelling system, we have disclosed that 4135 Romanized phonetic transcriptions can be adequately applied to handle Han characters' mappings of Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka spoken dialects. In this paper, we propose a minimal perfect hashing function to process unified 4135 Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka Romanized phonetic transcriptions to their corresponding Han characters simultaneously. The unified phonetic transcription can be used to promote Chinese mother tongue languages applications and developments. Furthermore, it can be applied as a mechanism to popularize digital learning and teaching of Chinese mother tongue languages. (Contains 3 figures and 11 tables.)
TPACK: An Emerging Research and Development Tool for Teacher Educators
Author: Baran, Evrim
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research and Development,Technology Integration,Educational Technology,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Research Projects,Research Tools,Program Descriptions,Teacher Researchers,Technological Literacy,Pretests Posttests,Technology Education,Interviews,Educational Practices,Appropriate Technology,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries

TPACK (technological pedagogical content knowledge) has emerged as a clear and useful construct for researchers working to understand technology integration in learning and teaching. Whereas first generation TPACK work focused upon explaining and interpreting the construct, TPACK has now entered a second generation where the focus is upon using the construct in both research and development projects. In this paper, the TPACK construct is defined and several current research and development projects that use the TPACK framework are described. The strength of the TPACK framework in research and evaluation work in technology integration is discussed, along with future directions for this work. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)
Using Songs as Audio Materials in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language
Author: Keskin, Funda
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Music,Second Languages,Classroom Environment,Language Skills,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Singing,Audiovisual Communications,Music Activities,Instructional Materials,Cultural Education,Cultural Maintenance,Foreign Countries,Instructional Design

The use of songs as audio materials in teaching Turkish as foreign language is an important part of language culture and has an important place in culture. Thus, the transfer of cultural aspects accelerates language learning process. In the light of this view, it becomes necessary to transfer cultural aspects into classroom environment in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. Songs are one of the instruments which provide students with the information related to target culture. In foreign language teaching, activities which are created by using songs contribute to the development of a lot of language skills from grammar to pronunciation. Therefore, these activities can be carried out in all classes ranging from very basic levels to advanced ones. Additionally, as widely known, music and melody have a positive impact in terms of reducing stress and anxiety. Considering the current literature, the use of activities involving songs in foreign language teaching has positive effects on students within their language learning process and further help them to be encouraged toward foreign language and culture. In this study, the place and the importance of songs as one of the tools to transfer culture and used in Turkish as a foreign language courses will be questioned, and sample activities will also be presented.
Using the Interactive Learning Environment Aplusix for Teaching and Learning School Algebra: A Research Experiment in a Middle School
Author: Hadjerrouit, Said
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Mathematics Education,Computer Software,Algebra,Secondary School Mathematics,Middle School Students,Computer Assisted Instruction,Qualitative Research,Interviews,Observation,Mathematics Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Educational Environment,Educational Technology,Interaction,Learning Motivation

Most software tools that have been developed with the aim of helping students to learn school algebra have not yet achieved successful results in classroom. Almost all of them are menu-based systems that provide transformation rules in menus and buttons. Aplusix is a new interactive software tool for learning school algebra. In contrast to existing software tools in mathematics education, Aplusix has been developed to allow students to freely build and transform algebraic expressions as they can do on paper. In addition, Aplusix provides appropriate feedback and interactivity, and as such, it becomes a source of learning. This work reports on a research project on the investigation of students' learning of elementary algebra with Aplusix. The work uses the Theory of Didactical Situations (TDS) to analyze and evaluate the learning potentialities of Aplusix. The paper also reports on implications for the learning of school algebra and the integration of Aplusix into mathematics classroom. (Contains 6 figures and 2 tables.)
A Distributed Model for Teacher Mentoring: Broadening the Learning Community
Author: Frykholm, Jeffrey
Date: 2005-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Professional Development,Beginning Teachers,Mathematics Teachers,Mathematics Instruction,Problem Solving,Cognitive Processes,Thinking Skills

This article examines an innovative way of conceptualizing mentoring and develops the notion of a "distributed" model of mentoring, backed by snippets from professional development program that has sought to use the context of community to broaden the definition (and success) of mentoring for mathematical teachers. The author proposes a way of thinking about teacher mentoring that reflects a desire for the "self-sustaining" and "generative" teacher, while at the same time attending to the compelling evidence that teacher learning is necessarily situative. To sustain this new way of thinking about teacher mentoring, the author describes a professional development program that attempted to both broaden and "distribute" the tasks that would typically fall under the auspices of the "mentor". After describing the program, the author briefly suggests several principles that might lead to a potentially new conception of teacher mentoring.