Factors contributing to teachers' successful implementation of IT

Abstract It has become increasingly important for educators to examine successful ICT implementations with the aim of understanding precisely what makes them successful in teaching and learning. In this study, an analysis of data from qualitative case studies of four Canadian schools illuminates factors that facilitate successful ICT implementation. Findings suggest that informal ICT education, such as 'just-in-time' learning, is most influential. Furthermore, supportive and collaborative relationships among teachers, a commitment to pedagogically sound implementation of new technologies, and Principals who encourage teachers to engage in their own learning are viewed as highly useful factors.     

Innovative pedagogical practices using ICT in schools in England

Abstract This paper presents information about the case studies carried out in three primary and three secondary schools in England, during the school year 2000–2001. Data were collected as part of the qualitative phase of a major international research project: the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES). The research focused on innovative pedagogical practices involving ICT. Interviews with Headteachers and other administrators, teachers, students and parents; observations of lessons; analysis of school documents and surveys of Headteachers and ICT coordinators provided rich sources. Themes common to the case studies in England are identified and discussed.     

Innovative uses of ICT in Chilean schools

Abstract This paper presents some of the results of the study of seven cases of innovative pedagogical practices using ICT. The study was performed in the framework of the application of SITES M2 in Chile. The results are divided in two sections. First is a summary of each case, highlighting its innovative characteristics that serve as models of 'good practice' for Chilean teachers. Second, the results of the analysis of what teachers did are outlined; the impact on students and the type of teaching and learning activities in use. Results show that these projects did not provide evidence of having impact on students' learning as defined in the national curriculum. However, they show that students participating in these projects could learn other things, had the opportunity to develop abilities defined as cross-curricular and practised ICT related skills. The analysis of the teaching and learning activities highlights some deficiencies in the way that teachers implement new teaching strategies.     

Qualitative case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using ICT

Abstract The Second Instructional Technology in Education Study: Module 2 (SITES M2) is a series of qualitative studies that identify and describe innovative pedagogical practices in 28 participating countries that use technology. The project resulted in 174 case study reports of innovative practice that are currently being analysed. This paper describes the goals, research questions, and methodology for this study and provides a context for the other papers that are published in this issue. Given the large number of case studies, a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to the research is described.     

Contributions of professional community to exemplary use of ICT

Abstract  In these six case study sites, the commitment to teachers' individual learning about technology as a support to instruction was very strong and was complemented by technology leadership, support staff and professional development programming dedicated towards this end. This paper describes some conclusions about how the presence of this need to learn and the supportive conditions to do so was reciprocal, or mutually supportive, of the development of professional community around technology use. The professional community deepened and refined the shared vision related to the purposes of instructional technology, and the technology support. The supposition is that effective use of technology and professional community are mutually supportive in that increases in one create conditions for increases in the other.     

The role of local authorities in the integration of ICT in learning

Abstract How does ICT integration in learning processes depend on the support or lack of support from local authorities? Data from the SITES M2 case studies sheds light on how Danish schools attempted to meet the ‘Act on the Folkeskole’ regarding the integration of ICT in all subjects. This paper draws on the school's perspective based on interviews with the Principals, teachers and ICT coordinators, and the schools' ICT plans and strategies. The schools' perspective is then seen in relationship to the respective municipalities, ICT strategies and national ICT policy in a discussion of the implications of ICT integration on the decentralised Danish folkeskole system.     

Models of pedagogical implementation of ICT in Israeli schools

Abstract The paper analyses the data collected in 10 schools in Israel which have incorporated ICT in unique ways and have succeeded in devising innovative classroom pedagogies and changes in teachers and students roles and outcomes. The major research questions addressed are: What levels of innovation were observed in the participant schools, and in which domains? How did the level of innovation in the various domains vary among and within schools? What correlation patterns among levels of innovation in the various domains can be identified? The data were analysed by mean of the innovation analysis schema developed for characterising ICT‐based educational innovations. The findings indicate that most schools were in a transition stage towards fully innovative pedagogical implementation; school activities were effected differentially by ICT, thus creating ‘islands of innovation’; these islands however, have the potential to pull forward other areas of activity and people in the school; the domains most affected by ICT were the school's digital space, the didactic solutions implemented and the students' roles and outcomes.     

Practice characteristics that lead to 21st century learning outcomes

Abstract The key research question for this study was to ask whether or not innovative teaching practices would lead to the development of learning outcomes essential for preparing the younger generation for the challenges of life in the knowledge society of the 21st century, and if so, how are the pedagogical features related to the different learning outcomes. Preliminary analyses of the case study data collected from the SITES M2 Study in Hong Kong reveal that where the development of more significant learning gains were observed, the cases possess characteristics additional to the criteria defined in the Study for selection of innovation. More importantly, it was found that the impact of the pedagogical practices was not determined simply by the aggregation of characteristics of the practices per se , nor on the technologies used, but on whether 'empowerment' permeates the curriculum goal and process. Further, this paper claims that these affective and socio-cognitive learning outcomes are more important as preparation for lifelong learning in the 21st century than 'knowledge management competencies'.     

Norwegian students using digital artifacts in project-based learning

Abstract Discussion about information and communication technologies in education are often conducted at a general level. To increase understanding about new technologies and learning it is necessary to be more specific about what kinds of tools are being used and how they are related to knowledge construction by students within specific subject domains. Three Norwegian cases studies are reported so that different school cultures on how the learning environments are implemented are exposed. One important conclusion from the cross‐case analysis is the diversity among cases. What is the added value or changes that these technologies represent? Within a Norwegian context the paper shows how technology contributes to the design of new learning environments and how it might stimulate knowledge construction among students.     

The role of ICT as a promoter of students' cooperation

Abstract The Second Information Technology in Education Study — Module 2 (SITES-M2) in Germany investigated 12 cases of innovative pedagogical practice using technology (IPPUT) in primary, lower and upper secondary schools. One theme that emerged from the analysis of these cases was students' cooperation. It seems that the co-occurrence of ICT-use and students' cooperation and collaboration is not accidental. The focus of this paper is an analysis and classification of the students' cooperation identified in the IPPUTs.     

Learning with ICT at primary level: pupils' perceptions

Abstract  This study investigated primary schoolchildren's awareness of the linkage between ICT and the way they learn within the context of a school that has been particularly successful in integrating ICT into the curriculum. Pupils were interviewed by their teacher and, extracts from the dialogue, identify examples of good practice and describe some of the challenges that still lie ahead. .     

Mentoring student-teachers in schools: views, practices and access to ICT

Abstract There is evidence from a number of publications that use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) varies amongst serving and student-teachers in different subject specialities. Teacher-mentors are an obvious source of support during school experience; the relationship between student-teachers' use of ICT and that of their serving teacher-mentors is not clear. This study was part of a series of projects investigating ICT use during initial teacher training across different subject areas. Questionnaires, returned by 216 teacher-mentors in secondary schools were analysed. The questionnaires investigated use of ICT in teaching, availability of equipment and support, views on using ICT and preparations made for student-teachers to use ICT. In general, teacher-mentors were competent and frequent ICT users and were often active in preparing student-teachers' use. However, using case studies with 13 pairs of student-teachers and their teacher-mentors, it seems that similar preparations made by teacher-mentors did not always result in individual student-teachers using ICT to the same extent as peers. The possible reasons for differences were difficulties with access to computers, lack of active support and role models amongst serving teachers (including teacher-mentors) and competing demands on student-teachers' time. It is suggested that in order to increase the use of ICT in their teaching, student-teachers are likely to need better access to equipment, more active support from serving teachers and encouragement to include time for ICT in their school experience.     

Digital inclusion and online behaviour: five typologies of Australian internet users

Digital inclusion is no longer limited to issues of access (e.g. infrastructure, speed, and cost); these are simply components in a much broader and more complex conceptualisation of what it means to be included. This shift has seen many researchers turn their attention towards the different ways in which people are using the internet. The aim of the current study was to measure how Australians use the internet by employing a nuanced approach to measuring online behavioural preferences. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1584 respondents to measure online behavioural preferences, internet attitudes, digital self-efficacy, and access. Analyses confirmed five profiles of internet users: labelled ‘Non-Users’, ‘Sporadic Users’, ‘Social Media & Entertainment Users’, ‘Instrumental Users’, and ‘Advanced Users’. Each group differed significantly on key demographic and (more importantly) non-demographic internet characteristics. These findings provide useful learnings for tailoring digital inclusion programmes to the needs of specific user groups.     

Paddling upstream: a contextual analysis of implementation of a workplace ergonomic policy at a large newspaper

Efforts to implement workplace ergonomic programs aimed at reducing the burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) have to address multiple physical and psychosocial aspects of work environments yet often contextual factors limit their success. We describe the processes involved in an ergonomic program to reduce neck and upper limb WMSDs at a large Canadian newspaper. Using qualitative data collection and analysis methods, we illustrate the impact of key contextual characteristics of: (1) the program (management commitment, union involvement, experience and skill of program leaders, and researcher involvement); (2) the organization (drive for productivity, management control, organizational culture); and (3) the broader social context (economic climate, nature of newspaper work, technology and nature of WMSD). We argue for increased attention to identification and response to the contextual factors affecting program implementation in order to more successfully address upstream determinants of WMSD.     

The implications of the GCSE and CPVE on the use of computers in schools

Abstract The introduction of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and the Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education (CPVE) has influenced the quantity and type of computer use in secondary schools. This paper looks at the effects of these influences and examines ways in which schools and Local Education Authorities can accommodate them in the context of their more general development plans.     

The implementation of e-tutoring in secondary schools: A diffusion study

While technology use is becoming ever more ubiquitous in society, there are times when even the most useful of technologies faces non-adoption for a variety of contextual reasons. Educational institutions are increasingly relying on online academic support services such as e-tutoring to balance rising demands for public accountability over standardized testing with decreasing budgets. This study explores the context of an e-tutoring service that has experienced a relatively low adoption rate in a school district in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The study proposes a model, based on the results of a mixed-methods diffusion study, for the effective implementation of the service; results indicate that this model is significantly correlated with the adoption of e-tutoring. Implications for the integration of educational technologies in secondary education, especially in relation to e-tutoring, are discussed.     

Comparison of alternative ACD models via density and interval forecasts: Evidence from the Australian stock market

In this paper a number of alternative autoregressive conditional duration (ACD) models are compared using a sample of data for three major companies traded on the Australian Stock Exchange. The comparison is performed by employing the methodology for evaluating density and interval forecasts, developed by Diebold et al. [F. Diebold, A. Gunther, S. Tay, Evaluating density forecasts with applications to financial risk management, International Economic Review 39 (1998) 863–883] and Christoffersen [P. Christoffersen, Evaluating interval forecasts, International Economic Review 39 (1998) 841–862], respectively. Our main finding is that the generalized gamma and log-normal distributions for the error terms have similar performance and perform better that the exponential and Weibull distributions. Additionally, there seems to be no substantial difference between the standard ACD specification of Engle and Russel [R. Engle, J. Russell, Autoregressive conditional duration: a new model for irregularly-spaced transaction data, Econometrica 66 (1998) 1127–1162] and the log-ACD specification of Bauwens and Giot [L. Bauwens, P. Giot, The logarithmic ACD model: an application to the bid-ask quote process of three NYSE stocks, Annales d’Economie et de Statistique 60 (2000) 117–150].     

Understanding the outsourcing learning curve: A longitudinal analysis of a large Australian company

Outsourcing continues to capture the attention of researchers as more companies move to outsourcing models as part of their business practice. Two areas frequently researched and reported in the literature are the reasons why a company decides to outsource, and outsourcing success factors. This paper describes an in-depth, longitudinal case study that explores both the reasons why the company decided to outsource and factors that impact on success. The paper describes how Alpha, a very large Australian communications company, approached outsourcing and how its approach matured over a period of 9 years. The paper concludes that although a number of reasons are proposed for a company's decision to outsource, lowering costs was the predominant driver in this case. We also describe other factors identified as important for outsourcing success such as how contracts are implemented, the type of outsourcing partner arrangement, and outsourcing vendor capabilities.

Understanding the influence of information systems competencies on process innovation: A resource-based view

The resource based view of firms is used to explore how information system (IS) competencies affect process innovation in an organization. Data was collected through a case study of two process innovations at a healthcare firm in the United States. The findings illustrate how six IS competencies – Knowledge Management, Collaboration, Project Management, Ambidexterity, IT/Innovation Governance, Business-IS Linkages – can differentially affect the conception, development and implementation of process innovations. Implications for researchers and practitioners are drawn from these conclusions and suggestions for further research are proposed.