Six metaphors in search of the Internet

2000

The study of preservice teachers' development of metaphors as personal conceptions of teaching and learning is important not only to the preservice teachers but also to teacher educators. Such metaphors may provide us with snapshots, or glimpses, of our future teachers and can provide information on how we, as teacher educators, can ensure that methodological theories and pedagogical principles become

Cultura, Lenguaje y Representación

European Journal of Teacher Education, 2012

The identification of personal teaching metaphors is a potentially effective means of assisting pre-service teachers to become reflective teachers. However, although metaphors are often viewed as a way to facilitate self-reflection, teacher education programmes have shed little light on effective communication and collaboration that are essential to enhancing and mediating the construction of metaphors by pre-service teachers. Drawing on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), this study explores ways of using information and communication technology (ICT) tools in pre-service teacher education to enhance and mediate the construction of metaphors of teaching and learning. Data included Singaporean pre-service teachers’ ICT-mediated teaching metaphors and online messages. Qualitative analysis revealed that ICT-mediated metaphors provided a unique opportunity for pre-service teachers to interact with teacher educators and peers and it empowered them to reflect on the teaching and learning process critically.

Computers in the Schools, 2018

This study examines the meaning attributed to the contribution of technology to pedagogical practices from the perspective of school ICT leaders. While previous studies use metaphors for bottom-up exploration, this study employs an innovative combination of bottom-up and top-down metaphor analysis based on two frameworks: (a) metaphors of general learning (Paavola, Lipponen, & Hakkarainen, 2004)-acquisition, participation, and knowledge creation, and (b) metaphors of digital learning (Shamir-Inbal & Blau, 2016)-toolbox, active player, creative mind, shared desktop, and interconnected world. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 ICT leaders, including eight elementary school ICT coordinators and five regional ICT coordinators. All three metaphors of general learning and five digital learning metaphors were found in perspectives and pedagogical practices reported by the interviewees. However, the prevalence of each metaphor and the intersections of general and digital learning metaphors were quite different. The analysis based on metaphors shed light on the perspectives of ICT leaders regarding the meaning and nature of learning processes and on pedagogical practices in their schools.

Association of Internet Researchers …, 2003

Computers & Education, 2001

Most Internet-based education and training sites use the metaphor of a virtual classroom, and the methodology follows the model of a virtual lecture. This article investigates ways in which other instructional techniques, such as discussions, case studies, workshops and ''buzz groups'' can be delivered in a virtual classroom on the Internet in order to create a more interactive and interesting learning experience. Aspects covered include student participation by creating own web sites, holding discussions and a student rag procession. The article concludes with a list of ''Lessons learnt'' from 4 years of lecturing in a webbased environment.

1993

The Linds of representations and associations that elementary and secondary educators are building of the Internet and the-ways in which these representations vary depending on their use were studied. SuLjects were teachers from the Center for Technology in Education (New York) national telecommunications survey who had responded that they used the Internet for more than just electronic mail. Participants were sent an open-ended questionnaire that covered Internet use, involvement, learning, use in schools, future, and background. Responses were received from nine women and nine men who had spent an average of 19 years working as educators. Half were classroom teachers, two were librarians, and the others were technology specialists at classroom or administrative levels. All but two of the interviews were conducted over the Internet. Responses indicate that obstacles to Internet use for elementary and secondary education are substantial. These users were extremely technologically sophisticated and were drawing on skills they had developed outside their professional roles as teachers. They also were in schools with the necessary technology-conditions not available for the majority of teachers. Suggestions are given for making the Internet more accessible and more friendly for the educator user, as well as for expanding the available technology. (Contains 26 references.) (SLD)

Participatory Educational Research, 2015

This article addresses the historic and cultural influences of semiotics on human learning. In reviewing over thirty studies conducted since the 1950s, semiotic tools, such as pictures, graphics, metaphors and stories, have positively influenced student's learning. These studies suggest a critical role of semiotics in higher education courses taught in online learning environments. Semiotic tools can positively influence students in online courses, as in the cases where course completion rates of courses containing strategic semiotic elements were higher than comparable online courses without those semiotic elements. The implications for course design is the inclusion of strategic semiotic elements as part of course design addressing content, system navigation, and technologies to deliberately and intentionally plan semiotic features that appeal and not alienate reluctant online students. Features which bridge students' prior knowledge and cultural contexts to new content materials and academic success should be considered to better enlist and retain learners. Observing successful semiotic marketing practices could shed light on how these tools could be best incorporated into online courses and provide important cultural elements to mediate new learning. Ultimately, more than technology, management systems, and content should be studied when working with online students; human factors, like historic and cultural experiences, must also be considered.

Developing Successful Strategies for Global Policies and Cyber Transparency in E-Learning, 2016

It is quite important to effectively benefit from e-learning tools and environments which have dynamic structures in order to meet the learning needs of distance learners. E-Learning provides independence of time and space, student-centered, learner-controlled, flexible learning environments and equal educational opportunities. However, this flexibility has increased learners' self-cognition, self-control and self-responsibility for learning. In order for learners to cope with these issues, it is important to use metaphorical interfaces made up of metaphors as structures that provide clues to understand a new and complex concept, system or model. In this study, three main issues are discussed. These issues are e-learning and distance education, interface designs for distance education and metaphors in interface design. In the last part of the study, the advantages and disadvantages of metaphorical interface design in distance education are discussed. Based on these discussions, some important recommendations provided. The main purpose of this study is to discuss three main issues. These issues are e-learning and distance education, interface designs for distance education and metaphors in interface design. In the last part of the study, the advantages and disadvantages of the metaphorical interface design in distance education and e-learning environments will be discussed. Based on these discussions, some important recommendations will be provided.

This study discusses the meanings underlying a Finnish and a Greek language teacher's pedagogical integration of social media. As the research spans across the physical and the virtual pedagogical meeting, our review of the literature is also based on a two-level approach. The first level links metaphor with the pedagogical thinking, being the set of values and purposes underlying teachers' decisions. The second examines the meanings of the digital deriving from arguments that seek to explain the relationship between pedagogy and technology. In this study we view metaphors as research vehicles and apply content analysis to draw upon the Finnish and the Greek language teacher's speech and make their meanings visible. To this end, we analyze and discuss findings of data resulting from two semistructured interviews. The patterns arising from the discussion of digitally enhanced learning experiences indicate that metaphors can be shared, reflecting overlaps in notional categories (e.g., sociality and action). More powerful metaphors relate to context-dependent situations. These powerful metaphors emerge when issues characterizing the local school culture are tackled in the teachers' talk.