Gyanodaya: The Journal of Progressive Education, 2008
In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering cours... more In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering courses or training that, through the wise choice of the blend, can have result that are better that the sum of the parts. This may require effort on the part of policy makers to work out modalities for enhancing learning across the nations taking due care of socio-cultural factors and cost aspects. The courses to designed would then enjoy creditability, interest of learners across the borders.
Academics and researchers are interested to study how social networking sites affect the students... more Academics and researchers are interested to study how social networking sites affect the students who are enrolled in higher education. Among all social networking sites, particular interest towards “Facebook” is quite evident. Previous researches have documented positive, negative or no significant relationship between Facebook usage and student engagement. Owing to paucity of similar studies in Indian landscape, the present study attempts to explore the relationship between Facebook usage and pre-service teachers’ engagement. Data was collected from 120 preservice teachers of two central universities. Questionnaire was developed by the researchers to examine the general use of Facebook by pre-service teachers. The second section of questionnaire dealt with student engagement which was ascertained by adapting certain items of National Survey of Student Engagement (2013). Data was analysed both i.e. quantitatively and qualitatively. Results indicated that use of Facebook pages was s...
Gyanodaya the Journal of Progressive Education, 2008
In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering cours... more In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering courses or training that, through the wise choice of the blend, can have result that are better that the sum of the parts. This may require effort on the part of policy makers to work out ...
The fundamental concern of ancient Indian systems of philosophy is primarily that it is only thro... more The fundamental concern of ancient Indian systems of philosophy is primarily that it is only through knowledge that salvation from the misery and pain of human existence is obtained. In this paper, we have compared the metaphysics, epistemology and axiology of Vedanta, Sankhya, Nyaya, Buddhism and Jainism, and then attempted to interpret these in the light of contemporary educational theory and practices.
Teacher education programs need to question the current pedagogical orientations that focus on na... more Teacher education programs need to question the current pedagogical orientations that focus on narrow subject streams with little scope for students of one 'stream' (humanities, commerce or science) to interact with the students of other stream. This article provides a glimpse of a small collaborative initiative involving the pre-service teachers in which infrastructural constraint brought together students from subjects apparently as diverse as 'Physics' and 'Business Studies & Accounts' but led to an interesting dialogue between them. This incidental arrangement thus enabled the student teachers as well as the teacher educators to develop new images of collaboration, involvement and inquiry. Collaboration has been comprehensively defined as the condition that occurs when two or more people or organizations join forces over a log period of time to produce something neither can achieve alone. In the process, each participant contributes something significant & different, derives something of personal and organizational benefit & acknowledges the mutual dependence on the other required to achieve the mutually desired results (Freeman,1993). Collaboration can be characterized by ongoing & reflective processes that support participants in increased self-knowledge & increased knowledge of others' perspective & understandings. This provides a basis for negotiation of new meaning. The Context The context for the speculation was provided as an outcome of incidental clubbing of students belonging to disparate academic backgrounds enrolled in a teacher education programme (B. Ed.) at Deptt. of TT & NFE, Jamia Millia Islamia. The B. Ed. curriculum at JMI requires the students to integrate ICT in teaching their specific subjects. The students are allotted certain timings in the computer lab subject to the consideration that only students from the so-called 'non overlapping' subject areas work in the lab at a given point of time. Material & human equipment constraints therefore often result in such clubbing. Although narrative research has long been the standard practice of a variety of disciplines, only recently have narrative methodologies been used for inquiry into the nature of teaching. This motivated us to look at the dynamics of classroom interactions of student teachers belonging to such diverse backgrounds as physics and commerce and
In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering cours... more In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering courses or training that, through the wise choice of the blend, can have result that are better that the sum of the parts. This may require effort on the part of policy makers to work out modalities for enhancing learning across the nations taking due care of socio cultural factors and cost aspects. The courses to designed would then enjoy creditability, interest of learners across the borders.
With changing times, technology has become an inseparable part of teaching –learning process. Use... more With changing times, technology has become an inseparable part of teaching –learning process. Use of technology addresses the diversity in the classrooms, by helping learners obtain information in a timely manner-analyze and synthesize the information, utilize the context, strengths and resources of the learners. To bring technology into the classrooms, teachers are responsible and play a pivotal role. But currently majority of teachers cannot integrate technology into the curriculum appropriately (Cox et. al., 2004; Tondeur et. al., 2008). Preparing teachers for ICT integration in the classroom is a key focus of many teacher education programmes. The present paper thus aims to develop a tool to study the perception of teachers in terms of their technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge and technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). A questionnaire was developed which was adapted from the study and TPACK framework of Mishra and Koehler (2009) and few items related to ICT contributing to pupil performance were added. The aim of adding this sub-scale was that a number of studies Cox (1999), Preston and Cox (2004) have concluded that if teachers perceive ICT to be useful to their teaching and if their pupils' learning is enhanced, then they are more likely to use ICT in the classroom. A systematic and step by step approach was followed to develop the questionnaire. The questionnaire included eight sub-scales (technology knowledge, pedagogy knowledge, content knowledge, technological content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, technological pedagogical content knowledge and ICT contributing to pupils’ performance). The study was carried out on 78 teachers of government schools of Delhi. SPSS 20.0 software by IBM was used to calculate the reliability of the items. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated for each proposed item of TPACK questionnaire and validity of the questionnaire was achieved by showing it to experts from different universities. The results were analysed and compared with the findings of Hosseini, Z. and Kamal, A. (2012) and Kosoko. G. A and Tella, A (2009). The cronbach alpha value for the reliability of whole questionnaire was found to be .87. The alpha reliability coefficient for each of the sub-scale ranged from .80 to .89 indicating that the questionnaire had good internal consistency.
Technology has turned out to be a necessity of one’s life. The most prevalent technological gadge... more Technology has turned out to be a necessity of one’s life. The most prevalent technological gadget available in almost every hand is mobile phone. Mobile phone and its technology are being upgraded day by day. Integration of new useful additions to mobile phones, such as GPS, touch screen to navigation, good quality of sound and video, and commonly used social Apps namely, WhatsApp make the gadget much more advanced and smart. At the present time, mobile phones are being used for various purposes viz., communication, entertainment, and learning etc. Mobile phones have now become one of the important tools providing assistance to learners in m-learning as well as e-learning. Use of mobile phones in teaching-learning activities may represent new experience for students to learn. In this paper we have tried to focus on use of WhatsApp supported mobile phones in mediating in teaching-learning process. This paper presents the findings from a study, one of the major objectives of which was to explore pre service teachers’ perceptions about use of WhatsApp in school-experience program (internship). This paper also addresses challenges and future potential of using WhatsApp mediated teaching-learning approach. The respondents of this study were 10 pre service teachers enrolled in Bachelor of Education program of Delhi University in academic session 2013-14. Data were gathered using questionnaire. The results of the study indicated that WhatsApp was perceived as an effective tool in creating collaborative learning environment during school experience program. All the participants reported that they had experienced and enjoyed for the first time this kind of virtual teaching-learning environment through WhatsApp where they could share information, lesson plans and their problems. Query, sharing, and receiving feed-back using WhatsApp supported mobile technology were reported to be major facilitators. Sampled pre service teachers reported that WhatsApp was an easily usable and approachable tool that enables them to collaborate with friends and teacher. Focussing on the limitations or barriers in the use of WhatsApp for teaching-learning activity most of the respondents reported that they had faced difficulties in sharing files and pictures mainly due to slow and poor internet connectivity. Use of WhatsApp was reported to be helpful for them during their school experience program but they apprehended that those who could not avail WhatsApp supported mobile phones might be at disadvantage. According to findings, it was concluded that WhatsApp provided virtual and positive learning environment which increases participation and collaborative thinking. This paper has implications for instructors, pre-service teachers and others in the field of education.
The pace of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development necessitates radical and r... more The pace of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development necessitates radical and rapid change for educational discourse both at its practice and conceptualisation level. Given the prevalence for an economically determinist orientation for educational outcomes, in a technological deterministic society, it seems pertinent to ask how learning in relation to ICT is to be conceptualised, when in educational discourse a paradigm shift from positivist worldview in learning to a phenomenological orientation is evident. Accepting the view that education needs to both transform and be transforming, simple input-output methods (positivist paradigm) by which technological determinists might judge the veracity of learning–teaching moments need to be challenged. Considering new technologies, it could be that proponents of technological deterministic rhetoric suggest that the acquisition of technologically oriented skills and behaviours is an educational end in itself. In contrast, others adopt the position that Technologies are never purely technological; they are also social and have social implications. The shaping of a technology is also the shaping of a society, education being the microcosm of any society is no different and so it is impossible to try and separate the technical from the social relations (Bijker and Law, 1994). The technological deterministic argument sees technology as an autonomous entity, which has its own inner logic and develops in its own direction (Williams and Edge, 1996). On the other hand, the social constructionist argument suggests that technology has no inherent, necessary meanings, but interpretative flexibility and it develops within discourses and conflicts of various social groups (Bijker, 1995). Technology is thus shaped by societal structures and power relations, particularly educational technologies embody social, political, physiological, and professional commitments, skills, prejudices, possibilities and constraints. Hence, technology is not a static thing, but rather a collection of meanings that are contested by different groups as in educational paradigm of learner and teacher. This theoretical paper considers this dualism and proposes that new technologies offer exciting ways to understand and refabricate educational discourse on learning and teaching, this is done in this paper through the theoretical frame of, the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory which also informs the methodology with its various dimensions. SCOT’s core premise is that people give meaning and purpose to technology (Bijker, 2010). SCOT theory originated from Pinch and Bijker’s (1984). SCOT maintains that social groups, like students and teachers, construct the meanings and purposes for technology based on their social context and interactions. This is further delineated through the SCOT theoretical dimensions of Relevant Social groups (RSGs), Interpretive Flexibility; Closure and Stabilization, Technological Frames (TFs), Semiotic power and Semiotic structures. Finally, the paper argues that views of learning and teaching might thus be more appropriately understood as a juxtaposition of alternative forms of discourse namely Technological Determinism and Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) in the Educational technological worldview with an underpinning of positivist and phenomenological paradigm in education.
Gyanodaya: The Journal of Progressive Education, 2008
In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering cours... more In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering courses or training that, through the wise choice of the blend, can have result that are better that the sum of the parts. This may require effort on the part of policy makers to work out modalities for enhancing learning across the nations taking due care of socio-cultural factors and cost aspects. The courses to designed would then enjoy creditability, interest of learners across the borders.
Academics and researchers are interested to study how social networking sites affect the students... more Academics and researchers are interested to study how social networking sites affect the students who are enrolled in higher education. Among all social networking sites, particular interest towards “Facebook” is quite evident. Previous researches have documented positive, negative or no significant relationship between Facebook usage and student engagement. Owing to paucity of similar studies in Indian landscape, the present study attempts to explore the relationship between Facebook usage and pre-service teachers’ engagement. Data was collected from 120 preservice teachers of two central universities. Questionnaire was developed by the researchers to examine the general use of Facebook by pre-service teachers. The second section of questionnaire dealt with student engagement which was ascertained by adapting certain items of National Survey of Student Engagement (2013). Data was analysed both i.e. quantitatively and qualitatively. Results indicated that use of Facebook pages was s...
Gyanodaya the Journal of Progressive Education, 2008
In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering cours... more In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering courses or training that, through the wise choice of the blend, can have result that are better that the sum of the parts. This may require effort on the part of policy makers to work out ...
The fundamental concern of ancient Indian systems of philosophy is primarily that it is only thro... more The fundamental concern of ancient Indian systems of philosophy is primarily that it is only through knowledge that salvation from the misery and pain of human existence is obtained. In this paper, we have compared the metaphysics, epistemology and axiology of Vedanta, Sankhya, Nyaya, Buddhism and Jainism, and then attempted to interpret these in the light of contemporary educational theory and practices.
Teacher education programs need to question the current pedagogical orientations that focus on na... more Teacher education programs need to question the current pedagogical orientations that focus on narrow subject streams with little scope for students of one 'stream' (humanities, commerce or science) to interact with the students of other stream. This article provides a glimpse of a small collaborative initiative involving the pre-service teachers in which infrastructural constraint brought together students from subjects apparently as diverse as 'Physics' and 'Business Studies & Accounts' but led to an interesting dialogue between them. This incidental arrangement thus enabled the student teachers as well as the teacher educators to develop new images of collaboration, involvement and inquiry. Collaboration has been comprehensively defined as the condition that occurs when two or more people or organizations join forces over a log period of time to produce something neither can achieve alone. In the process, each participant contributes something significant & different, derives something of personal and organizational benefit & acknowledges the mutual dependence on the other required to achieve the mutually desired results (Freeman,1993). Collaboration can be characterized by ongoing & reflective processes that support participants in increased self-knowledge & increased knowledge of others' perspective & understandings. This provides a basis for negotiation of new meaning. The Context The context for the speculation was provided as an outcome of incidental clubbing of students belonging to disparate academic backgrounds enrolled in a teacher education programme (B. Ed.) at Deptt. of TT & NFE, Jamia Millia Islamia. The B. Ed. curriculum at JMI requires the students to integrate ICT in teaching their specific subjects. The students are allotted certain timings in the computer lab subject to the consideration that only students from the so-called 'non overlapping' subject areas work in the lab at a given point of time. Material & human equipment constraints therefore often result in such clubbing. Although narrative research has long been the standard practice of a variety of disciplines, only recently have narrative methodologies been used for inquiry into the nature of teaching. This motivated us to look at the dynamics of classroom interactions of student teachers belonging to such diverse backgrounds as physics and commerce and
In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering cours... more In the present paper authoress explains that blended learning has the potential of offering courses or training that, through the wise choice of the blend, can have result that are better that the sum of the parts. This may require effort on the part of policy makers to work out modalities for enhancing learning across the nations taking due care of socio cultural factors and cost aspects. The courses to designed would then enjoy creditability, interest of learners across the borders.
With changing times, technology has become an inseparable part of teaching –learning process. Use... more With changing times, technology has become an inseparable part of teaching –learning process. Use of technology addresses the diversity in the classrooms, by helping learners obtain information in a timely manner-analyze and synthesize the information, utilize the context, strengths and resources of the learners. To bring technology into the classrooms, teachers are responsible and play a pivotal role. But currently majority of teachers cannot integrate technology into the curriculum appropriately (Cox et. al., 2004; Tondeur et. al., 2008). Preparing teachers for ICT integration in the classroom is a key focus of many teacher education programmes. The present paper thus aims to develop a tool to study the perception of teachers in terms of their technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge and technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). A questionnaire was developed which was adapted from the study and TPACK framework of Mishra and Koehler (2009) and few items related to ICT contributing to pupil performance were added. The aim of adding this sub-scale was that a number of studies Cox (1999), Preston and Cox (2004) have concluded that if teachers perceive ICT to be useful to their teaching and if their pupils' learning is enhanced, then they are more likely to use ICT in the classroom. A systematic and step by step approach was followed to develop the questionnaire. The questionnaire included eight sub-scales (technology knowledge, pedagogy knowledge, content knowledge, technological content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, technological pedagogical content knowledge and ICT contributing to pupils’ performance). The study was carried out on 78 teachers of government schools of Delhi. SPSS 20.0 software by IBM was used to calculate the reliability of the items. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated for each proposed item of TPACK questionnaire and validity of the questionnaire was achieved by showing it to experts from different universities. The results were analysed and compared with the findings of Hosseini, Z. and Kamal, A. (2012) and Kosoko. G. A and Tella, A (2009). The cronbach alpha value for the reliability of whole questionnaire was found to be .87. The alpha reliability coefficient for each of the sub-scale ranged from .80 to .89 indicating that the questionnaire had good internal consistency.
Technology has turned out to be a necessity of one’s life. The most prevalent technological gadge... more Technology has turned out to be a necessity of one’s life. The most prevalent technological gadget available in almost every hand is mobile phone. Mobile phone and its technology are being upgraded day by day. Integration of new useful additions to mobile phones, such as GPS, touch screen to navigation, good quality of sound and video, and commonly used social Apps namely, WhatsApp make the gadget much more advanced and smart. At the present time, mobile phones are being used for various purposes viz., communication, entertainment, and learning etc. Mobile phones have now become one of the important tools providing assistance to learners in m-learning as well as e-learning. Use of mobile phones in teaching-learning activities may represent new experience for students to learn. In this paper we have tried to focus on use of WhatsApp supported mobile phones in mediating in teaching-learning process. This paper presents the findings from a study, one of the major objectives of which was to explore pre service teachers’ perceptions about use of WhatsApp in school-experience program (internship). This paper also addresses challenges and future potential of using WhatsApp mediated teaching-learning approach. The respondents of this study were 10 pre service teachers enrolled in Bachelor of Education program of Delhi University in academic session 2013-14. Data were gathered using questionnaire. The results of the study indicated that WhatsApp was perceived as an effective tool in creating collaborative learning environment during school experience program. All the participants reported that they had experienced and enjoyed for the first time this kind of virtual teaching-learning environment through WhatsApp where they could share information, lesson plans and their problems. Query, sharing, and receiving feed-back using WhatsApp supported mobile technology were reported to be major facilitators. Sampled pre service teachers reported that WhatsApp was an easily usable and approachable tool that enables them to collaborate with friends and teacher. Focussing on the limitations or barriers in the use of WhatsApp for teaching-learning activity most of the respondents reported that they had faced difficulties in sharing files and pictures mainly due to slow and poor internet connectivity. Use of WhatsApp was reported to be helpful for them during their school experience program but they apprehended that those who could not avail WhatsApp supported mobile phones might be at disadvantage. According to findings, it was concluded that WhatsApp provided virtual and positive learning environment which increases participation and collaborative thinking. This paper has implications for instructors, pre-service teachers and others in the field of education.
The pace of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development necessitates radical and r... more The pace of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development necessitates radical and rapid change for educational discourse both at its practice and conceptualisation level. Given the prevalence for an economically determinist orientation for educational outcomes, in a technological deterministic society, it seems pertinent to ask how learning in relation to ICT is to be conceptualised, when in educational discourse a paradigm shift from positivist worldview in learning to a phenomenological orientation is evident. Accepting the view that education needs to both transform and be transforming, simple input-output methods (positivist paradigm) by which technological determinists might judge the veracity of learning–teaching moments need to be challenged. Considering new technologies, it could be that proponents of technological deterministic rhetoric suggest that the acquisition of technologically oriented skills and behaviours is an educational end in itself. In contrast, others adopt the position that Technologies are never purely technological; they are also social and have social implications. The shaping of a technology is also the shaping of a society, education being the microcosm of any society is no different and so it is impossible to try and separate the technical from the social relations (Bijker and Law, 1994). The technological deterministic argument sees technology as an autonomous entity, which has its own inner logic and develops in its own direction (Williams and Edge, 1996). On the other hand, the social constructionist argument suggests that technology has no inherent, necessary meanings, but interpretative flexibility and it develops within discourses and conflicts of various social groups (Bijker, 1995). Technology is thus shaped by societal structures and power relations, particularly educational technologies embody social, political, physiological, and professional commitments, skills, prejudices, possibilities and constraints. Hence, technology is not a static thing, but rather a collection of meanings that are contested by different groups as in educational paradigm of learner and teacher. This theoretical paper considers this dualism and proposes that new technologies offer exciting ways to understand and refabricate educational discourse on learning and teaching, this is done in this paper through the theoretical frame of, the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory which also informs the methodology with its various dimensions. SCOT’s core premise is that people give meaning and purpose to technology (Bijker, 2010). SCOT theory originated from Pinch and Bijker’s (1984). SCOT maintains that social groups, like students and teachers, construct the meanings and purposes for technology based on their social context and interactions. This is further delineated through the SCOT theoretical dimensions of Relevant Social groups (RSGs), Interpretive Flexibility; Closure and Stabilization, Technological Frames (TFs), Semiotic power and Semiotic structures. Finally, the paper argues that views of learning and teaching might thus be more appropriately understood as a juxtaposition of alternative forms of discourse namely Technological Determinism and Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) in the Educational technological worldview with an underpinning of positivist and phenomenological paradigm in education.
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Papers by harjeet bhatia
Key words: Blended, Learning,
Knowable, Baffle.
Key words: Blended, Learning,
Knowable, Baffle.