Peer Review in Online Professional Communities to Support Elementary Disciplinary Literacy Planning

This chapter reports the results of a qualitative case study focused on elementary pre-service teachers\u27 perspectives on planning for disciplinary literacy using peer review in an online professional community (OPC). Seven pre-service teachers enrolled in an eight-week asynchronous, online content literacy course served as participants. Results indicated pre-service teachers\u27 valued extended opportunities for reflection in the OPC and appreciated diverse backgrounds and experiences offered by their OPC colleagues. However, perceived challenges remained that are important to consider when incorporating peer review cycles into online asynchronous coursework. This study considers these perspectives in light of designing and planning online coursework in elementary disciplinary literacy

Problem-focused higher education for shaping the knowledge society.

Higher education (HE) has not efficiently targeted a knowledge-shaped economy and has not kept up with the knowledge and IT skills demanded to resolve the problems from social- and work- exclusion. While recently unemployed knowledge workers are searching for new jobs, re-educating policies and career development options have not kept pace with work changes. There is an urgent need for a HE reform in order to address the current socio-economic and work-life crises. For this reform, the authors compare and contrast three promising learning approaches: problem-based learning PBL, work-based learning WBL and problem-focused education PFE. While in PBL and WBL work- and problem-related knowledge is transferred sufficiently, PFE seems to outperform. The paper points to an effective re-organisation of HE by (1) investing in PFE as the means to achieve quality in the learning process and its outcomes and (2) identifying ICT quality features for supporting the PFE learning process

Peer Learning and Peer Assessment to Enhance Participation in Online Courses

The essay discusses the development of a peer assessment approach in an online learning community composed of teachers enrolled in a course on Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). The experience was prompted by the need to promote meaningful learning and online interaction among teachers, then collaborative assessment activities proved to be an efficient strategy to foster engagement

Ethical considerations when using mobile technology in the pre-service teacher practicum

In this paper, the authors revisit the pre-service teacher practicum experience and propose that mobile technology, with its ability to provide instant communication and immediate access to resources, could minimise the “disconnect” between theory and the school classroom and improve the experience for all parties involved. However, before this project began, the wide-ranging ethical considerations surrounding the use of mobile technologies had to be addressed. This paper outlines a range of issues that should be considered whenever mobile technologies are to be employed when researching in schools