This document discusses perceptions of technology integration in education from students and teachers on different sides of the digital divide. It finds that most negative perceptions of educational technology refer to superficial time management and technical issues, rather than the quality of learning, and can be addressed with proper scaffolding and design. Positive perceptions focus on improved learning processes, engagement, and instructional quality, showing so-called "digital immigrants" can benefit from tools used by "digital natives" when implemented appropriately. The document concludes collaborative tools alone do not ensure learning communities and goals must be considered.

1. @sthcrft
Navigating 21st Century Education:
Attitudes and perceptions from the
other side of the digital divide

2. Buzz word (n): a trendy but
tech integration generally useless concept; often an
academic’s first experience of ‘what
you should do to change your
social media teaching’
student-generated
digital divide
web 2.0
digital native
21st century education

3. Age: 40
Star sign: Leo
Likes: Drinking tea, reading
newspapers and not ever
going online
Is there really any value in
building learning to suit
perceived preferences?
Age: 19
Star sign: Aquarius
Likes: Xbox and spending 27 hours a
day on Facebook or texting

4. Average UNE student:
Studies via distance (80%)
38 years old
85% use Facebook regularly
30% use wikis and GoogleDocs
10% are gamers (MMOs/social online)
85% rate their computer competence
as average or better
...tell them it’s not
worth exploring
connectivity and social
content.

5. Why blogs?
‣ About
as challenging as buying a
DVD online
‣ Easily scalable, easy admin
‣ No $$
‣ Ticksthe interactive/
collaborative box without
redesigning assessment
Which means - nobody
needs to panic

6. I’
neve
m using
r r un so
Tech issues?
IE6 and
ftware
I never read Go
u pdates instr uctions og
le?
Go W
og hat
le? ’s
A quick reality check
on what the real ‘tech
issues’ are can go a
long way towards
alleviating tech
anxiety

7. MUSI357
‣ Replacedbulky paper/PDF
process diaries (35%)
‣ Handles rich media better than
paper (!)
‣ Syndication = easy marking &
admin
‣ Big
improvement on assessment
process

8. LING353/453/466
• Replaced existing ‘discussion’ assessment (5%)
• Handles rich media better than LMS
• Outside ‘walled garden’
• Needed more scaffolding (cf. ‘go forth and discuss’
use of forum)

9. Il
w
oved w
ith rea
or king
l-wor ld
The upside
I learned so My
media much from lea
mu rni
other students str ch ng
eam mo was
line re
d

10. The downside
I’m alle rgic to I have time
tech nology management W
hat
issues do
I say
?
Virtually all negative
responses had
nothing to do with
the quality of learning
- yet many
opportunities are
lost based on these
perceptions

11. The free-response items showed that again, positive qualities of the project were largely qualitative and
related to the learning process, quality of learning and engagement, while negative responses referred to
time management and technical issues, and concerns regarding the content of their own posts.
The correlation between these responses and those from the initial survey indicate that most of the
negative aspects are more superficial concerns that may be addressed with scaffolding and learning
design in subsequent units. The positive responses – both the initial perceived benefits and the resulting
attitudes in the final survey - indicate that the initial goal of increasing the quality of online instruction
Weigh up
was achieved, and support the idea that so-called ‘digital immigrants’ can indeed benefit from the
inclusion of online tools generally touted as beneficial for ‘digital natives’.
The free-response items showed that again, positive qualities of the project were largely qualitative and
what you
related to the learning process, quality of learning and engagement, while negative responses referred to
time management and technical issues, and concerns regarding the content of their own posts.
The correlation between these responses and those from the initial survey indicate that most of the
lose vs what
negative aspects are more superficial concerns that may be addressed with scaffolding and learning
design in subsequent units. The positive responses – both the initial perceived benefits and the resulting
you gain
attitudes in the final survey - indicate that the initial goal of increasing the quality of online instruction
was achieved, and support the idea that so-called ‘digital immigrants’ can indeed benefit from the
inclusion of online tools generally touted as beneficial for ‘digital natives’.
The free-response items showed that again, positive qualities of the project were largely qualitative and
related to the learning process, quality of learning and engagement, while negative responses referred to
time management and technical issues, and concerns regarding the content of their own posts.
The correlation between these responses and those from the initial survey indicate that most of the
negative aspects are more superficial concerns that may be addressed with scaffolding and learning
design in subsequent units. The positive responses – both the initial perceived benefits and the resulting
attitudes in the final survey - indicate that the initial goal of increasing the quality of online instruction
was achieved, and support the idea that so-called ‘digital immigrants’ can indeed benefit from the
inclusion of online tools generally touted as beneficial for ‘digital natives’.

12. One last thing:
Collaborative tools do not
automatically make a learning
community -
What's your goal?
Slide deck available at slidesha.re/sthcrft_dehub11