Suchergebnisse

In 1990, Boyer, the past President of the Carnegie Foundation of Teaching and Learning, based at Stanford University, urged academics to move beyond the teaching versus research debate. He identified forms of scholarship that moved beyond the scholarship of discovery (research). These included the scholarship of integration, scholarship of application and scholarship of teaching. Boyer pointed to a more inclusive view of what it means to be a scholar: "a recognition that knowledge is acquired through research, through synthesis, through practice, and through teaching" (Boyer, 1990, p.24). The recognition of practice-based research as a valid form of research in higher education is evident in the UK Government's Research Assessment Award (RAE 2008) which states that researchers should be able to submit applied and practice-based research that they consider to have achieved 'due standard of excellence' ((RAE 2008, para. 47). Furlong & Oancea suggest action research can contribute to more theoretical knowledge production while at the same time achieving changed practice. They believe that it "challenges any simplistic distinction between 'pure', applied' and 'strategic' research" (Furlong & Oancea, 2005, p.8).

This paper reports on the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in education at Dublin City University (DCU) in the context of evolving government policy in promoting ICT in education over the past two decades. It uses this historical account to trace the evolution at DCU of a distinctive approach to ICT in education and training at Masters Degree level. This approach can be characterised as a shift from imparting knowledge about computing technology and uses to the practical examination and development of innovative approaches to ICT in the educational process, and reflecting on the implications of these creative approaches for professional development in range of workplace contexts.

The session "The Potential of Technology to support Action Research" formed part of the "Action Research and the Politics of Educational Knowledge" Conference, organised by the Educational Studies of Ireland in association with the School of Education at Trinity College Dublin in November 1998. This paper reflects on the session. Margaret Farren of Dublin City University, Jack Whitehead of University of Bath and Fionnuala Howard of Sutton Park School, Dublin, used video conferencing and Microsoft NetMeeting to link up with Ed Tweedy at Rockingham Community College (RCC) U.S.A. Margaret introduced the session making use of several multimedia features of PowerPoint. Ed then demonstrated the Introduction to Computing course which, RCC offers via the Internet. Next, both Ed and Margaret showed the use of the NetMeeting program for collaborative work. After that, Jack Whitehead showed how he was making use of the Internet to create a World College of Teachers and Educators. Finally, Fionnuala Howard showed how she used the features of Microsoft Word for making presentations. This practical demonstration explored how appropriate technology can be a useful tool in support of Action Research and Distance Education.