Explores successful integration of online learning in schools by drawing a parallel between the introduction of Internet technologies and the introduction of a new vaulting pole to pole-vaulting. Highlights the need for a paradigm shift in learning to build a learning culture in schools and a strategic plan to enculturate students to be lifelong…

This article examines the strategies employed by four Singapore schools (two primary and two junior colleges) to manage barriers to information and communication technologies (ICT) integration. Based on the observations of ICT-mediated lessons and face-to-face interviews with teachers, ICT heads-of-department and school principals, six strategies…

Argues for a more holistic approach of studying ICT (information and communication technology) in schools by adopting a sociocultural perspective. Proposes a theoretical framework based on activity theory and describes the development of a research agenda for the study of ICT in Singapore schools. (Author/LRW)

Over the last decade, individuals have witnessed an increasing proliferation of online learning as the hallmark of learning with technologies. Papers and books have been written stipulating how online or e-learning can transform the educational process and now, even the organizational workplace. Such prospects are recognized and institutions and…

Discusses the role of the teacher when educational technology is used and provides a descriptive and interpretive account of the role of the teacher in a secondary school economics course in England that used a hypermedia program. Considers teachers' profiles, characteristics, and perceptions; and the constraints imposed by sociocultural settings.…

This paper discusses the findings of two case studies (two primary schools in Singapore), which are part of a larger research study, that aims to examine and analyze where and how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are integrated in Singapore schools to engage students in higher order thinking activities. For students to engage in…

This article reports and discusses the findings of the collective case study of two primary schools in Singapore. It is part of a larger funded research project that examines and analyses where and how information and communication technologies (ICT) are integrated in Singapore schools to develop pupils' higher order thinking skills. The focus of…

This paper explains how activity theory is used as a framework to study the information and communication technologies (ICT) integration processes in Singapore schools, both from the sociocultural and pedagogical perspectives. The research study addresses the pertinent question of "How has ICT been integrated in Singapore schools such that…

The spectacular development of information and communication technologies through the Internet has provided opportunities for students to explore the virtual world of information. In this article, the author discusses the necessary and sufficient conditions for successful online learning in educational institutions. The necessary conditions…

It is a challenge for teacher educators to shift pre-service teachers away from traditional pedagogical beliefs towards constructivist ones. At the National Institute of Education in Singapore, microLESSONS is introduced into the instructional technology course of the teacher education program to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to…

Research studies have shown that effective classroom management is a necessary condition for successful ICT integration in schools. Drawing upon the classroom management practices of teachers in a Singapore primary school, this article describes how the elements of classroom management facilitate the creation of a conducive learning environment to…

Based on an account of how two classes of primary five students in Singapore engage in the learning of English, Mathematics and Science by playing the role of global citizens, the paper suggests an alternative but realistic approach to teaching global citizenship education. Set against the back story of Atlantis facing ecological, social and…

Based on a case study of an elementary school in Singapore, this article describes and analyzes how different types of ICT tools (informative, situating, constructive, and communicative tools) are used to engage students in higher-order thinking. The discussion emphasizes that the objective of the lesson and the orienting activities, rather than…

Discusses the use of hypermedia-based information and communication technology (ICT) in education. Presents a case study of the use of ICT software at the University of Leicester for an economics course and highlights the importance of supporting ICT and non-ICT tools as well as the pivotal role of the instructor. (Author/LRW)

Based on a collective case study of the use of an economics Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tutorial-based package, WinEcon, in 3 British schools, this article examines the activity structures that exist in ICT-mediated lessons situated within their broader sociocultural contexts. Activity theory and its highly developed ideas of…