World Journal on Educational Technology

From the Editor

Fezile Ozdamli — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

It is an honour for us to welcome you as Editors of World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues which has accepted publications indexed in qualified databases since 2006. We are ready to publish the new studies of World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues which has 6 full length articles written by authors from, Turkey, Cyprus, Romania, Slovak, Bulgaria and UK.

The aim of this issue is to give the researchers an opportunity to share their academic studies. First of all, I would like to thank all who have contributed to this issue. There are different focuses.

I would like to express my thanks to all authors preferring World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues to make their articles published, all reviewers working seriously in the process of publishing supporting us in this process.

Best regards,

Executive Editor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fezile Ozdamli

The importance of simulation in nursing education

Evrim Eyikara, Zehra Gocmen Baykara — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

Nursing education involves a practice-oriented curriculum in which emphasis is placed on both theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills. In skill-based education, where learning through practice occupies a central role, it is important to ensure the integration of theoretical knowledge into practice. In this context, simulations represent an innovative teaching method that stimulates a number of senses at the same time among learners. Simulation is a method which can be designed to reflect real-life conditions, and which provides the opportunity to work in contexts that are closer and more representative of real settings. Depending on the clinical situation or scenario; the simulation method will involve a student or a group of students performing a number of patient care activities on a manikin, player or standardized patient. The simulation method allows students to repeatedly practice their clinical skills until they develop a sense of proficiency; to learn at their own pace; and to freely make mistakes. Simulations is an educational process that can replicate clinical practices in a safe environment. Nursing students who take part in education programs involving simulations perform less medical mistakes in clinical settings, and are able to better develop their critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills. For these reasons, we recommend that simulations, which represent an interactive learning method, are rendered more common in institutions providing nursing education.

Keywords: Simulation; nursing education; nursing students

Transforming digital reputation of universities to the reputation of knowledge

Sadi Evren Seker — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

This paper is mainly about the digital reputation of universities, the correlation between the productivity of the universities and the reputation of the knowledge produced in the universities. Paper starts with the affect of social media and other web 2.0 entities on the universities and education. In the second part the difficulty of measuring knowledge level is discussed and problem is defined in a two dimensions including big data problems, together with the knowledge level. The third part discusses the concept of knowledge shareholders and the impact of reputation to the knowledge shareholders. Finally a methodology for correlating the online reputation of the universities and the reputation of knowledge produced in the universities. The data sources, methodology and results are published. As a result, there is a high level of correlation, about 80%, between the digital reputations of universities and reputation of the knowledge produced in the universities. The study also splits universities into two groups as the public and private universities and the correlation factor of public universities is a bit higher than the private universities.

Keywords: Higher Education, Knowledge Mangement, Digital Reputation, Universities, Turkey, Web-o-metrics

Determination of university students' most preferred mobile application for gamification

Huseyin Bicen, Senay Kocakoyun — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

In this digital age of technological advancement, mobile applications are fastly approaching acme of development. In order to increase the efficiency of the developed applications, mobile applications which are suitable for gamification have become a contemporary issue. In this study, the applications of Kahoot, ClassDojo, Classcraft and Socrative which are suitable for gamification were examined. The study was conducted with the students in the department of preschool education at Near East University. 130 students participated in this research. The data were collected with survey method and analyzed with the SPSS program. According to the results, it was revealed that Kahoot was the mostly preferred application by students who used applications designed or suitable for the gamification method and Android was the mostly preferred operating system in the mobile devices of the students. Future research should determine the achievements, motivations and opinions of the students related with the gamification method. Besides, it can be inferred that Kahoot would be the learning platform of the future and it should be integrated into classroom activities.

Keywords: Gamification, Kahoot, mobile device, operating systems.

Digital technology use by the students and english teachers and self-directed language learning

Nehir Sert, Ebru Boynueğri — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

Abstract: The digital era is a new challenge for teachers. While children get acquainted with the digital technology before the age of six, teachers, who have encountered with the digital world at a later time in their lives, struggle with it. Self-directed learning, which is crucial for lifelong learning, can be enhanced by the use technology particularly beyond the classroom settings. The aim of this study was to examine the difference between the perceptions of 5-8 graders in low and high income groups about their technology use skills and their English teachers’ technology use skills. It also tested the correlation between their perceptions of their self-directed language learning behaviors and their technology use skills as well as their English teachers’ technology use skills. The population of the study consisted of 145 students. Inter group comparisons and correlational research methods were adopted. The results indicated that the low and high income students’ perceptions did not differ regarding their own technology use skills, and similarly their English teachers’ technology use skills. There was no correlation between the perceptions of the low/high income group combination regarding their technology use skills and their English teachers’ technology use skills. And lastly, their perceptions on their self-directed learning behaviors did not correlate with their perceptions on their technology use skills and their English teachers’ technology use skills. The educational implications of these results were discussed and suggestions were put forward so as to produce more effective learning environments.

Keywords: Digital technology; self-directed learning; ELT, English teacher

Perceived learning effectiveness of a course Facebook page: teacher-led versus student-led approach

Tugba Orten Tugrul — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

This research aims to compare the perceived effectiveness of teacher -led and student-led content management approaches embraced in a course Facebook page designed to enhance traditional classroom learning. Eighty-five undergraduate marketing course students voluntarily completed a questionnaire composed of two parts; a depiction of a course Facebook page where both teacher and students can share instructional contents, and questions about perceived learning effectiveness. The findings indicate that students have more favorable evaluations of a student-led approach in sharing instructional contents on a course Facebook Page than a teacher-led approach. Additionally, it is shown that instructional contents posted by both teacher and students enhance the overall learning effectiveness of a course Facebook page incorporated into a traditional classroom teaching.

Keywords: Social Media; Facebook; learning effectiveness; content management

ICT security curriculum or how to respond to current global challenges

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:26:27 +0000

The paper presents some results obtained through the implementation of the Erasmus LLP “SALEIE” (Strategic Alignment of Electrical and Information Engineering in European Higher Education Institutions). The aim of the project was to bring together experts from European universities to enhance the competitiveness of Electrical and Information Engineering (EIE) education within Europe, especially in relation to modern global technical challenges and to provide higher education models in a few EIE fields in accordance with these challenges. One of the outcomes of the project was a new ICT (Information and Computer Technology) Security curriculum for bachelor and master levels. The research methodology comprised such stages as: identifying the most important current global challenges, conducting a survey related to existing EIE programs in order to establish the top-level criteria for an EIE curriculum, analyzing the results of the survey, obtaining the industry feedback related to technical and non-technical skills required for the specific field, and proposing a new curriculum for ICT Security programmes to respond to the modern technical challenges and to meet the needs of the industry, students, academics and graduates. As future work we will focus on stakeholder assessment in the EIE field and, based on the resulting feedback, on improving the ICT Security curriculum.