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This study aims to provide a deeper understanding about the Bebras tasks, which is one of the computational thinking (CT) unplugged activities, in terms of age level, task category, and CT skills. Explanatory sequential mixed method was adopted in the study in order to collect data according to the research questions. The participants of the study were 113,653 school students from different age levels. Anonymous data was collected electronically from the Turkey 2019 Bebras challenge. Factor analysis was employed to reveal the construct validity to determine how accurately the tool measured the abstract psychological characteristics of the participants. In addition, the item discrimination index was calculated to measure how discriminating the items in the challenge were. Qualitative data gathered through the national Bebras workshop was analysed according to content analysis. The findings highlighted some interesting points about the implications of the Bebras Challenge for Turkey, which are discussed in detail. Furthermore, common problems of Bebras tasks are identified and possible suggestions for improvement are listed.

In this study, effectiveness of a computer science course at the secondary school level is investigated through a holistic approach addressing the dimensions of instructional content design, development, implementation and evaluation framed according to ADDIE instructional design model where evaluation part constituted the research process for the current study. The process has initiated when the computer science curriculum had major revisions in order to provide in-service teachers with necessary support and guidance. The study is carried through as a project, which lasted more than one year and both quantitative and qualitative measures were used through a sequential explanatory method approach. The intention was to investigate the whole process in detail in order to reveal the effectiveness of the process and the products. In this regard, not only teachers' perceptions but also students' developments in their perceptions of academic achievement and computational thinking, as well as correlations between the computational thinking sub-factors were investigated. The findings showed that the instructional materials and activities developed within the scope of the study, positively affected the computational thinking and academic achievement of students aged 10 and 12 years old. The teachers' weekly feedbacks regarding application structures and implementation processes were also supported the findings and revealed some more details that will be useful both for instructional designers and teachers.

Teaching online requires different skills, roles and competencies for online instructors compared to teaching in traditional learning environments. Universities should offer ongoing support in various forms to help academic staff through their online journey. This paper provides insights into a multinational faculty development program for teaching online, elaborating on results of expectancy and satisfaction surveys. From a local program to a subproject within the Swiss National Science Foundation Project Scopes, e-Tutor aimed at expanding competencies in online lecturing and providing OER material for training colleagues. Designed in the form of a descriptive case study, this research was conducted with 34 attendees of e-Tutor. Data was collected using an e-learning readiness and expectancy questionnaire, and open-ended questions after the program to measure satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data and content analysis for open-ended data. Participants considered e-Tutor a well-planned and targeted program with good theoretical and practical balance. Duration of such courses, opportunities for adaptation to real-life situations, and localization of the content are areas to be explored further. For future studies, it would also be interesting to see whether participants can apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills to create efficient online learning environments.

e-Learning is becoming more popular than ever with the advent of new technologies and new inventions for teaching and learning. Hence, competent e-Instructors are key to successful e-Learning implementations and they should have the appropriate skills and experience for the effective implementation of e-Learning and blended learning. e-Instructors are instructors who might well be very experienced in teaching-learning contexts and even possess a high level of technology literacy. However, being an experienced instructor and possessing advanced skills of using technology does not necessarily lead to an instructor becoming an effective e-instructor. The purpose of this article is to understand which competencies are needed to be an effective e-Instructor and how can we help individuals to acquire these skills? In order to answer these questions, a broad literature review will help understand what the accepted competencies are for e-Instructors, any existing strategies for professional development, possible challenges to this process and any known solutions. On-going professional development is essential for being a role model for learners and for effective usage of technological environments. Based on the facts and research results in parallel with the advancement in the technological world as instructors, they should keep themselves up-to-date according to e-competencies defined for instructors and continue searching to make this process easier for both instructors and learners to become more effective. Consequently, future research studies can focus on the strategies and methods for self-determined, self-paced and personalised instruction to cope with the e-instructor competencies.

Computational Thinking (CT) has recently been addressed as one of the key skills for the twenty-first century. Integrating CT into different subject areas of K-12 education is also now widely accepted to improve the quality of instruction. In that sense, it is important to enable educators and researchers to recognize how to integrate computational thinking into K-12 classrooms and to study how students learn to think computationally in social studies courses. Besides, providing good practice on CT helps to develop common ground for the teaching of computational thinking in social studies subject areas. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for social studies teachers with regard to how CT can be integrated into K-12 classrooms for social studies. Moreover, a practical implementation idea is also suggested based on this framework. This paper is expected to provide an insight to social studies teachers who want to integrate CT into their classroom in the future and support them in teaching context.

Research studies conducted in the area of e-learning and blended learning lead to the emergence of new concepts, which directly influence quality. Among these concepts, the ones taken into consideration for this research study are as follows: communication and collaboration, satisfaction, equity, and autonomy. The perceptions of students taking blended ICT courses in a private university in Turkey were gathered through an Online Learning Environment Survey (OLES). Additionally, the suggestions of instructors for improving the quality of blended learning were obtained through a focus group interview. The findings of this study show that the perceived communication, collaboration, and satisfaction levels of students vary according to their levels of computer and Internet literacy. Also, there are differences in the students' satisfaction levels based on gender. The majority of students revealed that they considered themselves to be autonomous and equal in the blended learning environment. The findings of this research study, together with our review of recent literature, lead us to conclude that there are four major areas (containing several factors) that must be considered when developing a high-quality blended learning environment. These four areas are as follows: technology, instructors, students, and pedagogy. Based on the findings, some practical suggestions for transforming traditional courses into blended ones are also offered at the end of the research study. Finally, suggestions for the future are provided. (Contains 11 figures and 10 tables.)

The aim of this research study is to investigate the articles published between 2003-2007 in "Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology" ("TOJET") in order to reveal the trends and issues addressed in this electronic journal for the field of educational technology. The specific purposes of this article are to reveal: (1) the methodologies and theories that underlie research, (2) the topics that have been most and least heavily researched, (3) the design types that shapes research, (4) the issues on selection, size and level of the sample, and (5) some other issues like number of authors, data collection methods, references and variables. After a detailed document analysis, the articles are carefully investigated and categorized according to the selected criteria. Then these qualitative data were analyzed inductively, categorized according to already existing or emerging themes. Moreover, some parts of the analyzed data are transformed into numerical values and presented as graphics. The results showed that in order to improve the quality of research in the field of educational technology; research studies should have a theoretical basis, the mixed method of research (qualitative and quantitative) should be used to complement each other, the research studies should address K-12 as much as Higher Education, new and emerging research topics should be sought, interdisciplinary topics should be investigated, and diversity in terms of sample selection, data collection, and research design should be sought. (Contains 8 tables and 4 figures.)

This study presents the development, implementation and evaluation phases of a content management system to be used in higher education settings in a blended learning environment. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it is aimed to observe how pre-service teacher trainees interacted within the system when they are given the tool to organize their own communities of learning. Secondly, what are their perceptions of using the system? 65 university students voluntarily participated in this qualitative study. The data was gathered through server statistics, personal interviews, and an open-ended questionnaire. The analyses included descriptive statistics for quantitative and content analysis for the qualitative data. The findings indicate that participants embraced the notion of forming and being part of a learning community, were willing to participate in using the system in their courses, and suggested some improvements for better use of the system. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Rapid developments in invented technologies lead educational institutions to effectively integrate these technologies into the teaching-learning processes. However, both institutions and individuals face different obstacles because of these integration processes. By taking various precautions maybe overcome. Thus, this study was designed to explore to what extend the course "Instructional Technology & Material Development," from a non-thesis graduate teacher's preparation program, contributed to pre-service teachers' perceived computer competencies, attitudes toward computers and technology vision. The participants were 114 pre-service teachers with a degree from the faculty of arts and science. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to collect data in order to validate the findings. Participants were asked to fill out a computer attitude scale and a computer competency scale both at the beginning and end of the course, as well as an open-ended questionnaire at the end of the course. Besides, the researcher had observed all the participants during their weekly assignments. The results showed that pre-service teachers developed a positive attitude towards using computers in their future classrooms and enhanced their computer competencies. Furthermore, they became desirous and curious about technology and more willing to use technology in their future careers. Although one can find numerous similar articles in the literature that produced similar results, in Turkish context, this article has valuable information for those teaching in non-theses teaching programs. Appended are: (1) Content-Specific Technology Applications. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study explored the level of usage of preservice teachers' and instructors' utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT). Thus, the main purpose of this study was to examine factors that contribute to preservice teachers' utilization of technology and suggest recommendations regarding to the effective utilization of technology. This case study used data from a school of education in a private university. Results of this study indicated that teacher education programs fail to provide appropriate instructional technologies and computer facilities for both in and out of class activities. Furthermore, three factors that appear to have a significant influence on the effective use of technology were found to be: (1) the quantity and quality of the lessons addressing technology in the curriculum, (2) incompetent teachers/lack of in-service training, and (3) insufficient technological infrastructure. (Contains 2 tables.)

In this case study, the aim was to implement project-based learning by utilizing e-portfolio assessment in a small-scale classroom (N = 8). The compulsory Design, Development, and Evaluation of Educational Software course in the curriculum of the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology was selected due to its strong relationship with real life while lending itself to addressing the major concern of project-based learning. Despite insufficient classroom size and students' challenges on animation software, it was found that project-based learning was an appropriate choice for conducting such a course. Moreover, e-portfolio assessment proved to be valuable in project-based learning. In the rest of the paper, findings from other research studies evaluating project-based learning are discussed and recommendations are presented. (Contains 3 tables.)

Recent developments and new directions in education have emphasised learners' needs, profile and pedagogical aspects by focusing on learner-centered approaches in educational settings. e-Learning, on the other hand, guarantees learners the opportunity of learning in their own way, and leads to new considerations in course design. e-Learning is defined as the new form of learning, rather than the use of new technologies. It requires new considerations in educational aspects and delivery methods. Personalised technologies and new approaches such as the use of ontologies and Semantic Webs in e-learning are some of the next challenges for both education and society in the future. This paper provides an overview and rationale for personalised web-based learning and personalised technologies. Also, it presents ontologies by emphasising the various usages of this term in a variety of fields, the main ontology structures, methodologies and design principles, and its applications in education.

This study was conducted to develop a web-based interactive system, Web Macerasi, for teaching-learning and evaluation purposes, and to find out the possible effects of this system. The study has two stages. In the first stage, a WebQuest site was designed as an interactive system in which various Internet and web technologies were used for infusion of technology into teaching and learning process. The Web Macerasi site was used for project work by 92 prospective students who attended different courses in different years. For collecting the students' perceptions about the implementations of the system, a questionnaire of WebQuest effectiveness and a focus group interview guide were developed. Next, the first phase of the study was concluded, and the WebQuest system was updated based on the data gathered from students. In the second phase, 27 students from a different course used the system, and their perceptions were collected through the questionnaire and analyzed. It was found that the students favored the technology-supported media, were more willing to collaborate, found the feedback very useful, and agreed on the positive contribution of planned works. Consequently, the Web Macerasi site was found to be successful and to have been used effectively in terms of its aims. Further studies should be carried out for diffusion of this technology into the teaching-learning processes. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Turkey has been undertaking many projects to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sources into practice in the teaching-learning process in educational institutions. This research study sheds light on the use of ICT tools in primary schools in the social studies subject area, by considering various variables which affect the success of the implementation of the use of these tools. A survey was completed by 326 teachers who teach fourth and fifth grade at primary level. The results showed that although teachers are willing to use ICT resources and are aware of the existing potential, they are facing problems in relation to accessibility to ICT resources and lack of in-service training opportunities. (Contains 6 tables.)

Since the advent of technologies available for teaching and learning, schools have been advocating considerable amount of their funds for the procurement of hi-tech technologies. Despite this huge investment, there is a little success achieved so far. It is obvious that technology integration is a complex and demanding issue and this puts more burdens on schools. On the other hand, technology planning, as a process and product, holds a number of promises to overcome those problems. Thus, the purpose of this present study was to illustrate how technology planning process was carried out in a private K-12 school in Turkey. Data were collected from 105 teachers, 25 administrative staff, and 376 students. Teachers and administrative staff were asked to fill out a questionnaire to gather data on their perceived computer literacy, issues related to ICT usage. Students were also asked about their perceptions on the current utilization of ICT at their school. Additionally, unstructured interviews were conducted with administrative staff and teachers to validate data obtained through questionnaires. Data were descriptively analyzed to provide necessary input for the technology planning process. Findings indicated that even teachers and administrator staff felt themselves competent in using ICT available at the school; they reported a lack of guidelines that would lead them to successful integration. On the other hand, students reported that ICT is not utilized sufficiently in their classes. Finally, the study illustrated how necessary data were collected and findings were transformed into suggestions to frame a technology plan for a school.

This study examined the role of individual differences and the quality of the teaching-learning process on learning outcomes in a web-based instructional environment, and explored the implications of those variables on the design, delivery and evaluation stages of web-based instruction. The study used data from two web-supported courses, one is undergraduate, and the other one is graduate. One of the major findings of this study was the need for providing different formats of materials and different sources of information in order to enrich the content on the web. Another important finding was the importance of providing sufficient guidance for using both web-based environment and communication tools since this guidance has a direct effect on learning outcomes. The findings of this study showed that each learner has different characteristics and preferences in their learning process. When instructors provide rich media and material sources, individual differences does not yield differences on learning outcomes. (Contains 3 charts.)

This article explores the use of proper instructional techniques in online discussions that lead to meaningful learning. The research study looks at the effective use of two instructional techniques within online environments, based on qualitative measures. "Brainstorming" and "Six Thinking Hats" were selected and implemented through online discussions.