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Mobile technology in hospital schools: What are teachers’ professional learning needs?
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Mobile technology in hospital schools: What are teachers’ professional learning needs?

A. McCarthy, D. Maor and A. McConney
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, Vol.25(1), pp.61-89
2017
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Abstract

Hospitalised students cannot attend their regular schools and as a result their educational progress and development can suffer. In an attempt to address this, hospital schools provide learning support, including teachers, that assists students to maintain their learning. In an endeavour to improve learning outcomes for their students, a hospital school in Australia recently began an initiative to introduce mobile technologies and relevant digital pedagogies. This article describes a mixed methods investigation of teacher perceptions of the unique learning environment of the hospital school, and their needs during the early stages of the initiative. The results suggest hospital teachers’ technology needs are personal, contextual and diverse. Specifically, teachers required personalised, work-embedded continuous professional development, supported with appropriate individual technology access with time to learn and share. Personal coaching as part of the professional development provided immediate guidance and support for the teachers, while they reflected and collaborated with other teachers who shared the experience of transforming their teaching and the hospital's learning environment.

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