ICT Transformation in Education: Its Impact on Language Teachers' Professional Identities

Rapid and continuous changes in digital technologies have changed both classroom practices and teacher profiles in education. It can be argued that a new context of teaching may lead some teachers to develop a different teacher identity in order to meet the needs of the era. Within this perspective, this case study attempts to explore the impacts of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) revolution in education on teachers' professional identity through the lens of three English instructors from three different contexts in Turkey. The study particularly focuses on reflections of teachers during the pandemic. As a theoretical framework, the study adopts Wenger's (1997) social theory of learning and, within this framework, it discusses these teachers' professional identities in relation to their ICT usage. In particular, three modes of belonging, Engagement, Imagination and Alignment, are underlined. A qualitative approach is employed based on the written history documents of the participants and semi-structured interviews as data collection tools. The findings are gathered with a deductive thematic analysis, and they illustrate that teachers have some external and internal difficulties regarding their ICT usage, and they form a new shape of professional identity mainly through collaboration, community expertise and contributing new ideas in their school contexts. Although the use of new digital technologies mostly enables them to adopt a positive and modern teacher identity in their teaching contexts, it also leads some of them to sometimes question their teacher identity due to their limited ICT knowledge and competence. Thus, the study suggests some implications both for language teachers to invest in their digital identities, and for school administrations to create a friendly atmosphere where the community of expertise can be shared freely among teachers.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Distance Music Learning among Older Adult Musicians

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of conductor-teachers and older adult musicians in a New Horizons ensemble engaged in distance online music-making and music learning. This study employed intrinsic and particularistic qualitative case study designs in which older adult musicians and conductor-teachers of a New Horizons orchestra were interviewed and observed for one year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary data sources included verbatim interview transcripts of 11 older adult musicians and the principal conductor, e-mail correspondences, video recordings, and the principal conductor's journal entries. Findings distilled from the data included (a) the information communication technology (ICT) and music learning technology (MLT) introduced and the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) needed to teach orchestra members and (b) how orchestra members navigated both ICT and MLT to engage in meaningful music-making and music learning in a distance learning environment. Implications for research and practice include challenging implicit assumptions and messages regarding technology use among older adult musicians, continuing post-COVID distance music learning that may lead to promising models for informal music learning, and continued connectivity beyond the locality of the rehearsal hall.

Learning with Mobile Augmented Reality- and Automatic Speech Recognition-Based Materials for English Listening and Speaking Skills: Effectiveness and Perceptions of Non-English Major English as a Foreign Language Students

Due to the outbreak of COVID 19, an online bilingual curriculum was conducted via "Google Meet." The learning material was developed and implemented by using a smartphone application, STEMUP, based on augmented reality (AR) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies. This study investigated the oral performance and perceptions of learning with STEMUP of ninety non-English major students from several colleges at a technical university in Taiwan. Data were collected from pre- and post-tests and a questionnaire survey. Results indicated that students significantly improved their oral performance and recorded their positive perceptions. Students' oral performance significantly depended on their English proficiency. Their perceptions were not significant related to their English proficiency, gender, or college. Instant feedback and evaluation provided by ASR technology and online "Google" text-to-speech service both embedded in STEMUP helped students notice, modify and improve their listening and speaking skills. They were satisfied with the bilingual curriculum, which helped them increase understanding about content knowledge by the teacher's explanation in Chinese, and improve English listening and speaking skills by learning with STEMUP. This study is a good start in creating an interactive and communicative learning environment where translanguaging is effectively integrated with innovative technologies.

Mobile Technology Acceptance among Undergraduate Nursing Students Instructed by Blended Learning at Selected Educational Institutions in South India

Background: Mobile phones have become a widely accepted learning mode due to the impact of COVID-19. This study explores the mobile technology acceptance, among nursing students at selected educational institutions in South India. Materials and Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design. First-year 176 B.Sc. nursing students who underwent blended learning were selected by the purposive sampling method. The tool "Technology Acceptance Model" was used to collect responses. Bivariate analysis was used to determine the relationship between the demographic and study-related variables with the mobile technology acceptance using SPSS version 25.0. Results: The majority 73.9% of the students belonged to the age group of 18-19 years, females 76.7% and, 98.9% were unmarried. Among the constructs of TAM, a mean (SD) value of 22.08 (2.26) was found for material (mobile device audio/video) characteristics the mean (SD) value was 22.08 (2.26), attitude about use 17.58 (1.95), behavioral intention 17.46 (1.78) and system characteristics 17.21 (2.27). The mobile technology acceptance revealed that 126 (71.6%) strongly agreed, 49 (27.8%) agreed, and 1 (0.6%) was neutral with a mean (SD) of 105.19 (8.68), respectively. A positive correlation was found between the system characteristics, material characteristics, perceived ease to use, perceived usefulness, attitude about the use, behavioral intention with a P value <0.001. There was a statistically significant association between Mobile technology acceptance and time spent by the students for independent studies shown the Chi-square value of 12.7, with P value <0.05. Conclusion: Nursing students had a positive acceptance and behavior toward smartphone use.

The effects of cognitive- and affective-based trust on students' knowledge sharing and learning performance during the Covid-19 pandemic

This study examined the effects of cognitive and affective-based trust on knowledge sharing among students, which influences learning performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted with 730 participants, and analysis was carried out using structural equation modeling (SEM) based on the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory. The results showed that cognitive and affective trust significantly affects students' knowledge sharing behavior on Facebook, which further influences learning performance. This study also showed that social media had become a tool for social interaction and learning, which is crucial to students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Political Economy of the 'Virtual' Internationalisation of Higher Education to Foster Glocal Sustainable Development

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the higher education institution's face-to-face education. Higher education institutions have overcome this challenge through enhanced virtual education which has provided further opportunities to the higher education institutions. One of these opportunities is the 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education which enables higher education institutions to reach more students globally. Purposes: This paper aims to investigate the 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education's role in glocal sustainable development and how to enhance its use to support glocal sustainability and sustainable development. This paper emphasises importance of political economy of the 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education to support glocal sustainable development and environmental policies. Methodology/Approach: The aim of this paper is achieved based on an in-depth literature review. Findings: This paper highlights effective, strategic and successful 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education's role in competitiveness of higher education institutions. This paper highlights political economy of the 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education and provides recommendations and key success factors for the 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education to enhance glocal sustainable development and sustainability as well as environmental policies. This paper emphasises importance of considering the 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education in countries' sustainable development plans, strategies and policies. Discussion: Effective and strategic 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education can support higher education institutions' competitive advantage globally. They can support higher education institutions' success in getting intelligent students from all over the world. This can further contribute to their competitiveness. Furthermore, this can enable them to employ, in these 'virtual' internationalisation of higher education programmes, globally competitive and competent academic staff from all over the world. This paper can be useful to academics, policy-makers and researchers in the relevant field.

Strategies and Challenges to Teaching Students with Special Needs during a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to immediate school closures resulting in online learning. Online learning under such circumstances has presented challenges for teachers of students with mild to extensive support needs. The current study interviewed twenty special education teachers about the strategies they used when teaching online and the challenges they faced. Teachers discussed several strategies including the use of direct instruction, providing active engagement, caregiver involvement, and their frequent use of informal assessments. Challenges included time constraints and student inattention. Findings of this study can be used to inform strategies to use when teaching students with special needs online and in future online emergency teaching environments.

When Public Administration Education Switches Online: Student Perceptions during COVID-19

Public administration education is traditionally known for its emphasis on interaction, discussion and experiential learning, which require effective in-person instructions. With COVID-19 pushing many programmes across the globe to be delivered online rather than in person, how this shift has affected the student experience in public administration programmes has been a pertinent and important consideration. This paper addresses the question through two surveys of 147 students in total, at a graduate-level public policy school in Singapore. Two distinctive waves of data collection allow us to capture a nuanced picture of student perceptions both when online teaching was introduced as an emergency response and when it was planned as a deliberate strategy later on. Our findings suggest that students consistently reported a decline in participation and interaction in an online setting, compared with a face-to-face setting. Our study fills a critical gap in the literature related to online public administration education in Asia, while the immediate constraints it highlights and lessons it offers on maintaining a highly interactive and engaging public administration education are likely to apply for educators elsewhere both during and beyond the COVID-19 era.

Inclusive Pedagogies in Digital Post-COVID-19 Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to medical conundrums and uncharted scientific territories but has also engendered new educational challenges and opportunities that need to be considered in order to reconceptualise, recalibrate and reconfigure higher education in terms of its inclusive foundations and orientations. While current research has highlighted the role of digital teaching methodologies in creating the 'new normal' in higher education in the post-COVID-19 era, the 'new normal' must be concomitantly envisaged in terms of the role of higher education in fostering more inclusive e-learning spaces. This article discusses the ways in which the tenets of an inclusive pedagogical discourse can be conceptualized and enacted in virtual learning environments in terms of teaching methodologies, learner-centred content delivery and formative assessment implementation. The pedagogical triptych should be underpinned by an inclusive and equity-based 'cyberculture' that constitutes a "sine qua non" element in developing all students' sense of belonging and learning in higher education.

A Participatory Pedagogical Model for Online Distance Learning: Ideation and Implementation

In spite of its increasing popularity, distance education faces challenges -- levels of digital literacy, access to technology, workload and time management, students' feelings of isolation and disconnection -- that can have a significant impact on the experience of the learners. In addressing these issues, we propose a pedagogical model for distance learning which promotes the synergy of eight ingredients -- Community, Openness, Multimodality, Participation, Personalisation, Learning, Experience, Technological-Enhancement, with their initial letters generating the acronym COMP-PLETE -- for the shaping of a highly participatory online learning experience and the creation of an active and cohesive community characterised by a strong sense of commitment towards the learning of the individuals and that of the group. This paper presents the theoretical rationale for and implementation of COMP-PLETE. It also provides recommendations for researchers and practitioners interested in cultivating an online learning community which responds well to the aforementioned challenges posed by distance education.

Experiences of Parents and Practitioners Working with Middle School Students with ASD during the COVID-19 School Shutdown

People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may be especially vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic due to their unique characteristics. This qualitative case study used interviews with instructional staff and parents to understand the experiences of both families and practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this can inform the use of virtual instruction for students with ASD. Through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1979) we examined how the different layers of our world shifted due to the pandemic, and what influence this had on our students with a diagnosis of ASD. Findings revealed several themes of among the interview transcripts, five main themes were observed: COVID-19, conflict of no control versus freedom, setting, technology use and preparation, and perspective.

Handbook of Research on Language Teacher Identity. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development (AHEPD) Book Series

In today's educational world, it is crucial for language teachers to continuously evolve in order to best serve language learners. Further study on the best practices and challenges in the language classroom is crucial to ensure instructors continue to grow as educators. The "Handbook of Research on Language Teacher Identity" addresses new developments in the field of language education affected by evolving learning environments and the shift from traditional teaching and assessment practices to the digital-age teaching, learning, and assessment. Ideal for industry professionals, administrators, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students, this book aims to raise awareness regarding reflective practice and continuous professional development of educators, collaborative teaching and learning, innovative ways to foster critical (digital) literacy, student-centered instruction and assessment, development of authentic teaching materials and engaging classroom activities, teaching and assessment tools and strategies, cultivation of digital citizenship, and inclusive learning environments.

COVID-19 off-label uses of medicines: the role of civil liability and regulation.

Physicians can prescribe medicines for different indications than the tested and authorised ones. Such 'off-label' uses expand therapeutic options but also create uncertainties. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered new off-label uses and, despite issues being reported in the literature, these have not resulted in substantial personal injury litigation in the EU. Against this backdrop, this article argues that civil liability plays, in fact, a limited role in off-label uses. In particular, civil liability may incentivise health actors to follow and react to the development of the evidence basis for off-label uses. However, it is ultimately unable to incentivise the conduct of additional research on off-label uses. This is problematic, as off-label research is key to protecting patients and is recommended by international medical ethics. The article concludes by critically discussing proposed mechanisms to incentivise off-label research. It argues that extending civil liability for unknown risks may have undesired effects on insurability and innovation, and most regulatory proposals seem ineffective. Building on the 2014 Italian reform of off-label uses, the article proposes the establishment of a fund financed by mandatory contributions from the industry, which should be used by pharmaceutical regulators to promote off-label research and develop guidelines for prescribers.

Hanging Out with My Pandemic Pal: Contextualizing Motivations of Anthropomorphizing Voice Assistants during COVID-19

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way people connect, collaborate, and socialize. With the ongoing pandemic amplifying people's feelings of loneliness, voice assistants are growing as a pandemic-era staple of supporting people's well-being and mitigating feelings of disconnectedness. Combining the uses and gratification approach and theory of anthropomorphism, this study examined social attraction and social presence as drivers for people to anthropomorphize voice assistants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study investigated whether loneliness, social disconnection, and attachment can moderate the effect of social attraction and social presence on the anthropomorphism of voice assistants. Drawing on survey data from 458 US voice assistant users, the results indicated that social attraction and social presence positively affect peoples' anthropomorphism toward voice assistants. Moreover, the moderating effects of loneliness and social disconnection were examined and found positive impacts on the effect of social presence on anthropomorphism. The findings have implications for theorizing the anthropomorphism of digital media when face-to-face communication is less available. This study is also helpful for voice assistants' developers and brands to design these smart devices appealing to customers and fostering a more customized and more robust user-technology interaction.

Exploring Bhutanese Primary School Teachers' Technological Knowledge

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functions of schools globally. Online learning is a new concept in Bhutan. Nonetheless, classes have begun using various online learning platforms to continue their operations during the pandemic. This study examined primary school teachers' perceived information technology knowledge and proficiency. The participants of this study consisted of 124 primary teachers from two western districts of Bhutan. Data were collected using an online survey. The study's findings suggested that although the majority of participants (98.2%) had access to personal digital devices, slow internet connection and high internet data subscription charges (60.7%) were cited as significant challenges. Findings also revealed that a small percentage of the participants, less than 12 (9.7%) teachers in this study preferred to teach entirely in an online learning environment. The results of multiple linear regression suggested that only technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) [t = 2.68, p = 0.008, [beta] = 0.236] and perceived information technology proficiency of teachers (PITP) [t = 3.55, p = 0.001, [beta] = 0.306] were statistically significant predictors of technological knowledge (TK).

Media dependency, uses, and gratifications, and knowledge gap in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Afghanistan and Turkey

This study aims to address how dependency on media for learning purposes increased dramatically during COVID-19 by assessing the effects of online learning on students' academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic with a specific focus on Afghanistan and Turkey. Through the theoretical framework of the uses and gratifications theory, the study tries to explain the uses of devices to use the internet for learning purposes to gratify the needs of students during the pandemic. Furthermore, the study tries to address how the knowledge gap between students of different countries affects students' academic performance during online learning and their uses and gratifications of media during COVID-19. The study followed the quantitative research method where primary data was collected from 400 participants (200 Afghan and 200 Turkish students) through a close-ended survey questionnaire.The study found that Turkish students were more satisfied with the online learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic than Afghan students. Furthermore, there is a considerable difference in attitude, perceived impact, and satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among Afghan and Turkish students. Due to the knowledge gap, Turkish students had a better attitude toward online learning during the pandemic as compared to Afghan students. The study also found that Turkish students perceived a more significant impact of online learning on their academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in contrast to Afghan students. Limited access to different media and technological resources for Afghan students shaped their learning outcomes by lowering their academic performance.

Beauty, diversity, and potential uses of certain macrofungi

Macrofungi are diverse in their uses as good source of protein in our diet, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals medicine, and for making beautiful art pieces. Several species serve as decomposers and many form mycorrhizal associations with plants. The commercial cultivation of several macrofungi has been steadily increasing globally. Cultivation of Cordyceps militaris can be done in a variety of media including silkworm pupae, rice, or liquid nutrition. Macrofungi are diverse with complex and highly varied growth conditions and bioactive constituents, most macro-fungal resources have not yet been fully explored and implicated, leading to an urgent need for appropriate strategies to address the problem. Increasing attention has been paid to the cultivation and application, of these fungi as potential probiotics. The accumulated secondary metabolites in medicinal mushrooms have been widely accepted as sources of safe and effective nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. Various mushrooms are utilized as foods appreciated for their exquisite flavour and are used extensively for their medicinal properties. Recently, we saw how an invisibly small entity an ultramicroscopic virus created a turmoil in dynamic ecosystem of the planet Earth and caused the human societies to grind to a halt. Of course, human lives have pivoted around the metabolic ingenuity of fungi for a long time and these organisms can still be the tools to learn the intricacies of life, their mutualistic behaviour with other organisms and potential to produce a large number of secondary metabolites useful to fight diseases and providing good memory and better health are our present day concerns. Entangled body of tubes can teach the lessons of human survival in this crucial time of Corona pandemic. These macrofungi could modulate immune cell's response and possess antimicrobial, antioxidants, and anticancer properties. In Western Ghats as well as Himalayan mountain ranges of India, the lush green vegetation supports a variety of naturally occurring macrofungi. Brief details of some of the well-known fungi found in India, Macedonia, and other parts of the world are highlighted in this chapter. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Mushroom biotechnology: Developing cultivation protocol for four different mushrooms and accessing their potential in pollution management

The proteinaceous food value of mushrooms is well recognized and it may offer effective and lasting solutions to the problems of child malnutrition and protein supplement in pregnant ladies. Advancements have been made toward understanding mushroom biology, cultivation aspects, using a variety of agro lingo-cellulosic waste, breeding high yielding varieties, medicinal implications and uses of these unique fruiting bodies in bioremediation and waste water management. Mushrooms contain antioxidants and anticancerous chemicals in significant quanti-ties. Use of Chaga mushroom in corona virus disease control has been suggested recently in Russia. After first cultivation of rat ear fungus (Auricularia auricula) in 600 A.D., now more than 20 species are commercially cultivated and protocols to culture about 300 mushrooms is now known. New cultivation methods are devel-oped and discussed for Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes), Lenzites sterioides, Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) and Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor). The biological efficiency was 45% for Lentinus and 56% for Reishi in experi-ments conducted at Botany Department of the M.S. University of Baroda. An increase in yield was recorded when Lentinus mycelium was exposed to blue light and 5-10 ppm Veradix (IBA). The cultivation of medicinal mushroom is profitable as well fascinating since it requires a range of specific environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, etc. The efforts have been made to eliminate the use of polythene bags by using earthen pots in case of oyster mushroom. A range of substrates have been used to increase the yield and manage agro-waste produced in large quantity in different countries. Cellulose and hemicellulose served as better sources of mushroom production, whereas, in lignin containing substrates the growth was slower. Apart from using substrates, dilute acid soaking of the leaves produced better growth of oyster. Light and temperature levels are also critical for the temperature required was 30 °C. Exposure to light acts as a shock to switch over the mycelium from vegetative to reproductive stage. The efforts are being made to increase number of fruiting bodies by the use of Ni and Sn salts. This chapter deals with spawn production and the advances in cultivation of four medicinal mushrooms made in different parts of the world. Mushrooms breeding and strain improvement has resulted into many new and high yielding strains. Production of oyster mushroom is done in almost all parts of the country, extensive fungal surveys are needed for developing better conservation strategies. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

What Kind of Teaching in the Post-Digital Era? The Challenges of Schools and Universities after the Pandemic: An Explorative Survey at University of Bari Aldo Moro

All around the world, schools and universities should re-think and update teaching to adjust to technological changes and exploit their potentialities by means of hybrid teaching (Limone, 2013). Considering teaching in presence as absolutely good and online teaching as bad and necessary only during the pandemic is ideological, reductive and wrong (Ferri, Moriggi, 2018). If properly used in an ad-hoc pedagogical approach, technology represents an opportunity for students (Bonaiuti, Dipace, 2021), who can participate in training and updating processes and better adapt to changes. The long and complex post-pandemic period should allow the experimentation of a better integration between teaching in the classroom and technologically 'augmented' teaching. The process of digitalisation and methodological innovation should become permanent, as suggested in Mission number 4 -- Education and Research of the NPRR. This was the starting point for an explorative survey (Lucisano, Salerni, 2002) conducted with 400 students of the University of Bari in order to research their challenges and levels of satisfaction with the online courses attended in the a.a. 2020/2021. The survey shows the difficulties with distance teaching and presents an overview on possible future blended approaches.

COVID-19 Television Audience Program Choices: Analysis of How Nigerians Consume Television During the Pandemic

This chapter is anchored on the uses and gratification theory and starts off with a background review on television viewers' choices of media programs and the decision of audiences to select what they see or hear from available content. Key factors that influence viewers' selection and consumption of TV programs are considered. Experimentation into how Nigerians consumed TV programs before and during Nigeria's first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown measures is assessed. Using a semi-structured online questionnaire, data was obtained from 457 respondents, from 27 out of the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, between April 27, 2020, and May 21, 2020. The results showed that most respondents doubled their consumption of TV programs to combat boredom, get information on COVID-19, and get spiritual inspiration. They also indicated there is no significant relationship between gender and the amount of time spent viewing TV during the lockdown period. Possible reasons for this included (1) both male and female viewers were confined to their home and had equal time to spend viewing television, and (2) couples living together usually watch TV alongside each other. This second reason correlated with program choices, noting that movies, news, and religious programs were preferred over food networks, sports, and documentaries. Additional findings indicated a preference for local TV channels versus foreign ones and the need for the Federal government to improve the recurring problem of inconsistent power supply as many Nigerians reported this as a reason they did not watch TV. Moreover, traditional versus digital media consumption is considered as well as the Federal and state governments handling of COVID-19. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.