TECHNOLOGY FOR ACCOUNTANTS

KAREN RANDALL

CONSTRUCTIVIST BASED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN MODEL STUDENTS HAVE UNIQUE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND

BELIEFS

KNOWLEDGE IS CONSTRUCTED UNIQUELY and INDIVIDUALLY

• LEARNING IS ACTIVE

REFLECTIVE

CONSTRUCTIVIST BASED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN MODEL

ROLE OF LECTURER FACILITATOR GUIDE KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION

PROCESS BY ENGAGING STUDENT IN MEANINGFUL

LEARNING ACTIVE LEARNING, COLLABORATION

BLENDED LEARNING AUTHENTIC CASE STUDIES – RELATED TO

FIELD OF WORK

BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH

The term is commonly associated with the introduction of online media into a course or programme, whilst at the same time recognising that there is merit in retaining face-to-face contact and other traditional approaches to supporting students. It is also used where asynchronous media such as email, forums, blogs or wikis are deployed in conjunction with synchronous technologies, commonly text chat or audio.”

Janet Macdonald Blended Learning and Online Tutoring: Planning Learning Support and Activity

Design, 2008, p2

Adapted from Dabbagh and Bannan-Ritland (2005)

Integrative Learning Design Famework (ILDF) for online learning

Instructional Designer

1. Exploration

2. Enactment

3. Evaluation

4. Reflection

EXPLORATION PHASE

CONTEXTTeaching 3rd Year National Diploma Accounting, Internal Auditing Students

Accounting Software Pastel, SAP, Visio, Advanced ExcelUsing Technology Tools suited for their Discipline

EXPLORATION PHASE

CHALLENGESTime Constraints, Exam Deadlines

Students Passive Recipients of Knowledge

Little Engagement Little social interactionbetween peers

EXPLORATION PHASE

OUTCOMESEncourage critical thinking and

meaningful engagement of contentStimulate and encourage participation

by using group work - 2 heads are better than 1

Improve time management skillsTo integrate emerging tool that will

stimulate, motivate and improve independent learning

STRATEGIES SUPPORTINSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

SUPPORT PEDAGOGICAL MODEL

LATEST WEB TECHNOLOGIES

EXPLORATORY STRATEGYPROMOTINGPROBLEM SOLVING

PROBLEM BASED LEARNING

DOCUMENT SHARING TECHNOLOGIES – GOOGLE SPREADSHEETS AND FORMS

DIALOGICAL STRATEGYPROMOTING REFLECTION, COLLABORATION

PROBLEM BASED LEARNINGCOLLLABORATION

GOOGLE SPREADSHEETS – SHARING EMAILS -GMAIL

SUPPORT STRATEGYPROMOTE COACHING

PROBLEM BASED LEARNINGCOLLLABORATION

DISCUSSION – SHARING COMMENTS

‘New’ learners are...more self-directedbetter equipped to capture informationmore reliant on feedback from peersmore inclined to collaboratemore oriented toward being their own “nodes of production”.

Education Trends | Featured NewsJohn K. Waters—13 December 2011

http://coolshots.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

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LITERATURE REVIEWAccountants - greater reliance and

dependence on technology today. Critical to integrate technology into

accounting education. Integration of technology increased

learning opportunities, interaction and deep learning.

Technologically skilled accountants are a necessity as traditional skills are replaced by technology

EXPLORATION PHASE- WHICH TOOL ?LMS

GOOGLE DRIVE AND DOCS

Using Google Docs/Google Drive

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tara_siuk/3123061228/

Aaaaarrrrggggghhhh!

Google Docs to the Rescue

For our students there is a need to have resources available at any time or at any place to do work or research. (Cook, Pachler & Bradley, 2008: 16; Bennett in Roberts, 2004: 4; Liu, Wang, Liang, Chan, Ko & Yang, 2003: 371).

ENACTMENT PHASE

CREATED GMAIL ACCOUNT SPECIFICALLY FOR STUDENTS

SET UP A SHARED FOLDER FOR STUDENTS

CREATION OF FORMS

ENACTMENT PHASE

ENACTMENT PHASE

ENACTMENT PHASE

ENACTMENT PHASE

ENACTMENT PHASE

EVALUATION –BENEFITS OF GOOGLE DOCS

• An easy-to-use document with the spreadsheet editor enabling you to create, store, and share Instantly and securely.

• Promotes and encourages group collaboration, enables students to coordinate their collaborative effort and document changes occur in real time.

• Encourages group work, peer editing and brainstorming.• Work can be accessed and completed from anywhere at any

time. • Free software programs - Word, Spreadsheet, PowerPoint

programs requires no purchasing of Microsoft licenses.• Innovative way of teaching and learning independent of

location.• Alternative modes of assessment and feedback.• Improves the relationships between students and lecturers

and the relationships of students with their fellow peers, with convenient communication.

BENEFITS OF GOOGLE DOCS• It can be viewed as an alternative to LMS as it can be used as a platform for Announcements, sharing of notes and learning resources.

• Useful application for Office Management and day to day organizational activities.

• Research tool - surveys and forms and questionnaires they could develop

• Social interaction• Research and performance tool• User friendly and training is easy• Use this technology tool to teach technology

DISADVANTAGES OF GOOGLE DOCS• Must have internet connection • Privacy Issues• Limited Application functionalities

AFFORDANCESPedagogical AffordanceKirschner et al (2004) found Google docs to have the

following pedagogical affordances as it is a platform useful for sharing ideas , resources and group collaborations.

It enables the lecturer to monitor the learning process – Lecturer can ascertain problems and change his or her teaching strategies to make their teaching process more effective.

 

Educational AffordancesGoogle Docs is an educational application that can

be used to setup quizzes to test students learning progress.

Encouraging problem solving skills, critical thinking and reflecting. Used in Calculations and Report Writing.

 

AFFORDANCESTransforming , Hidden, Negative Affordances

Google Docs in my situation was a transforming affordance. A transforming affordance

can be changed into a perceived performance. Google docs was never considered in

my teaching and thus it could be considered as a hidden affordance which I have

transformed into a perceived affordance. Google Docs was also considered a negative

affordance as I was resistant to using this technology tool to enhance teaching and

learning. Both these affordances were transformed in my teaching and learning

context until three weeks ago.  

Social Affordances

Google Docs encourages social interaction amongst students without them being

monitored by lecturers. Freedom to express their ideas and comment freely. Share

documents and post comments. It provides for discussion and comment outside the

classroom environment at any time. It encourages all students to participate and to

respond, to think critically and to stimulate healthy competition.

 

EVALUATIONFEEDBACK FROM PEERS• Positive• Never make assumptions • Introduced at first year level

• Create a drive for staff communication and collaboration

REFLECTIONFEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS• Made me work more productively and accurately as I had to share

my work• Fellow students are more critical and can pick up my errors quicker• Enjoyed the freedom of expressing what I did not understand • Working in groups made us get to know other students, developed

better understanding of concepts and content• Social interaction – easier to communicate with peers• Made me think more about what I was learning and doing – forced

to concentrate• Learning independently and helping others• We can work at any time not restricted to class time • I don’t want to share my work, work better on my own• 90% of students had smartphones • Alternatives to flash drives on campus – sharing information online

REFLECTION

• BENEFICIAL TO STUDENTS AND LECTURER

• EXPLORE TOOL IN GREATER DETAIL • EXCEL FUNCTIONALITIES • TIME CONSUMING INITIALLY

IRONICALLY IT SAVE TIME IN LONG RUN

• LEARNING CURVE - NEED FOR IMPLEMENTATION

• REFLECTION • COMPLIMENTARY TOOL • TOOL THAT STUDENTS CAN USE

BEYOND THE BORDERS OF THE CLASSROOM ENCOURAGES LIFE LONG LEARNING

I

REFERENCESCloete, F. (2006). Challenges facing the accounting profession. Conference proceedings of Value 2006. Conducted by the Faculty of Economic and Financial Sciences of University of Johannesburg

Cook, Pachler & Bradley, 2008: 16; Bennett in Roberts, 2004: 4; Liu, Wang, Liang, Chan, Ko & Yang, 2003: 371).

Czerniewicz, L. & Brown, C. 2011. Born into the digital age in the south of Africa: the reconfiguration of the "digital citizen" [Online]. Available: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/organisations/netlc/past/nlc2010/abstracts/PDFs/Czerniewicz.pdf. Accessed 1 June 2012.

Dabbagh, N. & Bannan-Ritland, B. (2005). Online learning: Concepts, strategies and application. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Fridman, B., Dasoo, N.,&Basson, R. (2003) computer based instruction and academic achievement in Accounting Education, Education as change, 7(1), 21-33

Gaver, W.W. (1991). Technology affordances. Proceedings of the Conference on the CHI 91Human Factors in Computing Systmes Conference, ACM, p.79-84 Gibson, J. (1979). The ecological approach to human perception. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Kirschner, P., Strijbos, J.-W., Kreijns, K., & Beers, P.J. (2004). Designing electronic collaborative learning environments. Educational Technology Research & Development, 52(3), 47–66. Law, M. Y., Lee, C. S., & Yu, Y. T. (2010). Learning motivation in e-learning facilitated computer programming courses. Computers & Education, 55(1), 218-228. Norman, D.A. (1999). Affordance, conventions, and design. Interactions, 6(3), 38–43.

LEARNING