The Internet use of a Finnish upper secondary school teacher

1. The Internet use of a Finnishuppersecondaryschoolteacher MEDU 3105 Internet Use and PsychosocialWell-being Spring2014 Ulla Hynönen

2. The Case: Anna from Finland • Anna is a Finnishlanguageteacher in herfifties • Shelives in a smalltown in the north of Finland • Sheis married, hastwogrownupchildren and onegrandchild Image courtesy of SichaPongjivanich/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3. Workhistory • Shehasworked as a languageteacher for 26 years in differentschools, shestarted to workwhileshewasstudying • For the pasttenyearsshehasworked in localuppersecondaryschool

4. Ordinaryworkday • Shestartsherworkingday at 8 am bycheckingherworkemailand wilmamessages, whichmaytakeeven an hour • Afterthatshegiveslessons, thenshemarksessays and testpapers and preparesnextday’slessons • Sheusuallyfinishesherworkby 4 pm

5. Digital tools • Whenshestartsherteachingdayshefirstswitches on the laptop and the data projector in herclassroom • Thereare a cd player and wirelessheadsets in the classroomtoo • Sometimesshetakesherstudents to the computerclassroomwhereshecanuse the smartboard • Sometimesusesipads with students • Shehas a workphone for makingphonecalls and for safetyreasons (not a smartphone)

6. Internet use at work • Email, wilma • In teaching: • videosfromyoutubeeg. models of speeches, grammarvideos • pedanet • YLE news in English • onlinegrammarexercises • Searchingfor information • Additionalinformation • Up-to-dateinformation • Onlinedictionariestogether with printdictionaries • “Coulduseitmore at work”.

7. Communication at work • face to face: • colleagues • Students • online (email, wilma): • colleagues • students • Parents • online(email): • International connections • foreignpartnerschools

8. Digital devices at home • Shehasherownlaptop and smartphone • The familyhas a digital television, twohandheldtouchscreentabletdevices Image courtesy of MR LIGHTMAN/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

9. Internet use in freetime • The social networkingsiteFacebook • personalcontacts, maintainingrelationships • Facebookgroups • hobbies (dance club) • administrator of the facebooksite and webpage of the dance club • Email(first at work, laterprivateuse) • Spotify(music for dancing) • Youtube(dancevideos for learning new dances)

10. Background for the Internet use • Suomi tietoyhteiskunnaksi (Suoti)-programme in the mid 1990’s, sheparticipated in a national teachertrainingprogramme. Thisgoodexperienceencouraged and preparedher for the distantlearning • Shecompletedhermaster’sdegree at the beginning of 2000 when the universityfinallyagreed to offerstudents the possibility to attendmaster’sthesisseminars in the Internet • The positivetransferfrom the previouse-learningexperience (Suoti) made the new learningprocesseasier.

11. Positiveaspects of the Internet use • Work: • Internet is a source of information and teachingmaterials • Contactsto foreignpartnerschools, running international projectseasier • The use of wilmahasincreased the communicationbetweenteachers and parents. • Freetime: • The number of peoplewhoselivesshefollowswouldbeconsideratelysmallerwithout Internet. Life wouldbemuchnarrower. • To stay in touch with people is easier in Facebook and itdoesn’ttakemuchtime. • Shecanchoose the timewhenshewants to be social.

12. Negative aspects of the Internet use • The use of the Internet is verytimeconsuming, the Internet is a timethief. Instead of watching tv sheuses the Internet.

13. Conclusions • Sheuses the Internet as a source of information and communication, brieviouslyhasusedit for learningtoo. • Instrumentaluser: Goal-orientedactivities (searchinginformation, utilizingservices). • Participatingin Suoti-programmewas an empoweringexperiencewhichencouragedher to use the Internet in universitystudies. → Improved the IT skills. Basic IT literacyincreases the likelihood of greaterextent of the Internet use. • The level of formaleducationenables the person to understand the possibilities of the Internet → helps to useitmeaningfully.

14. Communicationin the Internet is characterizedby the controlover the time and pace of interaction. • The Internet offersher the chance to findsimilarotherswhohave the sameinterests (dance), fulfills the need to belong to a larger, significantgroup. • Sheis aware of the positiveaspects of the Internet, positiveattitudetowards the use of the Internet • Sheis interested in adopting new skills, new digitaltools and device • It’simportant to studydifferentusergroups. The population is aging and technologiesaredeveloping, thereforeit’scrucial to understandhow to design systemsthatsupport the needs and preferences of olderadultstoo. • → Technology use → moreindependent life → increase the quality of life

15. The professionalaspect: • Teachertraining of the futureteachers: How is the Internet use and media educationincluded in theirstudies? Do the futureteachersacquire the necessaryskills? • In-service-training is needed for the presentteachers, no nationwidestrategyorpolicy in Finland → inequality? Will the new national curriculumsave us?

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