近年，香港中學文憑試揭示了一個令人關注的教育問題：學生的中文基礎弱，寫作水平未能達標。回顧本港學生在十數載的中、小學寫作學習歷程中，每年由教師主導的寫作量着實不少，語文教師往往因批改作文而壓得透不過氣來，可是學生卻每每聽到寫作便「 民怨四起 」，實在令教師威到受挫及困擾。同時，久而久之，學生對寫作的學習動機也變得不積極，更遑論自發地增加寫作量。究竟問題出在哪裏？事實上，在日常的寫作教學中，學生往往只限於被動地接收教師所給的回饋，學生能否真切地進行自我反省，了解自己的作文錯在哪裡？如何作改善？教師卻不得而知。學生在單一評估下，難以進行分享、反省及修正，對學習的裨益始终有限。如何引入由多方分擔的評估任務 (吳毓 , 2003)，提升學生對中文科寫作的動機成了重要的議題。
[Copyright © 2014 Education Bureau, HKSARG.]

The 1995 primary Art and Craft syllabus in Hong Kong states that there should be emphasis on three learning domains, i.e., understanding art, making art and living with art. In this information age, the World Wide Web has become one of the electronic media providing resources for teachers. In 1997, the Government demonstrated its serious commitment to IT in education. But at that time, there was little evidence of a strong IT culture in primary schools, and teachers in general had little experience in using IT. Four years later, in 2001, I carried out research into Hong Kong 1 primary art teachers’ experiences in computer use and their views on teaching and learning through web sites. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. Data for this study were collected from questionnaires, focus group discussion and individual interviews. The data reflected that the Hong Kong art teachers had a firm belief in web site being a helpful source for their own teaching and learning. However, the data also reflected that the teachers had difficulties in finding time to use web sites to support their teaching and learning in practice. The findings indicated that teachers’ workload was too heavy and art as a subject was neglected in primary schools in Hong Kong.
[Copyright © 2002 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Lifelong and life-wide learning are the foci of learning in an information age. The World Wide Web (Web) is thought to be the driving force behind these changes as it is vast, flexible, and accessible with virtually no boundaries. Although there are many claims of the advantages of using the Web for module deliveries and promoting higher order learning, the results are controversial. The author attempted to examine whether a Web-based learning system could enhance flexible and collaborative learning. The thirty-two participants in the study were pre-service student teachers form the Hong Kong Institute of Education taking Information Technology as one of their minor studies. The module materials, discussion forum and announcements were presented on a dedicated Web site. Participants were encouraged to access this site for learning resources and to communicate using an e-forum. Twelve learners volunteered to attend five focus group meetings to share their experiences and opinions about using the Web. It was observed that they greatly valued the opportunity to use the Web, as it was convenient and flexible. In particular, the e-forum was found to be an invaluable arena for collaborative learning during their teaching practice period when they did not meet each other on campus.
[Copyright © 2002 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This paper examines the effects of computerised music instruction on student motivation to learn music through a case study of five secondary schools in Hong Kong. Two main types of music software were used: the sequencing Technology-based Music Learning (TBML) type for composing, arranging and creating sound projects and the closed-package Computer-assisted Music Instruction (CAMI) type for enhancing musical knowledge such as the introduction of the musical instruments, Chinese operas and music theory. The researcher observed 16 lessons and 2sessions of extra-curricular activities in all and interviewed 5 teachers and 44 students. Analysis showed that use of the divergent sequencing software generated more student interest. It also showed that peer and independent learning took place more readily and that students demonstrated musical understanding more vividly through their creative work. When using the closed-package CAMI software, most teachers and students enjoyed the attractive visual effects, the organised sequential instruction and efficient feedback. The results may help music educators to review several pressing issues in the 21st century, including music curriculum design catering for teenagers with different learning styles when using music technology. The results may also have implications for teaching styles, changes in the teacher’s role with increased student autonomy, and the need for hardware and software support for classroom music lessons.
[Copyright © 2002 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

In this study, the authors investigated the implementation of adopted information technology (IT) policy in representative institutes of the Vocational Training Council in Hong Kong. The article first introduces the context of the government’s 1997 IT initiative. It then reviews the literature on generally acknowledged advantages and limitations of IT in education. Next, the research methodology is briefly set out. In the study, the authors attempted to achieve a degree of triangulation by employing instruments from both the positivist and subjectivist paradigms, namely, questionnaire surveys of current staff-student IT use, and focused interviews with lecturing staff concerning personal evaluations of the project’s viability. Quantitative findings suggest some initial movement in the desired direction, but the qualitative data call for skepticism. It was concluded, therefore, that full implementation will be far from unproblematic.
[Copyright © 1999 International Vocational Education and Training Association.]

The influence of school or family on students’ development is widely recognized as essential. Cultural factors which affect students’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) need to be further explored. This research on digital divide analyzed the interview data from principals, teachers, and students from two Hong Kong junior secondary schools. The main findings suggest that cultural divide at school and home can significantly affect the phenomenon of digital divide in education. The cultural factors in school most associated with high ICT usage were the school principals’ culture and values regarding ICT. Parental values, such as demanding but harmonious parent-child relationship, were the most influential home cultural factors. The results of the study suggest that the phenomenon of digital divide could be eased by previously overlooked gaps in school and family culture. Some suggestions and limitations were also provided in the conclusion.

This presentation will focus on usage of mobile learning analytics from the initial flipped classroom experience from teaching a college mathematics course in a pre-service teacher's training programme in Hong Kong. This new learning method will inform how flipped classroom can be further enhanced with the learning analytics. Insights and recommendation will be shared in this presentation.

This paper presents the findings of a large-scale pilot project that implemented a professional e-portfolio component to the assessment of the teaching practicum in B.Ed. programs at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The design of the professional portfolio activities, the training of students, issues related to the eportfolio platform, and the outcomes of the pilot, which led to the Institute-wide adoption of the e-portfolio assessment approach, will be detailed.

ePortfolio is implemented in a higher education institute in Hong Kong with the objective of building the capacity of students in managing and monitoring their own learning in technology-enhanced environment, and at the same time, it is important for the institute to understand the students’ perspectives in creating the ePortfolios for the ongoing development. As a student-centered learning tool, the study aims to find out whether the ePortfolios could help students learn to document their learning process, showcase their learning outcomes and perform self-reflection on their own learning. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to gain insights from students’ perceptions of the usefulness of ePortfolios for further implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on seven students selected from different programs to understand their perceptions of learning and how they perceive the benefits of ePortfolio creation to learning. It is found that not all students could perceive the objectives of ePortfolio creation which would help them to organize, manage, and reflect on learning and that it is still a long way for freshmen to perceive the benefits of student-centered learning by creating ePortfolios. It is crucial for the institute to consider how to develop the awareness of students to become active learners with the creation of ePortfolios and with the guidance of teachers.
[Copyright © 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore.]