Browsing by Subject "technology integration"

The objective of this study is to determine the level of technology integration in education in the Finnish national core curriculum (FNCC) of 2014 and to establish whether there is evidence of previous research into technology integration in education being acknowledged in the 2014 FNCC. To do this a framework of relevant research is established, taking into account the history of curriculum development in Finland and relevant topics in technology use in education. Previous research shows the importance of a student-centric pedagogical approach to technology integration. As they are the implementers of the curricular aims the obstacles teachers may face when integrating technology in their education are established based on previous research. This is done in order to provide a comprehensive view on technology integration in education and the various factors that should be taken into account. This is a qualitative study of the curriculum and the chosen method is a close reading. The method was chosen in order to provide as detailed an account of technology representation in the 2014 FNCC as possible. The results of the study show that technology is discussed in the curriculum as a means to enhance the quality of education in addition to being discussed at the object of learning. Technology is linked to all school subjects as well as to other areas of education, such as the structure of learning environments. Evidence found in the 2014 FNCC shows that student-centricity is an explicitly stated goal in education and this goal is evident throughout the 2014 FNCC, including in areas discussing technology integration. In addition to this evidence was found to support the premise that previous research on technology integration in education has been influential to the development of the 2014 FNCC. Although it is concluded that technology use has been integrated throughout the curriculum, the results also show that much of the issues of practical application have been either left unacknowledged or to be determined in the development of local curricula.