Smart Educational Technology in the Learning Process at a Rural Vocational Training Institution - A Case Study

Abstract

Smart educational technology in the learning process at a vocational training institution directly correlates to the pedagogical and methodological preparation of teachers and their practical experience. The pedagogical preparation determines better learning outcomes, effective social and cultural expressions, and more qualitative guidance of the didactic process. In addition, teachers with the help of technology have the opportunity to draw attention to each student, help the learner to know himself and his or her field of professional expression. This case study examined the ability of vocational teachers to use various technologies in class. Study was conducted in five rural vocational training schools in Lithuania. Twenty five vocational teachers were interviewed using focus group interview format about their smart educational technology usage in teaching and contacting their students. Teachers were observed manipulating, transforming and allocating appropriate digital media, adapting teaching content and easily forming teaching-learning networks to achieve educational goals. Overall, the process described here showed that regardless of how long vocational teachers work at a rural school and what subjects they teach, mostly teachers communicated and collaborated through technologies with their students while presenting vocational teaching content. Finally, the technological competence of vocational teachers reflected the teacher's ability to carry out a certain vocational teaching process: the ability to perform technological operations, the skill to work with various materials, equipment and the mentoring capacity. Keywords: case study, learning process, smart education technology, teachers' perspective, rural vocational training institution INTRODUCTIONA vocational teacher uses different techniques which depends on the subject and context in which training takes place (Billett and Choy, 2013). Many VET methods are based on practice. In many cases the training is supported by monitoring and simulating specific work processes (Marchand, 2008); experimenting at a particular workplace (Shaidullina et al., 2014). Educational technologies encourage students to reflect and adapt what has been learned. Studies on technology-based learning show that the change in society and education affects the choice of learning theories and technologies. Learning theories and educational technologies are interconnected by invisible conceptual relationships; intertwined through the processing of information and the accumulation of knowledge.Vocational schools are involved in innovation processes that affect all organizational components: curriculum, staffing, infrastructure. Teachers and students acquire new competences that create new teaching and learning perspectives (Hämäläinen and De Wever, 2013). In this context smart educational technology is not a new concept anymore. Over the last decades in vocational education and training (VET) institutions there have been major transformations: changes appeared in form, capacity, ed...

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