Professor Ma’s research focuses on communication, information systems adoption, education technology, knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. He has publications in international refereed journals, such as Computers and Human Behavior, Computers & Education, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, International Journal of Communication, Law and Policy, Knowledge Management & E-Learning, Information & Management, etc. He has been actively engaged in academic community. He participated and organized international conferences in technology and learning field, for example, International Conference on Applied Education, Technology and Innovation (AETI); HKAECT International Conference; International Conference on Blended Learning; International Conference in Hybrid Learning, and so on. He is the series editor of the Educational, Communication and Technology Yearbook series, published by Springer. He is an active independent reviewer for international refereed journals. As one of the top 1% of Social Science peer reviewers, he was recognised with the Publons Peer Review Awards 2017. He has been invited to deliver keynotes and talks by international conferences, educational institutions and professional field associations.
Keynote Title: Access to Information, Access to People, Access to Applications
Abstract
In the past three decades, information and communication technology (ICT) has developed rapidly. Since 1998, the number of empirical research studies on ICT and education has increased annually. This is particularly related to the growth of the Internet since 1995. In 1998, innovative ICT applications such as wiki, forum, and blogging emerged. Since the year 2000, social networking and social media platforms such as Friendster, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have emerged. Education has embraced the incorporation of these technologies into the learning process in order to enhance interaction and learning. We have occasionally lost our focus. Due to their unique characteristics, numerous studies attempt to establish a correlation between technology and learning performance, but they ignore the underlying learning theory. It is argued that learning theories proposed between the 1950s and 1980s guide the development of learning technologies that provide an environment conducive to learning, as opposed to the technology generating new learning theories. The keynote will attempt to review the evolution of ICT in education, as well as the relevant evolution of ICT research studies, with reference to the underlying learning theories. The keynote will conclude the comparison of these developments based on the framework of three major themes in the use of ICT and education: Access to Information, Access to People, and Access to Applications.