Dr Renata Phelps BEd(CSU) MDisEd(Deakin) DipEd(SCU) PhD(SCU) Renata Phelps is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at Southern Cross University. Her main areas of teaching and research include: • Educational information technology, in particular: computer education; computer capability; information literacy; teacher professional development in ICT; integration of ICT in learning and teaching; management of ICT in primary, secondary, and tertiary education; and online and flexible learning and instructional design. • Action learning and action research • Complexity theory in education; • Organising and managing research. • Adult learning, in particular: metacognition and metacognitive approaches to learning; constructivism; self-directed and self-regulated learning; instructional design; and information literacy. A major ARC funded research project conducted in partnership with Catholic Education Office, Lismore Diocese (2004-7) investigated the metacognitive influences on teachers' use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the implications for teacher professional development. This project led to the development of a metacognitive approach to whole-school ICT professional development known as Technology Together. See the Technology Together website (http://www.scu.edu.au/technologytogether/) for more details. Renata co-authored a text for researchers on Organising and Managing Your Research (2007, Sage). See the Organising and Managing your Research website (http://www.scu.edu.au/omyr/) for more details. Renata was also the co-editor of Complicity: An International Journal of Complexity and Education (http://www.complexityandeducation.ca/) from 2004-2007. Renata is a member of the Centre for Children and Young People, Southern Cross University (http://www.ccyp.scu.edu.au/); the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE); Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE); Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL); Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE); and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Journal articles
Creating web-based environmental education resources through community and university partnerships (with Carrie Maddison, Keith R. Skamp, and Richard Braithwaite), Australian Journal of Teacher Education (2008)
Community groups often seek to engage with schools in promoting environmental education goals. A collaborative...
Developing Technology Together, together: a whole-school metacognitive approach to ICT teacher professional development (with Anne Graham), Journal of Computing in Teacher Education (2008)
Professional development of teachers in information and communication technology (ICT) continues to be an urgent...
ICT in the secondary visual arts classroom: a study of teachers' values, attitudes and beliefs (with Carrie Maddison), Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (2008)
For some 20 years the literature has been highlighting a range of benefits to be...
The whole-school context of ICT integration: acknowledging diversity in culture, practices and leadership (submitted 2007) (with Anne Graham and T Watts), Improving Schools (2008)
Discovering virtual stories together (with Christine Jeffrey and Damian O'Bryan), Practically Primary (2007)
Books
Organizing and managing your research: a practical guide for postgraduates (with Kath Fisher and Allan Ellis) (2007)
Organizational, management and technological skills are critical aspects of research and are often overlooked and...
Book chapters
Managing staff development for web-based teaching: a four stage model and its application (with Allan Ellis), Perspectives in web course management (2000)
The development and delivery of Web-based courses involves more than the development of technical skills....
Information technology and the NESB research student (with Allan Ellis), Supervising postgraduates from non-English speaking backgrounds (1999)
"Many universities in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have come to rely...
Editorials
Co-contributor to editorials for Complicity: an International Journal of Complexity and Education, vol. 4, no. 1, August 2007; vol. 3, no. 1, September 2006; vol. 2, no. 1, December 2005; vol. 1, no. 1, December 2004. (2007)
Social disadvantage in communities in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW : a report of five case studies of communites in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW (with Stewart Hase, Helen Saenger, and Jill Gordon-Thomson), Graduate College of Management Papers (2002)
Theses and Reports
Developing Technology Together together: consolidated report on an investigation of the metacognitive influences on teachers' use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the implications for teacher professional development. Lismore: Southern Cross University (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2007)
Developing Technology Together together: final report on an investigation of the metacognitive influences on teachers' use of ICT and the implications for teacher professional development. Lismore: Southern Cross University (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2007)
Report on a survey of professional development approaches and needs of teachers in the Lismore Diocese. Unpublished report. (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2003)
The Catholic Education Office, through Dr Berenice Kerr, approached the School of Education in June...
Report on the Collaborative Research Initiative: investigation of the effect of a metacognitive and reflective approach to the professional development of teachers in information and communication technology (ICT). Unpublished report. (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2003)
ICT professional development is currently a major priority at local, state and national level. It...
Mapping the complexity of computer learning: journeying beyond teaching for computer competency to facilitating computer, Theses (2002)
For future generations to maximise their capability to operate within technologically driven economies, it is...
Conference publications
Developing Technology Together together: what has it meant for our schools (with Elizabeth Watts, Carolyn Carrigan, and Sharon Brennan), QSITE State Conference (2007)
Developing Technology Together together: what has it meant for our schools? (with Damian O'Bryan), NSW CEG State Conference (2007)
I can u can: six strategies for building teachers’ ICT confidence and capability through metacognitive discussion and reflection: experiences from Technology Together (with Anne Graham, Sharon Brennan, and Carolyn Carrigan), Australian Council for Computers in Education Conference (ACEC), 2-4 October (2006)
When people are prompted to think about their values, beliefs and their past experiences they...
Technology Together: supporting whole-schools to become capable learning communities (with Anne Graham, Elizabeth Watts, and Anne O'Brien), Australian Council for Computers in Education Conference (ACEC), October 2-4, 2006 (2006)
While many teachers are integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching practice, there...
Developing online from simplicity toward complexity: going with the flow of non-linear learning, NAWeb 2003: the web-based learning conference Oct 18-21, 2003, eds M Astorino, A Ellis & R Hall, University of New Brunswick, pp. 73-83 (2003)
The Web is a non-linear environment which opens up potential for new approaches to learning...