Sigmund Tobias came to the United States in 1948, after his family had fled to China from the Holocaust in Europe. His Memoir ("Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai") describes that part of his life. He settled in New York, where he completed his B.A. and M.S. in School Psychology from the City College of New York, and a…

The author describes the three bases upon which she rejects the assumption that a technology and its use are neutral: every technology predisposes a certain use; shapes habits of mind and social organizations; and is the outcome of deliberate choices made by individuals and societies. She then proposes a "triadic model" of technological…

The author reviews various elements of what may be considered as evidence that the long-awaited shift in the education paradigm is actually happening. Concepts like student-centered learning, attainment-based evaluation, knowledge-based constructivism, and effort-based intelligence are growing, are being more widely recognized as important, and…

In the past decade, virtual worlds have progressed from isolated sectors of the Internet, inhabited by computer and fantasy role-playing enthusiasts, to one of the fastest growing sectors in the gaming industry. In the process, they have established themselves as promising venues for the delivery of online instruction. Unfortunately, during that…

The availability of technological tools is promoting a shift toward more student-centered online instruction. This article describes the implementation of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model and the technological tools used to meet the expectations of the model as well as the needs of the students. The end product is a hybrid course with eight…

The authors describe an Open Source approach to education. They define Open Source Education (OSE) as a teaching and learning framework where the use and presentation of information is non-hierarchical, malleable, and subject to the needs and contributions of students as they become "co-owners" of the course. The course transforms itself into an…

This article is the second in a series (see Willis, 2011) that looks at the current status of instructional design scholarship and theory. In this concluding article, the focus is on two cultures of ID work, one based on constructivist and interpretivist theory and the other based on critical theory and critical pedagogy. There are distinct…

This article describes the educational effects of the Time To Know Digital Teaching Platform used with low socio-economic status (SES) students' in learning mathematics, Hebrew, and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Israel. The study described in the article is based on the assumption that one of the possible solutions for bridging the social…

Explores what a return to a more theory-based scientific approach to education might mean for the study and practice of educational technology. Topics include science, technology, and constructivism; knowledge construction; how to deal with complexity; and roles of educational technology, including creating virtual learning environments and…

Capabilities and biases of learning technologies are examined in light of four widely accepted principles: deep content knowledge, dialogue, agency, and collaboration. Software that supports these principles must focus students' attention on ideas rather than topics or tasks and should foster high levels of "epistemic agency," providing students…

Considers the goal of creating communities of learners and how to integrate technology with learning. Highlights include cognitive apprenticeships; qualities of meaningful learning, including constructivism and collaboration; assumptions about technology, including knowledge construction; proper roles for technology; and how to support meaningful…

Discussion of situated cognition and legitimate peripheral participation focuses on responses to criticism of an earlier article. Highlights include postmodernism; modern rationalism; educational technology; the distinction between information and judgment; feminist and critical theories; knowledge creation; constructivism; and instructional…

This letter to the editor favorably comments on an article by Jerry Willis and Kristen Wright, "A General Set of Procedures for Constructivist Instructional Design: The New R2D2 Model" ("Educational Technology, March-April 2000). The writer notes that though the article's purpose is to describe an alternative to the conventional ISD model, it also…

Discusses three ways that instructional design theories can change over time: (1) revision via evolution of models to reflect the outcomes that are being achieved with its current use; (2) revision to reflect current understanding of technology; and (3) complete replacement of present theory with another more powerful theory. Describes the…

Examines the role of educational technology from a constructivist perspective. Discusses the subset of computer-based technologies, especially the Internet, that are changing the way interactivity is defined, and examines how these technologies interface with constructivist approaches to pedagogy. Explores the place of constructivism as a…