Background: Although much has been written about the ways in which new technology might transform educational practice, particularly in the area of literacy learning, there is relatively little empirical work that explores the possibilities and problems--or even what such a transformation might look like in the classroom. 3D virtual worlds offer a…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how exposure to classroom instruction affected the use of a computer simulation that was designed to provide students an opportunity to apply material presented in class. The study involved an analysis of a computer-based crisis communication case study designed for a college-level public relations…

Today, at the end of 2007, there are evident consolidations in wireless, storage, and virtualization and the path forward seems clearer now than previously. Trends from last year continue strongly, particularly Web 2.0 and the shift to user-driven environments and Internet sites where significant data and video processing is available to those…

Graphical plans for construction of machinery and architecture have evolved over the last 6,000 years beginning from hieroglyphics to drawings on printable media, from the "Golden Age" of engineering graphics to the innovation of computer graphics and prototyping. The evolution of engineering design graphics as a profession has also evolved. Years…

This pamphlet presents brief reviews of 38 population education software and online systems currently available. It includes mathematical models, simulations, databases, problem-solving games, online systems, and associations. The review includes a description of the program, the level at which it is aimed, required computer hardware, the vendor's…

A systematic study was conducted with a group of 10- to 12-year-olds using computer assisted instruction in a unit on fire which included a computer simulation of combustion. Three research questions were addressed to learn more about how the computer experience challenged the students' preconceptions: what the students thought the computer knew,…

This paper establishes the roots of computers and automated teaching in the field of psychology and describes Dr. S. L. Pressey's presentation of the teaching machine; B. F. Skinner's teaching machine; Meyer's steps in composing a program for the automated teaching machine; IBM's beginning research on automated courses and the development of the…

This guide for using computers in the whole language classroom provides teachers with practical ideas for the use of computers to promote group interaction and cooperative learning, including: (1) software webs to assist theme development; (2) pre-computer activities to motivate students; (3) computer activities to develop software competence; (4)…

A study of 228 undergraduate psychology students examined the effectiveness of a prototype of "heatlab," a laboratory simulation written in PCE-PROLOG, intended for remedying misconceptions of the concepts "heat" and "temperature." The effect of varying the amount of structure on students' understanding and the…

Instructional television (ITV) is an effective medium for improving teaching and learning at all levels of education. Thirteen brief case studies provide teacher's insights into how ITV can be integrated with newer computer and satellite technologies to provide instructional opportunities in numerous academic subjects for all students. The voices…

This presentation provides an in-process review of researching efforts at the U.S. Army Research Institute and the Institute for Defense Analysis to update their earlier studies of Computer Based Instruction (CBI) cost-effectiveness. In the presentation five topics are addressed: (1) the differences between education and training, and why they…

This three-part paper describes the development of a software program called "The Growth Curve of Microorganisms" for a tenth-grade biology class. Designed to improve students' cognitive skills, the program enables them to investigate, through computer simulations, the impact upon the growth curve of a population of three variables: temperature,…

This paper describes how electronic spreadsheet simulators, originally designed to simulate and replace large paper worksheets used in accounting and financial planning, can be used to study and explore functional relationships among a number of parameters. As a way of providing a context for understanding this application of a spreadsheet…

Intended for journalism school instructors and administrators as they make decisions about purchasing computers to help teach graphics and typology, this guide discusses seven areas of weakness in journalism curricula and ways in which schools should prepare themselves for new technologies. The introduction first discusses WYSIWYG--"what you see…

"Sherlock" is a computer-based, supported practice environment for a complex troubleshooting job in Air Force electronics. The program was developed to raise the level of troubleshooting knowledge of avionics technicians. This describes the training problem for which Sherlock was developed, the principles behind its development, and its…