In the United States, school curricula are often created and taught with distinct boundaries between disciplines. This division between curricular areas may serve as a hindrance to students' long-term learning and their ability to generalize. In contrast, cross-curricular pedagogy provides a way for students to think beyond the classroom walls and…

In this paper, we argue that, where we measure student attendance, this creates an extrinsic motivator in the form of a reward for (apparent) engagement and can thus lead to undesirable behaviour and outcomes. We go on to consider a number of other mechanisms to assess or encourage student engagement -- such as interactions with a learning…

The Computer Information Systems Learning and Technology Sandbox (CIS Sandbox) opened as a collaborative learning lab during the fall 2011 semester at a New England business university. The facility employs 24 student workers, who, in addition to providing core tutoring services, are encouraged to explore new technologies and take on special…

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) recently announced by the Federal Communication Commission visualizes a significantly enhanced commitment to public computing centers (PCCs) as an element of the Commission's plans for promoting broadband availability. In parallel, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has…

Our contribution focuses on synchronous oral telecollaboration in secondary schools. With reference to the EU project TILA, aspects of task design and implementation are discussed against the backdrop of issues of technological quality in connection with class organisation in computer labs. Case study evidence is provided in favour of the…

This paper investigates what happened in one Australian primary school as part of the establishment, use and development of a computer laboratory over a period of two years. As part of a school renewal project, the computer laboratory was introduced as an "innovative" way to improve the skills of teachers and children in information and…

This study examines the effects on early reading skills of three different methods of presenting material with computer-assisted instruction (CAI): (1) learner-controlled picture menu, which allows the student to choose activities, (2) linear sequencer, which progresses the students through lessons at a pre-specified pace, and (3) mastery-based…

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), LitTECH Outreach was a 3-year technology-based preschool literacy project conducted by staff at the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood, a research and development division of the College of Education and Human Services at Western Illinois…

This paper describes a pilot study centred on the technology-enhanced self-development of competences in lifelong learning education carried out in the challenging context of the Association of Participants Agora. The pilot study shows that the use of the TENCompetence infrastructure, i.e. in this case the Personal Development Planner tool,…

This case study describes the use of a synchronous communication application (MSN Messenger) in a large academic computing environment. It draws on data from interviews, questionnaires and student marks to examine the link between use of the application and success measured through module marks. The relationship is not simple. Total abstainers and…

This paper is based on a year-long ethnography of a K-1 class. I report on the way gender was a significant implicit feature of interpreting kids' everyday classroom activities, like why boys tended to go to the computer center and girls did not. In addition to explicating the gendered interpretations, the paper also discusses the way teachers…

Although current theory about the effective use of instructional technology argues for the distribution of small groups of computers in individual classrooms, computer labs still offer benefits. Discusses the drawbacks of the distributed model and describes Palmer Elementary School's (Missouri City, Texas) technology plan which incorporates both…

This is the second publication from the Office of Technology Assessment's assessment on information technology and research, which was requested by the House Committee on Science and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The first background paper, "High Performance Computing & Networking for…

ZApME! Corporation provides computer labs and Internet access to K-12 schools in return for advertising or promotional access to students and their families. The free software and hardware may not be appropriate for realizing a school's instructional goals. Educational plans should not be shaped by corporations' business objectives. (Contains 25…

Technology integration into the early childhood environment provides learning opportunities that promote self-directed learning and interaction with peers for young children with disabilities. This study reports the results and implications of a survey of 132 inclusive childcare settings on the availability of computers in childcare settings,…