Case studies of professional software development practices describe how real (or realistic) projects are planned and executed. Cases provide engaging models of the activities and materials of software development to students and other novice practitioners. They vividly remind learners of the possibilities for meaningfully applying knowledge and…

A critical issue related to the use of simulation environments in school-based learning is the relationship between the use of these environments and the structure of traditional curricula. Teachers are often caught in the bind of attempting to address significantly raised standards for what all students should know, yet receiving very little…

Today, a plethora of Web sites and software packages are designed specifically for English language learners, and not only are most teacher candidates well-versed in how to use technology, they are likely familiar with numerous software programs that are appropriate to use with children. Although teacher candidates may be well-trained in how to…

India has seen its economic fortunes take off in recent years. Last year, its gross domestic product rose 8 percent over 2004 in response to an expanded manufacturing sector. The country's large English-speaking population is leading India's transition into a world leader in the software services industry. American universities have taken notice,…

This article presents technology tips and ideas for music educators. To keep current with music technology, you will need to spend time with it regularly, just like you would practice a musical instrument or voice. Basic office software programs can help you with administrative tasks and duties. Your computers are important tools for your program,…

The use of Symbolic Mathematics Engines (SMEs) in chemical education as a part of the Division of Computers in Chemistry was discussed by a panel of educators at the Symbolic Calculation in Chemistry symposium in Philadelphia in 2004. The panelists agreed that many more topics in chemistry are amenable to SME's exploration and that symbolic…

Modern communication technologies continue to spawn new and transformed genres, but in the digital realm, distinctions between form, content, and medium are blurred. Confounding this issue is the fact that genres are usually specific to a particular discourse community of users with learned social and cultural expectations. In the domain of higher…

Tablet PCs and graphics tablets employ digital ink technology. In this paper the author introduces the reader to digital ink technology with the aim of promoting its use in various instructional or training settings, with the goal of improving instructor-learner dialogue and student learning. The potential of digital ink for improved instructional…

A pendulum "engine" with dynamic parameters can be created and pendulum functions manipulated and analyzed using interactive elements in Flash. The effects of changing the damping (convergence) properties, initial release angle and initial velocity conditions can be explored. The motions then can be digitized using the Flash Digitizer 1.1,…

This article features the Atomic Learning. The challenge of teaching people how to effectively use technology motivated a group of technology coordinators to form a company and create a product to help teachers and students understand the software and hardware they were employing in the classroom. This group, with over 200 collective years of…

This article describes the evolution of an academic professional development program, related to the use of WebCT in teaching programs, and discusses the challenges that have arisen for the members of the staff development team since the original implementation of the program. The training program begins with face-to-face workshops, covering…

Assistive technologies (AT) give special needs students the ability to access computer resources. AT can be life-changing for kids with significant communication, mobility, literacy, visual, and hearing challenges. But implementing AT in schools is a complex issue. There are various categories of commercial and open-source products, each with…

This paper presents two nine-year-old children who used different oral, written, visual, and digital modes as resources to create meaning and to position themselves socially through multimodal stories. Their diverging experiences with technology as a resource for storytelling draw attention to the importance of studying "the ways that old and new…

Computer video games have become highly interesting to educators and researchers since their sophistication has improved considerably over the last decade. Studies indicate simple video games touting educational benefits are common in classrooms. However, a need for identifying truly useful games for educational purposes exists. This article…

This article details the development of the Library Instruction Wiki (http://instructionwiki.org): an effort to develop a web-based, knowledge-sharing resource. Though some library instruction is specific to a given institution or class, much of what instruction librarians teach is similar. Library instructors have repeatedly expressed the desire…