The purpose of this study is to examine how technology, namely virtual reality (VR), can be developed as a critical pedagogical tool. More specifically, the study explores whether the use of VR can challenge the traditional lecture format and make the classroom a more student-centered environment. In this instance, VR is defined as a set of…

As the World Wide Web becomes part of mainstream learning and teaching at Australian universities, changes to online learning include a proliferation in the use of commercial learning environments and in the movement of institutional processes online. These changes indicate that now is an appropriate time to plan for the future. The University of…

This paper describes the effect of supplementary multimedia instruction on the pattern of growth of student learning of normal swallowing. On four occasions, up to 190 speech pathology students from four Australian universities completed a free-response task designed to assess students' learning of core information. Scripts were scored using a…

This paper describes a World Wide Web-based, generic, inter-disciplinary subject called computer-aided policymaking. It has been offered at Melbourne University (Australia) from the beginning of 2001. It has generated some salutary lessons in marketing and pedagogy, but overall it is concluded that Web-based teaching has a rosy future.…

Assuming that dynamic features of Dynamic Geometry Software may provide a basic representation of both variation and functional dependency, and taking Vygotskian perspective of semiotic mediation, a teaching experiment has been designed with the aim of introducing pupils to the idea of function. First data coming from the observations in Italian…

265 kindergarten children from a high-risk community participated in an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Waterford Early Reading Program, a software program designed to facilitate early literacy development. 151 students in eight experimental classrooms used the program for approximately 15 minutes per day. 114 students in seven…

This paper examines the e-learning strategies adopted by universities, from the perspective of three common objectives: widening access to educational opportunity; enhancing the quality of learning; and reducing the cost of higher education. The discussion is illustrated by drawing on case studies of universities in Europe and the United States.…

Productivity tools allow students to do something that was not possible without technology and then to share their results with others. In contrast to traditional software that encourages linear procedural processes, tool software is open-ended. Productivity tools include word processing, spread sheets, graphics, and telecommunications software.…

This literature review focuses on the application of technology (primarily the computer) to education. No single vision drives the infusion of technology into the schools, although social, vocational, pedagogic, and catalytic rationales have been proposed. Technology has a role in school restructuring by standardizing and automating procedures.…

Designed by California's Los Rios Community College District for use in instructional workshops, this guide is intended to help institutional researchers create World Wide Web sites using Microsoft FrontPage (MF) software. The first part of the guide presents practical suggestions for working with the software to create a site, covering the…

This paper illustrates the themes of reflection and connection in teacher education by discussing the experiences and conceptions of one preservice teacher who was enrolled in a secondary mathematics methods course. Small groups of preservice teachers created hypermedia stacks to demonstrate their views on important issues in mathematics…

In 1996, Tennessee became the first state to connect every public school to the Internet via a single network, ConnecTEN. This case study examines the staff development opportunities made available to teachers for training in the use of computer-based technology, focusing on teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the training and their…

This collection of articles on distance learning reflects the perspectives and concerns of the learner and the facilitator of learning in distance education setting. Eight chapters are included: (1) "The Evolution and Advantages of Distance Education" (John E. Cantelon) traces the history of distance education and demonstrates how it transcends…

This document consists of one volume year (four quarterly issues) of the journal "Telecommunications in Education News." Each issue contains a call for articles and three regular columns: "Editor's Message" (Trevor Owen), "President's Message" (Chuck Lynd), and "NewsBits" (Gleason Sackman, Ed.). Article…

Research on the use of computers and other educational technology with young children has become increasingly sophisticated as their use has increased in early childhood educational settings. This paper reviews the research on computers and social interaction, teaching with computers, and curriculum and computers. The review finds that computers…