Among new technologies, interactive whiteboards (IWBs) particularly seem to engage students and offer entertainment value that may make them highly beneficial for learning. This study examined 10 Grade 6 teachers' initial experiences and uses of IWBs for teaching science. Through interviews, classroom visits, and field notes, the outcomes…

This package from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) describes projects undertaken by TVA's Skills Development Program, an effort to help national, state, and local officials improve education. The program includes several futuristic instructional labs that TVA helped to design and install in Morgan County, Tennessee. Instructional labs have…

This study investigated the variation of meaning that may be assigned by students to instructional symbol systems. Toward this end, student interpretations of symbols employed to represent free fall in Boxer, a computational environment designed for innovative instructional activities in math and science, were analyzed. Four classes of…

Relates experiences with replacing textbooks with computer-based multimedia, citing middle-school use of multimedia software Science 2000 in Laredo, Texas. Advantages include interactivity, extensive databases, visual learning, data links, and student enthusiasm. Drawbacks include superficiality, lack of infrastructure support, teacher resistance,…

Describes the Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) Project, which is examining the impact of a technology-based curriculum innovation on teaching and learning outcomes in high school science and social studies. Systems thinking is discussed, simulation-modeling software is described, and implications for technology in educational…

In 1980, Wichita State University received a grant to introduce microcomputers as interactive teaching tools in large science classrooms. Through this grant, 18 faculty in 11 departments developed software modules illustrating concepts that are often difficult to teach by usual lecture methods. To determine whether the use of microcomputers in…