This study examined 6th graders' use of the VoiceThread app as part of a science inquiry project on photosynthesis and carbon dioxide emissions in terms of their ability to engage in causal reasoning and their use of the affordances of multimodality, collaboration, interactivity, and connectivity. Students employed multimodal production using…

This article describes how DNA barcoding investigations bring biology to life. Biologists recognize the power of DNA barcoding not just to teach biology through connections to the real world but also to immerse students in the exciting process of science. As an investigator in the Program for the Human Environment at Rockefeller University in New…

One goal of 21st-century education is to develop mature citizens who can identify issues, solve problems, and communicate solutions. What better way for students to learn these skills than by participating in a science and engineering fair? Fair participants face the same challenges as professional scientists and engineers, even Nobel laureates.…

To help teachers get off to a good start, this paper presents the updated "Back-to-School Guide" that is brimming with new-media ideas and resources. It outlines ten tips, along with easy-to-use tools, that will help teachers build their classroom community, survey students to bring out their ideas, and make learning more collaborative. Links to…

As the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) enters its seventh year of implementation, the need to expand upon the current research is essential. In an effort to gather information about implementing technology within various educational contexts, the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) at the University…

E-Science has the potential to transform school science by enabling learners, teachers and research scientists to engage together in authentic scientific enquiry, collaboration and learning. However, if we are to reap the benefits of this potential as part of everyday teaching and learning, we need to explicitly think about and support the work…

Presents an effective way to start a technological revolution in schools by beginning with a single exciting project that incorporates new technologies and then letting interest in the project prompt others to action. (JRH)

Presents examples that illustrate how spreadsheets can be used to ask and answer all sorts of scientific questions given suitable automation of useful spreadsheet procedures. Examples include data exploration, data analysis, project presentation, simulations, and students writing their own models. (Author/JRH)

Describes a project where students download seismological data from the Internet and use the data to plot earthquakes on a world map. Combines elements of geography, mathematics, and science. (JRH)

Reports on a study in which a teacher used the collaborative development of a format-free computer database to facilitate knowledge construction in a group of three Year 6 students during a science project. Contains 28 references. (Author/ASK)

Investigates performance outcomes based on different goal orientations by using a computer support environment (SCI-WISE) designed for learning and doing inquiry-based science projects. Uses two versions of SCI-WISE software and systems based partly on the theoretical framework of levels of agency and goal orientation. (Contains 16 references.)…

Introduces the Meteor Scatter Project (MSP) in which high school students build an automated meteor observatory and learn to monitor meteor activity. Involves students in activities such as radio frequency survey, antenna design, antenna construction, manual meteor counts, and computer board configuration and installation. (YDS)

Scientists need to measure and communicate, to handle information, and model ideas. In essence, they need to process information. Young scientists have the same needs. Computers have become a tremendously important addition to the processing of information through database use, graphing and modeling and also in the collection of information…