By using a Smart Board or other "smart" technologies, it has become possible to teach interactively with students. One of the hardest concepts for middle schoolers to understand is key signatures. The Smart Board has changed the way the author reinforces key signatures with all her students, beginners to eighth graders. In this article, the author…

Analyses presented here are secondary data analyses of the "Use, Support and Effect of Instructional Technology" study aimed at identifying predictors of teacher-directed student use of technology (TDS) in elementary classrooms. Using data from a convenience sample of 1040 teachers nested within 81 schools in 21 Massachusetts' school…

This article summarises the author's experiences in running a module "Computers for Chemistry" entirely online for the past four years. The module, previously taught in a face-to-face environment, was reconfigured for teaching in an online environment. The rationale for moving online along with the design, implementation and evaluation of the…

In this article an application of conformal mapping to aerofoil theory is studied from a geometric and calculus point of view. The problem is suitable for undergraduate teaching in terms of a project or extended piece of work, and brings together the concepts of geometric mapping, parametric equations, complex numbers and calculus. The Joukowski…

Novice learners find motion as a continuous process of change challenging to understand. In this paper, we present a pedagogical approach based on agent-based, visual programming to address this issue. Integrating agent-based programming, in particular, Logo programming, with curricular science has been shown to be challenging in previous research…

This paper reports findings from a phenomenographic investigation into blended university teaching using virtual learning environments (VLEs). Interviews with 25 Computer Science teachers in Greek universities illuminated a spectrum of teachers' conceptions and approaches from "teacher-focused and content-oriented", through…

Online virtual worlds are becoming important tools in foreign/second language instruction in view of the fact that they enhance learner motivation, promote autonomy and social presence in a 3D environment. Virtual worlds are a type of reality in which students can meet and communicate with other learners in the target language using text, voice or…

This article describes an Oakland Unified schools program of "blended learning" that is designed to reach students who are academically all over the map. Blended learning combines brick-and-mortar schooling with online education "with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace" of learning. The program…

Games offer people engaging and motivating experiences. The process of recreating this type of experience in systems that are not typically considered games is called "gamification." Improving engagement and motivation in a learning environment is desired by many educators as traditional approaches do not seem to be as engaging as they…

Three emerging technologies were used in a large introductory chemistry class: a tablet PC, a lecture capture and replay software program, and an online homework program. At the end of the semester, student usage of the lecture replay and online homework systems was compared to course performance as measured by course grade and by a standardized…

Research on the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) on learning exists, but there is a paucity of empirical work that explores the role that positive emotions play in supporting learning in such settings. To address this gap, this study compared undergraduate students' emotions and learning outcomes during a guided historical tour using mobile…

Blended learning has propelled into mainstream education in recent years with the help of digital technology. Commonly available digital devices and the Internet have made access to learning resources such as learning management systems, online libraries, digital media, etc. convenient and flexible for both lecturers and students. Beyond the…

Empowered by mobile computing, teachers and students can benefit from computing in more scenarios beyond the traditional computer classroom. But because of the much diversity of device specification, learning contents and mobile context existing today, the learners get a bad learning experience (e.g. rich contents cannot be displayed correctly)…

In this paper, we expand on our presentation at ICDS2010 (Dobson et al., 2010) in describing the design of several new forms of interactive visualization intended for teaching the concept of plot in fiction. The most common visualization currently used for teaching plot is a static diagram known as Freytag's Pyramid, which was initially intended…

The use of computer-based gaming in education is not a new phenomenon. Many educators nostalgically remember green Apple II monitors displaying the games Lemonade Stand and Oregon Trail in the early 1980s. Technology in schools has evolved considerably since then, and gaming has become pervasive within all demographic subgroups. Gaming within…