Explains an activity in which students study sedimentary rocks using an inquiry-based approach. Focuses on Content Standard D of the National Science Education Standards (NSES). (YDS)

Presents the preliminary results of projects by two organizations that encourage online discussions about the events of "September 11" as a teachable moment. The projects are "Search for Common Ground" and "Web Lab". States that participants felt more open and honest in the online environment. (CMK)

Outlines reasons why electronic mail, and specifically e-mail exchanges, are valuable tools for promoting authentic target language interaction in the second language (L2) classroom. Research examining the use of e-mail exchanges on the L2 learning process is outlined, followed by one specific example of an e-mail exchange in a secondary core…

Examines the introduction of electronic mail into three elementary schools. A contingency model of technology adoption by organizations was used to develop the instruments and interpret results. Findings indicated that a majority of the contingency factors (expectations, influence of peers and administrators, training, technical support, and…

Presents a qualitative research study which thematically analyzes e-mail conversations exchanged by graduate students in a developmental writing program. Focuses on the relationship between these teachers and their students and addresses key issues in basic writing theory and practice. Suggests that graduate students can offer a unique perspective…

An effort to improve communications between school board members and the superintendent and administrators of the Katy (Texas) Independent School District has evolved into electronic board agendas and paperless board meetings. Installation of laptop computers, printers, fax machines, and dedicated phone lines in board members' homes was key. (MLH)

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of adolescent use of instant messaging. Grounded in the New Literacy Studies stance that literacy is a social practice embedded in local contexts and informed by global ideologies (Street, 1995), I argue that participation in digital literacies such as instant messaging has implications for…

This paper focuses on the effects of social--structural factors (age, ethnicity and gender) on university students use of web-based instruction. The study uses data from registration questionnaires of students at the Open University of Israel. During the period between 1995 and 2002 there has been a continuous increase in the proportion of…

This study addressed the influence of social capital factors on the first-year persistence of beginning first- and second-generation four-year college students. First-generation students were those students whose parents had never attended college. Second-generation students had at least one parent who attended college. A case was made for…

One English-as-a-Second-language teacher talks about the email messages she receives from her students, often filled with symbols and spelling and punctuation errors. Examines why such high-level, hardworking students write this way. (Author/VWL)

This study investigated the emerging practice of online counselling. Although the traditional practice of counselling involves face-to-face interaction between counsellor and client, a growing number of practitioners are providing counselling or therapy services via the Internet. In the present study, a total of 67 online counsellors completed a…

Based on expectations from previous studies, data from field notes, pre-and post-questionnaires, class documentation, student papers from 35 undergraduate and graduate students, and the content of a focus group session were analyzed to relate students' pre-course attitudes and expectations, and several cognitive factors to participation levels and…

How do instructors motivate students to participate in computer-mediated discussion? If they do participate, how can the quality of their interactions be assessed? This study speaks to these questions by examining online participation and discourse in a science course for preservice teachers. The instructor of an introductory entomology course for…

The primary goal of classroom assessment is the improvement of student learning rather than the evaluation of teaching through observation. Many formative assessment techniques, including the group instructional feedback technique (GIFT), electronic mail feedback, and small group instructional diagnosis, carry an implicit or explicit promise of…

This paper describes a self-study of two collaborations. The first collaboration focused on an attempt to study the teaching of social justice issues to pre-service student teachers. The second collaboration was an attempt to understand why the first collaboration was only partially successful. The study charts the process of collaboration over…