Uses Shneiderman's Object-Action Interface model along with the engineering design process as a framework for understanding software interface elements. Provides an educational framework from which instructional materials can be developed. (Author/CCM)

The purpose of this article is to awaken the reader to the possibilities which exist when working on Person-Centered Planning and the individual with intellectual disabilities, specifically, Down syndrome. Although Person-Centered Planning has been in existence for more than two decades, it is viewed in a new way through the experiences documented…

There are a number of issues that face individuals who would use learning objects for instructional purposes. These issues include problems with decontextualization, enabling meaningful reusability, and overcoming biases toward didactic approaches in the use of learning objects. We discuss these problems in some detail, and present a project-based…

The fields of mathematics, science, and engineering are replete with diagrams of many varieties. They range in nature from the Venn diagrams of symbolic logic to the Periodic Chart of the Elements; and from the fault trees of risk assessment to the flow charts used to describe laboratory procedures, industrial processes, and computer programs. All…

Meeting the diverse needs of Pamela Malkin's students forced her to really look at what she teaches and how she teaches it. While she was teaching her sixth-grade students to create a mask from clay, she found that many were having a hard time remembering all the steps of my demonstration. Since most of the process was taught through…

This study found that the provision of ergonomic workstations for 12 older persons with age-related macular degeneration who used low vision devices significantly increased the participants' reading speed and decreased their discomfort when reading.

Instructors who use computer-generated graphics in their lectures have many options to consider when developing their presentations. Experts give different advice on which typefaces, background and letter colors, and background imagery improve communications. This study attempted to resolve these controversies by examining how short-term recall of…

Typeface personality impacts the rhetorical effect of students' documents, yet it receives little attention in textbooks. Technical writing students should stand the definition of "appropriate" in relation to typeface selection, the difference between type's functional and semantic properties, the difference between type family and personality,…

The mechanism by which air enters the mammalian lung is difficult for many students of physiology. In particular, some students have trouble seeing how pressure can be transmitted through a fluid such as the intrapleural fluid and how the magnitude of that pressure can change. A Cartesian diver, an old-time child's toy, may be used as a visual aid…

According to InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, by the end of this year more than 55 percent of all U.S. households will own at least one digital camera. With so many digital cameras in use, it is important for people to understand how to organize and store digital images in ways that make them easy to find. Additionally, today's affordable, large megapixel…

Today's colleges and universities may tolerate the "idea" of marketing more easily, but marketers must continue to educate campus communities about marketing theories and practice. To promote a useful appreciation of how theories translate into initiatives, we propose incorporating "marketing maps"-user-friendly graphic representations of how…

This paper examined conceptual versus perceptual priming in identification of incomplete pictures by using a short-term priming paradigm, in which information that may be useful in identifying a fragmented target is presented just prior to the target's presentation. The target was a picture that slowly and continuously became complete and the…

This article presents several vocabulary-expanding prefix and suffix activities that will help students become master word builders. Games such as Base-Word Bingo and Spin-a-Word Game are great activities for practicing forming and spelling new words.

It is no surprise that children and adolescents who experience the deployment of a family member or significant other face a number of unique challenges and changes that may wreak havoc on their lives. War has, unfortunately, become a common reality for many in our world today. This curriculum, targeted to elementary and middle school students,…

This research project investigated the use of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in K-12 education. Exploration of the use of IWBs in six different school settings provided insights into the activities, approaches, roles and beliefs of students and teachers in a range of primary and secondary class contexts and discipline areas. The study was informed…