Discusses a study that investigated the use of word processing for literacy teaching in primary schools in Great Britain. Considers the use of word processing and the attempts to integrate other information and communication technologies into schools; enhancing the curriculum; and shifting focus away from technology and toward the development of…

Describes the development of a Web-based staff development course by the Glynn County School System (Georgia) for their teachers that focused on use of the Internet. Discusses the use of WebCT software; pretest and posttest results of skill levels; participant reactions; and instructor reactions. (LRW)

Discusses the lack of substantial changes in education in the past, and describes three factors that could allow for substantial innovations: distance learning, collaborative learning and the use of technology, and changing teacher/student relationships. Also discusses informal learning, individual learning, social behavior, assignment of task,…

Addresses the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in a classroom environment. Discusses classroom setups, including networks and Internet connections; utilizing resources, including lecture notes, software demonstrations, and simulations; the use of laptop computers; and examples of technology use where students don't have access to…

Describes the development of an instrument to assess teachers' context beliefs about using technology in the classroom based on a study of teachers in a professional development program on technology integration. Highlights include capability beliefs; context beliefs; personal agency belief patterns; content validity; and construct and predictive…

The MotivAider[R] is a small electronic device that can be set to vibrate at different times to remind people to manage their behavior. The MotivAider[R] can help keep students focused on a task, reduce "nagging" from a teacher, and eliminate the need for constant reminders to the student to stay engaged. This article includes several examples of…

About two years ago, Ohio's school district, like many other districts nationwide, was beginning to feel the first effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Reading scores at many of Ohio's elementary schools were unacceptably low, and one school in particular--Fairmount Park Elementary School--had been labeled as "in need of…

Learning the wealth of information in metabolic pathways is both challenging and overwhelming for students. A step-by-step guided discovery approach to the learning of the chemical steps in gluconeogenesis and the citric acid cycle is described. This approach starts from concepts the student already knows, develops these further in a logical…

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM; Larson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1983) is a means to investigate the subjective experiences of individuals as they go about their daily lives. Students from 2 Adolescent Psychology courses used the ESM in a required "beeper project." Student research teams investigated a typical week in the life of an adolescent by…

During the last two decades, a shift has emerged in business and government sectors from a focus on training to a focus on performance improvement. This shift to Human Performance Technology (HPT), also called Human Performance Improvement (HPI) or performance technology, emerged in the educational technology literature in the late 1970s and early…

As a result of the growth of virtual schools across the United States, K-12 school courses and diplomas are increasingly offered, either completely or partly, at a distance. In light of this increase, it is apparent that there will be demand for teachers who are prepared to teach from a distance and a complementary need for local counselors. The…

The aim of this paper is to offer a view of the primary school as an institution with structural properties comparable to institutions in general. Five studies will provide the basis from which such a view is developed, those by Sorokin, (1938), Perrow, (1965), Schon (1970), Taylor, "et al" (1974) and Collins and Porras, (1998). The…

Australian schools are expected to integrate various uses of digital technology across all subject areas. In many schools the effectiveness of this has been questionable with little application to the development of student's creativity. This paper reports on a pilot study investigating children's creativity during computer-based activities.…

Many varieties of data acquisition systems are now available for science classrooms. Most systems consist of a range of sensors--typically called probeware--connected to an interface unit usually described as a datalogger due to its capacity to record data from these sensors. Although some systems operate independently, most units connect to a…

Probeware is increasingly being implemented in science classrooms because it is less expensive than it used to be and improvements in hardware and software have made it more accessible to students and teachers. Many probes or sensors can now simply be connected to a computer, calculator, or other handheld device, and will immediately begin to…