Technology alone will not improve educational quality, but when integrated with curriculum and instruction, it is a powerful tool. This digest reviews how educators can evaluate technology-based curriculum materials for use in classrooms. Authenticity is key to evaluating technology-based curriculum materials. To promote authenticity, learning…

The adoption and use of new interactive technologies in Distance Education, especially Tele-learning is a growing tendency in the most advanced countries. Nowadays, this tendency is so strong that being interactive is seen as a necessary pre-condition. Some reasons for this are a the growing perceived value of group-working; the popularization of…

This research project outlines the role of art education as a part of the professional identity of people working in different fields of art and education and explains the relationship between the productive and receptive dimensions of art education. Also, the project presents a theory on the relation between visual and verbal conceptualization.…

This study identified instructional strategies that family and consumer science teacher candidates found useful, noting why the strategies aided their learning. A 2-hour lesson on classroom management using small group theory was selected based on its ties to constructivist pedagogy. Before teaching the lesson, the instructor described her…

This paper reports on an investigation examining science classrooms in Korea from two perspectives: constructivism and student-teacher interaction patterns. The constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) and the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) were used to obtain comprehensive information on science classroom environments. The…

To many educators, Web-based training (WBT) is the constructivist ideal--learners can construct meaning through self-directed inquiry, guided activity, and group collaboration on the information highway, the digital library, cyberspace, or the global village. Although research on the effectiveness of WBT as a vehicle for constructivist learning is…

Problem-based learning and teaching with case studies are instructional approaches that are increasingly being applied in a variety of disciplines, such as business, law, medicine, and education. Although there are texts available that offer examples of what works and what to avoid when teaching with cases, instructors exposed to traditional…

This multiple-case study describes how three constructivist high school teachers attained their knowledge and skills and how the knowledge and skills translate into classroom applications in the high school setting. Ongoing interviews and observations were conducted over 1 year with selected participants, and documents provided by each…

To establish standards of quality in online courses developed through the University of Hawaii's Asynchronous Learning project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a preliminary study of courses from various disciplines was conducted. The aim of the study was to identify teaching activities that contributed to the creation of a high quality…

This issue of "TAP into Learning" focuses on technology-assisted learning activities for students, in particular on those that use spreadsheets. Articles include: "Using What Learners Know"; "Activity: Grade 7 and 8 Math, Social Studies and Language Arts"; "Managing Growth: Collaborative Decision-Making in Urban Planning"; "Spreadsheets"; "Getting…

This study focuses on the integration of technology into middle school science classrooms. It concerns building interest among students in science and technology and understanding the impacts of technology in student learning. Three questions are posed: (1) How does using the Internet influence student performance in science? (2) How does using…

The theoretical frameworks that have guided a researcher's focus on interest, the curricular and pedagogical implications of this research, and the possibilities for future research are described. The research project in question focuses on the effects of interest and importance on attention and learning of test material through a cognitive…

The primary objective of this research was to examine the relationship between student achievement in mathematics and pedagogical approach used by middle school mathematics teachers in the United States who participated in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. In this research, student achievement was explored at the item, rather…

The Teacher Professional Development Institute employs Internet technology to support distributed professional learning communities. The Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will soon employ a similar model in its program. Work and learning within STEP evolves around instructional design teams…

Collaborative, participatory, and empowerment research (D. Fetterman and others, 1996) presents particular challenges and special rewards for evaluators working with children. This paper describes some of what one evaluator learned from the process of designing and using in data collection and analysis a structured interview for children (ages…