Research shows that technology makes a difference in student motivation, engagement, and active learning. It also helps students develop critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Providing each student with his or her own computing device such as a Palm handheld computer and appropriate software can have a great impact. This…

Monte Carlo methodologies are frequently applied to study the sampling distribution of the estimated proficiency level in adaptive testing. These methods eliminate real situational constraints. However, these Monte Carlo methodologies are not currently supported by the available software programs, and when these programs are available, their…

When the topic of cell division is introduced in the classroom, students can showcase their interpretations of the stages of mitosis by creating a slide show illustrating prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase (see samples in Figure 1). With the help of a computer, they can create a model of mitosis that will help them distinguish the…

In 1990, a group of geologists discovered a large number of shatter cones in southwestern Montana. Shatter cones are a type of metamorphosed rock often found in impact structures (the remains of a crater after a meteor impact and years of Earth activity). Scientists have discovered only 168 impact craters around the world. If rocks could talk,…

This article is a short introduction on how to use Modellus (a computer package that is freely available on the Internet and used in the IOP "Advancing Physics" course) to build physics games using Newton's laws, expressed as differential equations. Solving systems of differential equations is beyond most secondary-school or first-year college…

In this article Harvey Quamen examines how the philosophy of open source software might be of particular benefit to humanities scholars in the near future--particularly for academic journals with limited financial resources. To this end he provides a case study in which he describes his use of open source technology (MySQL database software and…

This paper outlines the design and development process of an online annotation system and how it is applied to the sphere of collaborative online learning. The architecture and design of the annotation system, illustrated in this paper, have been developed to enrich collaborative learning content through adding a layer of information in online…

The modern world is undergoing a fundamental transformation characterized by a lot of challenges, dynamism, globalization, and the increasing influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). These new technologies have implications for all aspects of the society and economy; they are changing the way of doing business, the way of…

Excel assignments were used as extra credit in an intermediate algebra course. Ninety percent of the students had a home computer and seventy per cent were familiar with Excel. There was not a significant linear correlation between the amount of Excel that the students performed and their achievement in algebra. One-third of the students did less…

The motion of a magnet through a coil is analysed through a model of magnetic monopoles. The magnetic flux of a monopole passing through a loop is explained and also its rate of change. By a superposition of voltages produced by the monopoles on the coils the shape of the voltage versus time graph is explained. Also examined is the interaction of…

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of cognitive organizers using Inspiration 6 software to improve and enhance content-area learning in social studies for students with mild disabilities. Using a one-group, pre-posttest design, ten students with mild disabilities received instruction with the integration of technology-based…

Newsletters are an important resource or form of media. They offer a cost-effective way to keep people informed, as well as to promote events and programs. Production of a newsletter makes an excellent project, relevant to real-world communication, for technology students. This article presents an activity on how to create a short newsletter. The…

Many school administrators protect their investments in new roofing systems by paying extra for an extended roof warranty. These warranties can be a valuable asset because they usually provide more coverage and reduce the school administrator's risk of having to pay for extensive roof repairs or replacements. Unfortunately, once an extended…

The topic of this month's department is writing macros in Excel. The examples given are of use to teachers who maintain their grade books in Excel, and show, for example, how to drop the lowest or choose the highest scores from a student's record. The Surfing Note cites a collection of online tools and resources for professional development…

Valuable strategies and guidelines for preparing research reports and scholarly manuscripts for publication in refereed journals are presented with the primary aim of helping prospective authors gain acceptance of their manuscripts for publication. The discussion addresses issues such as developing the research idea or problem from a…