In this technological age, digital devices are conspicuous examples of extraordinary complexity. When a user clicks on computer icons or presses calculator buttons, these devices channel electricity through a complex system of decision-making circuits. Yet, in spite of this remarkable complexity, the hearts of these devices are components that…

Using Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012, an international education database, this study analyzed the evaluations of computer use for academic learning by 15-year-old students from seven Edu-systems (unit in PISA) in Eastern Asia. Six variables were identified in association with students' evaluations of computer use…

To get a better understanding of how networked technologies are impacting teachers and their teaching practices, in 2015 MediaSmarts partnered with the Canadian Teachers' Federation to survey 4,043 K-12 teachers and school administrators who were teaching in classroom settings across the country. The survey explored the extent to which networked…

Readily available software designed for the production of music can be adapted easily to the physics classroom. Programs such as Apple's GarageBand access large libraries of recorded sound waves that can be heard and displayed both before and after alterations. Tools such as real-time spectral analysers, digital effects, and audio file editors…

We consider how changing attitudes to computer use may alter the habits of students in the use of location and times of the day. We discover for one community the extent to which they absent themselves from the physical university and see some trends. We suggest that this is a deep change of habit, influenced by the "digital generation",…

Since the formation of atomic bonds is active, the authors sought a way of learning through drama or kinetic activity. To achieve this goal, they developed an activity called Romance of the Atoms. The activity requires students to use computer-animation technology to develop short cartoons that explain atomic classification and bonds. This…

Students can be seen throughout any campus in America carrying their cell phones, laptop computers, and iPhones. I've seen a tremendous increase in the student use of laptop computers during lectures and students often ask for electronic copies of lectures rather than printed versions. In an attempt to adapt to my students' increasingly…

Extending the usefulness of the instruments we have has never been more important. The current economic crisis has prompted all of us to re-examine how money is spent and to try to minimize our expenditures because of future uncertainties. We have been able to breathe new life into an aging 60 MHz NMR spectrometer used by hundreds of…

DataToText is a project developed where the user communicates the relevant information for an analysis and DataToText computer routine produces text output that describes in words, tables, and figures the results from the analyses. Two extended examples are given, one an example of a moderator analysis and the other an example of a dyadic data…

This article discusses the benefits of screencasts and its instructional uses. Well-known for some years to advanced technology users, Screen Capture Software (SCS) offers the promise of recording action on the computer desktop together with voiceover narration, all combined into a single movie file that can be shared, emailed, or uploaded.…

Tablet (or slate) computers are a group of small portable computers that have two features in common, a touch screen and wireless connectivity to the web. At the 2010 Consumer Electronics show held in January in Las Vegas, this category of product caused the greatest interest ahead of the release of the Apple iPad (www.cesweb.org). The tablet PC…

Teachers in adult and community learning (ACL) are making increasing use of technology in their work, while the overwhelming majority of providers are devising strategies for the implementation and monitoring of e-learning and technology. These are two of the findings of a survey, commissioned by Becta, the government agency promoting the use of…

Keeping up with the latest technology has never been easy, and in these times of budget tightening, it can be tough to find a good deal. Many schools have taken a long, hard look at their technology infrastructure and found it no longer meets the needs of today's digital classroom. Multimedia learning resources are now part of school districts'…

When working with e-teaching materials we often find that the authors of resources, meant for the use of teachers in the teaching process, do not use the opportunities offered by the new technologies. All too often the materials are a monolithic block (or at least their main part is), constructed the way an ordinary book or workbook would be. This…

Like any other modern, forward-looking and technologically advanced nation, Taiwan has realised the current and future importance of electronic learning--now commonly referred to as "e-learning". Bearing this in mind, some years ago, the Taiwanese government introduced a number of initiatives that were intended to promote the development…