The impact of spatial visualization ability on student outcomes in a freshman-level, 3D modeling class is explored by analyzing connections between students' spatial ability pre- and post-test scores, course grades, and self-reported difficulty of an assignment. Analysis of the results indicate that spatial visualization ability, as measured by…

GeoGebra is a mathematics software system that can serve as a tool for inquiry-based learning. This paper deals with the application of a fraction comparison software, which is constructed by GeoGebra, for use in a dynamic mathematics environment. The corresponding teaching and learning issues have also been discussed.

This article develops a framework for self-regulated digital learning, which supports for self-regulated learning (SRL) in e-learning systems. The framework emphasizes 8 features: learning plan, records/e-portfolio and sharing, evaluation, human feedback, machine feedback, visualization of goals/procedures/concepts, scaffolding, and agents. Each…

In this study, we have synthesized the research on visualization and representation to propose a model consisting of 4 major components of visualization competence in learning science: constructing, interpreting, transforming, and critiquing visualizations. We have developed and validated an assessment that measures students' visualization…

Thirty 6-year-olds from two public schools located in a small provincial town in Greece were used as a sample in an explorative study into the mental models young children hold concerning forest destruction and waste. The study also explored how these mental models might be interrelated either within each issue or between issues. The analysis of…

The use of technologies in and outside classrooms has attracted young adolescents who must be prepared to embrace the opportunities and face new challenges in the 21st century. Educational systems across the US continue to gravitate toward new technologies such as digital cameras, interactive-boards, and software that have been shown to enhance…

The purpose of the study was to explore the use of Visual Thinking Strategies as it applied to mathematics instruction for teachers in a small, urban elementary school containing grades 1-6 in a large Midwestern metropolis. This study was implemented to address the problem of low math scores in urban schools that have students with low…

This study is part of a larger project exploring students' thinking of Dynamic Measurement (DYME), an approach to area measurement that engages students in dynamic digital experiences of measuring rectangular surfaces through sweeping lengths. The goal of this study was to evaluate the extent to which students could bridge the mathematical…

Algorithms are hard to understand for novice computer science students because they dynamically modify values of elements of abstract data structures. Animations can help to understand algorithms, since they connect abstract concepts to real life objects and situations. In the past 30-35 years, there have been conducted many experiments in the…

Species TOPOS is a free software package for generating three-dimensional (3-D) topographic surfaces ("topos") for acid-base equilibrium studies. This upgrade adds 3-D species distribution topos to earlier surfaces that showed pH and buffer capacity behavior during titration and dilution procedures. It constructs topos by plotting…

"The use of e-learning and modern technologies is an integral part of teaching descriptive geometry" (Rankowski and Minaruth, 1979). Teachers often create Flash animations, websites and other interactive materials for their students using special tools and software; e.g. Cabri, GeoGebra or Construct 3D (García et al, 2007). There is an…

This paper proposes a model-based notion of "submicro representations of chemical reactions". Based on three structural models of matter (the simple particle model, the atomic model and the free electron model of metals), we suggest there are two major models of reaction in school chemistry curricula: (a) reactions that are simple…

Students in secondary social studies examine descriptions of historical events and rhetoric by politicians that utilize the word and concept of evil. The label of evil can evoke specific images, feelings, and thoughts; oversimplify historical and contemporary situations; and decrease students' sense of agency. This phenomenographical study…

Algodoo (http://www.algodoo.com) is a digital sandbox for physics 2D simulations. It allows students and teachers to easily create simulated "scenes" and explore physics through a user-friendly and visually attractive interface. In this paper, we present different ways in which students and teachers can use Algodoo to visualize and solve…

Science can be a difficult subject for EAL (English as an Additional Language) learners to master, mainly because of the prominent role that language plays in the acquisition of scientific concepts. Language is essential to science because it is the means by which we envisage and communicate new ideas. Teaching this new language to pupils involves…