Teaching, Learning & Technology
As the World Spins, Technology Spins Faster: A Global Long-Distance Education Program
In 2000, the educational leadership program of a major private U.S. university developed the Office of International Programs, designed to serve international educators and administrators in leadership positions. The student population grew from 10 students from nine countries in 2000 to 250 students from 63 countries in 2008. In the beginning, courses were delivered via asynchronous methods then later on, synchronous methods were integrated. Interviews were conducted in 2003 and follow-up online and paper-and-pencil surveys were administered in 2006 and 2008 respectively to examine students’ perceptions about international long distance learning, and the impact of the technologies used on their learning. › Continue reading
Using GIS in the Classroom to Investigate Energy
The National Educational Technology Standards for Students called for a classroom that is student-centered, with collaborative work in a multisensory, multimedia-based information exchange, where active inquiry-based learning and critical thinking are fundamental (International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2000).
The purpose of this session is to illustrate how a Geographic Information System (GIS) can be incorporated into the classroom to support science and geographic inquiry and promote spatial thinking skills. According to the National Research Council (2006), spatial thinking is the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to use concepts of space, tools of representation, and processes of reasoning in order to structure problems, find answers, and express solutions to those problems. › Continue reading
Design Strategies for Enhancing Social Connectedness in Online Learning: An Instructor’s Guide to “E-mmediacy”
Despite the unprecedented growth and availability of Web-based instruction and the great promise of any time/any place learning, it appears that higher than average attrition rates remain an issue for online learning (King, 2002). Students in online courses report missing the interpersonal interactions they more typically have with each other and with their instructors in face-to-face courses (Reisetter & Boris, 2004). Similarly, instructors report feeling out of touch with their students (Willis & Dickinson, 1997). Zielinski (2000) contended that this disconnectedness is directly related to the lack of immediate feedback and social cues that are so prevalent among classroom-group members in traditional courses. › Continue reading
Do Wireless Laptops Invite Instructional Change? A Multi-Case Study of High School Teachers One-to-One Computing Implementations
As a part of a state grant, researchers conducted this year-long evaluation case study of an urban school district’s laptop initiative during the 2006-2007 academic year. The laptops were implemented in 9th grade English Language Arts, Math, and Special Education Department classes. Comprised of three data collection points, this study triangulated observation, survey, and interview data gathered from various sources: principals, assistant principals, department chairs, teachers, and students. › Continue reading