How can children lead productive and satisfying lives in the 21st century if school teachers are having them use technology from the 20th century? The hallmark of the 21st century global workplace is the computer. According to a recent Pew Internet and American Life Project study, "The Digital Disconnect: The Widening Gap between…

While appropriate as an initial focus, it is time that the educational community move beyond an emphasis on 1:1 computing (each child having his/her own personal computer) to a vision of a handheld-centric classroom, where each child not only has his/her own personal, handheld computer, but also has access to networked PCs, probeware, digital…

The notion of scaffolding learners to help them succeed in solving problems otherwise too difficult for them is an important idea that has extended into the design of scaffolded software tools for learners. However, although there is a growing body of work on scaffolded tools, scaffold design, and the impact of scaffolding, the field has not yet…

This article proposes three guidelines for mobile technology design that address the needs and goals of teachers who are considered mainstream with regard to technology use. Devices should be easy to learn and use, focused on the curriculum, and instruction-friendly. Only if the three guidelines are followed by hardware and software developers…

Describes the development of Model-It, a ScienceWare software tool developed by the University of Michigan in collaboration with high school science teachers to support learners in building qualitative models and then move to more quantitative models. Highlights include modeling versus simulation and assessing the impact of Model-It. (LRW)

In a traditional science classroom, only a portion of students walk away with a genuine understanding of the material, and even fewer are able to apply the concepts they have learned to events in their own lives. Foundations of Science (FOS) was developed in a cooperative effort between the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor public schools…