This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. Many innovations with computer software begin with analysis of how humans do a task. This article takes a look at how humans recognize spoken words and explains the origins of speech-recognition software.

This paper addresses the use of Excel tables to convey information to blind students that would otherwise be presented using graphical tools, such as Data Flow Diagrams. These tables can supplement diagrams in the classroom when introducing their use to understand the scope of a system and its main sub-processes, on exams when answering questions…

Technological advances continue to reshape the skill sets necessary for students to succeed both in the classroom and in the workforce. The ability to communicate information verbally and graphically can be viewed as a necessary skill that should be developed in a secondary technology education curriculum (Silva, 2008). This article outlines a…

It is common for both algebra and calculus instructors to use power functions of various degrees as well as exponential functions to examine and compare rates of growth. This can be done on a chalkboard, with a graphing calculator, or with a spreadsheet. Instructors often are careful to connect the symbolic and graphical (and occasionally the…

Current technologies incorporating sophisticated mathematical analysis software (calculation, graphing, dynamic geometry, tables, and more) provide easy access to multiple representations of mathematical problems. Realising the affordances of such technology for students' learning requires carefully designed lessons. This paper reports on design…

In this work is proposed that an adaptation tool that is for the automatic generation and personalization of courses of a general-purpose LCMS that is named A Tutor. A Tutor is a Learning Content Management System. The architecture of the adaptation tool that allows a personalized sequencing of LOs in A Tutor for the learner's learning goals,…

Despite a growing development of virtual laboratories which use the advantages of multimedia and Internet for distance education, learning by means of such tutorial tools would be more effective if they were specifically tailored to each student needs. The virtual teaching process would be well adapted if an artificial tutor can identify the…

This paper gives an overview of the Inspiration Software, a package that is designed to facilitate the construction and use of concept maps in the classroom. The first section discusses concept mapping, defined as any graphic production that is constructed specifically to represent knowledge. The following basic functions of Inspiration are then…

Compares the knowledge content of GTE (Generic Tutoring Environment), a generic instructional knowledge base that facilitates dynamic pedagogical decision making, and PEPE, a computational framework for representing pedagogical knowledge to tailor instruction to an individual student. The courseware's interaction with the student and instructional…

Considers claims regarding GTE (Generic Tutoring Environment) and describes how instructional strategies are represented in Eon, an authoring tool for intelligent tutoring systems. Highlights include comparisons of GTE with other formalisms; intended audiences; representing instructional expertise; tradeoffs between generality and inferencing…

Provides brief history of Structural Communication (SC) methodology and discusses its use for teaching eighth-grade literature. Examines strengths and weaknesses of SC in print and hypermedia formats, and discusses the computer-based implementation of this participatory method of instruction. (JKP)

The ultimate aim of this research is to specify and implement a general authoring framework for content and knowledge engineering for Intelligent Educational Systems (IES). In this context we attempt to develop an authoring tool supporting this framework that is powerful in its functionality, generic in its support of instructional strategies and…