What would it take for instructional design to qualify as a bona fide applied discipline? First and foremost, a fundamental requirement is a testable and tested theoretical base. Untested rationales until verified remain in limbo. Secondly, the discipline's applied prescriptions must be demonstrably traceable to the theoretical base once it is…

Using social media can create a rich learning environment that crosses all content areas. The key to creating this environment is for instructors and designers to match appropriate social media software with the intended learning outcome. This article describes an instructional design strategy that helps educators create learning activities that…

With the spread of adaptive technologies that customize the user experience in response to individual users, it is not surprising that such experiences are increasingly found in educational settings or in tools to facilitate learning. The National Academy of Education commissioned a background paper and held two meetings of scholars, policy…

The changing demands of the 21st century--and the students growing up in it--are generating fundamental challenges to historical assumptions about what education looks like. The challenge today is to provide a deeper level of personalized learning to each and every student so that all can achieve mastery of the Common Core standards and other…

Early childhood teacher education methods classes often emphasize the application of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). In today's digital age, it is important for teacher educators and their students to think about how to extend DAP to technology use. In this article, two contrasting classroom scenarios are provided to illustrate…

The present moment in the history of higher education requires setting strategies and specific action plans to guarantee a place in the highly competitive and demanding world scenario. The incorporation of information and communication technologies is one of the feasible paths to be considered, but this requires formulating proposals insuring…

Discussion of the appropriate use of technology for distance education focuses on the need to examine why a delivery system is selected and proposes a method for selecting the medium based on course curricula and the need for motion. Use of the Internet for delivery is also considered. (Author/LRW)

Outlines design issues for developing an asynchronous distance course, including appropriate technology, format, academic rigor, communication and feedback, group identity, and evaluation. The components of a graduate course in psychology at the State University of New York at Cortland, currently being offered using this model are described, and…

Four issues of this newsletter focus primarily on the use of communication technologies in developing nations to educate their people. The issues included in this collection are: (1) No. 60 (1988-1), which features articles on the recent emergence of intercountry networks of collaboration (resulting in the sharing of staff, equipment, and…

Offers faculty a systematic way to implement technology/print combinations relative to distance learners' needs and backgrounds. Categorizes types of learner interactions, and discusses the relevance of the entry-level knowledge of the learner to appropriate technology selection. (AEF)

The way in which teachers use technology in their instruction is often a function of their educational and technological background, their previous teaching experience, and the amount of attention the instructor pays to the goals of the course. The three stages of teaching elicit the following types of questions: (1) survival: "How can I survive…

Professional development has historically been a "one-shot" workshop wherein information barrages the learner in a streaming fashion and little to no information is retained. Even more exasperating is the lack of follow-up support once the workshops have concluded. Due to the desire for technologically appropriate professional development and…