Makerspaces are the latest educational movement that may disrupt the "grammar of schooling." Makerspaces may change the ways schools use technology; change the ways schools engage in learning and teaching; and change the forms of learning that count in schools. However, without deliberate professional learning and planning, the glamor of…

The Language Resource Centers (LRC) program provides grants to institutions of higher education to establish, strengthen, and operate resource centers that serve to improve the nation's capacity to teach and learn foreign languages. Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education. Duration of the grant is four years. Center activities…

Discusses the use of annotated examples by performance technologists as an instructional aid or as a performance aid to focus a learner's attention on the most important characteristics of a written product. Four annotated examples are presented and explained, and steps to create annotated example are described. (three references) (LRW)

Results-based management (RBM) is an approach to programme planning and management that integrates strategy, people, resources, processes and measurements to improve decision-making, transparency and accountability. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) began the adoption of a RBM model with its 2003-2006 Three-Year Plan. This led to a significantly…

Discusses characteristics of well-structured content as it relates to the design of instructional technology resources. Topics include online course design; online learning; principles of designing for learning; multimedia learning resources; knowledge structures; digital learning resources; and differences in digital content. (LRW)

Explains courseware abstraction as a method of creating generalized computer assisted learning (CAL) lessons that can then be applied to provide as many concrete examples as desired. Topics discussed include generative CAL; cost efficiency; lesson verification; student evaluation; and factually exhaustive lessons. (nine references) (LRW)

Reviews research on how geographic maps influence the recall of associated text and describes a theoretical model of map-text learning based on dual-coding theory and working memory operations. Instructional implications are explained, and recommendations for instructional applications are given. (Contains 84 references.) (LRW)

Discusses what it is about home learning that creates a need for study skills improvement and the study skills required for successful home learning (information processing and personal skills, and support strategies). The role and responsibilities of educational technologists in helping learners to acquire effective study skills are considered.…

Describes a CD-ROM written by faculty in an Australian university that is based on principles of a constructivist theory of learning. Examines three examples of appropriate interactivity to indicate the variety, relevance, pedagogical principles, and interest that can be generated to enhance student learning by using multimedia. (Author/LRW)

This report is intended to provide publishers and product developers with a summary of background information about strategy instruction for disabled learners. It also offers suggestions for how media and materials could be produced and designed to facilitate the teaching and learning of strategies. The first section looks at cognitive and…

To help students grasp the intimate connections that exist between mathematics and its applications in other disciplines a library of interactive learning modules was developed. This library covers the mathematical areas normally studied by undergraduate students and is used in science courses at all levels. Moreover, the library is designed not…

Reviews color research and considers its implications for the design of instructional materials. Topics include physiological and psychological effects; color and learning, including attention, search tasks, retention and other objective measures, and non-objective measures; color and the cathode ray tube (CRT); and further research needs.…

Discussion of the design and development of multimedia learning materials to foster sound pedagogy focuses on a set of 10 principles that reflect current beliefs about the processes and contexts of optimal learning, especially within multimedia environments. Highlights include motivation, prior knowledge, learner control, critical literacy, and…

Presents several reasons delineating the need for teacher workshops directly applicable to foreign language teaching. Provides a detailed description of a two-week workshop, including the workshop activities, the problems encountered, the results expected, and the actual results. (Author/SED)

This paper reviews some of the key issues of what should be the cornerstone of a project-based learning approach with information and communication technology (ICT) and net-based multimedia learning resources. It refers to the LAVA Learning project where pedagogic, learning resources and computer-based tools have been developed to support a…