In the world of teaching with technology, there are constant challenges. Often that leads to tension between the teachers who are using technology in the classroom and the IT techs who are charged with installing and setting up new computers, ordering new equipment, making sure software programs are up to date, and securing the system. IT techs…

Design thinking is about using design to improve the human experience. It combines collaboration, systems thinking, and a balance of creative and analytical habits. It also fuels what the students want for themselves: making an impact on the real world in real time and having adults take their passions seriously. The process essentially comes down…

In 1999, Richard Lee Colvin published an article in "The School Administrator" titled "Math Wars: Tradition vs. Real-World Applications" that described the pendulum swing of mathematics education reform. On one side are those who advocate for computational fluency, with a step-by-step emphasis on numbers and skills and the…

Presents a model based on a bicycle metaphor for teaching problem solving and computer-mediated solutions, discusses its implications for education, and lists ten strategies applied using the model. Provides a unit plan on using spreadsheets to explore Australian convict history, outlining establishment, development, interpretation, and…

Describes a teacher networking project using My Make-Believe Castle, an adventure program developing problem solving skills, that involved 100 elementary teachers around the country and demonstrated the utility of listservs. Discusses teacher observations of problem solving, peer teaching, one-computer classrooms, and deeper learning. (PEN)

Highlights research findings regarding technology's effects on student learning as determined by the Center for Applied Research in Education Technology (CARET). Topics include achievement in content area learning; higher-order thinking and problem-solving skill development; workforce preparation; and using technology in conjunction with…

Presents seven activity structures for Internet-based problem solving projects to aid teachers in designing effective educational telecomputing experiences that can be curriculum-based and adapted to learning needs and preferences of students. These projects include information searches; electronic process writing; sequential creations; parallel…

Discusses the use of problem-based learning to meet technology standards. Highlights include technology as a tool for locating and organizing information; the Wolf Wars problem for elementary and secondary school students that provides resources, including Web sites, for information; Web-based problems; and technology as assessment and as a…

Discusses telecollaboration (working with others at a distance) or teleresearch (finding and using information from distantly located data sources - most commonly online). Suggests guides to help teachers design activities incorporating online research for K-12: to practice information-seeking skills, answer questions, review multiple perspectives…