While much has been written about how to implement digital tools for learning and play in early childhood education and care, using a sociomaterial perspective this article seeks to explore what types of activities can be the outcome of appropriating different digital tools, and who or what defines these activities. Employing a sociomaterial…

Technology in the classroom is seen as being impactful on student performance. Purchasing and maintaining classroom technology often represents a challenge for districts facing budgetary shortcomings. Selecting and implementing appropriate technology is important to a district both in terms of its impact on students and the district's bottom line.…

This paper explores teaching and learning applications at the intersection between Universal Design for Learning, Assistive Technology, and mainstream educational technology. Informed by the SETT framework in which the technology choice is informed by student, environment, and task (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2017; Zabala, 2005), this paper is…

On the basis of her experience with buying new curricular materials--specifically, for reading instruction and intervention--the author shares valuable lessons about how to make the most of such purchases. A program can be beneficial for some students but detrimental for others; programs should be presented to employees as tools to critique and…

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…

This paper examines the usage of institutional and non-institutional technologies to support learning and teaching in UK higher education. Previous work on disruptive technology and disruptive innovation has argued that users prefer simple and convenient technologies, and often repurpose technologies from designers' intentions; this paper…

Despite much fanfare, new technologies have yet to fundamentally advance student outcomes in K-12 schools or other educational settings. We believe that the system that supports the development and dissemination of educational technology tools is falling short. The key missing ingredient is rigorous evaluation. No one knows what works and for…

The University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) was founded more than six decades ago to build a knowledge base of research and effective practice for the field of educational leadership. UCEA is a collective of approximately 100 top research institutions with programs in educational leadership and policy and is the leading…

Technology can enhance teachers' practice in multiple ways. It can help them better understand patterns in their students' thinking, manage class progress at individual and group levels, and obtain evidence to inform modifications to curriculum and instruction. Such technology is most effective when it is aligned with teachers' goals and…

Collaborative learning provides students with vital opportunities to create and build knowledge. Existing technologies can facilitate collaborative learning. However, barriers exist to enacting collaborative practices related to the coverage of material for assessments and classroom management concerns, among others. Teachers can overcome these…

Despite the fact that digital technologies are more and more used in the learning and education process, there is still lack of professional evaluation tools capable of assessing the quality of used digital teaching aids in a comprehensive and objective manner. Construction of the Comprehensive Evaluation of Electronic Learning Tools and…

Joseph South, an educational researcher, technology consultant, and former director of the U.S. Office of Educational Technology participated in a research initiative on Educational Technology Efficacy Research organized by the Jefferson Education Accelerator, Digital Promise, and the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. The…

The purpose of this research is to identify the students' perceptions of social media use in a classroom setting. Knowing students' perceptions of social media can help the instructor build a course that both student and teacher can find effective. Using focus groups this study found a model to determine if social media is an appropriate or…

This paper describes the process of conceptualizing and implementing a one-to-one technology initiative at a regional comprehensive university. Organized around the principle that sustainable change requires attention to clear, justifiable goals, attention to key decisions, the development of stakeholder investment, adequate training, building…

The annual "EDUCAUSE" top-ten IT issues in higher education receives a great deal of interest and attention. IT and higher education leaders use it to calibrate their IT-related activities and inform their strategic planning. This year "EDUCAUSE" is introducing a complementary list: the top-ten strategic technologies in higher…