Pedagogical agents, characters that guide through multimedia learning environments, recently gained increasing interest. A review was published by Clarebout, Elen, Johnson and Shaw in 2002 where a lot of promises were made, but research on the motivational and learning effects of pedagogical agents was scarce. More than 70 articles on pedagogical…

Describes a project that tested two computer-assisted language lessons, one designed to emulate drill and practice, and the other to utilize concepts of clarifying educational environments, microworlds, games, and autotelic environments. The project suggests that allowing students control over their learning and some choice in procedures enhances…

Investigates the use of female students as peer experts in a workshop introducing an interactive, computer-based learning environment called LEGO/Logo, in which students build computer-controllable machines. Participants were 85 sixth-grade students. Findings indicate that students were successful in building a wide range of machines and that peer…

Describes the design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of three synchronous distributed learning prototype systems: Co-Working System, Working Along System, and Hybrid System. Each supports a particular style of interaction, referred to a socio-activity learning model, between members of student dyads (pairs). All systems were…

Microcomputers have the potential to alter the entire learning environment and change the nature of education, but the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) methods developed when computers were less readily available can endanger or retard the change. Designed to increase the efficiency of the teaching of course content, CAI makes no attempt…

Examined is the cultural impact--both actual and potential--of the computer on children's mathematical education. The ways in which the introduction of the computer does and will change the ambient space in which children learn mathematics is considered. (Author/PK)

The Virtual Workshop is a World Wide Web-based set of modules on high performance computing developed at the Cornell Theory Center (CTC) (New York). This approach reaches a large audience, leverages staff effort, and poses challenges for developing interesting presentation techniques. This paper describes the following techniques with their…

Focusing on the diversity of the uses of technology in education and the institutions which apply them, this book presents 13 articles describing technological transformations in teaching at two-year colleges throughout the United States. The book contains: (1) "Tradition and Technology at Amarillo College: People Make the Difference," by Diana…

The overall focus of this booklet is on planning for change that allows for integration of computers into articulated learning environments that will enhance the learning goal of students. The first chapter presents four major themes to increase the likelihood of combining computers and individualized instruction in schools: (1) a revitalized form…

Influenced by generative and intentional learning environment strategies and tools, a World Wide Web-based tool has been developed to empower learners to build their own Web-based Performance Support System (WPSS) to support learning, professional development, and performance within a domain. Enabling learners to develop their own WPSS…