This paper reports on how the concept and technologies of GIS are included in the telecommunications engineering curriculum at the undergraduate level. The course of Fundamentals of GIS is described in detail. The usage of GIS software is necessary part of GIS technology education. In order to evaluate available GIS software, several criteria are…

Software is usually considered enabler for innovation in education. Thus, it is necessary to investigate: What leads to innovation in education and which, therefore, should be considered in the development of educational software? How to support decision-making for choosing software to be used in teaching and learning? How to evaluate software…

This multi-phase dissertation explores how student placement management software can be evaluated, selected, adopted, and diffused within a university setting, considering multiple stakeholders with varying needs and differing levels of decision-making authority. Utilizing a case study design and Roger's Diffusion of Innovation framework (2003),…

This article explores the formal localization of Open Educational Resources (OER) in Ghana, focusing on the remixing of human rights courses for youth and young adults. While working with an NGO that focuses on providing educational resources to low bandwidth areas, partner teachers in Ghana remixed openly-licensed human rights content provided by…

The primary goal of this research was to extend our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in online and offline early literacy software programs designed for young learners. A taxonomy of reading skills was used to contrast online software with offline closed system (compact disc) based programs with respect to number of skills…

Data visualization is the term used to describe the methods and technologies used to allow the exploration and communication of quantitative information graphically. Data visualization is a rapidly growing and evolving discipline, and visualizations are widely used to cover politics. Yet, while popular and scholarly publications widely use…

The increasing ease and ubiquity of video has resulted in a proliferation of video annotation tools used and designed for improving education. While similar, each tool has its relative strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the "right" tool can have an impact on the experience of teachers and the effectiveness of video as a means for improving…

At thousands of schools and universities, years of economic troubles have led to repeated budget cuts. The reductions typically fall disproportionately on maintenance departments, where cuts are viewed as less critical than those that directly affect classroom instruction. And so nearly every facility manager at an education institution faces a…

In October 2012, Microsoft will release the commercial version of its next operating system, presently called "Windows 8." This version represents a significant departure from the past. Microsoft wants this operating system to meet user needs regardless of physical platform (e.g., desktop, notebook, tablet, mobile phone). As part of this mission,…

Instructors are under pressure to integrate technology into their traditional or online instruction, but often they aren't sure what to do or why they should do it. The "Technology Toolbelt for Teaching" offers instructors a down-to-earth guide to common technologies, explains the pedagogical purposes they serve, and shows how they can be used…

Game-based learning harnesses the advantages of computer games technology to create a fun, motivating and interactive virtual learning environment that promotes problem-based experiential learning. Such an approach is advocated by many commentators to provide an enhanced learning experience than those based on traditional didactic methods.…

A switch to free open source software can minimize cost and allow funding to be diverted to equipment and other programs. For instance, the OpenOffice suite is an alternative to expensive basic application programs offered by major vendors. Many such programs on the market offer features seldom used in education but for which educators must pay.…

Digital lecture capture and broadcast solutions have been around for only about 10 years, but are poised for healthy growth. Frost & Sullivan research analysts estimate that the market (which amounts to $25 million currently) will quadruple by 2013. It's still dominated by a few key players, however: Sonic Foundry holds a hefty 40 percent-plus…

Many popular terms such as software description, software review, software evaluation and lastly software usability used by design, development and evaluation experts in the field. However, such terms used interchangeably by researchers and developers are syntactically and semantically different due to their conceptual backgrounds and the…

Shares teacher wisdom stories and advice about how to effectively use classroom computers for literacy instruction. Notes that student access to Internet-connected computers improved from 20 students per computer in 1998 to 5.6 students per computer in 2002. Discusses Internet use and software selection. (SG)