Examines the cognition of five pairs of high school students over time as they built quantitative ecological models using STELLA software. Applies theories of the multifaceted nature of cognition to describe object-level, metalevel, and emotional dimensions of cognitive performance that help explain the observed differences among students'…

Introduces the Delaware Technology Innovation Challenge (DTIC) project which aims to increase parent involvement, generate more time for learning, and improve student achievement. Investigates whether evaluation findings of the project are reflective of the program's implementation or rather reveal a limitation of the technology. (Contains 20…

This article discusses the change in the notion of scaffolding from a description of the interactions between a tutor and a student to the design of tools to support student learning in project-based and design-based classrooms. The notion of scaffolding is now increasingly being used to describe various forms of support provided by software…

The cost of supporting information technology in colleges and universities is high and promises to rise substantially in the next few years. Technical expertise, especially among smaller institutions, is not only scarce but exceedingly vulnerable to upsurges in the IT job market. If ever there was a time to explore the benefits of…

This article offers a critique of knowledge management. The critique is empirically based on the case study of a Danish software production company's (A-Soft) knowledge management strategy of implementing an information technology (IT) tool known as 'knowledge centre' (KC). The article argues: (1) the discourses on knowledge and learning informing…

The paper discusses three aspects central to the 10 year-old process of design, development and use of E-slate, a construction kit for educational software. These are: (1) the design of computational media for user empowerment, (2) the socially-grounded approach to the building of user communities and (3) the issue of long-term sustainability as…

After the first observation of life under the microscope, it took two centuries of research before the "cell theory" was established. Luckily, today's teachers can take advantage of computer technology and speed up the discovery process in their classrooms. This article describes how computer-based instructional programs can be used to engage…

School tech services may use firewall filters to protect computer users from computer virus programs that spread as e-mail attachments, hidden in programs downloaded from Web sites, and as macros in word processing and other documents. Backups, the copy of self-created documents and grade book data should be stored in online storage space or DVD…

Student achievement in web-based learning tools is assessed by using in-class examination, pretests, and posttests. The study reveals that using mastering chemistry web software in large-scale instruction provides an overall benefit to introductory chemistry students.

The different tools that are helpful during the Synthesis stage, their role in boosting students abilities in Synthesis and the way in which it can be customized to meet the needs of each group of students are discussed. Big6 TurboTools offers several tools to help complete the task. In Synthesis stage, these same tools along with Turbo Report and…

The five educator concerns regarding cyberspace curricula identified on the Internet are teacher training, resources, attitudes. software, and reproduction rights. Several web sites are discussed that list training opportunities. Other web sites offer educators interactive multimedia materials. Self-training can be accomplished with web sites that…

Macromedia Flash is a powerful and robust development tool. Because of its graphical, sound, and animation capabilities (and ubiquitous browser plug-in), major companies employ it in their website development (see www.nike.com or www.espn.com). These same features also make Flash a valuable environment for building multi-representational "movies"…

In this paper are presented the views of Al Haytham and his predecessors on the shadows, the rectilinear propagation of rays and the images produced by pinholes. Al Haytham had given erroneous views on the distribution of light in the shadows. Educational applications of these are presented. These applications concern: (a) Simple experiments (b)…

Building and launching model rockets makes a great activity for a technology education class. A model rocket curriculum provides a valuable tool for improving students' technical skills that includes, but is not limited to, following technical instructions and procedures while learning about aerospace technology. This article describes a way that…

WordArt is a wizard feature in MS Word that changes text into a graphic object. It is located in the MS Word menu bar: Insert, Picture, WordArt. Text can be edited to create a multitude of special effects--all with very little, if any, graphic arts training. WordArt is perfect for word processing writing, allowing even primary students to create…