Presents Pedro Hernandez-Ramos's thoughts on Educom's Instructional Management Systems (IMS), a global coalition of organizations working together to create standards for software development in distributed learning. Focuses on the organization's relevance to community colleges, the benefits of participation, why IMS is a global effort, and how…

Illustrates the importance of helping students explore and discover topics in geometry and shows how students who use Geometer's Sketchpad, a powerful computer drawing program, develop a better understanding of geometry. Describes several activities that use the technology to help students discover a wide range of geometric relationships. (AEF)

Interface and instructional design guides almost completely ignore sound, and research suggests many promising instructional uses remain largely unexplored. Examines information processing and communication theoretical foundations for sound's systematic use in the instructional communication system and proposes a framework for a program of…

Attempts to develop a global discussion about the roles of dynamic geometry systems (DGS) by addressing four points: (1) the variety of possible contexts for proof in a DGS; (2) the dual nature of proof (cognitive and social) as reflected in the "milieu" constructed around the use of a DGS; (3) from observing to proving; and (4) overcoming the…

Continuing developments in educational technology and increasing undergraduate numbers in the UK have facilitated the use of computer-based learning packages. One of the effects of the increasing use of these packages is the shift in teaching of material from being primarily lecturer-led to student-driven. This has a number of implications…

Although approximately half of the six million students receiving specialized services for an identified disability are learning disabled, research shows that assistive technologies are far more commonly used with students who manifest physical or sensory disabilities than they are with those with learning disabilities. Assistive technology can…

While simulations have widely been used to facilitate conceptual change in learning science, results indicate that significant disparity or gap between students' prior conceptions and scientific conceptions still exists. To bridge the gap, we argue that the applications of computer simulation in science education should be broadened to enable…

This article profiles Amanda Valentin, a 22-year-old woman with cerebral palsy who is a quadriplegic and nonverbal, who uses assistive technology to improve her life. The author was Amanda's assistive technology specialist who trained her to utilize software and hardware efficiently. She describes the steps she took to ensure that the assistive…

The recent development of powerful new technologies such as dynamic geometry software (DGS) with drag capability has made possible the continuous variation of geometric configurations and allows one to quickly and easily investigate whether particular conjectures are true or not. Because of the inductive nature of the DGS, the…

As part of a module on mathematical problem solving in an Initial Teacher Education programme, the student teachers are encouraged to produce alternative solutions to the problems they tackle and, in particular, to consider whether ICT can help. In this paper we discuss a number of unusual solutions produced for some of the problems, specifically…

Existing educational systems built for cooperative and collaborative activities are most often based on the client/server paradigm of distributed computing. This article shows that a new model for distributed computing, Peer-to-Peer (P2P), provides new opportunities for building distributed educational applications. It begins by reviewing general…

This paper presents an analysis of papers delivered at the ICALT 2004 conference, in order to understand the current research issues relating to Learning Objects (LOs). The major research results are summarized, and the papers are classified according to the definition of LO used and the approach taken (technical, pragmatic or pedagogic). The…

The development and use of computer assisted learning (CAL) materials in the life sciences is well established and, in the UK at least, significant resources have been provided to enable this. Some years on from when the major investments took place teachers are facing the problem that the technologies used to develop and deliver the CAL programs…

The American education system and its rigorous accountability and performance standards continually force educators to explore new ways to increase student achievement. The improvement in computer technology and intelligent computing systems may offer new tools for student learning and higher academic achievement. These systems have the potential…

Report #32 in this series has considered the special attention required to make online collaborative tools fully accessible. The particular challenge for software developers is to optimize the accessibility of online education for persons with disabilities. In the process, the software's efficiency for all users is likely to be increased. The…