Taking a "less is more" approach to technology adoption may seem counterintuitive for online education, but the intelligent integration of tools that enhance the learning experience for students can be achieved without ignoring technological growth. Educators must have a clear understanding of the goals of their classrooms and should…

As technology increases, so does the integration of technology in educational settings. That integration also extends to school counseling and the field of counseling in its entirety. The purpose of this study is to compare the role and functions of an online and traditional setting school counselor. Due to virtual/online school counseling still…

Educational technology evolves constantly, in line with the innovative technologies we implement, but always catering for the improvement of teaching and learning. For this, Smart Learning Environments (SLE) emerge as an optimal alternative to traditional teaching as, through ergonomics, an inclusive outlook which is bound to enhance the…

Virtual Reality (VR) is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. Users interact with VR applications through on-screen toggles or with optional additional devices such as controllers, keyboard and mouse. However, when it comes…

This study focused on the impact of COVID-19 on K-12 access to community education organizations such as museums, theaters, and art studios. Participants from five community education organizations were interviewed to explore and understand their experiences of developing and promoting virtual resources. While each organization responded…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in school closures, shifting to online instruction poses unique challenges for educators. The purpose of the paper is to inform practitioners on how online instruction was facilitated in a science methods course for preservice teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a public university across three campuses. The major…

Designers have a limited selection of K-12 online course creation standards to choose from that are not blocked behind proprietary or pay walls. For numerous institutions and states, the use of the iNACOL "National Standards for Quality Online Courses" is becoming a widely used resource. This article presents the final phase in a…

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) has become the main mechanism in supporting on-line education either in primary or secondary school. Although VLE efforts are considered to be a significant corporate investment, many surveys indicate high drop-out rates or failures. This research uses an integrated model in order to assessing the influence of…

Online teaching and learning have become widespread with the emergence of the Internet and other new technologies. However, online environments pose new challenges to those seeking to develop or choose suitable teaching approaches, and this is especially true in the case of language courses. Using survey and interview data, this study examines…

Online-learning advocates are calling a new report that recommends ten major policy steps states and districts need to take to use digital technologies to improve schools. With two former governors leading the promotion of "Digital Learning Now"--the first document released by the Digital Learning Council since former state chief…

This qualitative, descriptive case study employed the use of narrative to investigate a virtual school program in a public school district in Texas. A focus group interviewing process was used to interview the participants. Findings from this study conclude that with continued support from district leaders, along with having the appropriate…

The integration of technology in classrooms is rapidly emerging as a way to provide more educational opportunities for students. As virtual learning environments become more popular, evaluating the impact of this technology on student success is vital. "Exploring the Effectiveness of Online Education in K-12 Environments" combines…

The purpose of the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is to help learning organizations continually improve the quality, scale, and breadth of online programs according to their own distinctive missions, so that education will become a part of everyday life, accessible and affordable for anyone, anywhere, at any time, in a wide variety of disciplines.…

Limited data exists related to teaching and learning in K-12 virtual schools. This paper builds upon a recent study related to successful practices of K-12 online instructors. The paper describes the utilization of a survey built upon qualitatively derived best practices of K-12 online instructors and provides the opportunity to relate these…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 13th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2016), October 28-30, 2016, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS), co-organized by the University of Mannheim, Germany, and endorsed by the…