A key stimulus of learning efficacy for students in the classroom is active participation and engagement in the learning process. This study examines the nature of teacher-student and student-student discourse when leveraged by an interactive technology--Group Scribbles (GS) in a Primary 5 Science classroom in Singapore which supports rapid…

Energy Search, Geography Search, Geology Search, Archeology Search, and Community Search are microcomputer software games, usable in grades five to nine, which provide educational simulations, numbers and situational choices, and calculation of implications of decisions. The series is a pathfinder usable by entire class and requiring only one…

Computer applications in South African schools are described in this five-paper collection of journal articles, which covers a range of projects from primary school and university elementary arithmetic to more sophisticated applications in physics, chemistry, and biochemistry. "Implementation of a System of Computer-Assisted Instruction in…

Uses teachers' initiatives in 3 content areas--social studies, science, and mathematics--to highlight how 13 software packages are and can be used to support instruction. (PRA)

An integrated learning object, a web-based inquiry environment "Young Scientist" for basic school level is introduced by applying the semiosphere conception for explaining learning processes. The study focused on the development of students' (n=30) awareness of the affordances of learning objects (LO) during the 3 inquiry tasks, and their ability…

A 10-week project conducted with 12 gifted 4th and 5th grade students (10 boys and 2 girls) examined the effectiveness of the Logo computer programming language as a tool for helping students understand some basic principles of physics. Three assumptions were tested: (1) motivated elementary school students can learn both turtle graphics and word…

Provides specific directions and guidelines for the computer program "YOU Program ME." Explains how this introductory hands-on activity can teach the concept of programming and can introduce the BASIC language. Background information and student activity sheets are included. (ML)

Offers an approach for teaching a unit on classification that combines various software programs with traditional science teaching methods. Provides procedural directives for the activities and explains the objectives of each exercise. (ML)

Describes a world-wide science project aiming to help students measure the absence of light. The project is accomplished through the Internet. On the first day of Spring, students from all over the world will measure their shadows (absence of light) and use the information to compare and contrast data with that of other students participating in…

This study investigated what constitutes exploratory learning and what effects instructional support measures have on it. Among the conclusions were that students were reluctant to apply learning processes that are considered characteristic for exploratory learning. Students had problems with the process, especially with the process of generating…

Explains how databases can be used to enrich and complement the science curriculum. Provides examples of applications of databases to science activities and experiments. (ML)

Presents activities for a springtime Space Day that can teach students about astronauts, gravity, and motion. Activities include creating a paper bag spacecraft to study liftoff and having students simulate gravity's effects by walking in various manners and recording pulse rates. A list of resources is included. (SM)

Examines the impact of using the Macintosh-based knowledge organization tool, SemNet, with prospective elementary and middle school teachers enrolled in an upper division biology course. (ZWH)

Describes CD-ROM-based program called Joint Education Initiative that was started by U.S. Geological Survey. The culmination of the collaborative effort includes three compact discs and a teacher activity book. The discs contain several databases, geophysical data that can be superimposed over satellite images of North America, images from the…

Beginning in the 1997-98 school year, WestEd staff, with the support of the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), worked intensively with a group of five Chamorro teachers from Rota Elementary School (Hawaii) to develop culturally responsive, standards-based science units. The larger goal was to develop Web-based case examples of…