Examines what fourth-grade students learned by using computer-based tools intended to help them understand sound and music. Findings provide critical information for future instruction with the goal of supporting learning about sound and music from such tools. They also indicate the need for more studies examining learning from computer-based…

Describes some elementary science and technology programs and what can be learned about them from the Internet. Discusses what is available from each. (Author/NB)

Discusses using computer technology to teach science. Demonstrates how computer technology can enhance science learning at different levels. Concludes that the use of technology helps students develop skills for the future. (NB)

Presents five technology-based activities to teach elementary students about the human body, including: creating a heartbeat graph; charting the benefits of exercise; playing a "sense"ational card game; reading online stories from three children living with various conditions or illnesses; and examining diagrams of the human body that have been…

This paper summarizes one semester's use of a class LISTSERV with a graduate elementary science education course (n=9). Data were collected on student comments regarding the class LISTSERV from nonstructured interviews, E-mail inquiries, and an end-of-semester questionnaire. Student feedback indicated that student interest in communication…

Reviews four CD-ROM titles: (1) "The Way Things Work" provides explanations of machines and scientific principles that make them work; (2) "Stowaway" teaches about intricacies of an 18th-century warship; (3) "Explorapaedia: The World of Nature" teaches about plants, animals, ecosystems, and universe; and (4) "My…

Interactive videodisc controlled via hypermedia has the potential to create a virtual world in which novice teachers can experience and reflect upon problems of practice. This article describes case materials being used with elementary teacher preparation programs to provide a "field experience" with exemplary science teachers.…

Examines the implementation of a laserdisk-based science curriculum in an elementary school. Issues discussed include ownership of the classroom discussion, constraints on activities, and the teacher's response to the teaching tools. Also examines student attitudes and anxiety toward science. Results indicate little adoption of the curriculum and…

Compared the impact of robotics (computer-powered manipulative) to a battery-powered manipulative (novelty control) and traditionally taught science class on science achievement and problem solving of fourth through sixth graders. Found that the robotics group had higher scores on programming logic-problem solving than did the novelty control…

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)

Despite recent science education reform efforts, researchers continue to report the under-representation of females in science professions and coursework. As concerned educators, organizations, and institutions consider ways to facilitate female participation in science, it is important to examine what serves as door-openers and gate-keepers to…

Describes research within physical science courses for preservice elementary teachers, where groups of students had access to computers, examining how computers were used as representational tools to support meaning-making conversations within groups. Notes how special computer simulators facilitated student groups' construction of robust…

Presents an online activity designed to teach middle- and upper-level elementary school students about the skeletal system. Students are given several questions about the human skeleton, then directed to several online science sites to find the answers. A student reproducible page is included. (SM)

This paper reports design experiments on two Japanese elementary science lesson units in a sixth-grade classroom supported by computer support for collaborative learning (CSCL) technology as a collaborative reflection tool. We took different approaches in the experiments depending on their instructional goals. In the unit 'air and how things…

Discusses the sociohistorical approach to tools and change. Explores the possibilities of computer-supported cooperative work. Discusses formative experiments on the educational environment as research opportunities. Illustrates the organizational impact of school technology by describing a project intended to create an environment for…