An in-depth qualitative study with nine secondary pre-service teachers from an undergraduate "Language and Literacy" class was conducted to examine the potential of simulation using Second Life (SL) in teacher education. Games and simulations were operationally defined in the broadest sense to distinguish key characteristics between…

Presents an example from probability and statistics that ties together several topics including the mean and variance of a discrete random variable, the binomial distribution and its particular mean and variance, the sum of independent random variables, the mean and variance of the sum, and the central limit theorem. Uses Excel to illustrate these…

Describes the Pathways program of Passaic Valley High School (Little Falls, New Jersey). Pathways calls for 24 students to be divided into teams of six and to work on specific technology-based tasks in groups of two. Teams work in "suites" each with a specific theme: Digital Manufacturing, Community, Free Enterprise, or Communications. The…

This study explores the way music operates in the mental processing of computer-supported instructional messages, whose other modes are text and graphics. The experiment examined the effect of music on the immediate recall and understanding of three equivalent science lessons delivered by a computer. The objective properties of the music were…

Presents an evaluation of SIRNET (Schools in a Regional Network), a project on the use of computer networks in education carried out in five secondary schools in Norway. Highlights include satisfaction with the learning environment; cooperation and help-seeking; basic conditions for a distributed model; and criteria for quality in connecting…

The authors recount some challenges associated with teaching poetry to high school students and describe how an interactive software program to generate "found" poetry based on student input helped simulate dialogue about words and word choices. (AEF)

Reviews the limited research on computer software alternatives to actual dissection in biology instruction. Concludes that research should include larger more representative samples; higher priority on psychometrically sound instrumentation; a paper-based comparison group; a design that carefully considers attitude; and practical measures to…

This paper presents a case study of an online block of four courses leading to certification of secondary teachers who are presently teaching in middle and secondary schools on emergency certificates. The courses were taken by 16 post-baccalaureate students during fall semester 1998 and spring semester 1999. The primary goal of the project was to…

This document contains 18 papers from the human resource development and manpower training section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Use of Social and Economic Modeling to Plan Vocational Education and Training"…