During their middle and early high school years, students generally finalise their attitude towards mathematics and their perception of themselves as students of mathematics, in terms of aptitude, motivation, interest, and competence. Therefore, giving them varied opportunities to foster a positive and successful approach to the study of…

Students learning a defined subject only perform by learning of thinking based on the concepts forming that subjects. Otherwise, students may move away from the scientific meaning of concepts and may fall into conceptual errors. Students' conceptual errors affect their following learning and cause them resist change. It is possible to prevent this…

Molecular model kits have been used in chemistry classrooms for decades but have seen very little recent innovation. Using 3D printing, three sets of physical models were created for a first semester, introductory chemistry course. Students manipulated these interactive models during class activities as a supplement to existing teaching tools for…

This article describes a cooperative project between eighth graders and first graders called "Going Green in the Neighborhood." The project entailed the first grade students sketching home designs on paper to make a model community, and the eighth grade students taking those drawings and making them into 3D computer models and then…

The aim of this study is to test collaborative concept mapping activities using computers in a classroom scenario and to evaluate the possibilities that Elkar-CM offers for collaboratively learning non-technical topics. Elkar-CM is a multi-lingual and multi-media software program designed for drawing concept maps (CMs) collaboratively. Concept…

This paper discusses the use of interactive graphics to teach multivariate data analysis to Psychology students. Three techniques are explored through separate activities: parallel coordinates/boxplots; principal components/exploratory factor analysis; and cluster analysis. With interactive graphics, students may perform important parts of the…

The Distance Learning Prototype Lab (DLPL) at Saint Francis University's Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas (CERMUSA) was established in 1999 to explore and demonstrate how the merger of a variety of telecommunications technologies (video production, computer graphics, the Internet and teleconferencing) can improve…

Describes an activity for primary school students, combining writing with computer-art quilt-making. Provides a bibliography of quilt books. (MM)

Describes ways computers are used in the art education program of one elementary school. Illustrates how computers become centers where students learn to use the computer as a tool with which to experiment and make choices. The results of these experiments are then applied to their art work. (KO)

Six practical computer-oriented classroom activities are presented. They include making cryptograms using the search-and-replace function of word processors, making a frame for a Logo picture, examining Atari POKE commands, and comparing equivalent commands on different microcomputers. Also indicates the usefulness of marking on monitors with…

Describes how visual arts and crafts provide nontraditional ways for students to communicate and interpret what they are learning in areas such as science, social studies, math, literature, and language arts. (SR)

At some point in their education, pre-engineering students will take physics and/or calculus. For many freshmen who aren't certain about their career paths, taking these courses is a litmus test to determine whether they have the aptitude or desire to pursue an engineering degree. Therein lies the challenge for many students in the U.S. Science,…

Describes how "The Children's Writing and Publishing Center" (a desktop publishing program for elementary students) combines word processing with computer graphics and motivates students to write letters. (MM)

Trends in the use of visualization (computer graphics) for instructional purposes are analyzed in three segments: (1) current classroom activities; (2) technically possible but not prevalent classroom activities; and (3) the future classroom. The discussion draws on University of Iowa efforts, national curricular innovations, and presentations and…

Technology can be useful in physics classrooms, though teachers must be careful not to let technology remove students from first-hand experiences with nature through observation and experimentation. The paper examines how to enhance physics instruction using computers as graphing tools, for data collection, and as real-world simulators. (SM)