A laser diode from an inexpensive laser pen (laser pointer) is used in simple experiments. The radiant output power and efficiency of the laser are measured, and polarization of the light beam is shown. The "h/e" ratio is available from the threshold of spontaneous emission. The lasing threshold is found using several methods. With a…

This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion on the current generation of students and their relationship to technology, providing qualitative, empirical information obtained in the Chilean context. The study analyses and discusses the ideas regarding the emergence of a new generation of learners, or digital natives, as characterised by…

Determining the acceleration of a free-falling object due to gravity is a standard experiment in physics. Different methods to do this have been developed over the years. This article discusses the use of video-analysis tools as another method. If there is a video available and a known scale it is possible to analyse the motion. The use of video…

The video "A Private Universe" evokes surprise and dismay among educators and scientists by demonstrating that even the brightest students fail to grasp a seemingly simple and fundamental concept--the reason for seasons. This literature review describes the findings of 41 studies that collectively illustrate why the concept proves difficult to…

While no one agrees exactly when it will happen, expectations are high that the digital textbook market will eventually elbow print textbooks off the shelves. When that day finally comes, what happens to the campus bookstore? It is hard to imagine a college or university without one, but in a world where most students are downloading their…

In this digital age, is primary science being left behind? Computer microscopes provide opportunities to transform science lessons into highly exciting learning experiences and to shift enquiry and discovery back into the hands of the children. A class of 5- and 6-year-olds was just one group of children involved in the Digitally Resourced…

Unpredictability of an unconditioned stimulus (US) typically produces context conditioning in animals and humans. We modified the Martians task--a computer game measuring learning of Pavlovian associations through conditioned suppression--for assessing context conditioning in humans. One between-subjects and one within-subjects study are reported.…

The importance of distillation in the separation field prompts the inclusion of distillation experiments in the chemical engineering curricula. This work describes the performance of an Oldershaw column in the rectification of a cyclohexane/n-heptane mixture. Total reflux distillation, continuous rectification under partial reflux, and batch…

Despite the educational benefits, computer programming has not been adopted in the current K-12 education as much as it could have been. One of the reasons for the low adoption of computer programming in K-12 education is the time it takes for (especially young) students to learn computer programming using a text-based programming language, which…

This paper describes a collaborative educational data mining tool based on association rule mining for the ongoing improvement of e-learning courses and allowing teachers with similar course profiles to share and score the discovered information. The mining tool is oriented to be used by non-expert instructors in data mining so its internal…

This study uses a quantitative approach to evaluate the trustworthiness of e-businesses as measured by the E-business Trustworthy Index, EBTI, developed as part of this research. The problem is that despite the importance of e-business trustworthiness and the findings from many studies, there are few if any objective measures that evaluate the…

Recent innovations in the Geospatial Web represent a paradigm shift in Web mapping by enabling educators to explore geography in the classroom by dynamically using a rapidly growing suite of impressive online geospatial tools. Coupled with access to spatial data repositories and User-Generated Content, the Geospatial Web provides a powerful…

The capability of solving fundamental mathematical problems is essential to elementary school students; however instruction based on ordinary narration usually perplexes students. Concept mapping is well known for its effectiveness on assimilating and organizing knowledge, which is essential to meaningful learning. A variety of concept map-based…

This article discusses the evolution of computing education in preparing for the next wave of computing. With the proliferation of mobile devices, most agree that we are living in a "post-PC" world. Using the Raspberry Pi computer platform, based in the UK, as an example, the author discusses computing education in a world where the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using computer games in teaching mathematics on developing the number sense of fourth grade students. To achieve this purpose a study sample of (81) students was selected from the fourth grade. This sample was divided into two groups. One group was randomly chosen to be the experimental…