Many everyday matching tasks taught to persons with developmental disabilities are visual-visual non-identity matching (VVNM) tasks, such as matching the printed word DOG to a picture of a dog, or matching a sock to a shoe. Research has shown that, for participants who have failed a VVNM prototype task, it is very difficult to teach them various…

This article explores the usefulness and validity of self-selected online student ratings of faculty. These ratings appear to be increasing in importance, particularly as students utilize them as guides in their choice of instructors. Validity is investigated by analyzing the pattern of relationships of online ratings for 399 randomly selected…

Earlier observations suggested that young children's engagement with information and communication technologies (ICT) could be unproductive. Interplay: Play, Learning and ICT in Pre-school Settings set out to explore how practitioners can enhance three-year-olds' to four-year-olds' encounters with new technologies in the playroom. The study took…

The recently identified Illinois state standards associated with the newly designated technology specialist (TS) endorsement required graduate faculty to explore the issues associated with addressing those standards and ensuring curriculum alignment. Endorsement standards require a balance between knowledge and skills that can be used as a…

Originally, blogs served as personal journaling tools. Recently, blogs have facilitated the formation of online communities and have thus expanded to more extensive uses in education. Little has been learned about using blogs as a collaboration tool in educational contexts. In this article, the authors share their experiences with using blogs to…

The use of podcasting has grown exponentially. Research projects are racing to keep up with this growth to understand implications for learning and instruction. This project specifically attempts to understand if the use and development of podcasts by students for students influence learning in a 7th grade science classroom. Using a technology…

During the past few years there have been great strides in the advancement of technology with the rise of mobile devices leading to an era characterized by the instant access to and mobility of information. Mobile technologies have more recently been used in a variety of educational settings for a variety of purposes and educational goals.…

One technology made possible through Web 2.0 is podcasting. Podcasts are audio, video, text, and other media files that can be played on the computer or downloaded to MP3 players. This article discusses how to create a podcast and ways to use this technology in education. Benefits and issues related to podcasting are also provided.

This study used precepts of social network theory to examine the interactional and structural characteristics of communication in peer-mentoring conferences. Twelve discussion conferences were set up to support students during a teaching practicum experience. The conferences were governed by students with minimal instructor involvement. It was…

As any instructor knows, the easy availability of internet content has greatly increased student opportunities for work that is less than original. Today, the term plagiarism can range in meaning from using an unattributed phrase or sentence (accidentally or intentionally) to submitting entire purchased works as one's own. The profusion of online…

This study investigates the association between home computer experience and cognitive development among preschool children in inner-city Head Start programs. Approximately 200 children enrolled in four Head Start centers in Detroit, Michigan were recruited to participate in this study. Data was collected from parents regarding the children's…

There are many mathematics teachers now who, when entering a classroom without a data projector and internet connection, feel as though they are flying on one wing--such are the amazing opportunities that these relatively new gadgets can offer. The author believes that teaching with dynamic images (from software and the web) makes mathematics…

One fifth of Americans smoke; many have no plans to quit. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an effective approach to intervention with precontemplative smokers, yet a substantial number of healthcare practitioners lack training in this approach. Two interactive online tutorials were developed to teach practitioners to deliver brief tobacco…

Training, organizational support, attitude and national culture were explored in relation to college students' Internet usage. Samples were drawn from India, Mauritius and Reunion Island (an overseas Department of France). Each nation differs culturally from the others. Questionnaire data was collected on students' Internet usage as well as the…

This article explores the attitudes and opinions of Cypriot primary teachers about the use of the Internet for their personal development and as an educational tool. It also examines the teachers' concerns about the implementation of the Internet in schools and their opinions about what has to be done in order to ensure its effective integration…