The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of preservice elementary teachers in a content-specific field-based experience with elementary science specialists. Data collected from electronic discussions, interviews, and observations in the field revealed preservice teachers experienced a wide range of instructional and assessment…

Chinese classrooms, whether on school grounds or online, have long suffered from a lack of interactivity. Many online classes simply provide recorded lectures to which students listen after downloading. This format only reinforces the negative effects of passive non-participatory learning. At the e-Learning Lab of Shanghai Jiaotong University…

As distributed problem-based learning (dPBL) emerges as an interactive online methodology, it is necessary for instructional designers who want to develop this approach to understand the practices experienced designers of dPBL recommend. This phenomenological study examined the practices that designers of dPBL use and recommend. Ten experienced…

This article reports on a study investigating the use of 2 synchronous computer-mediated communication tools: text and voice chat. The experimental design employed 3 groups (text, voice, and control), each consisting of 30 novice-level secondary school learners of English as a foreign language. Over a 4-week period, the participants in the…

This article reports research from a qualitative case study of three preservice English teachers who participated in the Web Pen Pals project, a university--secondary telecollaborative partnership which paired preservice English teachers enrolled in the author's young adult literature course with local middle school students in online chat rooms…

A case study of an adolescent girl provides a framework to understand what factors contribute to the development of a strong writer within an instant messaging world. The study shows instant messaging is one of a larger repertoire of practices. Facility in school-based writing was developed through a school culture that supported writing in the…

This study focuses on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage, which is the indicator of diffusion. A model composed of the variables which can explain ICT usage in Turkish higher education is established and tested within the study. The two dimensions of ICT usage are considered: instructional and managerial. The data collected…

This article reports that Canadian medical students, inspired by an online community and an obscure heart condition, have ditched their books and transformed their class notes into a pulsating, hip-hop music video. "Diagnosis Wenckebach"--the name comes from a type of abnormal heart rhythm--was created as just one of many innovative…

In this article, I propose a technology-supported teaching and learning model that aims to bridge the gender gap identified in areas such as mathematics and science. Further, this model promotes collaboration between teacher educators and K-12 teachers. The focus of technology is on the use of video conferencing. This model is further tested by a…

In this article, Literacy 2.0 is defined in terms of Web 2.0 influences. Literacy 2.0 encompasses several major characteristics that distinguish it from traditional literacy practices (Literacy 1.0). For educational technology professionals, Literacy 2.0 skills become a critical means for developing lifelong learning.

This paper summarises the outcomes of research that recorded and interpreted change in pre-service teachers' pedagogical beliefs when immersed in unique synchronous networked collaboration. The pre-service teachers were involved in the design and implementation of synchronous networked tasks, supported by the theoretical and pragmatic application…

In this paper, we present a synchronous text-based communication tool, referred to as Adaptive Communication Tool (ACT), which provides capabilities for adaptation and personalization. ACT supports both the free and the structured form of dialogue. The structured dialogue is implemented by two types of Scaffolding Sentence Templates (SST); i.e.…

The focus of this paper is on knowledge-building in a technology-supported learning environment in higher education through a longitudinal study of a graduate course from 2003 to 2007. The primary question is: how do learning conditions designed into a graduate course contribute to collaborative knowledge building? In particular, two major…

Web conferencing software enables distance learners to attend classes. This paper recounts student reactions to this delivery method and makes suggestions for conducting virtual classes.

The purpose of this study was to find out if students were utilizing Web 2.0 applications. Since the applications in question are often employed by the media industry, the study aspired to find out if students majoring in mass communication and journalism utilized the applications more often than other students. The "digital divide" is a term used…