The purpose of this study was to test two hypotheses: (1) that participation in a course providing theory and practice in the classroom use of technology promotes its use and results in gained competence in technology use; and (2) that functional relations exist among the availability of technology in the classroom, technology utilization, and…

The aim of the study was to explore characteristics of 5- to 6-year-old kindergartners' peer dynamics during a seven week learning experience in a computer-based technology-rich classroom in the US. The children (9 boys and 9 girls) were placed in pairs by the classroom teacher, based on her perception of the their friendships. Measures of each…

Studies in gender have offered many reasons for the differing attitudes and skill levels that male and female undergraduate students possess when it comes to learning technology skills. Male and female students have differing learning styles influenced by such experiential factors as biology, historical inequalities, inconsistent political rights,…

Today's technology standards (International Society for Technology in Education, 2000) challenge teacher education programs across the nation to address the need to produce computer literate teachers who are confident in their ability to choose and incorporate instructional technology into their classroom teaching. The purpose of this paper is to…

This article reviews the research evidence that relates to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in pre-school settings. While there is widespread agreement that children should be helped to become confident users of ICTs, the literature presents a more qualified picture of potential benefits and barriers. The review…

This study was designed to examine the effects of the competency (low vs. high) and interaction type (proactive vs. responsive) of pedagogical agents as learning companions (PALs) on learning, self-efficacy, and attitudes. Participants were 72 undergraduates in an introductory computer-literacy course who were randomly assigned to one of four…

This paper analyses the role of computers within the nursery sector and what are viewed as the potential benefits and concerns of introducing young children to computers. It also examines how the computer is introduced and presented to young children and the form it takes. Data collection comprises a number of methods: questionnaires,…

In order to identify differences in determinants of supportive and class use of computers, path modelling was applied in a sample of 468 primary school teachers. Independent variables were categorised in three levels: demographics (age and gender), computer experience (computer training, computer experience expressed over time, intensity of…

The present study is designed to investigate the effects of advisement and informal cooperative learning when students used a multimedia database. Participants were 159 undergraduate students (54 males; 105 females) enrolled in a computer literacy course at a large university in the southwestern United States. The majority of participants were…

Covering everything from day-to-day learning activities to schoolwide goals, this engaging book reviews key topics in literacy instruction for grades 5-12 and provides research-based recommendations for practice. Leading scholars present culturally responsive strategies for motivating adolescents; using multiple texts and digital media;…

This paper is a preliminary report on a grant-funded project to use multimedia technology to create teacher portfolios. The workshop was the first step for testing the feasibility of multimedia for portfolio development for preservice and inservice professional development. The goals for the participants in the workshop were to begin learning…

This study is an interim follow-up to an investigation of how computer use influences the writing process used by high school students on a direct writing assessment (Wolfe and others, 1994). Whether students with less comfort and experience with word processors would receive lower scores on word-processed essays than those with more comfort and…

This document describes courses in grades 7-9 as well as comprehensive career planning that resulted from the Mississippi Tech Prep Initiative. Career Discovery at the seventh-grade level introduces students to career opportunities and the skills needed for various career paths. Computer Discovery at the eighth-grade level exposes students to a…

The Educational Technology Center and the Teacher Education Program at the SUNY College at Old Westbury (New York) used a cooperative approach to integrate computer technology into the teacher education curriculum and to train pre-service teachers how to use this technology successfully in the classroom. In 1989, the Teacher Education Program felt…

Over the past 20 years, library media professionals have worked to move from teaching isolated library skills to teaching integrated information skills. Effective integration of information skills has two requirements: (1) the skills must directly relate to the content area curriculum and to classroom assignments; and (2) the skills themselves…