This article is a short introduction on how to use Modellus (a computer package that is freely available on the Internet and used in the IOP "Advancing Physics" course) to build physics games using Newton's laws, expressed as differential equations. Solving systems of differential equations is beyond most secondary-school or first-year college…

In this article Harvey Quamen examines how the philosophy of open source software might be of particular benefit to humanities scholars in the near future--particularly for academic journals with limited financial resources. To this end he provides a case study in which he describes his use of open source technology (MySQL database software and…

This paper outlines the design and development process of an online annotation system and how it is applied to the sphere of collaborative online learning. The architecture and design of the annotation system, illustrated in this paper, have been developed to enrich collaborative learning content through adding a layer of information in online…

The modern world is undergoing a fundamental transformation characterized by a lot of challenges, dynamism, globalization, and the increasing influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). These new technologies have implications for all aspects of the society and economy; they are changing the way of doing business, the way of…

Excel assignments were used as extra credit in an intermediate algebra course. Ninety percent of the students had a home computer and seventy per cent were familiar with Excel. There was not a significant linear correlation between the amount of Excel that the students performed and their achievement in algebra. One-third of the students did less…

The motion of a magnet through a coil is analysed through a model of magnetic monopoles. The magnetic flux of a monopole passing through a loop is explained and also its rate of change. By a superposition of voltages produced by the monopoles on the coils the shape of the voltage versus time graph is explained. Also examined is the interaction of…

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of cognitive organizers using Inspiration 6 software to improve and enhance content-area learning in social studies for students with mild disabilities. Using a one-group, pre-posttest design, ten students with mild disabilities received instruction with the integration of technology-based…

Newsletters are an important resource or form of media. They offer a cost-effective way to keep people informed, as well as to promote events and programs. Production of a newsletter makes an excellent project, relevant to real-world communication, for technology students. This article presents an activity on how to create a short newsletter. The…

Many school administrators protect their investments in new roofing systems by paying extra for an extended roof warranty. These warranties can be a valuable asset because they usually provide more coverage and reduce the school administrator's risk of having to pay for extensive roof repairs or replacements. Unfortunately, once an extended…

The topic of this month's department is writing macros in Excel. The examples given are of use to teachers who maintain their grade books in Excel, and show, for example, how to drop the lowest or choose the highest scores from a student's record. The Surfing Note cites a collection of online tools and resources for professional development…

Valuable strategies and guidelines for preparing research reports and scholarly manuscripts for publication in refereed journals are presented with the primary aim of helping prospective authors gain acceptance of their manuscripts for publication. The discussion addresses issues such as developing the research idea or problem from a…

A new Microsoft Excel spreadsheet design that enables a prompt calculation of rate constant, k values and associated errors and also addresses less common features such as the choice of an experimental curve's extent is presented. To complete the spreadsheet design, several highlights and squared colored boxes were included to assist the user and…

Employees of a West Virginia library system were tired of intervening in frequent patron fights over the public access PCs. In this article, the author discusses how the implementation of time-control software for an automated session reservation/management service reduced the conflict. A team was assigned to investigate PC management software.…

The Expert Mathematician (version 3.0), a middle school math curriculum, was developed from LogoWriter, a computer program that the developer claims is designed to help children learn independently through exploration. According to J. J. Baker, the Expert Mathematician is designed to provide a creative environment that is intended to foster a…

This qualitative study explored the roles which exist between pre-service elementary teachers and the technology tools they integrate into their mathematics lesson plans. A total of 35 pre-service elementary teachers participated in this study in which the researcher examined their lesson plans and reflection documents. The project occurred during…