Discusses circuits for three-bit and four-bit analogue digital converters and digital analogue converters. These circuits feature slow operating speeds that enable the circuitry to be used to demonstrate the mode of operation using oscilloscopes and signal generators. (DDR)

Presents activities on persistence of vision that involve students in a hands-on approach to the study of early methods of creating motion pictures. Students construct flip books, a Zoetrope, and an early movie machine. (DDR)

Examines the benefits of the Z-shaped science lab classroom configuration as a means of learning enhancement. Each section of the classroom is illustrated and described. Also discusses construction and cost considerations. (GR)

Continues an ongoing discussion about networked computer technologies and writing center practice. Examines the underlying theories of technology shaping attitudes and actions toward technology. Offers lab administrators a framework for thinking about accounts of technology use they hear; whether they wish to add computer networked technologies to…

Reports on an ethnographic study of laboratory sessions in the departments of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, with specific focus on the comparison of the function of verbs in three first-year laboratory manuals. Several pedagogical implications are discussed. (JL)

Describes four outreach programs that connect businesses and post-secondary institutions with schools and their science curricula. Mobile science laboratories provide services and access to science equipment to students and their teachers. (DDR)

Describes an approach to a demonstration of the Golden Penny Experiment for high school students in which the teacher assumes the disguise of an alchemist and invites the students to devise ways of determining whether the penny has really turned to gold. (DDR)

Presents a collaborative learning exercise intended to teach the unfamiliar terminology of experimental design both in biology classes and biochemistry laboratories. The exercise promotes discussion and debate, develops communication skills, and emphasizes peer review. The effectiveness of the exercise is supported by student surveys. (SOE)

Describes three inquiry-based activities designed for students to begin to understand complex environmental relationships in their own backyard. Includes investigations of ants, which allow students to establish a baseline survey of ant fauna, test the importance of ants in nutrient cycling and soil structure maintenances, and increase student…

Presents a real life shark attack story and studies arm reattachment surgery to teach human anatomy. Discusses how knowledge of anatomy can be put to use in the real world and how the arm functions. Includes teaching notes and suggestions for classroom management. (YDS)

Describes portable scientific laboratories that allow students to go beyond the classroom to do field work. Presents examples of a curriculum that incorporates portable technology and discusses its advantages in inquiry-based science programs. Includes handheld probes and peripherals. (KHR)

Explores the creation of a computer laboratory that was built for the graduate program in planning, policy, and leadership studies. Provides background information and a description of the laboratory. Discusses the training and orientation of the users, general maintenance of the laboratory, the personnel, and the maintenance costs involved. (CMK)

This interview with Linda Darling-Hammond focuses on: how she envisions school transformation; barriers to educational reform or restructuring; including and welcoming parents in educational reform; developing learning communities; setting higher standards in schools and teacher education programs; uniqueness of the reform movement in the 1990s;…

Identifies emerging issues and challenges facing lab schools nationwide as they attempt to build support for their programs. Offers recommendations for strengthening the roles lab programs play in the early childhood field, such as expecting staff to be involved in leadership activities (like outside workshops) and making facilities attractive to…

Examines schools' current methods of technology planning and suggests that rather than making shopping lists of equipment, they should focus on long-range developing plans for using technology. Highlights include moving away from computer labs and embedding technology into the curriculum, and focusing on information and communication rather than…