Schools are currently receiving increased funds for multimedia software for classrooms. There is a need for good software in the schools, and there is a need to know how to evaluate software and not naively rely on advertisements. Evaluators of multimedia software for education must have the skills to critically evaluate and make decisions not…

PowerPoint presentations can be a very effective way of involving all the senses and attention of gifted students. While PowerPoint is a wizard-driven and conceptually easy to use, the use of it should be thought through very carefully--as carefully as any other instructional strategy. Teachers can master the basic principles of effective…

The value of portfolios as an assessment tool is thoroughly researched and their use in education is well documented ( Woodward, 2000). Research on the introduction of digital portfolios is substantially based on general portfolio research; however, additional specific factors and features need to be considered. One of the inherent dangers with…

This paper proposes that new design discourses are necessary if interactive learning resources are to effectively combine the skills of all members of the development team. As educational products take shape, there are numerous discourses between members of the team that lead to the development of an effective interactive resource. This paper…

There has been considerable discussion in general educational publications about the value of instructional technology, in particular multimedia- or Web-based instruction. Much of the published work thus far has described various features of multimedia systems in an anecdotal manner rather than focusing on an evaluation of multimedia and its use…

The sites of learning and teaching using CALL are shifting from CD-based, LAN-based, or stand-alone programs to the Internet. As this change occurs, pedagogical approaches to using CALL are also shifting to forms which better exploit the communication, collaboration, and negotiation aspects of the Internet. Numerous teachers and designers have…

Educators often reject cell phones in the classroom, considering them destructive and distractive "toys." As a former technology coordinator, the author used to think cell phones were harmful for the classroom environment. Over time, she has come to realize that cell phones are part of the students' everyday existence. Today, students use cell…

Business communication courses are ideal for teaching visual communication principles and techniques. Many assignments lend themselves to graphic enrichment, such as flyers, handouts, slide shows, Web sites, and newsletters. Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft PowerPoint are excellent tools for these assignments, with Publisher being best for…

Long Island Sound is an estuary of national significance and provides important economic, recreational, and aesthetic value to the citizens of Connecticut and New York. Investigations have been conducted regarding living marine resources and nutrient loading. However, Long Island Sound is often overlooked as an educational resource. This guide is…

This article describes three connected projects in physics: (1) a very successful course at the university level; (2) a collection of several thousand multimedia materials, its status and evaluation, and its dissemination; and (3) Web experiments--experiments that can be operated remotely from a distance via the Internet. (Contains 4 tables and 10…

Multimedia construction is a complex and theoretically valid process for developing higher order thinking that can be implemented as a teaching activity and optionally associated with formal assessment in many ways. This paper explores the associated learning strategy--learning through multimedia construction, through research and reflective…

The purpose of this paper was to explore the concept of interest, one of the critical positive emotions in learning contexts and to investigate the effects of different types of visual illustrations on learning interest, achievement, and motivation in multimedia learning. The concept of interest was explored in light of positive emotion; an…

Computer-based technologies offer promise as a means to assess students and provide teachers with better understandings of their students' achievement. This article describes recent developments in computer-based and web-based reading and literacy assessment, focusing on assessment administration, information management, and report creation. In…

Marlborough School, which was founded in 1889 in Los Angeles, is an independent college preparatory day school for young women. When the author arrived in Marlborough School in 2005, she found that the school was an exciting place to learn but the library was not. However, head of school Barbara Wagner described her vision of the school's future…

The elements of global education should be at the heart of all learning and teaching. In ITE we often protect "our subject" in the belief that it should have more prominence in the curriculum and more teaching time in school. In this article a group of ITE tutors comment on their learning about global education and its inclusion in their…