Discussion of the design of effective learning environments focuses on design team interactions. Topics include designer intention and instructor implementation; technology tools and their use; instructional design processes, including computer interfaces and interaction possibilities; learner as actor; multimedia; and interpersonal communication.…

Including the arts in the curriculum is a tough sell these days. In many districts, budgets have been cut, enrollment has increased, and there are tests to pass--forget about teaching Johnny to paint. But the discipline that many refer to as "the fourth R" may never have been more relevant to students' futures than today. That is because an…

Shifts in language teaching and learning to incorporate multimedia modes of delivery have occurred in recent decades. In South Africa the use of multimedia technology in educational contexts has been viewed with some ambivalence. This article reports on a case study of the implementation of a web course, which was designed and run parallel to a…

The purpose of this article is to test the utility of incorporating a dribble file into a formative software evaluation. The study specifically examines the dribble file's capability to detect software problems that were not detected by the software testers. As the amount of technology used for instructional purposes increases, the need to…

This article presents a review of the literature on multimedia learning in science. It is no small matter that teachers value using technology, more specifically multimedia, in teaching. But this interest falls far short when it comes to application. Why is it so? This article tries to find the reasons behind this dichotomy. Then, research from…

This paper reports on how prospective users may be involved in the design of entertaining educational computer games. The paper illustrates an approach, which combines traditional Participatory Design methods in an applicable way for this type of design. Results illuminate the users' important contribution during game development, especially when…

The challenges facing those who seek to prepare mathematics teachers are well established in the literature. Most of the research to date has focused on the perceptions and understandings of pre-service teachers, but not on the perceptions and understandings of teacher educators. In this study, we explore how four teacher educators understand…

Assessment has always been an integral component of the educational process, but the importance to students of performing effectively on district and statewide tests has increased the visibility of testing and assessment for students with and without disabilities. There are several factors that limit the reliability of common testing formats for…

We investigated whether students liked and learned more from PowerPoint presentations than from overhead transparencies. Students were exposed to lectures supported by transparencies and two different types of PowerPoint presentations. At the end of the semester, students preferred PowerPoint presentations but this preference was not found on…

This study of digital storytelling attempts to apply Kress's (2003) notions of synaesthesia, transformation, and transduction to the analysis of four undergraduate L2 writers' multimedia text creation processes. The students, entering freshmen, participated in an experimental course entitled "Multimedia Writing," whose purpose was to experience…

As an example of design-based research, this study refined an assessment strategy for simultaneously enhancing inquiry-based learning and supporting achievement on conventional assessment measures. "Astronomy Village[R]: Investigating the Universe[TM]" is a software program designed to engage secondary science students in authentic and…

Multimedia, as the term suggests, consists of multi-mediums such as photographs, sounds, and movies. A variety of digital production tools enable teachers, students, artists, and others to combine the elements in dynamic ways to inform, express, and teach. In this media-rich culture, people have taken digital tools for granted and they probably…

The use of ICTs to support literacy in a minority Indigenous Australian language is an important domain of pedagogy that is often overlooked by teachers in these contexts. The development of new technological configurations in remote communities can be highly supportive of Indigenous languages spoken by a small number of people. This paper reports…

As multimedia language learning materials become prevalent in foreign and second language classrooms, their design is an important avenue of research in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Some argue that the design of the pedagogical materials should be informed by theory such as the interactionist SLA theory, which suggests that input…

In this article, the author argues that, if schools truly were based on standards, they would look much different than they do now. She describes the standards-based system of an experimental school in Colorado. Here, she discusses how students document their work in a variety of ways, such as: (1) various types of portfolios; (2) oral delivery;…