Very little research exists on the dependability of handheld computers used in public school classrooms. This study addresses four dependability criteria--reliability, maintainability, availability, and safety--to evaluate a data collection tool on a handheld computer. Data were collected from five sources: (1) time-use estimations by 19 special…

This study utilizes the basic framework of classical sociology as a foundation for examining the intersection of the structural history of the computer revolution with ordinary, everyday life. Just as the classical forefathers of modern sociology--Marx, Durkheim, and Weber--attempted to understand their eras of structural transformation, this…

As an educator during the 21st century, it is important to note that technology is becoming more and more dominant in society. Many teachers have become very knowledgeable of how technologically-savvy students have become. In the field of technology, everyday upgrades are being made and new innovations are being discovered. As a result, the…

The reputed benefits of using technology in schools have been the topic of many research studies. When the World Wide Workshop Foundation implemented their Globaloria program The reputed benefits of using technology in schools have been the topic of many research studies. When the World Wide Workshop Foundation implemented their Globaloria program…

This study describes the empirical test of a theoretical model of knowledge building with wikis that was recently introduced by Cress and Kimmerle. The underlying assumption of this model is that both learning (as an internal, individual process) and knowledge building (as the creation of public knowledge) are based on the interplay between an…

Digital storytelling is a viable tool to help struggling writers resist the social position of struggling writer that is often exacerbated by state-mandated writing assessments. While some writers may struggle with traditional literacy, tapping into new literacies may boost their motivation and scaffold their understanding of traditional…

Online instructors today search for ways to engage students in authentic activities in their courses to create real-world learning experiences. Collaborative grouping is 1 way that instructors promote students' creativity and productivity during the teamwork process. The present study is an attempt to enhance our understanding of students'…

Green information technology (IT) is grabbing more mainstream headlines--and for good reason. Computing, data processing, and electronic file storage collectively account for a significant and growing share of energy consumption in the business world and on higher education campuses. With greater scrutiny of all activities that contribute to an…

ArtsConnectEd is a Web site that is the product of a ten-year partnership between the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center, bringing together online the collections of the two museums specifically for K-12 teachers and students in Minnesota and beyond. This article describes the history of the partnership and important lessons…

Although out-of-class communication enhances students' learning experience, students' use of office hours has been limited. As the learning infrastructures of the social sciences and humanities have undergone a range of changes since the diffusion of digital networks, new opportunities emerge to increase out-of-class communication. Hence, it is…

The current paper describes an empirical study with the aim of producing insights about how students experience programming and software engineering. The research aims to investigate the students' world, and hence, we have chosen a phenomenographic approach. Our questions focus on the students' experiences of concepts related to a realistic…

Students at Tompkins Cortland Community College (commonly known as TC3) in upstate New York can use mobile phones to check their grades and course schedules, sign up for text alerts about class cancellations, and view a campus weather cam. They can even view their debit card account balances--all courtesy of the TC3 Mobile portal. The students at…

John Abdelmalak, director of technology for the School District of the Chathams, was pretty sure it was time to jump on the virtualization bandwagon last year when he invited Dell to conduct a readiness assessment of his district's servers. When he saw just how little of their capacity was being used, he lost all doubt. Abdelmalak is one of many…

In this paper, a dropout prediction method for e-learning courses, based on three popular machine learning techniques and detailed student data, is proposed. The machine learning techniques used are feed-forward neural networks, support vector machines and probabilistic ensemble simplified fuzzy ARTMAP. Since a single technique may fail to…

In an earlier article we presented an innovative approach for introducing mechanics at upper secondary level based on the idea of tapping core causal knowledge, and we described the working of the first part of the module. In this article we describe the second part of the module, in which we make use of the students' intuitive plausibility…