This article examines the change in teachers' attitudes and instruction following computerization of their schools. Parameters chosen to assure the success of the study were: teachers' training courses, establishment of teachers' teams, teachers' expectations and willingness, and teachers' use of the computer in the school. The study took place in…

The University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia, has more than 25 years experience in distributed education. More recently, USQ has embraced information and communication technologies to delivery learning resources in a more integrated and interactive environment to on-campus and external students. To understand the complex reactions of…

Students use computer software to construct personalized fractal art. (Contains 7 figures and 1 table.)

Digital cameras are easy to find, easy to use, and offer great potential for incorporating technology into lessons. Project ideas can range from creating collections of objects to identify (e.g., insects, plants, rocks/minerals, and so on) to documenting the signs of the seasons or recording the progress of an investigation. Even stages of the…

When a computer-based tool or application is used to carry out a specific task in a learning situation--that is, it is used for learning--more effectively or efficiently one speaks of learning "with" the tool or application. When, possibly, that same tool or application is used to enhance the way a learner works and thinks, and as such has effects…

This study has important implications for microworlds such as Logo, HyperGami, and Newton's World, which use interaction to learn spatial mental models for science, math, geometry, etc. This study tested the hypothesis that interactively rotating (dragging) virtual shapes primes mental rotation. The independent variable was observation vs.…

This three year study examined a program designed to prepare Pre-k to Grade 12 teacher candidates (TCs) to develop and deliver lessons that effectively incorporate technology that enable their students to use technology to achieve lesson plan objectives. Three variables were used: (1) comfort level with technology, (2) frequency of technology use,…

In this article, the authors discuss the reality of today's current students and their expectations of the institutions they attend. Specifically, they describe the current generation, the Net Generation, of traditional-age college students who have grown up with computers and the Internet, living in a rapid-response, multimedia, anytime-anywhere…

In recent years, novel paradigms of computing have emerged, which enable computational power to be embedded in artefacts and in environments in novel ways. These developments may create new possibilities for using computing to enhance learning. This paper presents the results of a design process that set out to explore interactive techniques,…

The authors review the trends in the use of computers in the delivery and support of career guidance and counseling identified at the symposium "International Perspectives on Career Development." The papers presented emphasized that 20th-century computer-based systems continue to be used, mainly delivered via the World Wide Web. These systems are…

The new definition of interactivity has as its focal point the skills of people, not the capabilities of the technology. The goal is to enhance the interaction between people and the learning that can only occur among curious and motivated individuals working together. The social nature of people, the increasing capabilities of technology and the…

This study explores the perceptions of Finnish 15-year-olds on the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet. The data, students' written responses (N = 3112), were gathered in the context of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the spring of 2000 as a national option. The data were analysed by close reading and…

Organization and word processing software programs empower students with disabilities to become more independent in their writing. In this article, the authors describe techniques for incorporating organizational programs and word processing features into the writing process. Beneficial features include word prediction, voice output, spell…

This paper reports on teachers' perceptions of the educational affordances of a handheld application called Participatory Simulations. It presents evidence from five cases representing each of the populations who work with these computational tools. Evidence across multiple data sources yield similar results to previous research evaluations of…

Teaching for understanding is a traditional goal in education that is enhanced through what curriculum theorists Wiggins and McTighe (1998) called "uncovering." In this article the authors describe the ways that interactive computer technology--hypertext--facilitates this act of "uncovering" as students try out ideas, formulate questions, and…