The past decade has seen great strides in the design of new learning technologies that support learning aligned with standards-based constructivist and inquiry teaching practices. Though there is considerable evidence that these technologies can help students learn when used appropriately, they are rarely employed beyond the small-scale settings…

This digest discusses how selected researchers are informing practice in four key areas relating to the participation of students with disabilities in standards-based mathematics curriculum. The first area focuses on enhancing students' understanding of mathematics and emphasizes the need to make math meaningful for students with disabilities. The…

The VETO project is part of the Ministry of Education national strategy to develop an Information Society Program in Finnish schools. The focus of the VETO project is to develop and identify relevant guidelines for the implementation and integration of network based education solutions in vocational schools. The purpose of this study was to…

There are indications that Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and accompanying inquiry-based pedagogical practices can enhance student learning. The aim of this study is to experiment CSCL and inquiry-based approach in real classroom situations and to analyze students' approaches in inquiry process in terms of cognitive and…

The Learning Equation (TLE) is a software product that provides mathematics programming to students. It was introduced to grade 9 students in Alberta in 1997-1998, and in 1998-1999, its use was extended to grades 7, 8, and 10. TLE is designed to follow the Alberta mathematics curriculum closely. It can be implemented in several ways, and in some…

The wealth of information available on the Web affords teachers and learners access to language learning resources like never before. Online journals, listservs, newspapers, and magazines provide authentic material for language learners, while teachers can find lesson plans and ideas, exercises, assessment tools, and other materials for use in…

One of the critical components in the curriculum is evaluation of students' knowledge or the amount they learned in the course. Over time, the assessment process has not changed significantly; it is only recently that university instructors are turning to technology for assistance in this labor-intensive task. There are disadvantages and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which Florida's 28 public community colleges are implementing and using distance delivery of instruction. Research questions addressed the mission, the delivery organization, the content areas and modes of delivery, the faculty, and the support services involved in the delivery of distance…

Shared virtual worlds are innovative applications where several users, represented by Avatars, simultaneously access via Internet a 3D space. Users cooperate through interaction with the environment and with each other, manipulating objects and chatting as they go. Apart from in the well documented online action games industry, now often played…

Educational technology and the ways in which it is used have undergone considerable changes of the last three decades. Various technology-driven change agents have been responsible for the ways in which this subject has evolved from "chalk and talk" through multimedia to sophisticated virtual reality training environments. Increasingly,…

A decisive factor for new technologies is always the added value with respect to the efficiency and capacity of traditional technologies. This also is true when considering the impact of new technologies in training applications. New types of applications have been developed during the last few years to incorporate information technology in the…

The John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal has been addressing the need for new skills in aviation management for almost a decade through its International Aviation MBA, in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The School set out in early 1999 to create a version of the program which could…

This paper introduces and reports upon lessons learned during the development phase of the Lord Kelvin Middle School Science Program. For the past two years, a set of tools to help middle school students learn science in a way that uses the full power of today's technology has been under development. Lord Kelvin is a robust collection of science…

Liverpool John Moores University (JMU) is one of the largest universities in the United Kingdom. It is a multi-faculty institution with in excess of 20,000 students. Its first learning strategy, in 1995, sought to identify and make explicit the University's commitment to learning development and to integrate this in the context of other University…

Today, although much debate surrounds the effectiveness of including graphics in Web-based distance education courses, most course authors agree that such courses should productively engage students so that quality of learning actually occurs. But what is productive engagement in a world of electronic communication and text? This paper offers a…