Objectives: To determine the feasibility of using personal digital assistant (PDA)-based technology for tracking and analysis of food intake in low-income pregnant women. Design: Descriptive. Participants provided an initial 24-hour dietary recall and recorded their food intake using a PDA-based software program for 2 days. Setting: Recruitment…

Algebra is one of those hard-to-teach topics where pupils seem to struggle to see it as more than a set of rules to learn, but this author recently used the software "Grid Algebra" from ATM, which engaged her Year 7 pupils in exploring algebraic concepts for themselves. "Grid Algebra" allows pupils to experience number,…

The Varignon parallelogram has always provided a simple geometric investigation for students that gives rise to a surprising result. It is possible to extend the Varignon investigation by looking at special quadrilaterals or by considering different dissection points along the sides. In the second of his two-part series, the author offers some…

The present study investigated the value of changing the format of overhead presentations from one dominated by headings and bulleted lists to one using a sentence assertion followed by visual evidence. A review of the literature of earlier studies on the subject of traditional overhead projections noted criticism of the traditional format. Recent…

A widget displays Web content from external sources and can be embedded into a blog, social network, or other Web page, or downloaded to one's desktop. With widgets--sometimes referred to as gadgets--one can insert video into a blog post, display slideshows on MySpace, get the weather delivered to his mobile device, drag-and-drop his Netflix queue…

The use of tablet PCs in teaching is a relatively new phenomenon. A cross between a notebook computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA), the tablet PC has all of the features of a notebook with the additional capability that the screen can also be used for input. Tablet PCs are usually equipped with a stylus that allows the user to write on…

Wireless networks are fast becoming ubiquitous in all aspects of society and the world economy. We describe a method for studying the impacts of combining such technology with dynamic, representationally-rich mathematics software, particularly on participation, expression and projection of identity from a local to a public, shared workspace. We…

When Loren Siebert struggled to learn vocabulary for his introductory Arabic class three years ago, he figured he would buy tapes or a software package. Those kinds of aids had helped him learn French in high school and, more recently, conversational Indonesian. What he was disappointed to discover was a scarcity in offerings for Arabic, despite…

Imagine school district staff inputting school data and sharing it in real time, managing teacher absences and arranging substitutes from the comfort of home, or deploying IT personnel to the right site at the right time to tackle the highest-priority jobs first. The concept of managing applications from anywhere with a network connection, known…

Few districts have more miles on their 1-to-1 computing initiatives than Texas' Irving Independent School District, where the teachers have had laptops since 1996 and the current student program began with a pilot launched in 2001. Today, the Irving 1-to-1 program puts close to 12,000 laptops in the hands of students and teachers throughout the…

Written from the viewpoint of an observer of the computer industry and a CD-ROM user, this report looks at CD-ROM evaluation guidelines; notes the performance of publishers; and comments on successful product design. It is contended that some software publishers are jumping on the CD-ROM bandwagon, and are guilty of: (1) putting "any old stuff"…

"Only the Best" is an Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) annual reference containing information on software programs and multimedia applications that have met stringent criteria for excellence. The purpose of this reference is to provide a quick and easy way for curriculum directors, technology coordinators, librarians,…

Proposes the formation of a six-member school software selection committee comprised of parents, teachers, a curriculum director or administrative representative, and a technology coordinator. Describes a three-stage review process for choosing software packages, noting that other schools are an often overlooked resource for software information.…

This article considers the importance of using age-appropriate software for adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities and the difficulty in finding such software. It outlines suggested sources, ideas for screening and evaluating software, and seven steps in selecting software. (DB)

Provides an overview of developments in authoring tools and describes ways to categorize products by platform, type of end-product, sophistication of end-product, and authoring metaphor. Discusses products from AimTech, Allegiant, Allen Communication, Asymetrix, Corel, Discovery Systems International, Enigma, Harrow Media, Horizons, Innovus,…