In the study described in this article, fourth-grade teachers and students of different abilities and language backgrounds were interviewed before, during, and after participating in an Internet pen pal program. Results reveal that the program's authentic tasks and texts facilitated communication and enabled students to learn about a different…

This study examines the communication between pre-service teachers and sixth grade students in a project in which email was used for communication as students learned about fractions and were supported by the pre-service teachers. Specifically, the study investigated how the pre-service teachers applied their mathematical knowledge to understand…

Interactive whiteboards have been rapidly introduced into all primary schools under UK Government initiatives. These large, touch-sensitive screens, which control a computer connected to a digital projector, seem to be the first type of educational technology particularly suited for whole-class interaction. Strong claims are made for their value…

This year-long qualitative case study explores the ways in which one teacher intern reflected upon her knowledge and experiences within two sometimes dichotomous domains: the elementary school classrooms in which she taught and her university coursework. Data collection took place over a period of eight months and consisted of twenty-two weekly…

Fifth-grade inner city boys engaged in reader response via e-mail with preservice teacher education candidates. Books and laptops were provided via funding from a federal grant. At the semester break, the boys were assigned new partners with which to correspond regarding their reading. All e-mails were filtered through the classroom teachers and…

For schools, creating an appropriate learning environment is critical. Edwards (2008) said "an improper learning environment strikes at the heart of the school's purpose" (p. 1). School discipline is extremely important because positive strong learning conditions are critical to student success and disciplinary problems are a continual…

This study represents an attempt to understand the roles and discourse of preservice teachers engaged in literature discussion with elementary students through e-mail exchanges. After local fourth graders chose books from a list appropriate for their reading ability, they were paired with a preservice teacher for an online experience involving…

Retention rates and stress levels of beginning teachers are of concern. Well-planned induction programs can assist beginning teachers to make the transition successfully into the profession, which may increase retention rates. This qualitative, year-long study aims to explore and describe the induction experiences of eight beginning teachers as…

This inquiry examined graduate students' and preservice teachers' e-mail communication as they made decisions about supporting the instructional needs of children at-risk in a community of practice summer literacy camp. The correspondence gradually evolved from impersonal to interpersonal communication over a ten-week time span, and influenced the…

In this self-study, a teacher educator and an experienced teacher analyze an unexpected shared opportunity to mentor pre-service elementary educators. Our partnership arose during a graduate course on literacy development for elementary students, serendipitously captured during an extended electronic conversation with the pre-service candidates.…

Little research has been conducted on electronic mentoring. Several traditional mentoring models exist; however, due to the novelty of the research area, no theoretical e-mentoring models appear in the literature. Using Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance as the theoretical framework, this research compared mentor-protege interaction,…

Teaching Spanish has become increasingly popular in the United States due to demographic shifts. This study focuses on a Spanish-only initiative for an existing Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program proposed by a southeastern public school district's school board. It analyzes discourses underlying the policymakers' rationales…

The passage of current educational legislation such as the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) and the more recent "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act has increased the desire for greater inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Serving the need of all students in inclusive classrooms…

This article presents an exploratory study of e-mail use for reflective narration. Narration is viewed from three perspectives: the narrating act, the narrative statement, and the story. These perspectives are used to characterize the 69 e-mails that were exchanged between 13 groups of children from three primary schools. The findings show that…

The Technology Proficiency Self-Assessment (TPSA) questionnaire was administered to 978 elementary and middle school teachers from Mexico City, and 932 elementary and middle school teachers from the Dallas, Texas, metroplex in the USA, in order to examine self-efficacy similarities and differences for technology proficiency self-appraisals in a…