Allowing students to practice science inquiry in the classroom is fundamental for science education. Students should master investigation skills, promoting their understanding of science concepts. Virtual laboratories have emerged as a powerful interactive tool that can be a suitable alternative to real laboratories, especially when lacking enough…

Although hands-on laboratory experiments are traditionally used in schools, virtual laboratories have entered today's classrooms, due to their specific affordances. In this study, we compared the effect of using hands-on and virtual laboratories in isolation to two different combinations on middle school (7th grade) students' acquisition of…

This paper explores the integration of STEM activities in teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of innovative pedagogical approaches in effectively introducing theoretical concepts, such as variables and functions, and merging them with practical applications. Drawing on existing literature, this study investigates the integration of…

This piece summarizes one teacher's experiences during the abrupt move to digital learning due to COVID 19. This is not a full research study.

The science learning environment is an important factor in students' attitudes toward their science experiences in school, as well as toward science courses. This study compares how learning in different laboratory environments (hands-on or virtual) influences these attitudes for middle school (7th grade) students. Participants were 143…

Through a case study of a seventh-grade ELA teacher, this article examines New Literacies pedagogy and more specifically a digital video project amid high-stakes testing pressures that often place limitations on teaching and learning.

Engaging students in self-reflection about their learning performance is a potentially promising pedagogical approach for supporting math learning. However, it is unclear how models for math learning in regular classrooms translate in a virtual environment. The purpose of this paper is to (a) analyze rich assessment data from virtual schools to…

We compared classroom interactions during two episodes in a seventh grade virtual mathematics class. Both episodes were drawn from virtual live lessons utilizing different lesson layouts. We investigated how mathematical knowledge was negotiated in both episodes. The results show that the layout of live lessons had an effect on how students shared…

Inquiry skills are an important part of science education standards. There has been particular interest in verifying that these skills can transfer across domains and instructional contexts [4,15,16]. In this paper, we study transfer of inquiry skills, and the effects of prior practice of inquiry skills, using data from over 2000 middle school…

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between virtual school size and student achievement in virtual schools in a southwestern state. Enrollment size and the following areas were studied in an attempt to determine student achievement: STAAR English Language Arts/Reading, STAAR Math, STAAR Science, and STAAR Social Studies…

The educational opportunities provided through connectivity to the internet that did not previously exist make way for many opportunities to expand curricular options. Through the use of technology and the internet students are able to receive education through a tailored learning approach delivered via online resources. The purpose of this study…

Technology offers many opportunities for educators to support teaching, learning and assessment. This paper introduces a project to design and implement a virtual environment (SAVE Science) intended to assess (not teach) middle school students' knowledge and use of scientific inquiry through two modules developed around curriculum taught in middle…

Online learning has seen an explosive growth at the K-12 level, however little research has used an experimental design approach to specifically examine the outcomes of delivery methods. This study examines what effect learning in an immersive learning environment (virtual world) has on student achievement and satisfaction with the lesson. To…

Technological advances on the Internet now enable students to develop participation skills in virtual worlds. Similar to controlling a character in a video game, multi-user virtual environments, or MUVEs, allow participants to interact with others in synchronous, online settings. The authors of this study created a link between MUVEs and…

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto"--a statement Dorothy made to her dog, Toto, in "The Wizard of Oz"--sums up reasonably well the point the author wants to make in this article. That is, as literacy educators no longer constrained (or protected) by older, more familiar 20th-century print-centric modes of communicating, educators may at times feel…