Apart from studying students' interaction in Web-based environments in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), it is essential to recognize the importance of the contextual setting in which learning takes place. This study examines the role of face-to-face encounters as contextual support in an international teacher education course…

The paper describes the use of a spreadsheet in a mathematics teacher education course. It shows how the tool can serve as a link between seemingly disconnected mathematical concepts. The didactical triad of using a spreadsheet as an agent, consumer, and amplifier of mathematical activities allows for an extended investigation of simple yet…

This teacher-researcher case study examines the use of digital storytelling in a teacher assisting seminar. During the field placement, students composed a digital story of a teaching hour. Combining reflection with classroom footage, students exhibited their work for their colleagues. Digital stories added to the written narratives from the…

In this commentary, Richard Schwier draws observations of what he believes are key issues in e-learning that come directly out of "A Review of e-Learning in Canada." However, much of the commentary is consumed by topics that haven't yet generated the volume or type of research necessary to allow the kind of compressed scrutiny that this…

In this response to Charles Gagel's National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators (NAITTE) Membership Survey Report, the author states that the NAITTE of tomorrow cannot be the NAITTE of the past, as the organization is now feeling the effects of failing to change along with the field of teacher education. Of course, the…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether training with a multimedia tutorial would have an impact on LPN students' knowledge of dementia care, attitudes toward dementia care, and self-efficacy ratings. A total of 38 nursing students participated. Pre-post comparisons of outcome measures revealed significant improvements in knowledge,…

Reflection and professional development are two key practices that characterize an effective teacher and that are frequently overlooked in preservice training (Bowles, 2003; Halen-Faber, 1997; Patrick & Reinhartz, 1999). Reflection can be defined as the type of thinking that serves to challenge notions of prior learning (Halen-Faber, 1997), and…

There is concern that the nation's schools are not preparing students to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. At both precollege and postsecondary levels, much effort is needed to create and implement powerful STEM curricula, prepare and support highly qualified teachers, deliver effective instruction, and give…

The changes in the society related to the developments in science and technology underline the importance of the need for education. Technological developments broaden and accelerate communication, too. The opinion that rapid and unpreventable developments in technology today lead to many environmental problems and contribute to increases in…

In this author's research, the question of whether it makes sense to think of writing primarily as a generic skill acquired increasing urgency as she gathered qualitative data for a study of the relationship between instructors' expectations in the design of writing assignments and the students' thinking as evidenced both in their essay responses…

Prepared for presentation at the 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, in Edinburgh, Scotland, this report describes a proposal, created by the Commonwealth of Learning at the request by the Commonwealth Ministers of Education, to explore the creation of a virtual university to support higher education in small states. A Technical…

In order to realize one of the most important necessities of the life, which is learning, the human being spends most of their life for education-training activities. In the conventional applications, every individual, being a part of a group is dependant on a single program and an educational management which was chosen for the group by the…

Background: Many of the agent-based products available to education today have been largely confined to games and instructional media that are often produced commercially by non-instructional professionals. Most of them lack customizability and are difficult to integrate into individual subject curriculum. With more agent authoring tools available…

Faced with reduced numbers choosing to study foreign languages (as in England and Wales), strategies to create and maintain student interest need to be explored. One such strategy is to create "taster" courses in languages, for potential university applicants. The findings presented arise from exploratory research, undertaken to inform…

Arabic, English, mathematics, and information technology (IT) are used in every aspect of modern Islamic society throughout the Arab world. As a result of the increased awareness of the importance of these subjects and their impact on society, they have rapidly become established as part of the curriculum in most modern Arabic universities'…