Given the growing trend of delivering classes through online and virtual environments, it is vital to gain a nuanced understanding of students' online research learning experiences, the factors that contributed to their choice of learning modality, the challenges they encountered, and the effective online research teaching practices and strategies…

Online information is not regulated for quality of content or accuracy; therefore, content found online is not always complete, accurate, or unbiased. While media-literacy education exists, educators often only see the final result of students' online research in the form of the assignment or a works cited page. For teachers to address the media…

Many teachers hesitate to integrate internet research into their lessons as they face major uncertainties concerning their students' competencies in retrieving, evaluating and processing digital information. Understanding complex geographical conflicts using the internet poses special challenges to students, as they need to obtain…

Classroom exploration of plant-based medicines and ethnobotany is a timely and valuable way to engage students in science. This Feature highlights Internet-based resources to help teachers in primary and secondary classrooms incorporate lessons and activities to teach about plant medicines. These Internet resources include curricula, videos, sites…

This article presents qualitative findings from a study that examined the types of criteria that middle school students use to evaluate the quality of online information and sources for a Web-based research assignment. Open-constructed responses from four critical evaluation items were compiled from diverse seventh graders in a representative,…

Ensuring equal access to digital learning skills for all students is a timely goal. This paper describes results of a quasi-experiment study to test the effectiveness of an online professional development (PD) model to prepare teachers to implement web-based Strategies for Online Academic Research (SOAR) with middle school students, including…

This study investigated how students in two states, one with and one without a state-wide one-to-one laptop program, performed on measures of online research and learning in science. The study replicated and extended the findings of a recent study using more current and more extensive data. In general, this study adds to the body of research…

Literature suggested that the mandated filtering required by the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 adversely affected the educational system. The literature stated that schools imposed more restrictive filtering than the Act mandated. School systems had the responsibility to ensure that children learn to read, write, and perform…

This study describes a research focused on science teachers' evaluation of natural science literacy of research and comprehension competence in their students. Natural science literacy of research and comprehension competence is defined as an essential part of science literacy -- as a competence to find, evaluate and use science knowledge stored…

Existing research shows that high school students do not possess information literacy skills adequate to function in a high-tech society that relies so heavily on information. If students are taught these skills, they struggle to apply them. This small-scale intervention focused on helping Geography students at a low-socioeconomic high school in…

Despite significant research in the field of educational technology, there is still much we do not fully understand about students' experiences with technology. This article proposes that research in the field of educational technology would benefit from a sociological framing that pays attention to the understandings and lives of learners. Within…

The World Wide Web (WWW) has become the biggest information source for students while solving information problems for school projects. Since anyone can post anything on the WWW, information is often unreliable or incomplete, and it is important to evaluate sources and information before using them. Earlier research has shown that students have…

Choosing the "right" type of technology, either synchronous or asynchronous, to facilitate learning outcomes is a new challenge as the pace of emerging technologies increases and diversifies. Teachers are encouraged to design courses that require collaboration in online learning communities to facilitate the development of higher order…

The International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC, fondly nicknamed "Isaac") is an Internet-based program for high schools and colleges. Within hours of acquisition, astronomical CCD images are made available via the Internet to participating schools around the world. Under the guidance of their teachers, students analyze the images with free…

In this paper, we report on survey and focus group data relating to the activities and perceptions of learning with Web 2.0 technologies of students aged between 11 and 16 years in 27 UK secondary schools. The study confirms that these learners had high levels of access to Web 2.0 technologies and that Web 2.0 activities were prolific. However,…