This study examines the digital native pre-service teachers' (DNPSTs) perceptions of their competency, attitude, and pedagogical intention to use free and open source tools (FOSTs) in their future teaching. Participants were 294 PSTs who responded to pre-course surveys at the beginning of an educational technology course. Using the structural…

The pace of technological change accompanied by an evolution in social, work-based and study behaviours and norms poses particular challenges for universities as they strive to develop high quality and sustainable technology-rich learning environments. Maintaining currency with the latest advances is resource intensive, hence the costs incurred in…

Games technology has undergone tremendous development. In this article, the authors report the rapid advancement that has been observed in the way games software is being developed, as well as in the development of games content using game engines. One area that has gained special attention is modeling the game environment such as terrain and…

The purpose of this paper is to review the effect of web-based software tools for finding and sharing digital resources. A positive correlation between learning and studying through online tools has been found in recent researches. In traditional classroom, searching resources are limited to the library and sharing of resources is limited to the…

This case study examined the educational software evaluation processes of pre-service teachers who attended either expertise-based training (XBT) or traditional training in conjunction with a Software-Evaluation checklist. Forty-three mathematics teacher candidates and three experts participated in the study. All participants evaluated educational…

Wikis offer many benefits, such as two-way flows of information, early and consistent feedback, and greater student group collaboration, in an educational setting. Some researchers have already reported on the use of Wikis in their classes. However, instructors must choose an appropriate Wiki platform in order to receive all of the benefits of…

Educational Theory into Practice Software (ETIPS) is an online case study program in the testbed stage of development intended for use by professors of education administration. The program is being developed by Sara Dexter and Pamela D. Tucker of the University of Virginia and is being tested by various other universities throughout Virginia. As…

Examination of methods used by two software review services in evaluating microcomputer courseware--EPIE (Educational Products Information Exchange) and MicroSIFT (Microcomputer Software and Information for Teachers)--found low correlations between their recommendations for 82 programs. This lack of agreement casts doubts on the usefulness of…

Presents how the computer program "Strip-Charter" assists communication research by quantifying the pen-trace data of psychophysiological and other strip-chart records. Describes the program's basic components and capabilities, including how it (1) allows the user to employ the Macintosh "mouse" to trace strip-chart pen…

Recommends the use of microcomputers for computer-assisted indexing; describes five case studies; and provides a list of representative software programs including title, producer, compatible hardware, price, and a short description. (EM)

Presents the computer program SEPARATE.BAS. and discusses how the use of microcomputer technology for processing textual data offers increased capabilities for the qualitative researcher in speech communication. Discusses how SEPARATE.BAS. assists in the research task of dividing transcripts of interviews or discussions into separate text files…

Discusses how PRINT, a Turbo Pascal computer program, can assist communication researchers who spend the majority of their time dealing with textual material. Provides an overview of the program's ability to display files in a single or double format, convert files from WordStar file to normal ASCII, and provide information when prompted or at the…

Discusses the special characteristics of personal file management software and compares four microcomputer software packages: Notebook II with Bibliography and Convert, Pro-Cite with Biblio-Links, askSam, and Reference Manager. Each package is evaluated in terms of the user interface, file maintenance, retrieval capabilities, output, and…

Argues that traditional methods of testing software products leave too little time for major modifications and that in-cycle usability testing is required. Reports a study of environmental factors that constrain such testing. Concludes that it is not yet routine because of budget and staff limitations, lack of performance standards, and untrained…

Describes a modification of the software "Punctuation and Style," and a study of the modified software program. Reports that teachers rated computer evaluations of student compositions as helpful more often than did students. Notes that teachers and students agreed generally on the helpfulness of the program's most frequent comments. Argues that…