This series of one- and two-page abstracts highlights a variety of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the community college. Topics covered in the articles include: the use of "trigger films" in group learning situations; letter writing as a means of maintaining group cohesion in a nontraditional classroom; creative grading; the use…

The work presents a new method to send educational messages in e-learning systems. The communication tools are one of the main characteristics of the virtual formative actions, in addition of the contents and the evaluation. The system must help to motivate the students, mainly those who do not leave the formative action and continue it until the…

The objective of the present study was to model and test the extent to which previous success, online learning technology anxiety, and instructor-provided training influenced online learning technology efficacy beliefs, and subsequent motivation to use online learning technologies in the college classroom. The results, based on a sample of 280…

This study is an analysis of student learning style (field dependence/independence), student attitudes toward the technology medium, and student perception of interaction. Research indicates that field independent (FI) individuals are more successful in distance education settings than field dependent (FD) individuals, which is a result of their…

This book is designed as a resource for educators who want their students to read, write, share, build, communicate, and contribute using telecommunications. The book is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1--"How To Use the Internet...Real Fast" gives an overview of top educator, parent, and kid sites on the World Wide Web. Chapter 2--"What's…

This book offers strategies to help teachers and curriculum coordinators strengthen student interest through meaningful and purposeful learning. The 15 chapters are: (1) "Introduction: Planning a Connected Curriculum"; (2) "Children, School, and Community"; (3) "On Connections"; (4) "Making Connections: An Interdisciplinary Approach"; (5) "Making…

Discussion of national standards addressing technology in teacher preparation programs focuses on a team teaching approach that required methods course students to produce electronic portfolios. Highlights include student perceptions of the value of electronic portfolios; benefits of technology use; technology as motivation for students; plans for…

Describes activities at the Frost Lake (Minnesota) Magnet School of Technology that relate to global concepts including interdependence, economics, and cultural change. Projects in sixth-grade and second-grade classes are explained, and benefits of an integrated approach are discussed, including student motivation and the use of higher order…

Focuses on three writing programs involving laptop computers for reluctant writers within the Seattle Public Schools. Notes that each program uses their laptops in very different ways to impact the teaching and practice of writing in schools. (MG)

Discussion of learner motivations and learner satisfaction in distance education courses using electronic media focuses on a study at Utah State University that compared students using an audio/graphic system with students taught by traditional methods. The use of the Educational Participation Scale (EPS) and the Learning Environment Inventory…

The author builds theoretically off an alternative conception of the virtual, through a series of steps. First, he explores four processes of engagement through which immersion happens (interest, involvement, imagination and interaction); these will prove especially important for understanding the educational potential of virtuality. Second, he…

The teaching and learning of a complex section in "Theoretical Computer Science 1" in a distance-education context at the University of South Africa (UNISA) has been enhanced by a supplementary e-learning application called "Relations," which interactively teaches mathematical skills in a cognitive domain. It has tutorial and…

Amateur radio is a technology and activity that offers great potential when integrated into academic or vocational curricula. Programs with electrical, electronics, and electromechanical content can benefit from the use of amateur radio, and can also enhance language and communications skills. The biggest value of amateur radio may lie in its…

This essay examines the impact of the new information age on education by identifying the traditional barriers that have impeded the successful application of media and technology in teaching, indicating emerging trends to which we need to adjust, and suggesting strategies to better utilize technology in teaching. (25 references) (EJS)

Educators need to learn more about the impact of computers and calculators on content and methods of college mathematics instruction. Experience suggests this interactive technology encourages active participation in learning, resulting in learner sense of ownership. Technology allows visualization, promotes exploration of various methods of…