For the past nine years, the Speak Up National Research Project has endeavored to stimulate new discussions around how technology tools and services can transform education and to provide a context to help educators, parents, and policy and business leaders think beyond today and envision tomorrow. In last year's report, "The New 3E's of…

This article focuses first on fundamental trends weakening the European--specifically, the Slovenian--economy and social structure, which are creating a two-class system consisting of an undereducated/uneducated population unable to compete for employment in an economy increasingly requiring more education to update employees' skills. Learning and…

This paper focuses on "digital inequality"--a key mediating issue within the education technology debate. In particular, it examines how the social and cultural resources of young people relate to their usage behaviour within the informal space of the Internet and what options are available to counter this digital inequality in terms of…

The author argues that properly designed and properly implemented instructional systems are neither incompetent, nor inefficient, nor inhumane." (Author/AK)

This study analysed 9 to 11 year old children's drawings of tropical rainforests immediately before and after a visit to the Humid Tropics Biome at the Eden Project, Cornwall, UK. A theoretical framework derived from considerations of informal learning and constructivism was used as a basis to develop a methodology to interpret the children's…

The culture of science is more than science-as knowledge. It is even more than science-as-method. It includes public awareness of the impact of science-technology and mathematics on the economic and social well-being of citizens and their opportunity and readiness to enter into civic discussions of scientific issues. The culture of science in this…

For the thirty-fifth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the national AECT Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

An important challenge in urban science education is finding ways to engage all students in the learning of science. However, research in this area has consistently shown that around middle school student engagement in science wanes. Using critical ethnographic methods this study reveals how students cultivate a sense of ownership in an informal…

This report describes a course sponsored by the Workers' Educational Association in England that is intended to fill a gap between informal discussion groups and access courses for higher education. Section 1 describes this intensive course, which occupies five hours per week and uses team teaching, one-to-one tutorials, formative evaluation, and…

A 4-year longitudinal study of English 15-19 year-olds' learning experiences was used as the basis for the development of a theoretical model describing and analyzing young people and their learning in a modern world. Although much contemporary policy assumes that learning is regulated by teaching and standards monitoring, that learning…

Social learning theory and situated learning were reflected in the discourse of British adult students in a childcare/early childhood education course. They attached considerable importance to placement experiences and had concerns about the theory-practice gap and the quality of placement support. (Contains 51 references.) (SK)

Presents results from two studies conducted as part of the evaluation activities of the FUNTIVITIES project, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project to increase girls' and women's interest and comfort level in science and math. Girls showed a slightly higher mean, implying greater recognition that achievement in science and math is not…

Reviews the work of the Program Evaluation and Research Group (PERG) at Lesley College in evaluating informal, nonschool science programs for elementary students. Compares PERG's findings with other published literature about elementary school programs in extraschool science institutions and discusses issues that apply to all such programs from…

The impact of "The Great Lake Erie," an outreach program that aimed to improve visitor knowledge and attitudes about Lake Erie, is discussed in this evaluative study. "The Great Lake Erie" was presented as a two-part program consisting of a lecture and demonstration stage presentation and a series of exhibits. The program was…

Informal learning environments compel the design of activities that are both appealing and educational. This paper addresses issues involved in the design of science television programs for preadolescents, drawing more specifically on the case of a French-language series currently in production in Montreal. The program goals and format are…