Digital Commons Network^™

Why Size Matters: Flash Fiction In High School English, Wayne R. Ashby

Theses & Honors Papers

This action research project explores the value of flash fiction in the secondary classroom. Flash fiction draws heavily on oral traditions such as the joke, and the fable, to present complete stories in fewer than 1500 words. The form has flourished in recent years, particularly on the internet, where literary journals such as The Vestal Review, SmokeLong Quarterly, and Toasted Cheese, publish engaging, and provocative stories. By examining how students react to the unique characteristics of flash fiction, teachers can make the most this valuable and abundant resource.

This article describes how students at a public secondary charter school responded …

Session 10 - Risk Education: Teaching (And Learning) About Technology And Uncertainty In Society, Julian Kilker

International Symposium on Technology and Society

Recently heightened concerns about governmental and corporate surveillance, coupled with long-term social and psychological research on privacy, present both an opportunity and a challenge for discussions about risks and risk assessments related to national security and civil liberties, as well as discussions about the social implications of technology in general. These issues include ethics, assessing uncertainty, balancing risks, and negotiating multidisciplinary expertise. This paper contextualizes the planning, implementing, and responses to several iterations of the Honors course “Who’s watching? Media, privacy, and surveillance,” within the larger topic of pedagogical practices appropriate for examining important, but controversial, topics related to technology …

Finding Our Way Back Home: Reintroducing Mythology Into The Lives Of Children, Faith Klavan

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Mythology is present in almost all aspects of modern life. Though many books, movies, video games and advertisements make reference to ancient myths, the myths themselves are no longer readily accessible to children. This thesis provides a rationale for writing a children's book which retells an ancient Greek myth. An outline for the book, entitled Perseus, as well as two sample chapters, are included. The thesis deals with mythology's relevance to the modern child asserting that it can help him/her deal with issues such as step-parents, separation anxiety and the need for individuation. The thesis also discusses the ways in …

Use Of Web-Based Technology To Enhance Instruction Of Virginia's Seventh And Eighth Grade Geometry Standards Of Learning., Lisa Ann Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to develop web-based modules for enhancing instruction of the geometry sections of the Virginia Standards of Learning in the seventh and eighth grades. While all of Virginia's seventh and eighth grade Standards of Learning strands are certainly worthy of these types of modules, geometry appeals to me most because of the vast amount of web-based resources that will be valuable when organized into modules. It is my hope that teachers of these grades will find this useful in their instruction of geometry.

An Exploratory Study Into The Efficacy Of Learning Objects, Nicholas W. Farha

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Learning objects have very quickly become a widely accepted mode ur instructional technology. particularly in on-line and co111pu1cr-hasL'd k·mning environments; and Ihey are also gaining m:ceptance in hybrid and traditional classroom enviro11111ents as well. But do they really work? That is. do they impn)\'c learning outcomes? While there is a substantial body or literature rnnccrninμ learn int! oh,iL'L'ls. Il1L' literature is sparse in regard to the question or efficacy. This research investigated the effectiveness or learning objects hy cornparinμ learning owcomes (perl'ormam:c on a problem-solving task) using a learning object, wilh outcomes achieved via a traditional textbook-based delivery or instruction. …

Web-Based Language Portfolios And The Five C'S: Implementation In Intermediate- And Advanced-Level Foreign Language College Classrooms, Jane Blyth Warren

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Web-based portfolios serve as authentic assessment in the foreign language curriculum when organized around the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Portfolios align curriculum and assessment with the standards, ensuring that student learning and progress follow these standards. Web-based portfolios enhance student learning by integrating the learning of culture with the learning of the target language. In web-based language portfolios, students create individual web pages for each of the standards. These standards were developed as guidelines for the teaching of foreign language and culture in the United States. Questions for this study included whether students perceived that web-based language portfolios …

Standards Of Best Practices Environmental Education & Interpretation Professionals, Dan Allison, Katharine August, Allison Brody, Margie Klein, Amy Page, Michelle Riter, Athena Sparks, Dan Wegner

Education about the Environment

This document provides guidelines about the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective Environmental Education and Interpretation (EE&I) experiences in the state of Nevada. Effective experiences not only further the mission of the organization but also inspire understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of Southern Nevada’s environment.

Standards of Best Practices for Nevada Environmental Education & Interpretation (NEE&I) Professionals is a guide for providers working at public lands, nature centers, museums, zoos, aquaria, schools, and all nature and heritage-rich places. It is designed to help NEE&I providers develop and implement the highest quality experiences for all possible audiences. It is a tool …

A Museum-Based Curriculum For Middle School Students In New York City, Nayantara Mhatre

Graduate Student Independent Studies

India Inquiry is a museum-based curriculum designed for middle school students in New York City. The curriculum is organized by the following themes: Geography, Wildlife, Culture and Crafts, and Religion. Within each theme there is one out-of-classroom trip, including three visits to the American Museum of Natural History, and one to the Ganesh Temple in Flushing, Queens. In addition there are seven lessons that compliment and support the organized field trips.

The curriculum was developed to appeal to the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of students emerging from the latency period of late childhood and approaching early adolescence.

India Inquiry …

Are Teens Able To Articulate A Biblical Understanding Of Christianity?, Sheila L. Bruns

Master of Education Program Theses

The following study uses previous research about the religious and spiritual lives of American adolescents and their beliefs about the Christian faith to survey teenagers at a mid-western, Christian high school. The survey is given to find out what our young people know to be true about Christianity and if they can accurately articulate their beliefs based on Scripture and reinforced in the Heidelberg Catechism.

According to the research, the students surveyed are receiving the information they need to articulate a biblical definition of Christianity. They do, however, have their strengths and weaknesses. The weakest areas would be in the …

Entrepreneurial Career Development: Using Human Capital, Social Capital, And Distance Education To Achieve Success, Connie I. Reimers-Hild, Susan Fritz, James W. King

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Individuals, especially women, must be increasingly entrepreneurial in the twenty-first century in order to achieve success. It is also important for women to take an entrepreneurial approach to career development. The first key component of an entrepreneurial approach to career development is investing in human capital. Continuous investment in human capital increases earning power, opens doors to professional opportunities, and contributes to career advancement. The second key component of an entrepreneurial approach to career development is investing in social capital. Women can increase their chances for professional success by developing networks that connect them to key individuals, assignments, and resources …

Unlv Magazine, Grace Russell, Gian Galassi, Shane Bevell, Karyn S. Hollingsworth, Jennifer Lawson, Lori Bachand, Cate Weeks, Erin O'Donnell, Peter Starkweather

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Library Tools For Connecting With The Curriculum: How To Create A Professional Development Workshop For Teaching Faculty, Sonya S. Shepherd, Debra Skinner, Robert W. Fernekes

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article focuses on ways taken by librarians in linking library tools with the faculty curriculum in Georgia. It states that librarians Sonya Shepherd, Debra Skinner and Bob Fernekes from Zach S. Henderson Library have formed a team that would push students into library resources required by their faculty. It also mentions the creation of linking tools tutorials to improve student and faculty use of the resources.

Teaching Outbreak Preparedness In The Emergency Medicine Clerkship: An Innovative Approach, Larissa S. May

E-Learning Modules

Clinicians should be competent at contagious disease outbreak detection and management. Given the threat of emerging infectious diseases and biowarfare, there is a need to develop instructional methods on these topics. We have created a case-based exercise addressing sentinel case recognition, reporting, and containment. The workshop, conducted for medical students during their emergency medicine clerkship, incorporates the core competencies of systems-based practice, practice-based learning, and patient care. The workshop is held in a hospital conference room with the availability of internet, telephone, and other resources, simulating "real life." A hypothetical case of Ebola presenting to an emergency department is outlined. …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, David Ashley, Grace Russell, Lisa Shawcroft

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Education In The Environment: A Hands-On Student Research And Outdoor Learning Experience: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending February 28, 2007, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

• Forever Earth was scheduled and operated for 21 days; it benefited 398 individuals.
• Newly developed grade 4 activities from the Forever Earth curriculum were field tested.
• Three Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted. A partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada is under development; when finalized, this partnership will markedly increase participation in the program. Similar partnership discussions are also being held with local leadership of the local Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA.
• A work plan has been established for Conservation, Education, and Interpretation Program Manager.
• Cultural Inclusiveness workshops were held in …

The Social Construction Of Authorship: An Investigation Of Subjectivity And Rhetorical Authority In The College Writing Classroom, Johannah Rodgers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Although we use the term author on a daily basis to refer to certain individuals, bodies of work, and systems of ideas, as Michel Foucault and other critics have pointed out, attempting to answer the question “What is an Author?” is by no means a simple proposition. And, starting from the position that there is no single, or definitive answer to this complex question, this dissertation seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussion of the genealogy of authorship by investigating the ways in which conceptions of the author have informed models of the writing subject in the field of rhetoric …

Marginalized Literature In The English Classroom Working With Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel And Dimed, Noelle Carpenter

Honors Theses

Literature in the English classroom should give students the opportunity to explore the voices of a diverse range of people, especially in a school system that is becoming increasingly diverse itself. By exposing students to literature that engages them in important social issues, students become aware of a world beyond their own. Marginalized literature shows students different perspectives that exist in the world in which they live. Ehrenreich's autoethnography Nickel and Dimed is a window into the lives of the working poor based on her own personal experiences and research during a time when the views surrounding those in poverty …

Physical Inclusion Yet Curriculum Exclusion? School Staff Perceptions Of The Curriculum For Students With Learning Disabilities In Mainstream Secondary Schools In Tel Aviv, Israel, Tsafi Timor Ph.D., Neil Burton Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The Israeli education system has, over the past decade, moved towards the adoption of a more inclusive approach to meet the needs of students with identified learning disabilities. As a consequence many more students in the secondary sector (12-18) are now more willing to acknowledge that they require additional support. The main focus of this research was to assess the extent to which school staff perceives that the curriculum in secondary schools is being reasonably adjusted to meet these learning needs. The study examines the views of head teachers, counselors and teachers in five secondary schools in Tel-Aviv area, Israel. …

Bridgewater State College Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2007-2008, Bridgewater State College

Bridgewater State College Catalogs, 1960-2009

No abstract provided.

Planning, Building, And Assessing An Online Information Literacy Tutorial: The Lobo Experience, Megan Oakleaf

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Each fall, first-year students arrive at colleges across the country with widely varying abilities to complete library research assignments. Some students enter higher education as veterans of the information seeking process, armed with strong school library media preparation and ready to conquer any research assignment. Far more first-year students are over-reliant on Internet resources, confused about distinctions between scholarly and popular sources, daunted by scores of article databases, and mystified by the LC classification system. Academic librarians face the challenge of establishing baseline information literacy skills in all students, often with limited time and resources. One way to confront this …

Humanizing My Business English Class And Myself, Ana-Maria Nicolae

MA TESOL Collection

A teacher of English for Business at a Romanian business college reflects on her experiences and beliefs about language learning and teaching before and after attending the Summer Master of Arts (SMAT) Program at the School for International Training (SIT).The project reports on some of the changes that the humanistic tenets of the SIT SMAT program brought about in her teaching and includes three examples of how these humanistic principles could be applied in an EFL business college classroom. The first example showcases her attempt to address affective factors during the first Business English class. The second example focuses on …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2007-2008.

When Motivating Generation Y In The Classroom, Jim Westerman

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Generation Y students have matured and developed in an artificial, technologically-centered environment significantly different from what prior generations have experienced. This essay examines the impact of this environment on student classroom expectations and provides suggestions for how faculty can adapt their pedagogy to be successful.

Student Plagiarism: How To Maintain Academic Integrity, Ludy Goodson

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Plagiarism detection tools undermine academic integrity when they ignore student copyright protections, contribute to a vendor’s unauthorized commercial gains, fail to detect many forms of plagiarism, and require instructors to do the real detection. By becoming aware of these realities and possibilities, instructors can develop more effective strategies to reduce plagiarism while simultaneously enhancing students’ academic performance.

A Comprehensive Approach To Using Primary Sources In Elementary Curriculum Development, Michelle Raelynn Nelson

Theses Digitization Project

A teacher resource packet was created that teachers can use at the third through sixth grade levels to effectively implement the use of primary sources into their existing curriculum to promote greater historical understanding, imagination, emapthy and critical thinking. This project is intended to change teacher behaviors of teaching using an archival view of history to one that applies critical thinking and promotes in-depth student understanding of historical events.

2007-2009 Catalog, Wku Graduate School

Graduate School

Graduate School catalog regarding admissions, curriculum and policies.

Teaching Children To Be Kind In An Unkind World, Catherine Ann Fabio

State of the Animals 2007

Caring attitudes and behaviors are rooted in a person’s capacity for empathy. Research (Kestenbaum, Farber, and Sroufe 1989; Brazelton and Greenspan 2000; Hoffman 2000) shows that quality of care and security of attachment affect children's later capacity for cognitive development, emotional regulation, and behavioral control. Nurturing caregiving in a safe environment allows for continued development of neural pathways, which in turn, allows for mastery of increasingly sophisticated cognitive skills necessary for emotion regulation, and social perspective taking (Selman 1980), prerequisites to empathic behavior (Bryant 1985). True empathy requires that an individual possess the capacity to discriminate another person’s affect, see …

Student Use Of, And Engagement With, Information Technology, John Ainley, Laura Engers

Digital learning research

The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has changed the nature of the learning environments experienced by school students. ... The connection between the learner and the learning environment is central to understanding how virtual learning environments motivate or engage students... The research literature on engagement in general has distinguished between three forms of engagement; behavioural, emotional and cognitive. These distinctions provide a means by which students? engagement with information technology can be described. Behavioural engagement refers to participation (both how much and in what forms) in technology-related activities. In this context behavioural engagement pre-supposes opportunities to engage with …

Preservice Teachers' Confidence In Teaching Students With Disabilities: Addressing The Intasc Principles, Amelia Jenkins Ph.D., Cecily Ornelles Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A survey was developed from the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium’s (INTASC) ten principles that specify what all general and special education teachers should know and be able to do to teach students with disabilities. Two groups of students, those in a general education only and a dual elementary/special education program, were surveyed. Teacher candidates in the general education program scored significantly lower across all variables as compared to those who were completing the dual preparation program. These results, similar to studies of general education teachers, indicate general education preservice teachers need more training concerning students with disabilities.

G07-1753 Cercospora Leaf Spot Of Sugar Beet, R. M. Harveson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The symptoms, factors favoring infection, prediction and control measures for Cercospora leaf spot of sugar beet is described in this 2007 NebGuide.