Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Strategies: Tools That Support Nonverbal Students, With Multiple Disabilities, Acquiring Literacy Skills, Jamie Creeden

Education Masters

The purpose of this study was to determine effective instructional tools that teachers can utilize to help plan instruction so that nonverbal students with multiple disabilities can acquire literacy skills in the classroom. One student, Trinity, who is nonverbal and has been diagnosed with Chiari malformation, was assessed using a variety of formal (Peabody Nonverbal Picture Vocabulary Assessment (Form A)), and informal assessment tools (interviews and teacher-made literacy assessments) to determine what literacy skills she possesses. The findings suggest that Trinity possesses a variety of receptive and expressive literacy skills typical of other children her age. Teachers just need the …

Prospects For Change: Creating A Blended Learning Program Through A Culture Of Support, Bill Leach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Blended learning, a combination of traditional face to face (F2f) instruction and computer-mediated communication (CMC), is a popular trend in many universities and corporate settings today. Most universities provide faculty members course management systems, such as Blackboard, Angel, and others as a way to organize and transmit course materials to students. In order to assess the pedagogical value of blended learning in a university-level first year composition (FYC) environment, it is necessary to view the environment through a critical lens and adequately train faculty in the need for and use of the features of the learning management software (LMS). The …

Early Development Of Graphical Literacy Through Knowledge Building, Jianwei Zhang, Yongcheng Gan, Marlene Scardamalia, Huang-Yao Hong

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

This study examined growth in graphical literacy for students contributing to an online, multimedia, communal environment as they advanced their understanding of biology, history and optics. Their science and history studies started early in Grade 3 and continued to the end of Grade 4; students did not receive instruction in graphics production, nor were they required to produce graphics. Results show that students spontaneously produced graphics that advanced along seven dimensions, including effective representation of complex ideas, use of source information and captions, and aesthetic quality. On average, the scores for the seven dimensions were higher for Grade 4 students …

Identification Of Quality Visual-Based Learning Material For Technology Education, Petros Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph]

In learning environments, the visual elements of courses, lessons, and presentations play an important role in learning. Well-conceived and rendered visuals help any audience understand and retain information (Wileman, 1993).

Minnesota Tuning Project: Biology And Graphic Design, Kristi L. Kremers, Krista M. Soria, Lynn D. Akey

Academic Affairs Publications

Within the tuning methodology, a key step is the utilization of a consultative survey. The objectives established in the Bologna process for the tuning survey “include gleaning current perspectives on the diversity of practice and commonality of knowledge across borders and traditions, and seeking a simple and accessible language to create a scaffolding on which the various degrees can work in comfort and trust” (Adelman, 2009, p. 49). The Minnesota tuning surveys sought the consultation of previous graduates, current students, employers of graduates, and academic faculty for each of the disciplines involved in tuning.

Interface Literacy: Screencasts, Guis, And Computer-Mediated Authorship, Michael J. Cripps

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Our lives are increasingly mediated by computers and graphical user interfaces or GUIs. In education, computer-mediated learning often involves the integration of new technologies into the classroom context. In an educational environment in which courses have specific content, and in which students (and faculty) must learn the interfaces that enable them to access and engage the content, how might one move from more work for teachers and learners to a different kind of teaching and learning? Are there particular ways to weave technology and content together to move from an additive model to an integrated one that helps learners become …

The Play Is A Mirror: Looking At Human Nature In Romeo And Juliet [9th Grade], Melissa Manny

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Since reading Shakespeare for the first time often causes students to doubt themselves or quit from frustration, the purpose of this unit is to support students throughout the reading process so that they learn to appreciate drama as a means for better understanding themselves, rather than letting it defeat them from the beginning. Through an examination of character motivations, in addition to the language and dramatic conventions Shakespeare uses to bring their stories to life on stage, students will experience theatre as a mirror that reflects their own struggles and desires back to them. The relationship between the audience’s reaction …

Benefits Of Continuing Professional Development In The Visual Communications Sector In Ireland, Con Kennedy

Other resources

This research is concerned with identifying the benefits of Continuous Professional Development for the Visual Communications sector in Ireland, with the aim of establishing what benefits exist for both the employee and employer. Research is undertaken to identify CPD programmes that currently exist in other industries in Ireland for the purpose of establishing commonalities and how this may apply to the Visual Communications sector. This is achieved through a combination of literature review, desk research, surveys of employees and employers in the Visual Communications sector and a number of semi-formal interviews with representatives from various industry sectors with established CPD …

The Art In Teaching Writing, Sally Helene Tooley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to determine how exceptional writing teachers utilize visual images in their teaching of writing. Specifically, the researcher was interested to discover how drawing might be used as a learning tool in the various stages of the writing process. Nine elementary teachers - recognized as exemplary teachers of writing, completed a detailed questionnaire in reference to their writing instruction. All of the teachers surveyed value visuals highly and recognize the potential impact that drawing can have on writing. However, not all of these teachers are utilizing drawing or visual strategies in their writing instruction on …

Oral Presentations: Exploring Presentations Of Homework Problems As An Alternative Assessment Tool, Michael Ford

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects

In this study of my fifth grade mathematics class, I investigated a method of assessing homework presentations as an alternative means of assessment from the more traditional approach of paper and pencil testing. By changing the number of daily problems assigned in my classroom to include shorter assignments and implementing longer, more difficult story problems, I found that students enjoyed mathematics more and had a deeper understanding of the concepts. Increased retention of material, enhanced abilities to communicate problem solving methods, and improved attitudes were all positive side-effects of this project. As a result of my study, I have changed …

2009 April 22 - Undergraduate Curriculum Council Minutes, Undergraduate Curriculum Council, East Tennessee State University

Undergraduate Curriculum Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Tempo Magazine, Spring 2009, Office Of Student Life

Tempo Magazine

Tempo Magazine is Coastal Carolina University's student-produced feature magazine. TEMPO #21. Editor: Lauren Formalarie. Faculty advisor: Melissa Paschuck and Paul Olsen.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 033, Number 25, March 16, 2009, Grand Valley State University

2008-2009, Volume 33

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

The Relationship Of Drawing, Writing, Literacy And Math In Kindergarten Children, Susan Steffani, Paula M. Selvester

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study supports and extends previous research that suggests there is a relationship between picture naming and a variety of other factors that impact early literacy. The study explores the picture naming/representing ability of kindergarteners (n = 20), their ability to name and draw pictures of objects they could and could not immediately identify, and their early literacy and math assessments. Significant results were found for 1) drawing ratings and alphabet writing, and 2) alphabet writing, geometric shape sorting, and rhyming. Relationships between kindergarteners’ picturing naming and drawing and their early literacy assessment performance are explored.

From The Editor, Allison Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Introduction to issue by editor Allison Baer.

Reading Horizons Vol. 49 No. 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons vol. 49 issue 2.

Using The Definition As A Compass To Teach Backgrounds, Issues And Trends, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

The “issues and trends” graduate course at Wayne State University endeavors to prepare professionals who have a historical and philosophical grounding in addition to technical skills. In this course the definitions of educational and instructional technology that have emerged over the years are viewed as compasses, pointing to concepts and issues predominant in each historical period. AECT’s current definition book, Educational technology: A definition with commentary (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008) provides the core readings for this course. Specific issues and the class activities associated with each are discussed.

Administrative Perspectives On Technology Integration: The Globaloria: Myglife Program In West Virginia, William E. Chapman Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The reputed benefits of using technology in schools have been the topic of many research studies. When the World Wide Workshop Foundation implemented their Globaloria program into a group of pilot public secondary schools in West Virginia in the fall of 2008, another opportunity for study was created. The perceptions of principals relating to: 1) the effect(s) of the Globaloria program on students‘ academic outcomes; 2) the purpose(s) of the program; 3) the principal‘s role in the program 4) the benefits; and/or 5) the liabilities of having the program in their schools were examined in this mixed-method study. Analysis of …

2009-2010 Course Catalog, Columbia College Chicago

Course Catalogs

2009-2010 Course Catalog

Scientific Rigor And Distance Education, Michael Simonson

Faculty Articles

[...] the most fundamental and most important characteristic of a profession is that the skills involved are founded upon a body of intellectual theory and research. (p. 8) The second quote is by Campbell and Stanley, who, in their classic 1963 monograph, described the experiment as the only means for settling disputes regarding educational practice, as the only way of verifying educational improvements, and as the only way of establishing a cumulative tradition in which improvements can be introduced without the danger of a faddish discard of old wisdom in favor of inferior novelties, (p. 2) The final quote is …

Political Spaces And Remediated Places: Rearticulating The Role Of Technology In The Writing Center, Russell Carpenter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Writing center directors (WCDs) often situate their programs in physical and virtual spaces without fully studying the pedagogical and political implications of their decisions. Without intense study, writing centers risk building programs within spaces that undermine their missions and philosophies. In The Production of Space, Henri Lefebvre argues that "From the analytic standpoint, the spatial practice of a society is revealed through the deciphering of its space" (38). The study of space also reveals important political and financial priorities within the institution. Furthermore, the positioning of buildings and the spatial layout of a campus display the institution's priorities and attitudes …

The Communication In Science Inquiry Project (Cisip): A Project To Enhance Scientific Literacy Through The Creation Of Science Classroom Discourse Communities, Dale R. Baker, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Senay Purzer, Nievita Bueno Watts, Gita Perkins, Sibel Uysal, Sissy Wong, Rachelle Beard, Michael Lang

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study reports on the context and impact of the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) professional development to promote teachers’ and students’ scientific literacy through the creation of science classroom discourse communities. The theoretical underpinnings of the professional development model are presented and key professional development activities are described. Data are provided on teachers’ fidelity of implementation of the CISIP instructional strategies, their understanding of the nature of science communication, and their ability to write scientific investigation reports. Student data includes an analysis of scientific arguments and the perception of their classroom as a science classroom discourse community. Two …

Effects Of Computer Application Courses On Students At Menchville High School, Wardell Boyle

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the effects of computer application courses on student academic achievement at Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia.

Enhancing The Collection Process For The Delphi Technique, Petros Katsioloudis, John Brocato (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this manuscript is to describe a process that enhances the data collection process for a Delphi technique. The approach consists of online platforms to expedite the process and reinforce the validity of the Delphi technique. The context of the study was the identification of quality indicators for visual-based learning material development for Technology Education programs for grades 7-12.

Effects Of Applied Behavior Analysis On Teaching Social Skills To Young Children With Autism, Michelle Yeggy

Graduate Research Papers

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 166 children are born with autism (Falco, 2008). With this continual increase of children being diagnosed there is a lot of pressure put on schools to provide the quality programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD have delays with their language and communication skills, social skills and theory of mind, and also these children have challenges with sensory processing. Rogers (2000) wrote that social dysfunction is the single most defining characteristic of autism, and it is also one of the most important to overcome. …

Author Biographies

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Teaching A Foreign Language With Video Podcast Assignments: Examples From An American Sign Language Course, Shiao-Chuan Kung, Elaine Gale

Publications and Research

This article describes how one American Sign Language (ASL) class employed video podcasting (vodcasting) assignments to improve students’ receptive and expressive skills. Vodcasts are downloadable video files distributed through the Internet on a subscription basis. The procedures used can be applied to other learning, including foreign languages, to achieve similar outcomes.

Supporting Teacher Education Through A Combined Model Of Philosophical, Collaborative And Experiential Learning, Roisin Donnelly

Journal Articles

This paper provides insights into teaching and learning based on the analysis of an accredited professional development program, entitled the Postgraduate Certificate in Third Level Learning and Teaching, aimed at lecturing staff/faculty in Irish higher education. The program has its theoretical basis in the Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1983), combined with principles of collaborative learning and a philosophical understanding of teaching in higher education. An action research study was conducted to investigate the lecturers’ perceptions of the program, with a particular focus on how support could be provided to them through a combined model of learning. As a core …

Integrating Learning Technologies With Experiential Learning In A Postgraduate Teacher Education Course, Roisin Donnelly

Journal Articles

This paper discusses how a Postgraduate Certificate Course in Third Level Learning and Teaching for academic staff in the Republic of Ireland has adopted a particular approach in teacher education. As an important aspect of the successful integration and use of learning technology is the way in which it effectively reflects and articulates a given learning model, this course has its theoretical basis on the Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1983). The work illustrates that no one technology can support all types of third level learning and teaching; an effective approach is to combine a range of technologies. The self-study …

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Tony Allen, Karen Sharp, Mamie Peers, Cate Weeks

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.