Education Commons^™

4 Weird Things That Happen When You Videoconference, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces many U.S. colleges and universities to move their courses online, connecting online via video is now having its moment.

Family, friends, neighbors and even TV talk-show hosts are now meeting and broadcasting from home. Meanwhile, Microsoft, Google and Zoom are struggling to meet the demand for their videoconferencing services.

People have long noticed, however, that some peculiar things happen in videoconferencing. A magazine mentioned its “bizarre intimacy.” Jaron Lanier, who is considered the “father of virtual reality,” once remarked that it “seems precisely configured to confound” nonverbal communication.

Developing Computational Thinking With Educational Technologies For Young Learners, Yu-Hui Ching, Yu-Chang Hsu, Sally Baldwin

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article aims to provide an overview of the opportunities for developing computational thinking in young learners. It includes a review of empirical studies on the educational technologies used to develop computational thinking in young learners, and analyses and descriptions of a selection of commercially available technologies for developing computational thinking in young learners. The challenges and implications of using these technologies are also discussed.

Are They Simply Interested? An Exploration Of Engineering Students' Most Favorite Classes, Dazhi Yang, Louis S. Nadelson, Kimberly Hardy

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work in progress explores how instructional strategies and technology use were related to engineering students' affinity toward a class. Instructional strategies, such as contextual problem-based learning and teamwork, can increase student interest in a topic. Additionally using different technological tools affects student interest and learning. However, instructors can be challenged to encourage and maintain student interest, which makes this study worthwhile to pursue. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of engineering education research exploring the relationship between instructional technology, instructional strategies, and engineering students' course favoritism. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying effective instructional strategies …