Educational Technology Commons^™

How Geometer’S Sketchpad Improves Student Learning, William George Awe

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This study investigated whether dynamic software improves learning and reviews different types of dynamic software. The study then narrows its focus to one type of dynamic software, Geometer’s Sketchpad and studies how Geometer’s Sketchpad, in itself, improves student learning. The researcher identified what dynamic software is, the importance of dynamic software and different types of dynamic software. The researcher also identifies how dynamic software is utilized in schools and researches how to improve the use of dynamic software in schools. Dynamic software, and Geometer’s Sketchpad, In particular, was found to improve learning across grade levels and with different levels of …

Teaching & Technology Newsletter, Fall 2007, Office Of Instructional Technology, Ryan Matura Libray

Library Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Building A Model: Identifying Learning Episodes To Include Within A Web-Based Faculty-Training Program For The Conversion Of A Traditional Course To An Online Course, Steven Bradley Combs

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research project developed a model over time through a detailed, in-depth Simplifying Conditions Method (SCM) interview (Reigeluth, 2001) of community college faculty members at an Indiana community college. Four faculty members, who met the credentials to be considered Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), were interviewed to determine the learning episodes to include within a faculty-training program for the conversion of a traditional course to an online course. The tasks identified were then organized and placed into a comprehensive Data Categorization Table. Included within this Data Categorization Table are complexity ratings and time required for each learning episode. This newly …

The Impact Individualized Instruction With Learning Technologies Has On Student Achievement: New Directions For At-Risk Students With College Aspirations, Jorge Pena

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to measure the benefits of a remedial low-track academic program that includes individualized instruction using learning technologies by comparing the 9th grade Explore, 10th grade Plan, and 11th grade ACT standardized tests scores as a measure of academic achievement in English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning. A second purpose is to determine if there is a difference in academic achievement between male and female students that have experienced the same curriculum in a co-institutional single-sex schooling environment. The standardized test scores of male and female students from the class of 2007, the treatment group, …

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. …

Diagnosing Reading Strategies: Paraphrase Recognition, Chutima Boonthum

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Paraphrase recognition is a form of natural language processing used in tutoring, question answering, and information retrieval systems. The context of the present work is an automated reading strategy trainer called iSTART (Interactive Strategy Trainer for Active Reading and Thinking). The ability to recognize the use of paraphrase—a complete, partial, or inaccurate paraphrase; with or without extra information—in the student's input is essential if the trainer is to give appropriate feedback. I analyzed the most common patterns of paraphrase and developed a means of representing the semantic structure of sentences. Paraphrases are recognized by transforming sentences into this representation and …

Computer Use Differences As A Function Of High Or Low Minority Enrollment: A National Comparison, Manny Juarez, John R. Slate

Essays in Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of technology usage in public schools having high minority student enrollment and in public schools having low minority student enrollment. Specifically, our interest was in determining the extent to which technology usage differed by region of the country for minority enrollment. Three statistical differences were reported for percent minority and region in computer use to read, write, and spell, to learn math, and for science concepts. Computer use to read, write, and spell had the highest frequency among schools having 50% or more minority student enrollment, but less than 75% …

Instructional Integration Of Computers To Improve Learning: Student Perception, Jared Keengwe

Essays in Education

No abstract provided.

Teaching One Way And Testing Another: An Interview With Scott Howell, Scott L. Howell, James L. Morrison

Faculty Publications

I first met Scott Howell in 2005 in Jekyll Island, Georgia at the annual Distance Learning Administration (DLA) conference, which was sponsored in part by the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (OJDLA). Scott is co-editor of the three-volume book series Online Assessment and Measurement (2005) published by IDEA group and is this year's chair of the University Continuing Education Association's (UCEA) Distance Learning Community of Practice (DLCoP). His keynote speech at the DLA conference featured a number of assessment issues and best practices. However, when I sat down to interview him, he quickly focused on one topic for which …

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 …

Podcasting In Higher Education, Edgar Ignacio Chabolla

Theses Digitization Project

The objective of the project was to provide a description of podcasting and its integration in higher education institutions to serve as a guide to professors who wish to benefit from the use of this technology.

African American Millennial College Students: Owning The Technological Middle Passage, Aretha Marbley, William Hull, Catherine Polydore, Fred Bonner, Hansel Burley

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Set in a conceptual framework highlighting generational differences and socioeconomic and racial inequity, this article discusses the role of African Americans in the anticipated future changes related to technology. Focusing specifically on college-aged African American Millennial students, who they are, and the role technology plays in their development of identity, this article will bring much needed attention to this population. Additionally, the uses of and access to information pertinent to academic advancement for this cohort will be explored.

The Asia-California Connection: The Web Site To Help Asian Students Find Success When Studying English Abroad, Ying-Mei Chien

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to create a unique informational web site, with content, information and suggestions especially suited for the Asian student coming to America to study specifically, in Southern California.

Is School Wide Adoption Of Ict Change For The Better?, Katherine Dix

Shannon Research Press

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools is now an intrinsic part of students’ learning, both inside and outside the classroom. The adoption and impact of ICT on teaching practice and learning outcomes has been a source of keen interest among government policy makers, school leaders, teachers and researchers worldwide. Few empirical studies have been conducted in Australia, or worldwide, that focus on student attitudinal outcomes framed within a design-based paradigm that spans several years. The overarching purpose of this study is to investigate longitudinal change in school climate through its influence on students and teachers, during …

The Journey Towards Technological Literacy For All In The United States — Are We There Yet?, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article discusses technological literacy in the U.S. The author focuses on the history of studying technology within general education and notes the scarcity of technology education requirements in American schools. He examines the impact of various studies conducted by the Standards for Technological Literacy (STL) and the National Research Council (NRC), among others, on technological literacy. The author compares the seventeen processes of researcher Harold Halfin's technological research to the theories outlined in various STL material, including observation, analysis, and visualization.

Review Of The Technology Education Research Conference (Terc), Surfer’S Paradise, Australia, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The following report addresses questions established by the Technical Foundation of America prior to attending the Technology Education Research Conference (TERC) December 7-9, 2006 in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. Responses appear below each of the four questions.

Effects Of Digital Storytelling In A Language Arts Classroom, Joseph J. Hegland

Graduate Research Papers

Digital storytelling is a process of writing a story using technology to create a movie of a personal story. The purpose of the review is to explore whether or not digital storytelling is an effective way for students in the language arts classroom to connect their writing with technology. The review begins with how technology is used with writing in the classroom·. Then the process of digital storytelling is reviewed to understand the multiple steps: (a) pre-production, (b) production, (c) post-production and (d) distribution. The use of digital storytelling in the classroom and how teachers have used digital storytelling is …

Using Distance Education To Deliver English Instruction In Indonesia, Muhammad Yaumi

Graduate Research Papers

This paper highlights using distance education to support students in learning English in· Indonesia. The purpose is to discuss using distance education for English instruction in Indonesia, the cultural uniqueness of Indonesian students' learning styles, and a model of distance education to deliver English instruction in Indonesia. Library research involved resources relating to distance education and teaching English in the Indonesian culture. This research involved a variety of print references, electronic databases and a variety of Web resources. Research indicated that distance educat10n in Indonesia has been implemented since the 1950s. The developmental history of distance education in Indonesia was …

Managing A Distance-Learning Eet Laboratory Course Using Collaboration Software, Steve Hsiung, John Hackworth, Richard Jones, June Ritchie

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Methods of managing various distance learning EET laboratory courses using collaboration software are detailed. Particular emphasis is given to different types of collaboration software, advantages and disadvantages of each, and student and faculty feedback on the effectiveness of each.

Cultural Competence And Instructional Design: Exploration Research Into The Delivery Of Online Instruction Cross, P. Clint Rogers, Charles R. Graham, Clifford T. Mayes

Faculty Publications

The amount of resources being poured by Western universities, companies, and governments into creating educational content to be exported (via the Internet) to other cultures is astounding. Those assigned to accomplish this task are left with the great challenge of meeting the needs of learners who come from cultures that are foreign to them, and who often have very different abilities and expectations than originally assumed. This study explores the cultural competence in the lived experience of 12 professionals who have been involved with such efforts. Often they have had to question their assumptions, recognizing flaws in their own thinking …

Empowering Or Compelling Reluctant Participators Using Audience Response Systems, Charles R. Graham, Tonya R. Tripp, Larry Seawright, George L. Joeckel Iii

Faculty Publications

This article investigates the impact of an audience response system (ARS) on student engagement in undergraduate university courses. A survey was administered to students in a dozen courses piloting the ARS system. On 13 out of 14 measures the majority of students thought the system was helpful. Overall, students were more positive about the use of the ARS in courses that used the tool for formative feedback (empowering) rather than for grading or attendance purposes (compelling). The authors discuss the positive impact of the ARS on the engagement of ‘reluctant participators’ or students who reported that they are least likely …

Using Powerpoint Created Talking Books For Reading Fluency Instruction, Gretchen R. Lawyer

Graduate Research Papers

This paper describes action research integrating Microsoft PowerPoint with reading fluency instruction in a group of 6 first grade students. Included is a literature review examining multimedia, hypermedia and reading fluency. Students used CD-ROM storybooks as models for reading fluency, received direct fluency instruction, and wrote stories they developed into "talking storybooks" with Microsoft PowerPoint. Results showed students improved overall reading fluency, except reading rate. Expression and prosody were most positively affected.

A rating scale measured student attitudes towards the instruction. Results showed a positive reaction. In addition, it was found that students might have been indirectly motivated by the …

Assistive Technology : An Instructional Tool To Assist College Students With Written Language Disabilities, Isandra Martinez-Marrero

Graduate Research Papers

In their practice, instructional designers develop instructional materials and learning environments that address the individual needs of learners. However, little research has been conducted on how to address the needs of learners with disabilities, especially in post-secondary education. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the literature regarding the use of Assistive Technology as an instructional tool to assist college learners with written language disabilities. Implications for instructional designers are presented.

Benefits And Challenges Of Using Live Modeling To Help Preservice Teachers Transfer Technology Integration Principles, Richard E. West, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

One method underutilized in training teachers to use technology is to use live modeling sessions. This study qualitatively investigates how the use of modeling sessions impacted students. In this study we found that modeling was perceived by most students to be effective at teaching technology skills and ideas for integrating technology as teachers. However, we identified several breakdowns in the ability of students to transfer their understanding of technology integration to their own situations. We explain this difficulty of transfer of learning and describe five situations when these breakdowns were likely to occur. Implications include the benefits of using live …