Showing papers in "Educational Technology & Society in 1999"

No Significant Difference Phenomenon.

Abstract: The No Significant Difference Phenomenon (NSDP) is designed and arranged differently from other monographs or books. NSDP contains a compilation of briefly described research findings related to the effective use of technology, chiefly distance learning, compared to alternative methods or techniques of teaching. The annotated studies are arranged chronologically by year beginning in 1928 and ending in 1998. There are 355 research reports, summaries, and papers cited in which no significance difference was reported between the variables compared.

Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning.

Abstract: Textbook details: Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning, Second Edition Grabe, Mark (Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota and Grabe, Cindy (Technology Facilitator, Grand Forks Schools, North Dakota) 1998, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkley Street, Boston, MA 02116 USA (ISBN 0 395 87136 0) Pages, 451; parts, 3; chapters, 11; glossary; references; chapter summaries; and graphics.

The Encyclopedia of Educational Technology.

Abstract: BLOOM CREATED A LEARNING TAXONOMY IN 1956, and since that time we have learned more about the way that children learn. Teachers have also revised the way that they plan and implement instruction in the classroom. To keep the importance of Bloom's work relative to today's theories, Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) revised Bloom's original taxonomy by combining both the cognitive process, and knowledge dimensions. This new expanded taxonomy can help instructional designers and teachers to write and revise learning objectives.

Using Instructional Theory to Facilitate Communication in Web-based Courses

Abstract: This articles examines the role of computer-mediated communication as well as broader interpretations of communication in Web-based instruction. Overviews of cognitive processing and cognitive constructivist paradigms are presented to illustrate their relevance for guiding development of Web-based courses. Instructional goals and communication strategies associated with these paradigms are identified. We conclude that developers should use instructional theories to guide choices for facilitating communications goals in Web-based courses. Because of increasing demands on professionals in many disciplines to develop Web-based instruction, it is recommended that university training programs require appropriate candidates to demonstrate relevant theoretical knowledge and skill competencies.

Computer-Assisted Assessment: Impact on Higher Education Institutions

Abstract: As an increasing number of higher education institutions (HEI's) look to computers to solve some of the problems associated with the burden of expanded student numbers, advances in technology are increasingly impacting the way in which the curriculum is delivered and assessed (Hartley et al, 1999). More contentious than using computers to deliver content and support student learning is computer-assisted assessment (CAA). CAA can include a range of activities such as, the collation, analysis and transmission of examination grades across networks and, most desirably, the use of computer-based assessment, where students complete assessments at workstations and their answers are automatically marked. CAA is, in comparison to computer-aided learning, a relatively new development and is often pioneered by enthusiastic individual academics (Stephens et al, 1998). The successful implementation of CAA is often hindered or abandoned due to time and funding restrictions, or reliance on an individual academic.

Developing on-line learning materials for higher education: An overview of current issues

Abstract: The changing roles and challenges for higher education and the increased productivity required of faculty are driving forces for the development of more diverse and efficient teaching methods. Educational trends are toward more learner­centered materials. In response to these trends, colleges and universities are now offering courses at a distance and in forms other than traditional delivery. On­line courseware materials may be a viable means of fulfilling these numerous requirements, but are very resource­intensive to develop. Multiple approaches to developing on­line learning have been tried, with limited success. The primary approach has been for faculty to enter their own course materials into the computer. To maximize university resources, the most effective approach for developing on­line learning materials must be determined and institutionalized. While faculty are the most logical persons to provide course content and design, faculty should not be expected to complete the technical tasks associated with developing on­line learning materials.

Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the Classroom.

Abstract: Textbook details: Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the Classroom http://web.syr.edu/~djleu/teaching.html Leu, Donald J., Jr. & Leu, Deborah Diadiun 1999, Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., Norwood, Massachusetts, 1502 Providence Highway, Suite 12, Norwood, MA 02062 USA Tel: +1 800 934 8322 http://www.Christopher-Gordon.com (ISBN 0-926842-85-4) Pages: 336; Chapters: 12; glossary and index; and special internet resources sites at the end of each chapter.

Practical Experiences of, and Lessons Learnt from, Internet Technologies in Higher Education

Abstract: The paper addresses how the Internet as computer-medi ated communication is affecting teaching and learning in higher education institutions, particularly as these institutions face increasing competition due to the emergence of Web-based collaboration and assessment technologies. London’s South Bank University (SBU), a typical modern-day higher education institution is thereby in the process of integrating Internet technologies into its conventional and distance learning programmes. From its practical experiences so far SBU has learnt a variety of valuable lessons. In particular the technical and social aspects that determine the choice and use of the most appropriate software tools were identified, as well as a new approach towards online (Internet / Web) subject reference sources was outlined. From SBU’s anecdotal experiences, useful recommendations are made for the effective use of Internet technologies that applies to many higher educational institutions.

Computers as Tutors: Solving the Crisis in Education.

Abstract: Now welcome, the most inspiring book today from a very professional writer in the world, computers as tutors solving the crisis in education. This is the book that many people in the world waiting for to publish. After the announced of this book, the book lovers are really curious to see how this book is actually. Are you one of them? That's very proper. You may not be regret now to seek for this book to read.

Computers as Tutors: Solving the Crisis in Education.

Abstract: In this age of modern era, the use of internet must be maximized. Yeah, internet will help us very much not only for important thing but also for daily activities. Many people now, from any level can use internet. The sources of internet connection can also be enjoyed in many places. As one of the benefits is to get the on-line computers as tutors solving the crisis in education book, as the world window, as many people suggest.

Education and the future.

Abstract: How can educators prepare their students for the many changes brought about by the information explosion? It is taking longer for students to finish their undergraduate degrees; more women are successful with earning their degrees that are men. Occupations are disappearing and new ones appearing at increasing speed. Education is one approach, but a changed and more responsive education system will be necessary. Students must learn how to be lifelong learners and discover their interests and talents through aptitude testing followed by counseling. Though of great age, the lecture remains one of the best ways to transmit information and will likely last, but in a modified form. These changes will profoundly affect politics, economics, the environment, and other areas of our lives.

The Impact of Technology and Distance Education: A Classical Learning Theory Viewpoint

Abstract: For the past two years the author has been teaching economics (History of Economic Thought and Economic Development) at the tertiary level via the Internet and computer-mediation. This is done primarily for students who are unable or who do not wish to attend classes on campus, but desire an education as good, if not better, as the campus based enterprise. This paper provides a reflective analysis of the theoretical content of that practice. Teaching ‘online’ is a vastly different enterprise than face-to-face exercises, thereby demanding a revaluation of one’s pedagogical theory and praxis. In The German Ideology, Marx and Engels articulated their claim that historically dominant classes embody their ideas in essential forms, representing them as universally valid. It is within this framework that we begin to examine what it means to "know" in economics. How knowledge is legitimated in universities continues to be under-theorised, particularly with regard to electronic transmission. The mechanism of transmission of particular concern here is that which is computer-mediated. Landow represents hypertext as the latest flowering in a long march of democratic processes originating in the displacement of Platonic authority by the lesser authority of the written word. It is argued here that the determinism of the "progressive narrative" within and around the "hypertext revolution" deserves careful scrutiny, particularly in its application to pedagogy. Pedagogical artefacts, such as computers, mediate the transmission of ideas. The question "how does this happen?" relates to the complexity of theorizing the relationship between the educational process and the social relations of capitalist social formations. Over two decades ago, Bowles and Gintis attempted a Marxist understanding of the nature of this relationship. In their conception, pedagogical mechanisms were seen to operate in a fairly deterministic way to mirror and model the norms and values of the capitalist class. The role of education was seen to be confined to the transmission of those norms and values. Unveiling the hidden curriculum was the central point of their endeavour. Herein, it is argued that knowledge is not deterministically set by the structures of social formations, being transmitted unproblematically through pedagogical systems. Capitalist ideas are hegemonic only to the extent that they embody common sense propositions. Since power works in multiple sites, with respect to pedagogic discourse, winning consent requires struggle and conflict at the level of both economy and culture. In this sense, the central concerns are: "whose knowledge, in what form, how is it selected and by whom, and to what ends". Further, the technologies employed in teaching are not neutral applications that simply guide the learner; rather, the artefacts of educational technology are themselves the products of social shaping, and are implicated in the reproduction and legitimization of social knowledge and inequalities. Pedagogical praxis is also a political praxis, i.e., personal knowledge is a function of class, race and gender experiences in relation with, and towards, others. The conceptual, symbolic and physical artefacts of pedagogy provide both the means and the object of our critique, through which teachers/learners come to challenge the status and legitimacy of dominant knowledge claims. Course material will be used for purposes of exemplificati on, examples of which can be found in the appendices to this paper. Alternatively, either or both of the courses may be viewed in their entirety by the reader. Simply email the author requesting the relevant URLs and passwords.

Problem-solving in a Constructivist Environment.

Abstract: A gyrocompass including a first gimbal, a gyro motor mounted in the first gimbal and including a gyro rotor mounted to rotate about a horizontally alignable spin axis, a pendulous body in which the first gimbal is mounted to be rotatable about a vertically alignable axis of rotation, a housing in which the body is rotatably suspended, a verticality device associated with the body for allowing the body to assume an orientation in the housing in which the axis of rotation is vertical, and a follow-up device including a pickup mounted for sensing the angular position, about the axis of rotation, of the gimbal relative to the body and a drive connected for rotating the body relative to the housing about the axis of rotation in dependence on the position sensed by the pickup. The drive can be constituted by a stepping motor constructed to rotate in highly uniform steps and simultaneously serving to provide an indication of the angular position of the body relative to the housing about the axis of rotation. Alternatively, the drive can be constituted by a stepping motor constructed to rotate in highly uniform steps, the follow-up device can include a restraining circuit and a torquer connected between the pickup and the first gimbal for restraining the first gimbal at a defined angular position, about the axis of rotation, relative to the body, the restraining circuit providing a signal representative of the angular velocity of the first gimbal about the axis of rotation, and the gyrocompass can further include a unit for determining the direction to true north from signals representative of the angular velocity.

Support Services for Distance Education

Abstract: The creation and operation of a distance education support infrastructure requires the collaboration of virtually all administrative departments whose activities deal with students and faculty, and all participating academic departments. Implementation can build on where the institution is and design service-oriented strategies that strengthen institutional support and commitment. Issues to address include planning, faculty issues and concerns, policies and guidelines, approval processes, scheduling, training, publicity, information-line operations, informational materials, orientation and registration processes, class coordination and support, testing, evaluations, receive site management, partnerships, budgets, staffing, library and e-mail support, and different delivery modes (microwave, compressed video, radio, satellite, public television/cable, video tape and online). The process is ongoing and increasingly participative as various groups on campus begin to get involved with distance education activities. The distance education unit must continuously examine and revise its processes and procedures to maintain the academic integrity and service excellence of its programs. It’s a daunting prospect to revise the way things have been done for many years, but each department has an opportunity to respond to new ways of serving and reaching students.

The Role of Higher Education in the Effective Delivery of Multimedia Management Training to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Abstract: A device and a method for producing skinless sausages by the use of molds are disclosed. The molds comprise individual hollow tubes which are open at both ends. The molds are detachably supported on conveying means and conveyed to a filling device where they are filled with sausage meat. The molds are next brought to a heating device where the sausage meat is heated until the surface is coagulated. The sausage meat at the open ends is allowed to develop freely. The molds are then conveyed to an extraction device where the sausages are extracted from the molds and transported for further treatment. The molds are, in turn, cleaned and returned to the filling device. By means of the use of molds comprising individual tubes which are detachably supported on the conveying means, great flexibility is assured in the process and in the configuration of the machine.

An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide: Electronic Tools for Savvy Administrators

Abstract: Texas school administrators often lack vital knowledge of technology trends, issues and skills; therefore, they are not as effective leaders of technology introduction, integration, and management as are needed. This lack comes from three sources: 1) school administrator preparatory programs have not and do not provide technology-related courses; 2) there are few technology-related in-service training course available to administrator s; and 3) many Texas administrators are geographically isolated and thus have less opportunity to interact with colleagues and less opportunity to receive training. This article presents and explains web-based resources for: 1) standards development for administrator, teacher and student technology skills and knowledge; 2) standards development for accessibility, connectivity, and software; and 3) national and state resources such as diagnostic tools, school data/statistics, and other technologyrelated information.