Educational technology

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement and completion rates of students in traditional face-to face classrooms to that of students in the same courses, taught by the same instructors, via the Internet using WebCT as the learning management system. The possibility of a mediating effect of subject matter area, student age, race, gender and previous college experience was also examined. Subjects for the study were 796 students enrolled in general education courses that were offered in the traditional classroom setting and in the distance learning format. The three general education courses chosen were American History, English Composition and Mathematics for Liberal Arts. Approximately half of the students participated in each format; 50.5% were in distance learning courses and 49.5% were in the traditional face-to-face courses. Student achievement was determined by final course grade and tested using an independent two-sample t-test. Completion rates were calculated for both groups and the difference between groups was tested using a two-sample z-test. To study the impact of subject matter, age, race, gender and previous college experience on student achievement and completion rates in both methods of instruction, a series of two-way ANOVAs were conducted for each group and each variable. A post-hoc analysis using the Tukey HSD procedure was conducted on any variables that tested to have a statistically significant effect on the academic achievement or completion rate in either delivery method. The findings of this study indicate that there was no difference in student achievement as measured by final course grade between distance learning and traditional classroom delivery methods. The main effect for age, race, gender and previous college experience was statistically significant on student achievement. The interaction effect was statistically significant for subject matter and previous college experience on student achievement. There was a statistically significant difference between completion rates of students enrolled in traditional face-to-face courses compared to those in distance learning courses. The traditional courses have a higher completion rate than the distance learning courses. The variable with the greatest mediating effect on academic achievement and completion rates between delivery methods was subject matter area.

This study described, analyzed, and compared the internal and external factors that prevented or fostered the implementation of a cognitive tool, GeoGebra, in the mathematics practices of 12 middle school teachers who had completed a master's degree program in mathematics successfully. Through the application of a case study approach as a systematic method for the analysis of qualitative data, and under a social constructivist framework, the study examined different factors such as concerns of teachers; their beliefs about technology, mathematics as a subject, math teaching, and learning; external factors such as resources and school support; their TPACK development; and their instrumental orchestration approach through classroom observations. Among the major findings, the study revealed that the personal concerns of the teacher users of GeoGebra included the desire to continue learning the new features of the software, as well as the desire to connect themselves with others in common endeavors for the benefit of other teachers and, ultimately, the students... There was a consensus among the teacher users that they had to strike a balance between their professional goals and the available resources.

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of alignment to national and state standards in public and private university educational leadership certification programs in the state of Florida. The standards used were the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) and the Florida Principal Leadership Standard for Technology (FPLST). A total of 16 university technology leadership course syllabi were examined. Nine syllabi were obtained from 11 public universities and seven were obtained from 11 private universities in Florida. Syllabi were examined using rubrics and assigned to one of three categories: definitely aligned, somewhat aligned and not aligned. A percentage was calculated for each type of school and degree of alignment to national and state standards to determine degree of alignment of syllabi. Inferential statistics were used to compare the degree of alignment between public and private universities. Alignment to national standards was more prevalent in syllabi from public universities than private universities while no significant relationship existed between the type of university and state standards. No inferential tests were conducted comparing traditional course syllabi with blended and online course syllabi, as the sample size of online courses was too small. The study found that technology leadership courses are being offered in a majority of Florida's educational leadership programs, indicating a growing commitment to the field. Although most universities offer a course in technology leadership, syllabi are not addressing some key national and state standards.

This mixed-methodology study examined the effect of using Electronic textbook highlight and animation tools on the knowledge and comprehension achieved by10th grade students. Eighty-two students enrolled in a regular World History course were purposefully selected and assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (a) Highlight, (b) Animation, (c) Highlight-and-Animation, or (d) Comparison. A One-Way ANCOVA with a Bonferroni Adjusted Alpha was used in analyzing the results of the knowledge and comprehension World History pretest and posttest that were administered. A Factorial ANCOVA with a Bonferroni Adjusted Alpha was used in analyzing the influence of the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) moderator. Using the eEdition World History textbook tools of highlight and animation did not significantly impact the World History knowledge and comprehension scores achieved by participants and the participant's SRI level did not significantly moderate the relative effectiveness of the conditions. Interview data from 3 Student Focus groups and 1 Teacher Focus group were analyzed with an open exploratory coding strategy. The resulting classification code of "ease of use" was characterized by: (a) time required to learn to use the tools, and (b) time to complete the tasks. A second code, "choice" was characterized by: (a) choice of instruction tools, and (b) choice in monitoring and assessing student activity. The focus groups indicated that they would use the tools in the future due to benefits such as the ability to modify the information to match their learning and instructional preferences. They also stressed that more instruction on the use of eEdition tools was needed.

This study explored the effects of Problem-Based Leaning (PBL) with webanchored instruction in nanotechnology on the science conceptual understanding, the attitude towards science, and the perception of science in society of elementary students. A mixed-methods approach was used. Subjects (N=46) participated in the study for approximately two and a half weeks. A pretest was administered for science conceptual understanding and for attitude towards science. An intervention, web-based nanotechnology anchor, Catching the Rays, followed. Catching the Rays navigated subjects through a nano quest on sunscreen. After the intervention, a posttest was administered for each science conceptual understanding and attitude towards science. Following, a purposeful selection of interviewees (N=6) participated in a Nano Post- Interview. Pretest/posttest data were analyzed using a paired t test. Results of the paired t test for science conceptual understanding (post- being larger than pre-, p <. 01) and attitude towards science (post- being larger than pre-, p < .01) were significant at the p < .05 alpha level. Nano Post-Interview data were coded and analyzed independently by two raters for emerging themes. Two themes of "Risks and Benefits" and "Solves Problems" emerged from subjects' (N=6) responses to perception of science in society questions. The theme of "Risks and Benefits" strongly suggests that subjects have a positive perception that nanotechnology comes with risks and benefits to society. The theme of "Solves Problems" strongly suggests subjects have a positive perception that nanotechnology is governed by society's needs and is used to help solve society's problems. Findings from this study suggest that PBL with web-anchored instruction in nanotechnology had a positive effect on subjects' science conceptual understanding, attitude towards science, and perception of science in society.

The purpose of this research was to identify if 1) there is a difference in student achievement between students who use the GeoLeg manipulative tool and students who use a traditional compass, protractor, and ruler on the same geometry unit; 2) there is a difference in student achievement between the genders between those who use the GeoLeg manipulative tool and those students who do not; and 3) there is a relationship between identified learning styles and student achievement on a geometry unit posttest after using the GeoLeg manipulative tool. There were 317 students in the study. The research found that students using the GeoLeg manipulative tool produced significantly better student performance on a posttest in this particular school setting. Although these results cannot be generalized to other school sites, it is plausible that these results could generalize to school sites whose demographics are similar. The research findings revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between male and female students within the treatment group. The significant finding is that the GeoLeg manipulative tool appears to work equally well with both genders. None of the learning styles, as identified by the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire, were correlated with student posttest score achievement on the tested geometry unit. In addition, there was no evidence to suggest that a student's learning style moderates the effectiveness of the use of the GeoLeg manipulative tool. There is no evidence to suggest that the effectiveness of the GeoLeg manipulative tool is any different depending upon the student's gender or learning style. The results of this research provide strong support for the use of the GeoLeg manipulative tool for improving student performance. Further research is needed to confirm these results in similar and different populations.