The CoVis Project: Building a Large-Scale Science Education Testbed
This paper describes the construction and research program of the Learning Through Collaborative Visualization (CoVis) Project. a testbed for exploring science education reform with telecommunications technology. The CoVis testbed is contrasted with other forms of cducational research in an "ecolo~yo f paradigms." which argues that testbeds are in fact a new setting for research with different requirements and challenges for the researcher. Two extended examples of telecommunications research ar
Using the World Wide Web to Build Learning Communities in K- 12
Social accounts of learning and human knowledge have led to attempts to reorganize schools as learning communities. This paper examines the utility of World Wide Web (WWW) for aiding in the construction of school-based and work-based learning communities An ordered list of interactions is provided to characterize the depth of students entry into new learning communities. Current offerings on the WWW are then surveyed in terms of these categories. Finally, proposals are advanced for enhancing the
Constructivism in the Collaboratory
Great attention has been paid recently to the capabilities of computers to provide environments in which active learners can construct their own understanding through open-ended interaction. Yet discussion of constructivist learning environments has commonly focused on the learner as an individual, learning in isolation from other learners. For example, Perkins (1991) characterizes a learning environment as being composed of five facets: information banks, symbol pads, construction kits, phenome
Computers and Excellence in the Future of Education
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Creatures of Habit: A Computational System to Enhance and Illuminate the Development of Scientific T
Creatures of Habit is a computer-based microworld designed to engage middle-to-high school students in the process of scientific inquiry. The system depicts a universe of interacting programmable “creatures” whose individual behavior is guided by simple rules that may model naive psychology, physical laws, chemical affinities, and other domains. Students can create or revise creature rules and explore the resulting (and often surprising) emergent behaviors within “artificial ecosystems”;
On the cognitive effects of learning computer programming
This paper critically examines current thinking about whether learning computer programming promotes the development of general higher mental functions. We show how the available evidence, and the underlying assumptions about the process of learning to program, fail to address this issue adequately. Our analysis is based on a developmental cognitive science perspective on learning program, incorporating developmental and cognitive science considerations of the mental activities involved in progr
Concerned White Citizens of Alabama Scrapbook
These materials document the philosophy and activities of the Concerned White Citizens of Alabama, who fought for racial equality and voting rights for African Americans; from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Scrapbook
These materials document the goals and activities of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights; from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
The scarlet "A": Role-play in writing
This lesson was created to follow a close reading and examination of Nathanial Hawthorne's "A Scarlet Letter". The plan uses a small group format and rotation schedule. The activities created strengthen students' understanding of an author's use of characterization, while reinforcing reading and creative writing skills.
Thanksgiving story, "Stone Soup"
This lesson is for K-5 Exceptional Children who are mild to moderately disabled. This lesson will incorporate listening, daily living, fine motor, and augmentative communication skills.
Teaching Reading To Students with ADD/H
This Advice sheet is aimed at children with Special needs (Attention Deficit Disorder). It offers strategies for developing these children's' reading skills.
TELMA Cross Experiment Guidelines
This document contains the guidelines developed by members of TELMA as a means for planning, conducting, and analysing a cross experiment aimed at contributing to the construction of a shared research perspective among TELMA teams . This is the product of the PhD students and young researchers that brought forward the whole activity. The actual experimental phase was proceeded by a reflective phase in which an agreement was achieved on what research questions to address during the experiment. O
An innovative teaching and learning environment for school mathematics
The paper presents the main characteristics, the background reference, and educational aims of an innovative teaching and learning environment designed and implemented for promoting arithmetic problems solving skills in children of compulsory school.
The project is partially funded by the European Community Research and Development Project ITALES "Innovative Teaching and Learning Environments for Schools" (IST 2000-23356).
The research addresses a sector (that of arithmetic problem solving) whi
Using the Washing Machine
This activity outlines the skills taught in preparing students for independent use of a household appliance. It is suitable for students in the Moderate / Mild Special Needs range.
Sequenced PE Activity
A sequenced Physical Education activity giving opportunities to explore gross motor skills. Suitable for students with mild/moderate special needs.
Italian Reading Comprehension 1
Journalistic passage dealing with some contemporary issues (poor job prospects, difficulties in finding accommodation, etc.) with questions to test comprehension skills.
Ball Skills
A holistic approach to gross motor skills in a social context. Apart from the growth of confidence in the particular motor skills, ball games are an easy way of becoming more integrated into the peer group. Skills in this area also bring a growth in self-esteem and the opportunity to become involved on teams and in inter-school events.
ELeGI: The European Learning Grid Infrastructure
The purpose of this paper is to describe the ELeGI Project1. ELeGI has the ambitious goal of developing software technologies for effective human learning and promoting and supporting a learning paradigm shift.
A new paradigm focused on knowledge construction using experimental based and collaborative learning approaches in a contextualised, personalised and ubiquitous way will replace the current information transfer paradigm focused on content and on the key authoritative figure of the teache
Towards Collaborative Learning via Shared Artefacts over the Grid
The Web is the most pervasive collaborative technology in widespread use today; and its use to support eLearning has been highly successful.
There are many web-based Virtual Learning Environments such as WebCT, FirstClass, and BlackBoard as well as associated web-based Managed Learning Environments.
In the future, the Grid promises to provide an extremely powerful infrastructure allowing both learners and teachers to collaborate in various learning contexts and to share learning materials, lea
