The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the ways elementary teachers use computer technology for instructional purposes and the factors that influence their use of computers. The population consisted of recent graduates from the elementary teacher preparation program at a mid-Atlantic university. Data were gathered using a survey…

Much of preservice teacher education at the undergraduate level is based on indirect links between those preparing to teach and those who spend their days in schools. This article describes two kinds of direct links based in the culminating courses required for state certification to teach at the secondary level through an undergraduate teacher…

The classroom computer is no longer confined to a box on the desk. Mobile handheld computing devices have evolved into powerful and affordable learning tools. Handheld technologies are changing the way people access and work with information. The use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs or handhelds) has been an evolving part of the business world…

The English Language Arts teachers in this qualitative study reported somewhat negative outcomes in social and material spaces in the context of laptop technology in their classrooms. These outcomes included: (a) social isolation, (b) limited communication with a teacher or peers, and (c) off-task behavior. In an attempt to uncover the reasons for…

Computer video games have become highly interesting to educators and researchers since their sophistication has improved considerably over the last decade. Studies indicate simple video games touting educational benefits are common in classrooms. However, a need for identifying truly useful games for educational purposes exists. This article…

The capacity of any professional development effort to achieve durable change in teacher practice is affected by a host of design factors and their precise alignment with multiple delivery strategies. However, how successful professional development (PD) programs achieve an effective mix of these factors and strategies is not well understood. The…

In the US and many other industrialized nations, far fewer females and minorities enter Information Technology (IT) fields than do males and majority populations. Research has revealed that unsupportive educational environments reinforced by obstructive societal norms and expectations have often contributed to the lack of interest and involvement…

This qualitative research investigated the perspectives and experiences of 17 social studies teachers following technology integration training. The research indicated that the teachers held a variety of views of technology integration. These views influenced their use of technology in the classroom. Four major categories of technology-related…

The purpose of this study was to investigate initial evidence regarding the reliability and validity of scores from a digital professional portfolio (DPP) designed to assess the instructional competencies of preservice teachers. Data were collected from 30 preservice teachers during their intern teaching experience. Data were analyzed using a…

Although researchers and educators agree that small group collaboration is an essential part of teacher education, not much attention had been paid to examining the dynamics, characteristics, and processes of online group collaboration involving teachers in a peer-led context. Yet, understanding how online teacher learning groups evolve and what…

With increased computer technology use in schools, preservice teachers must be prepared to deal with ethical issues involved in a range of computer uses, such as students plagiarizing from the Internet or accessing adults-only web sites. We investigated preservice teachers' judgments regarding several scenarios of student uses of the computer and…

This study investigated how preservice teachers' beliefs about the nature of knowledge influence how they learn from, and interact with, a case-based hypermedia system designed to highlight exemplary elementary literacy instruction. Specifically, we examined if teacher preparation students' epistemological beliefs influenced what cases they…

CAD (Computer Aided Design) has now become an integral part of Technology Education. The recent introduction of highly sophisticated, low-cost CAD software and CAM hardware capable of running on desktop computers has accelerated this trend. There is now quite widespread introduction of solid modeling CAD software into secondary schools but how…

The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of students' knowledge formed in information education at junior high-school level. Seventy-two 7th graders (first-year junior high-school students) and 78 10th graders (first-year high-school students) participated in the study. A cluster analysis was performed on 40 items of knowledge that…

The purpose of this study is to analyze the structure of industrial high school students' self-concepts. The survey was conducted on 1,040 industrial high school students in Japan. A factor analysis was carried out, and five factors were identified: F1, attitude toward self-discipline; F2, attitude toward career development; F3, attitude toward…