Teachers know that a constructivist approach involving project-based, student-centered activities can result in students taking an active role in their own learning and engaging in thought-provoking challenges. When accomplished with collaborative activities, students develop skills that will serve them well in the future in any group project.…

When designed properly, concept mapping activities can engage students in meaningful learning. In the process of creating concept maps, students relate new information to more general concepts already held, develop fuller understandings of those general concepts, and recognize new relationships between concepts. Students engage in these activities…

The tool of the future sits on a desk, but what lies behind that bright computer screen? Information floats on the surface, but the author of this article is a teacher who wants to find a way to draw students into an unforgettable learning adventure. A vision is needed, an idea that will enlist motivation and initiate a serious hunger for…

In 1995, the Farmington Board of Education (Michigan) adopted a new student profile it hoped to achieve by 2007, the year students then in kindergarten would graduate from high school. This article describes a course named "2007"--named so because the 10-week, Grade 8 course was designed to address some of the profile's key attributes:…

For learning to take place, the material must be challenging enough to engage students' interest, but not so challenging that they become frustrated and give up. This article discusses one teacher's challenge to figure out how to make this teaching method a reality in a classroom of 21 diverse first graders with many different learning styles,…

Collaborative work is the cornerstone of project-based learning, central to inquiry, research, organization, time and task management, design, reflection, feedback and revision, and public presentation. Some collaborations take place within a single classroom, some across classrooms in a district, some across the country or the globe. Within a…

Because the field of educational technology is so broad and dynamic, it is extremely difficult to find time to keep up with the best practices, current research, and innovative ideas. In an effort to help readers keep up their knowledge of the field and to determine some of the most interesting and useful resources to date, a large body of…

Chelsea pointed to four sentences on her computer screen. "Am I done, Mrs. Weeg?" Writing was not her favorite activity. She and five other fourth-grade classmates were in the early stages of writing a story in the global classroom. For the past four years, 12 students at Delmar Elementary School have taken part in this online mentoring program,…

Integrating technology into curricula requires more than just placing the latest and greatest hardware and software in a classroom. Effective integration requires leadership. In Part 2 of this series on essential resources, the focus is on resources related to leadership. As with Part 1 ("L&L," March 2004, pp. 10-13), these resources were compiled…

Shifts in technology have always been an important consideration for educators. In fact, if technology is defined as any kind of tool students use to facilitate learning, the migration from slates to fountain pens to pencils can be seen as major technological classroom innovation. The advent of the personal computer in the 1980s, however, created…

This is the second of three articles based on interviews looking at various levels of educational technology leadership and leadership development at ISTE. The first interview with Dr. Leslie Conery examined the need for educational technology leadership and looks at various ways ISTE, as a membership organization, fulfills this need. This…

This is the third and final article in the series on indispensable resources compiled from suggestions provided by ISTE members and affiliates; staff; and board, committee, and advocate network members. These essential resources deal directly with the challenges of designing successful instructional activities incorporating technology to engage…

Historical thinking skills, according to the U.S. National Standards for History, differ significantly from historical understandings. Historical understandings refer to content-specific knowledge. Historical thinking encompasses the "doing of history," including chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and…

Most mathematics teachers agree that technology can be used to promote mathematics teaching and learning. Indeed, the Technology Principle of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" states: "Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is…

Digital photography is an appealing technology to use in the classroom because it is rooted in skills many teachers already have--taking and viewing photos. Some aspects of digital photography are different from traditional photography. Understanding these differences makes all aspects of acquiring, analyzing, creating, and communicating with…