The dominant information technology has been print for so long that it has been natural for generations of students and teachers to conclude skills using text should be the focus of what we do in schools. Many of today’s educators were adolescents when print still dominated culture, but print is being replaced by digital electronic Read More
Once writing is introduced to a culture, there are recognizable changes in the culture that are attributed to the changed information technology systems, and especially the ability to store information indefinitely. Scholars find evidence of similar changes as writing was introduced to cultures on different continents and in different centuries. Historians Michael Hobart and Zachary Read More
Steven Johnson, a well-known writer about popular culture and the influences of information technology on popular cultures argues that television and other media (including video games) are becoming more complex with richer narrative, more characters, and more complex plot twists. Compared to 20th century media, Johnson (2006) observed the modern media landscape is comprised of Read More
When authors, presenters, leaders, and others describing “paradigm-changing” practices and ideas, make sure to ask if they are talking about a Kuhnian paradigm. Here is my take on the four characteristics of paradigms: According to Kuhn (1970), paradigms are comprised of four components, and a paradigm shift requires new understanding be recognized and implemented within Read More
Once the World Wide Web became available in the mid-1990’s, the Internet changed from being a resource for academic and government researchers to being a tool for commerce and the people. Many educators recognized the World Wide Web as an opportunity for students to access previously unavailable resources. Because few schools had the network infrastructure Read More
In the 1970’s computers entered the consumer market, and hobbyists began purchasing computers. By 1982, personal computers could be purchased for less than $1000, and amateur enthusiasts (including children) were writing their own programs to satisfy their own interests and curiosities. In that year, Joseph Deken, a statistician working at Stanford University who had received Read More
In authentic learner tasks, the cognitive load of the activities will likely be greater than the cognitive load in highly controlled instructional settings. By preserving the context in which the problems exist in the real world, educators increase the opportunities for intrinsic and germane cognitive load, but also the potential for extraneous cognitive load. There Read More
In biology, the Baldwin Effect was proposed in 1896 to suggest that learned behaviors could become a part of the biology of individuals and populations. Although this hypothesis did not stand the test of empirical observation and has been discredited as an effect in biology, it has been resurrected as a model helpful for understanding Read More
One focus of professional development relative to information and computer technology (ICT) in schools has been managing it. When computers first arrived, and machines were stand-alone devices, individual educators were able to manage the computers in their classrooms with independence; software was purchased for single machines and printers and similar peripherals were connected to specific Read More
A part of all education research is recognizing one’s responsibility to proceed in a manner that respects the subjects, the process, and the community. Ethical researchers do not endanger the physical or emotional health of subjects, and they take steps to ensure the privacy of subjects and preserve subjects’ right to withdraw without penalty. Also, Read More