What knowledge and skills do designers of learning technologies need? What is the best way to train them to create high-quality educational technologies? Distilling the wisdom of expert instructors and designers, this cutting-edge guide offers a clear, accessible balance of theory and practical examples. This cutting-edge guide: synthesizes learning, instructional design, and educational technology perspectives on learning-centered technology - highlighting how interdisciplinary work is driving the fields of the learning sciences and technology design and development offers helpful resources for both faculty and students - including descriptions of a variety of successful courses in learning technology design, examples of student work with commentary by instructors and students, and discussions of "lessons learned" in course development includes a "To the Student" chapter that speaks in plain language about what is exciting and challenging about creating technology for kids Directed to university instructors working with students on developing educational software projects and to managers leading learning technologies development teams, this book is a valuable resource for guiding and inspiring the next generation of designers of learning technologies.

This book focuses on the interdisciplinary incorporation of place-based learning in faculty teaching strategies at the New York City College of Technology. Contributing authors highlight their creative use of the unique urban environment of Brooklyn, illustrating the integration of urban resources into student research projects and activities in the context of an interdisciplinary course. Beginning with a reflection on the interrelationship between learners and nature, built and virtual environments, contributors then examine the experience of students and faculty in interdisciplinary projects in architecture, the geosciences, economics, computer science, the humanities and medicine. The volume concludes with a synthesis of best practices from these projects, focused on virtual place-based learning. This scholarly book makes a valuable contribution to the literature, offering a model of creative employment of urban spaces to enhance experiential interdisciplinary learning and demonstrating the potential educator application in diverse urban institutions elsewhere.

Recent work on children's digital cultures has identified a range of literacies emerging through children's engagement with new media technologies. This edited collection focuses on children's digital cultures, specifically examining the role of play and creativity in learning with these new technologies.

The chapters in this book were contributed by an international range of respected researchers, who seek to extend our understandings of children's interactions with new media, both within and outside of school. They address and provide evidence for continuing debates around the following questions: What notions of creativity are useful in our fields? How does an understanding of play inform analysis of children's engagement with digital cultures? How might school practice take account of out-of-school learning in relation to digital cultures? How can we understand children's engagements with digital technologies in commercialized spaces?

Offering current research, theoretical debate and empirical studies, this intriguing text will challenge the thinking of scholars and teachers alike as it explores the evolving nature of play within the media landscape of the twenty-first century.

iPads are powerful tools for engaging students, encouraging creativity, stimulating critical thinking, and making significant strides in learning. This book is part of a two-book set that allows educators to realize the full potential of the iPad. Over 200 highly rated apps are covered with specific ideas for classroom activities and teaching strategies. Descriptions include ideas for using iPads in classrooms where each student owns an iPad, as well as where there is just a small number of iPads or even just a single device. The first chapter of this book specifically discusses how to promote discovery learning, engagement, understanding, and creativity in ways that enhance the learning experience of all students. Each subsequent chapter is dedicated to apps that have value to the following subject areas: mathematics, science, art, music, health and PE, ELL, and ESL. In consideration of education budgets, all the apps are free or low cost. The information in this book is appropriate for K12 teachers, university professors, media specialists, K12 administrators, parents, and students.

Video games challenge our notions of identity, creativity, and moral value, and provide a powerful new avenue for teaching and learning. This book is a rich and provocative guide to the role of interactive media in cultural learning. It searches for specific ways to interpret video games in the context of human experience and in the field of humanities research. The author shows how video games have become a powerful form of political, ethical, and religious discourse, and how they have already influenced the way we teach, learn, and create. He discusses the major trends in game design, the public controversies surrounding video games, and the predominant critical positions in game criticism. The book speaks to all educators, scholars, and thinking persons who seek a fuller understanding of this significant and video games cultural phenomenon.

In Teaching English Language Learners through Technology, the authors explore the use of computers/technology as a pedagogical tool to aid in the appropriate instruction of ELLs across all content areas. The special focus of this book is on the informed use of various technologies and software programs that can specifically aid ELLs. Strategies are also provided for varying levels of access--whether teachers teach in a one computer classroom, have access to multiple computers, or have the ability to go into a computer lab at their school. A fully annotated list of web and print resources completes the volume, making this a valuable reference to help teachers harness the power of computer-assisted technologies in meeting the challenges of including all learners in effective instruction.

Improving Classroom Learning with ICT examines the ways in which ICT can be used in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning in different settings and across different subjects. Weaving together evidence of teachers' and learners' experiences of ICT, the authors: explain why the process of integrating ICT is not straightforward; discuss whether hardware and infrastructure alone are sufficient to ensure full integration and exploitation of ICT investment; emphasise the pivotal role that teachers play in supporting learning with ICT across the curriculum; argue that teachers need a greater understanding of how to put ICT to use in teaching and learning; highlight that out-of-school use of ICT has an impact on in-school learning; consider what kinds of professional development are most effective in supporting teachers to use technologies creatively and productively. Case studies are used to illustrate key issues and to elaborate a range of theoretical ideas that can be used in the classroom. This book will be of interest to all those concerned with maximising the benefits of ICT in the classroom.

This book takes into account three core policies: 'Every Child Matters', 'Personalised Learning', and 'Harnessing Technology', combined they are at the heart of changes to children and young peoples' experiences of school. Harnessing Technology considers these policies and their interlinked relationship. It outlines the ways in which technology allows us to assess, track and monitor pupil progress and use this information to better support both their learning and their broader needs, making it an essential resource for training and practicing teachers, school leaders, and all those involved in educational transformation. To achieve the five outcomes of the 'Every Child Matters' agenda requires an approach that is pupil centred, with developments in new technologies making it possible to not only understand each individual more precisely, but also for them to learn in more flexible and personalised ways. Through innovations such as web based information sharing, learning platforms and e-portfolios, schools will be able to offer content appropriate to pupil's personal goals, breaching conventional orthodoxies of time and place. How far these policies will transform schools and services for children and young people remains to be seen. Consideration is given within the book to the barriers to their success, the issues that impinge upon them, and questions asked about their capacity to bring about long-term, systemic, change.

This practical, how-to guide makes it easy for teachers to incorporate the latest technology in their classes. Employing an informal workshop approach, the book avoids technical jargon and pays special attention to the needs of teachers who are expanding the use of computers in their classrooms. The authors focus on what teachers do and how they can do it better, and provide a wide variety of proven tools, tips, and methods for enhancing these activities with technology."Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology" provides extensively illustrated tutorials for a wide variety of software, online tools, and teaching techniques. It covers everything from lesson plans, to time management, how to show animation, blogging, podcasts, laptop strategies, and much, much more. In addition, periodic updates to the text will be available on the authors' website.

Video games challenge our notions of identity, creativity, and moral value, and provide a powerful new avenue for teaching and learning. This book is a rich and provocative guide to the role of interactive media in cultural learning. It searches for specific ways to interpret video games in the context of human experience and in the field of humanities research. The author shows how video games have become a powerful form of political, ethical, and religious discourse, and how they have already influenced the way we teach, learn, and create. He discusses the major trends in game design, the public controversies surrounding video games, and the predominant critical positions in game criticism. The book speaks to all educators, scholars, and thinking persons who seek a fuller understanding of this significant and video games cultural phenomenon.

What knowledge and skills do designers of learning technologies need? What is the best way to train them to create high-quality educational technologies? Distilling the wisdom of expert instructors and designers, this cutting-edge guide offers a clear, accessible balance of theory and practical examples.
This cutting-edge guide:

• synthesizes learning, instructional design, and educational technology perspectives on learning-centered technology highlighting how interdisciplinary work is driving the fields of the learning sciences and technology design and development
• offers helpful resources for both faculty and students including descriptions of a variety of successful courses in learning technology design, examples of student work with commentary by instructors and students, and discussions of "lessons learned" in course development
• includes a "To the Student" chapter that speaks in plain language about what is exciting and challenging about creating technology for kids

Directed to university instructors working with students on developing educational software projects and to managers leading learning technologies development teams, this book is a valuable resource for guiding and inspiring the next generation of designers of learning technologies.

This book details online academic collaborations between universities in Europe, the USA and Palestine. The chapters recount the challenges and successes of online collaborations which promote academic connections and conversations with the Gaza Strip, despite a continuing blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007, and forge relationships between individuals, institutions and cultures. The chapters examine, from different perspectives, what happens when languages and the internet facilitate encounters, and the fundamental importance this has as a form of defiance and of resistance to the physical confinement experienced by Palestinian academics, students and the general population of Gaza. They highlight the limitations of multilingual and intercultural encounters when they are deprived of the sensory proximity of face-to-face situations and what is lost in the translation of languages, practices and experiences from the 'real' to the 'virtual' world.

Moving debates about ICT and higher education beyond a simple focus on e-learning, this book takes into consideration the provision of post-secondary education as a whole. Discussing what is meant by e-business, why e-business approaches are relevant to universities and colleges, and the key issues this raises for post-secondary education, this book: examines emerging technologies and provides examples of what an e-institution for education might look like; explores what can be learnt from e-business in re-defining the relationships between enterprises and their users, and in developing processes to improve services and competitive advantage; and considers how to improve administrative efficiency, implement faster access and response to information, enhance skills and knowledge development, and improve the student experience. It examines technological innovation and integration, leadership styles, risk assessment and cost-benefit type analyses, re-designing existing organisational frameworks, techniques for overcoming barriers to change and successfully implementing change, and the types of technologies required for an e-integrated educational provision.In a highly competitive educational marketplace, institutions need to react to, and embrace, new technologies to provide rich and competitive learning environments for the students of tomorrow. The discussion and guidance in this book is essential reading for all leaders, managers and heads of e-learning in higher and further education.

This book argues that embeddedness and community participation bring unique propositions for social entrepreneurship to foster social inclusion. It uncovers the role of local knowledge and grassroots level innovations to create necessary environment for the positive social change to roll. Social enterprises have proven to reduce drudgery of poor and excluded by offering creative and innovative solutions for long standing social problems. The grassroots level creative problem solving mechanisms they initiate travel through a variety of local dynamics and cultural contexts. However, social innovations quite often do not achieve their intended results, especially when they fail to understand the local contexts and embed themselves in such dynamism. In this background, the book attempts to understand and analyse the 'connect' between the social innovations and local dynamism. It argues that the community-driven innovation management which is based on local knowledge inspires the social entrepreneurial process and builds capacities and infrastructure to foster social inclusion. Each chapter in this book offers development scholars rich narration about how social problems have been approached, addressed, and altered through rich insights from communities and the social entrepreneurial teams.

The method of programming outlined in this book represents a major contribution to the growing body of literature in programmed learning. It is the first book in the field to present a carefully designed, complete and integrated system for analyzing, organizing and structuring learning materials in programmed form.

Application of the system is illustrated through the step-by-step construction of two short programs. Starting with the analysis of the syllabus and course content, the authors take the reader through each phase of the programming process gathering and organizing the content material, construction of the program matrix and flow diagram and finally, the writing of frames.

Every teacher and trainer can benefit from the application of this method to lesson plan preparation and to classroom teaching techniques. Such a method is essential, for all those who are writing programmed materials. In a new computer age classroom environment, programmed learning can be especially beneficial.

"C. A. Thomas, I. K. Davies, D. Openshaw," and "J. B. Bird" are instructors or directors at the British Royal Air Force School of Education. They are pioneers in the application of programmed learning in Britain and are highly regarded as forward looking and creative educational research workers. Their accomplishments include, in addition to this ingenious book, the design and development of the Empirical Tutor, one of Britain's major teaching machines, and the publication of a number of technical papers in the field of programmed learning.

"Lawrence M. Stolurow" is professor emeritus of psychological & quantitative foundations at the University of Iowa.

This edition collection showcases the increasing intersections between drama and applied theatre, education, innovation and technology. It tunes in to the continuing conversation that has been a persistent if not prominent feature of our drama education since the advent of accessible computer based technologies. The chapters in this book consider how technology can be used as a potent tool in drama learning and how the learning is changing the technologies and in turn how learning is transforming the technology. This collection includes contributions from leading scholars in the field on a range of topics including digital storytelling and identity formation, applied drama and micro-blogging and the use of Second Life in drama learning. The chapters provide a potent collection for researchers and educators considering the role of technology in drama education spaces. This book was originally published as a special issue of RiDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance.

Sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), this book presents a definition of the field of study and practice known as educational technology or instructional technology. It reflects the collaborative efforts of all members of the AECT Definition and Terminology Committee.

The volume begins with the statement of the definition itself (chapter 1), followed by commentary chapters on each of the key terms and concepts contained in the definition (chapters 2-9). Chapter 10 provides historical context for the current definition by reviewing salient elements of prior AECT definitions. Chapter 11 discusses ethical considerations and chapter 12 concludes by discussing ramifications of the current definition for academic programs in educational technology.

This book is appropriate for anyone working in the field of educational technology: students, instructors, researchers and in-service providers.

Moving debates about ICT and higher education beyond a simple focus on e-learning, this book takes into consideration the provision of post-secondary education as a whole.
Discussing what is meant by e-business, why e-business approaches are relevant to universities and colleges and the key issues this raises for post-secondary education, this book:

• examines emerging technologies and provides examples of what an e-institution for education might look like
• explores what can be learnt from e-business in re-defining the relationships between enterprises and their users and in developing processes to improve services and competitive advantage
• considers how to improve administrative efficiency, implement faster access and response to information, enhance skills and knowledge development and improve the student experience
• examines technological innovation and integration, leadership styles, risk assessment and cost-benefit type analyses, re-designing existing organisational frameworks, techniques for overcoming barriers to change and successfully implementing change and the types of technologies required for an e-integrated educational provision

In a highly competitive educational marketplace, institutions need to react to and embrace new technologies to provide rich and competitive learning environments for the students of tomorrow. The discussion and guidance in this book is essential reading for all leaders, managers and heads of e-learning in higher and further education.

This book takes a serious historical and international look at the Digital Pencil movement to equip every student with a computing device with wireless connection. Using an ecological perspective as an overarching framework, and drawing on their own studies and available literature that illuminate the issues related to one-to-one computing, the authors present well-reasoned discussions about a set of complex and critical issue facing policy makers, educators, students, parents, and the general public. good idea? The authors analyze the costs and benefits of one-to-one computing programs through consideration of multiple indicators and examine the evaluation reports of various projects within their analytical framework to present a comprehensive summary of outcomes of one-to-one computing projects. What happens when each child has a networked computer? The authors analyze existing data with the goal of gaining insights and making suggestions and recommendations for policy makers, teachers, and parents. What should schools purchase or lease - is there an ideal device? devices and implementation schemes. How do we know if one-to-one computing is making a difference? The authors review the evaluation plans of the various projects and propose a framework for comprehensive evaluation and research on one-to-one computing. What is the future of one-to-one computing? The authors summarize emerging technology trends and define the role of one-to-one computing in preparing students with digital citizenship for a globalized education. This book is intended for researchers, school administrators, educational technology professionals, and policy makers in the U.S. and around the world, and as a supplemental text for advanced courses in education, technology, and technological innovation.

Within educational organizations, administration is relied upon for the allocation of resources as well as the optimization of processes that can include data storage, knowledge management, and decision making. To support these expectations, technologies and systems must be put into place that allow administrators to accomplish these tasks as efficiently as possible. Utilizing Technology, Knowledge, and Smart Systems in Educational Administration is an academic research book that examines knowledge regarding scholarly exploration of the technologies, information/knowledge, and smart systems in educational administration and provides a holistic, systematic, and comprehensive paradigm. Featuring a wide range of topics such as e-Curriculum, language learning, and professional development, this book is ideal for school administrators, principals, IT consultants, educational software developers, academicians, researchers, professionals, educational policymakers, educators, and students.

"Interactive Literacy Education "combines the latest research and theory related to technology-based instructional design for children's literacy development. It shows how technology can be used to build literacy learning environments that are compatible with students? cognitive and social processes. Topics addressed throughout this enlightening work include:
*technology environments and applications that preservice teachers can use with young children;
*detailed information regarding the development and implementation of specific technological programs; and
*various technologies, from interactive reading and spelling programs to speech recognition to multimedia, that teachers can use to enhance their literacy learning environments.
"Interactive Literacy Education "is intended for graduate courses in methods of literacy instruction; educational technology; curriculum/curriculum design; general preservice education; special education; and applied psychology/cognitive studies. It is also appropriate for use as a supplement in undergraduate courses in methods of literacy instruction and educational technology.

The definitive resource for understanding what coding is, designed for educators and parents Even though the vast majority of teachers, parents, and students understand the importance of computer science in the 21st century, many struggle to find appropriate educational resources. Don't Teach Coding: Until You Read This Book fills a gap in current knowledge by explaining exactly what coding is and addressing why and how to teach the subject. Providing a historically grounded, philosophically sensitive description of computer coding, this book helps readers understand the best practices for teaching computer science to their students and their children. The authors, experts in teaching computer sciences to students of all ages, offer practical insights on whether coding is a field for everyone, as opposed to a field reserved for specialists. This innovative book provides an overview of recent scientific research on how the brain learns coding, and features practical exercises that strengthen coding skills. Clear, straightforward chapters discuss a broad range of questions using principles of computer science, such as why we should teach students to code and is coding a science, engineering, technology, mathematics, or language? Helping readers understand the principles and issues of coding education, this book: Helps those with no previous background in computer science education understand the questions and debates within the field Explores the history of computer science education and its influence on the present Views teaching practices through a computational lens Addresses why many schools fail to teach computer science adequately Explains contemporary issues in computer science such as the language wars and trends that equate coding with essential life skills like reading and writing Don't Teach Coding: Until You Read This Book is a valuable resource for K-12 educators in computer science education and parents wishing to understand the field to help chart their children's education path.

Improving Student Retention in Higher Education provides a practical, curriculum-based response to the current situation in higher education, where participating students emanate from a range of backgrounds; international and lower socioeconomic backgrounds, mature aged students, students with disabilities as well as those for whom higher education is the first family experience.

Underpinned by research indicating that students are more likely to continue with higher education if they are engaged in their studies and have developed networks and relationships with their fellow students, this book presents best practice examples of innovative and inclusive curriculum, from a range of countries.

Technology provides ample opportunities for teachers to be learners, as well as for the learners to become the teachers. Sometimes, the most effective technology enabled classrooms are those where the instructor is the expert in the content area, and the students are the technology experts. Oftentimes it is with a great sense of pride that a student will show a teacher how to adroitly move about in an application. Designed for both instructors and students, this book teaches an array of computer applications while simultaneously allowing the user to become proficient in technological standards. Based on Joanne Barrett's notes and shortcuts from her years as a computer specialist and computer teacher, this all-inclusive hands-on guide will assist teachers and students in grades 5 through 12 who are using computers in the classroom. Explaining concepts and complicated processes in an understandable language, this complete instructional tool covers in one volume all of the computer topics that the teacher will encounter. Topics include: * Word processing * Spreadsheets * Creating charts and graphs * Databases * Multimedia presentations * The Internet * Web page design * Programming * Viruses and copyright issues

Virtual learning environments are widely spread in higher education, yet they are often under utilised by the institutions that employ them. This book addresses the need to move beyond thinking about the VLE simply in terms of the particular package that an institution has adopted, and viewing it as a significant educational technology that will shape much of the teaching and learning process in the coming years.

Considering how virtual learning environments can be successfully deployed and used for effective teaching, it sets out a model for effective use, focussing on pedagogic application rather than a specific technology, and seeks to provide a bridge between pedagogical approaches and the tools educators have at their disposal.

It contains essential advice for those choosing a VLE and encourages all those involved in the deployment of a VLEs to use them more productively in order to create engaging learning experiences.