This book reports the results of a three-year research program funded by the National Science Foundation which targeted students and teachers from four Detroit high schools in order for them to learn, experience, and use IT within the context of STEM (IT/STEM), and explore 21st century career and educational pathways. The book discusses the accomplishment of these goals through the creation of a Community of Designers-- an environment in which high school students and teachers, undergraduate/graduate student assistants, and STEM area faculty and industry experts worked together as a cohesive team. The program created four project-based design teams, one for each STEM area. Each team had access to two year-round IT/STEM enrichment experiences to create high-quality learning projects, strategies, and curriculum models. These strategies were applied in after school, weekend, and summer settings through hands-on, inquiry-based activities with a strong emphasis on non-traditional approaches to learning and understanding. The book represents the first comprehensive description and analysis of the research program and suggests a plan for future development and refinement.

With a historical context covering the past 20 years, this book provides in-depth discussions of research, trends, and issues related to learning technologies in K-12 schools, higher education settings, and educational administration in the U.S. Given the remote learning challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has recently brought to our attention, world-wide interest in educational technology-related issues is at its peak. Therefore, this book is specifically directed at the entire educational technology field, educators, educational leaders, researchers, and policymakers alike who are interested in learning technologies in the U.S. educational system. Three main resources guide the discussions in the book. First, an extensive literature review related to the book's central focus-learning technologies in the U.S. education system, including relevant studies published over the last two decades-is presented. Second, reflections on the author's twenty years of professional teaching, research, and scholarship focused on educational technology at a major U.S. research university are provided. And third, the viewpoints of students in the graduate-level educational technology courses taught by the author, presenting the vital perspective of practicing teachers and educational leaders regarding how learning technologies affect their schools and their work within them, are considered. All of these perspectives and data combine to provide a comprehensive overview on the topic of learning technologies in the U.S. education system. Together, they create a book that is indispensable for anyone interested in learning technologies in education.

This book reports the results of a three-year research program funded by the National Science Foundation which targeted students and teachers from four Detroit high schools in order for them to learn, experience, and use IT within the context of STEM (IT/STEM), and explore 21st century career and educational pathways. The book discusses the accomplishment of these goals through the creation of a Community of Designers-- an environment in which high school students and teachers, undergraduate/graduate student assistants, and STEM area faculty and industry experts worked together as a cohesive team. The program created four project-based design teams, one for each STEM area. Each team had access to two year-round IT/STEM enrichment experiences to create high-quality learning projects, strategies, and curriculum models. These strategies were applied in after school, weekend, and summer settings through hands-on, inquiry-based activities with a strong emphasis on non-traditional approaches to learning and understanding. The book represents the first comprehensive description and analysis of the research program and suggests a plan for future development and refinement.