Evaluating Selecting And Managing Learning Resources

Co-published with Charles Sturt University Centre for Information Studies

"This book provides a comprehensive, critical approach to meeting the new challenges of technology in the classroom. It gathers together research on technology methods, principles, and content, acting as a reference source for proven and innovative methods. It presents an introduction to teaching educational technology, design, and engineering and contains strategies for innovation in technology education"--Provided by publisher.

The proliferation of technology has affected all aspects of human life, yet the continuing possibilities of their effects on education have yet to be fully explored. When viewed separately, one may believe that only paltry solutions can be wrought from online and web-based education; however, when applied and studied in a dynamic, interactive sense, these advancements may alter the very notion of learning and education. Revolutionizing Education through Web-Based Instruction is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary exploration of the emerging digital opportunities available to educators. This book presents contemporary theoretical frameworks as well as practical research findings that support the use of these new computer-assisted teaching techniques. The myriad of research-based topics featured in this book allow for a thorough, diverse discussion about education, technology, and the intersection therein. This title is an invaluable resource for instructors, students of education, and researchers and professionals in the fields of knowledge management.

Fundamental world changes that simultaneously undermine a nation-state's charisma and promote the rise of a supra-national system have wide-ranging effects upon national states within a modern global society. My dissertation empirically examines the effects of social and cultural globalization on systems of mass schooling, which are central institutions in every country. Globally, primary and secondary education initially emerged as the premier tool for nation-states to create a unified national citizenry loyal to their country and socialized into a common cultural tradition. I examine the extent to which this original nationalizing purpose of schooling is challenged by the increased emphases on universal human rights and diversity in civic education. The analyses consist of two sections. Hierarchical linear models are used to analyze a unique primary data source of 521 social science textbooks from 74 countries during the period 1970-2008. These findings show a worldwide increase in emphasis on human rights and increases in discussions of diversity in well-established liberal democracies. Cross-national, quantitative analyses are complemented by a qualitative case study of social science curricula in British Columbia (BC), which examines nation-building within a context of strong emphasis on diversity and human rights. The BC study utilizes currently approved high school citizenship education textbooks as well as older textbooks dating back to 1871. It also draws on a selection of historical documents, including Ministry of Education reports, curricular frameworks, and high school exit exams. Process-wise, I find the incorporation of human rights and diversity reflects macro-level changes in national and global society. Content-wise, I find four main approaches to reconciling ideas of human rights and diversity with national identity: (1) framing human rights and multiculturalism as part of national identity, (2) using pedagogical approaches that promote multiple perspectives and individual agency, (3) celebrating social and scientific figures and accomplishments as the source of national pride, and (4) drawing on exogenous sources to affirm state legitimacy. This study is one of the first to theorize that civic education worldwide is moving away from a national focus and to provide empirical evidence of this trend. A key implication is that educational systems are being repurposed from their original goal of constructing a unitary national citizenry to a new view emphasizing human diversity and equality in a globally interconnected world. Further, students are increasingly taught that the global civil society and non-state actors are important and legitimate agents of social change.

Effective science teaching requires creativity, imagination, and innovation. In light of concerns about American science literacy, scientists and educators have struggled to teach this discipline more effectively. Science Teaching Reconsidered provides undergraduate science educators with a path to understanding students, accommodating their individual differences, and helping them grasp the methodsâ€"and the wonderâ€"of science. What impact does teaching style have? How do I plan a course curriculum? How do I make lectures, classes, and laboratories more effective? How can I tell what students are thinking? Why don't they understand? This handbook provides productive approaches to these and other questions. Written by scientists who are also educators, the handbook offers suggestions for having a greater impact in the classroom and provides resources for further research.