This paper takes the position that creativity can be enhanced by multimedia. Computer software was designed and a study was conducted to measure that proposition. The author used participant self-analysis as a means to gather data on creativity enhancement holding to the presupposition that people can tell when they are creative and when their creativity is inhibited. The results of the study supported the belief that multimedia and the software designed for that purpose was able to enhance creativity.

No description available.

The purpose of this project was to develop an online educational program that offered the courses in which students are deficient. This program was called The Virtual Senior (VS). In the end, multiple courses across each of the core disciplines will be created based on California State Standards.

Schools all over the world are embracing technology because they view technology as a catalyst to improve teaching and learning, leading to further investment in technology initiatives for school improvement. The 1:1 teacher laptop program is one such initiative that continues to gain interest and momentum. Despite widespread adoption, teachers continue to face challenges with the use of technology. Furthermore, while research has indicated that teacher technology efficacy is a significant enabling factor for technology use, there is limited evidence for how the 1:1 teacher laptop program has influenced teacher technology efficacy. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic study was to describe the perceptions and experiences of teachers who participated in a 1:1 teacher laptop program at an international school in relation to teachers' technology efficacy. The study was framed through the model of adult learning proposed by Knowles and the construct of self-efficacy posited by Bandura. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. Findings from this study identified 7 overarching themes: access to the teacher laptop, change in practice, support structures, concerns and barriers, attitude towards technology, self-directed learning, and perceived value. Interpretations revealed that while participants were positive about the program and acknowledged that the program helped raise their technology efficacy, participants also shared concerns. This study adds to the body of knowledge for an understudied topic and provides teachers a voice to influence implementation fidelity. This study also contributes to social change by adding a global perspective through experiences at an international school to inform school leaders to prepare teachers to use technology effectively to improve student learning.

Results of an on-line survey of special education teachers in rural Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky are reported. Demographic variables, self-efficacy, burnout and professional development measures were reported by 187 teachers. Implications for content and delivery of professional development are discussed.

No description available.

LibGuides, as a method of creating pathfinders for instruction of information literacy and content management has long been used by academic libraries, but has not been widely used by school libraries. This article describes a collaborative plan between a distance education librarian and a professor of school library media using LibGuides to overhaul a print pathfinder project in a reference sources for youth course. The methodology, results of the products, and student feedback from the assignment are discussed. The project exemplifies potential collaborative efforts between academic distance education librarians and school library media instructors.

K-12 schools are more commonly using online learning to supplement traditional classroom learning. Previous online adult education researchers have found no significant differences between traditional and online learning outcomes. However, little research has been done with regard to online General Educational Development (GED)-level learning for adults. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the effect of the Skills Tutor program compared with traditional learning on GED student achievement in reading/language arts. The Skills Tutor program was used as a means to address the low GED graduation rates at an adult education program through Memphis City Schools. This research was based on the constructivist learning theory. The research question examined the effect of an online skills program on English/language arts scores among GED students. Scores from the pretests and posttests of 40 adult education students were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine statistical differences between 2 groups. One group (n = 20) received the intervention of the online skills program, Skills Tutor, along with traditional instruction, whereas the other group (n = 20) received traditional instruction delivered by the teacher only. The results indicated the traditional group's adjusted mean scores were significantly higher than the Skills Tutor group scores. Recommendations included additional research with larger samples of students, for a longer period, and focused on the fidelity of implementing of the Skills Tutor program at the local site. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local administration on the current GED program and recommendations for continued research on the instruction that best supports adult learning.

Technological innovations have been shown to improve the quality of health information and improve safety in health care systems. The purpose of this project was to offer hospital nurses a more flexible and practical alternative to education and training than the traditional face-to-face method, supporting nurse educators in overcoming many of the obstacles in responding to nurses' needs in the clinical areas. This project used a randomized, 2-group posttest-only experimental design to measure the effect of treatment at a targeted hospital. The experimental group received a new instructional approach using an Electronic Learning Management System (ELMS) and the control group used the site's traditional standard method; both groups completed the Posttest Knowledge Assessment. The study population consisted of registered nurses who had attended the project site's Safe Blood Transfusion Practice program over a period of 1 month. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups' members' gender, age, level of education, or nursing experience. Data analysis showed a significant (p < .00) difference between the 2 groups' posttest scores, indicating that the participants who used the ELMS attained a higher median knowledge (M = 89.39, SD = 9.26) than did participants who received traditional, face-to-face instruction (M = 76.85, SD = 10.628). These results suggest that ELMS-based learning is a more effective method of instructional delivery that could effectively replace many of the traditional face-to-face education programs. Implementing this innovative system will create positive social change on the targeted hospital by improving health care delivery. The application of the finding would support clinical educators to improve educational delivery to their clients at the clinical areas.

This basic interpretive qualitative study was conducted to discover why e-textbooks had not been adopted extensively in K-12 education as a replacement for printed textbooks. The objective was to determine the barriers and challenges being confronted by state educational technology directors when introducing this innovative technology in a formal learning environment that could greatly impact teaching, learning, and creative analysis. This research was based on diffusion of innovation theory using a Delphi method of inquiry. The Delphi panel consisted of 12 experts who had knowledge of digital text technologies and were the most influential when making purchasing decisions when introducing new technologies into a K-12 instructional setting. The Delphi questionnaire consisted of 2 initial rounds and the final consensus round (for a total of 3 rounds) that determined the panel's reasoning for the late adoption of e-textbooks in K-12 classrooms. The results of this study clearly identified cost and equipment management in addition to the lack of supportable funding to sustain e-textbook technologies as the major reasons hindering their adoption. This study promotes positive social change by providing decision-makers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges impacting their adoption of e-textbooks in K-12 education so they can work towards a solution. This can be accomplished by appointing visionary leaders on the state and local levels who can develop a strategic plan to initiate the transition from printed materials to digital content that are relevant, flexible, and educational. Thus, new policies could be implemented that would provide funding flexibility to finance the acquisition of devices to support digital content and allocate funding that can help to sustain them.