A dramatic expansion of distance learning through the use of interactive television (ITV) is allowing colleges and universities to offer students potentially unlimited access to educational and training opportunities. While the expanding information age beckons us to consider mechanisms for using communication technologies for the benefit of meeting the needs of learners in a variety of locations, the question may be raised--Is ITV an effective medium of instruction? This study examined the effectiveness of using an interactive television system to broadcast developmental algebra classes at East Tennessee State University. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in math achievement of students taught in an ITV class setting with the instructor present (host site), students receiving instruction via television at an off-campus location (remote site), and students taught in a traditional classroom setting. This study also examined student attitudes toward enrolling in future ITV courses. Results showed no significant differences in math achievement among the three groups. There were also no differences in student attitudes toward enrolling in future ITV courses when comparing the host site with the remote site. Students in both television settings had positive attitudes toward future ITV course participation. The results of this study show that in developmental algebra students at the distance learning sites are learning as well as those students in the traditional classrooms. Thus, it was concluded that interactive television should be considered as an adequate method of providing developmental algebra instruction beyond the campus.

In the study, the population of educators in 21st Century Classrooms across the State of Tennessee was surveyed to determine teachers' satisfaction with 21st Century program implementation and associated changes in instructional practices. During fall 1998, six hundred of the 4,800 21st century classroom teachers were surveyed using the Technology Use Questionnaire. Three hundred two completed surveys were returned. Frequency rates and percentages were calculated for each of the 33 questions and the 8 demographic items. The questions were grouped into 7 subscales: Administration, Teacher Training, Implementation, Integration, Use on the Job, Use at Home and Instructional Change. Correlation analysis determined that at the.05 alpha level there were significant relationships between 5 subscales (Administration, Teacher Training, Implementation of the Technology Plan, Integration, and Use on the Job) and Instructional Change. Conversely, there was no significant relationship between the demographic data and instructional change. In general, teachers were unsatisfied with the implementation of the Master Plan for the 21st Century program and had made only moderate instructional changes. The correlation data supported previous research citing teacher training, use on the job, inclusion in future planning, administrative support as impacting instructional change.

An increasing amount of coursework, both at the secondary and postsecondary level, is being conducted online. This shift in the delivery method of education which began at the college level is now occurring throughout the K-16 continuum. Because many of the students in these classes and programs will never set foot into the host institution, this transformation has necessitated a great deal of change in all aspects of library services, including information literacy instruction. This conference program will spotlight some innovative ways that libraries are conducting and delivering instruction to this new cohort.

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Abstract available through The Fifteenth Distance Library Services Conference Proceedings.

A researched and standards-based program for secondary students learning language arts skills Product Features: Complements Teaching to Standards: English Language Arts Includes eight pieces of adapted literature with read-aloud function Features age-appropriate literature likeHoles and Number the Stars Provides vocabulary, prediction, and reading activity for each story Incorporates progress monitoring, constant time-delay procedure, and least intrusive prompting Also available as the Access Language Arts Software

One-to-one mobile technology integration is the goal of increasing numbers of school districts each year, and many factors exist to consider when measuring success. The research problem for this qualitative study focused on one of the critical components for measuring success: the need for effective teacher professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) principles and practices to facilitate the integration of one-to-one mobile technologies into professional learning experiences, and (b) the perceptions of technology instructional coaches regarding changes in teachers' practice and attitudes following professional development. The conceptual framework included Knowles's theory of andragogy and Koehler and Mishra's TPACK framework. In two rounds, 19 interviews were conducted with 13 technology instructional coaches. Thirteen coaches were interviewed in round one and from that data six high level coaches were identified for a second round of interviews. The data from both interview rounds were analyzed and coded to identify themes and categories. The key findings revealed that effective one-to-one mobile technology integration requires supportive leadership; building culture and relationships; instructional design with standards and frameworks; building collaborative, job-embedded teacher agency; and personalized learning with differentiated delivery. All stakeholders could use the key results to make informed decisions for planning and implementing professional learning opportunities. This study may affect positive social change by enhancing how technology is integrated into teaching and learning through increased teacher engagement in professional learning.

Epistemic beliefs are individuals’ beliefs about the nature of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge can be justified. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine: (a) middle and high school students’ self-reported epistemic beliefs (quantitative) and epistemic beliefs revealed from practice (qualitative) during a problem-based, scientific inquiry unit, (b) How do middle and high school students’ epistemic beliefs contribute to the construction of students’ problem solving processes, and (c) how and why do students’ epistemic beliefs change by engaging in PBL. Twenty-one middle and high school students participated in a summer science class to investigate local water quality in a 2-week long problem-based learning (PBL) unit. The students worked in small groups to conduct water quality tests at in their local watershed and visited several stakeholders for their investigation. Pretest and posttest versions of the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire were conducted to assess students’ self-reported epistemic beliefs before and after the unit. I videotaped and interviewed three groups of students during the unit and conducted discourse analysis to examine their epistemic beliefs revealed from scientific inquiry activities and triangulate with their self-reported data. There are three main findings from this study. First, students in this study selfreported relatively sophisticated epistemic beliefs on the pretest. However, the comparison between their self-reported beliefs and beliefs revealed from practice indicated that some students were able to apply sophisticated beliefs during the unit while others failed to do so. The inconsistency between these two types of epistemic beliefs may due to students’ inadequate cognitive ability, low validity of self-report measure, and the influence of contextual factors. Second, qualitative analysis indicated that students’ epistemic beliefs of the nature of knowing influenced their problem solving processes and construction of arguments during their inquiry activities. Students with more sophisticated epistemic beliefs acquired knowledge, presented solid evidence, and used it to support their claims more effectively than their peers. Third, students’ self-reported epistemic beliefs became significantly more sophisticated by engaging in PBL. Findings from this study can potentially help researchers to better understand the relation between students’ epistemic beliefs and their scientific inquiry practice.

The purpose of this project was to develop a teacher resource in which content is both standards based and student demonstrated as "fun" in which to participate. The form of this resource is a website called Engaged. It will ultimately consist of several folioed and interconnected web pages. Academic content is to be all teacher supplied. At risk youth are in danger of being left behind, not only in schools, but by society as a whole. Through classroom teachers it has the potential to provide at-risk-youth a vital bridge across the digital divide.