James Marshall

Evaluation of Digital Media for Emergent Literacy

Even a quick review of U.S. households, daycare centers, and preschools reveals widespread use of digital programs and products with young children. Research indicates that regardless of the hard technology that delivers these digital applications, their content most significantly affects the experience and outcomes. A primary question thus becomes how should parents, teachers, and caregivers select digital literacy content for young children? In this article, a schema has been devised for evaluating digital content using six domains: interactivity, digital literacy, global citizenry, appropriateness, results, and participative nature. The article defines the domains and discusses research-based guiding questions to pose when selecting technology-based emergent literacy materials for young children.

Knowledge Management for School-based Educators

The transition of the workforce from brawn-power to brain-power has prompted organizations to focus on the knowledge created by employees, managers and customers. Knowledge Management (KM) involves recognizing, documenting, and distributing the explicit and tacit knowledge resident in an organization. The Internet can facilitate knowledge sharing communities, support the exchange of tools and resources, and provide new forms of collaborative partnerships. Organizations have already achieved significant performance improvements through KM initiatives. Can educators reap similar rewards? This chapter presents possibilities for knowledge sharing between K-12 educators through exploration of both the content and community dynamics that lie at the heart of knowledge management. Although the ultimate role knowledge management will play in education defies prediction, we identify current trends, key issues, and barriers —real and anticipated —associated with managing knowledge in education settings.

How Would They Choose? Online Student Preferences for Advance Course Information.

Nearly 30% of higher education students now take at least one online course in which the instructor and students are physically separated and electronic means are used to facilitate the learning experience. ‘Anytime, anywhere’ is a powerful draw that prompts students to seek online learning experiences. Yet with an attrition rate between 10 and 20% higher than traditional courses, how can universities ensure online course success? While significant research has investigated attrition, little if any has examined preventing attrition through effective course selection. Students enrolled in a completely online graduate programme in educational technology responded to a survey designed to record preferences for advance online course information – including visual representation of that information. Respondents rated collaboration, necessary synchronous attendance, and total time invested by prior students, as priority relative to their decisions about enrolling in an online course.

Implementation and Web-Based Learning: The Unimplemented Program Yields Few Results.

Abstract This paper turns away from Web-based learning content and addresses a universal concern of technology-based learning, namely, program implementation. Without the necessary attention to curriculum alignment, implementation planning and support, Web-based learning initiatives can fall victim to competing priorities. Here, we present the ATLAS model which has been designed to guide program planning and implementation.

Online course selection: using course dashboards to inform student enrollment decisions

Abstract This article explores the potential of course dashboards as a front-end strategy for decreasing online course dropout rates. Scholarship has addressed course attrition once students are enrolled in online courses. However, supporting academic success by assisting students in the making of effective decisions about which online courses to take has received relatively little attention. Students in undergraduate-level online courses from varied disciplines rated the utility of course information types and three course dashboard prototypes. Qualitative feedback was also collected. Various types of information related to the time investment necessary to successfully complete the course were given priority. With regard to information displays, students preferred moderate-to-high amounts of well-organised information, presented with a careful balance of text and visual images. Comments from past students also favoured course dashboard elements.