Copyright in the United states can be traced back to the U.s. Constitution in 1787. To encourage authorship of creative works, Congress created a limited monopoly in §106 of the Copyright Act of 1790. in order to balance this monopoly, Congress drafted §107 which provides public access to creative works through fair use. revisions were necessary due to new information technologies. However, these revisions created an imbalance between traditional and distance education classrooms. in 2002, this imbalance was addressed through the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH). in an effort to make copyright law friendlier towards internet-based distance education, Congress modified §110(2), performances and displays, and §112(f), digitization of analog materials. Discussion of the TEACH Act and compliance recommendations for first-time online instructors are addressed. since the advent of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing of the Bible with his revolutionary printing press in 1455, copyright issues have been debated, laws enacted, and then revised over the course of centuries. The first trace of the concept of ownership by authors and fixed term limitations occurred in 1710 when the British Parliament enacted the statute of Anne. This statute allowed for the protection of creative works for a period of fourteen years with the option of another fourteen years if the author was alive upon expiration (Association of
Increasing student interaction in the classroom is an area of interest for many faculty members. Personal Response Systems (PRS), also known as classroom clickers, may aid in this goal. In this article, we describe Kutztown University’s pilot PRS program. Included are the criteria we used to select a PRS vendor, our approach in designing and delivering the Kutztown PRS program, and the preliminary results of our year-long pilot.
This article discusses the benefits of including “children’s eculture” in school curricula. “children’s eculture” is the culture of children as it relates to electronics and technology. integrating children’s eculture into formal learning experiences allows teachers to promote multiple literacies in their students. The article reviews literature in this field to: (a) describe the recreational uses of technology by children; (b) link these applications to school curricula; (c) familiarize educators with children’s eculture as a means for promoting multiple literacies across the curriculum; and (d) discuss the need to integrate children’s eculture in teacher education programs.
There is a need to reform teacher education programs through the creation of active learning environments that support and improve the depth and scope of student learning. Specifically, teachers should provide intellectually powerful, learner-centered, and technology-rich environments for students without undermining sound pedagogical practices. This article explores a model that could improve education programs with a focus on three pedagogical areas: (a) emphasis on a learner’s unique identity; (b) providing active learning environments; and (c) integrating technology into classroom instruction. The focus on the three parameters is grounded on the need to develop a solid pedagogical model that requires teachers to think about what students are learning, the process of learning, the environments supporting student learning, and ways in which current learning position the students for future learning (weimer, 2002). This article is also intended to stimulate reflections on key strategies to foster active, learnercentered environments in the classroom.
Students who pursue a bachelor’s degree in four-year colleges and universities often take longer than four years to complete their degrees. the reasons for prolonging the time-to-degree seem to fall into three broad categories: part-time enrollment, deficiencies in academic readiness, and inadequate course planning. this article focuses on the latter cause which is due, in part, to the complexity of graduation requirements and institutional regulations that makes effective course planning a difficult task. the article presents an integer linear programming model for finding academic plans that would satisfy a given set of graduation requirements and other constraints in the shortest possible time. the article shows how such a model can enhance and improve existing academic advising tools that are aimed at helping students in decision making and planning for more timely completion of their degree programs.
the integration of Microsoft’s powerpoint and other slideware programs into the classroom setting may hinder educational progress rather than help it. an examination of the literature focusing on Cognitive load theory recognizes that students’ have a limited tolerance for the amount of sights and sounds on display at any given time, especially in learning environments. this article finds that an interdisciplinary approach is needed to effectively design slides that can educate without overloading the students.
in recent years, college instructors have begun to abandon traditional approaches to instruction, which merely transfer knowledge from faculty to students, for cutting-edge strategies, which allow students to construct their own learning. this change in instructional strategy has also brought about a change in the tools which are used for instruction. As students gain more control over their learning, they also want to have more control over the tools that guide their learning. in many ways, the traditional textbook is no longer satisfying the needs of today’s students. consequently, students and faculty members are beginning to look for an alternative. digital textbooks provide promise, but will they replace their print counterparts? the following article attempts to answer this question by exploring the evolution of textbooks from medieval times to the present day. the authors suggest that digital textbooks have a promising future in higher education.
With the increasing emphasis in higher education to provide opportunities for students to work and collaborate in groups, enhancing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, instructors are looking beyond traditional course management tools to emerging technologies. one technology that supports group collaboration is a wiki. however, many instructors either don’t know about wikis or how to apply best practices to increase their potential for learning. Therefore, in this paper the author discusses how three faculty members at Boise State University used wikis, the challenges and opportunities they experienced, and specific best practices they developed to enhance learning with wikis.
rapid increases in knowledge and technology call for the use of such tools as a personal digital assistant (Pda) to increase the quality of education and student performance. Pdas evolved from personal organizers, but today’s handhelds can be effective tools that help students organize facts and concepts, develop written documents, understand science and math concepts, and provide tools that help to empower students with special needs. this article gives an overview of the current use of handheld computers or Pdas in teacher education. Specifically, this article explores the potential of these tools in mathematics teacher education within the framework of mathematics education reform. this article shows that with appropriate software, the Pda can support a variety of effective learning activities that support the goals of reform in mathematics. Further, the authors show that preservice teachers who participated in the sessions with Pdas developed positive attitudes towards their use.
A survey of administrators and faculty of The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business schools provided insights into current classroom technology infrastructure, attitudes towards technology and learning, and the use of web course tools in business school classrooms. The results of the survey provided four major findings: (a) business schools are using high levels of multimedia technology in their classrooms; (b) levels of technology are currently deemed adequate; (c) business school personnel believe that technology has improved learning and instructor efficiency; and (d) the business schools’ disciplines considered to have the greatest need for classroom technology enhancements are Management and (Business/Management) information Systems.
The academic technology units support the process of using technology and pedagogy in teaching and learning and so occupy an important position in higher education, as their functions impact the instructional mission of institutions. Similarly, the administrators who have the important function of overseeing academic technology units, manage the instructional technology resources that their institutions have heavily invested in, and direct the application of the technologies, hold an equally important position as their leadership can contribute to the effective use of instructional technologies, leading to the realization of the potentials of technology in educational institutions. while there have been frequent calls on faculty by institutional administrators to embrace the use of technology in their teaching or to adopt effective pedagogy, the administration of academic technology units is an essential component in the effective use of instructional technologies in higher education. This article examines administration of instructional technology as a support service, the position of directors of academic technology in higher education, and discusses ways institutions can support the position.
This article examines the body of research investigating theimpacts of the WebQuest instructional strategy on teachingand learning. The WebQuest instructional strategy is oftenpraised as an inquiry-oriented activity, which effectivelyintegrates technology into teaching and learning. The resultsof research suggest that while this strategy may have apositive impact on collaborative working skills and learnerattitudes, there is little direct impact or advantage forincreasing student achievement when compared with otherinstructional activities. Included in this article is a discussionof the notable research studies that have investigated theWebQuest strategy as well as a discussion of the implica-tions and future direction for web-based inquiry projects.
In this article, we describe data from two case studies of seniors (one younger senior and one older senior) in learning to use computers. The study combined interviews, observations, and documents to take a close look at their experiences with computers, as well as the influences of aging and computer training on their experiences. The study revealed that seniors benefited from their use of computers, ranging from the magic of email and the World Wide Web to the personal fulfillment of lifelong learning, independence, and enrichment. It further suggests that the kind of structured guidance formal computer classes provide to seniors matters more than aging or if seniors have higher formal education.
Over the last 10 years, information technology has been the fastest growing sector in the global economy. Nevertheless, technology and computer-based instruction have not been sufficiently integrated into the curriculum especially at institutions that serve primarily language minority, low income, and first generation, female college populations. Through student surveys and faculty interviews, this study examined how faculty and students in such an institution evaluated the effects of integrating various technologies on their classroom experiences. Through a federally funded Title V grant, faculty participated in professional development workshops aimed at developing their ability to use technologically mediated practices to enhance learning opportunities through interaction and communication in cyberspace as well as face-to-face interaction. Faculty members from various disciplines participated in hands-on workshops on the use of various technologies such as Blackboard, power-point, and general internet and email uses. Over the last 10 years, information technology has been the fastest growing sector in the global economy. This development has fundamentally transformed classroom discourse and literacy practices; thus, computer literacy for both students and faculty alike has received growing attention from scholars and practitioners. In May, 1996 the American Association of
Library and cross-disciplinary literature all stress the increasing importance of instructional technology in higher education. However, there is a dearth of articles detailing funding for library instructional technology. The bulk of library literature on funding for these projects focuses on one-time grant opportunities and on the architecture and design of spaces for public computers. This article seeks to examine the financial implications of educational technology funding for libraries and how ultimately libraries can be absorbed into a strategic, campus-wide technology funding cycle. Theoretical models of cyclical funding were analyzed, primarily through EduCause articles, resulting in five key elements of fiscally responsible funding practice: (a) leadership, (b) strategic planning, (c) collaboration, (d) changing organizational structures, and (e) flexibility. Findings generated were used to examine the financial implications of maintenance, rates of return of Instructional Technology, capital and operating budgets, and short- and long-term funding plans on funding models. This article seeks to examine the financial implications of educational technology funding for academic libraries and how ultimately libraries can be absorbed into a strategic, campus-wide technology funding cycle. American colleges and universities were expected to spend $6.94 billion on technology during 2006, a 35% increase compared with the prior year, with hardware representing one-half of the total technology spending. The average technology budgets at private institutions rose by 26%, compared with 20% at public institutions (Market Data Retrieval, 2006, p. 2).
This article includes a reflection on the experiences, both positive and negative, in using a collaborative approach to the development of an online instructional design model. It outlines the processes and points out the challenges associated in the creation of courses to be taught on the Internet using this model. There are reflections on the practical application of this model within a higher education setting for both faculty and administrators. Moreover, an evaluation of the model and its effectiveness for distance learning courses are discussed. Lastly, conclusions and implications for expansion and further use are presented.
