One More Year To Remember
Dan Lukiv

september 1

a sliver of moon
above the amber sunset
above dark waves

september 2

ducks bobbing
on the brown river--
not quacking

full text >>>

Integrating Information and Communication Technology into the School Curriculum: A Case for Professional Development Models
Helda A. Francis
Anthony N. Ezeife, PhD

            Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming more available in many schools worldwide and as such it is increasingly important that teachers be familiar and comfortable with new uses of ICT.  To help meet the constant challenge of motivating students to learn, teachers must change their traditional roles to become facilitators of learning. In today’s classrooms, teachers are required to use computers for multi-media presentations, word-processing assignments, researching on the Internet, and several other learning activities.  Teachers also need to teach in computer laboratories where students are provided hands-on experience with software applications. The ability to utilize ICT has become the norm for the 21st century. Thus, for future generations to maximize their capability to operate within competitive and knowledge-driven economies, it is critical to foster the latest skills at every level of education, and teachers are central to this endeavor.

            For more than a decade, teacher educators and the organizations that accredit teacher education programs in the USA have recognized the importance of preparing teachers to use ICT effectively in the classrooms (Duhaney, 2001; Willis & Raines, 2001).  In Canada there have been several programs geared to the effective integration of ICT into the regular school curriculum. A good example is the three-year innovative curriculum of the province of Alberta, the goal of which is “the effective infusion of technology for communicating, inquiring, problem-solving and decision-making in core curricula” (Jacobsen, Clifford, & Friesen, 2002, p. 363). Research has shown that teachers usually teach the way they were taught (Russell, 1997), and a good way to prepare teachers for careers in teaching is to provide a variety of experiences and opportunities to use computers and technology (Wetzel, 1999).

full text >>>

Social Interactions in the Online Classroom
Salome C. Nnoromele, Ph.D.

           The online classroom is no longer a new and unexplored space for teaching and learning. Recent studies indicate that online enrollment continues to grow and at a faster rate than most educators had predicted. In Fall 2003, 1.98 million students were enrolled in at least one online course (Allen & Seaman, 2004). The number increased to 2.35 million by Fall 2004 (Allen & Seaman, 2005). Nearly 3.2 million students were enrolled in online courses in Fall 2005, a growth rate of thirty-five percent from the previous year (Allen & Seaman, 2006). Studies project a steady increase in new students enrollment in online courses over the next few years(Allen & Seaman, 2006).  More than ninety-six percent of public and private institutions of higher learning are now offering courses online (Allen & Seaman, 2006). In Fall 2005, forty-four percent of schools offering Master’s degree programs also offered these programs online (Allen & Seaman, 2005). By Fall 2006, the percentage of Master’s degree programs offering courses online has risen to eighty percent (Allen & Seaman, 2006). In Fall 2005, fifty-six percent of schools identify online education as a critical long-term strategy (Allen & Seaman, 2005). In Fall 2006, the number had increased to sixty-one percent (Allen & Seaman, 2006). There is no question that the platform for online learning requires more motivation and discipline than the conventional classroom; however, many credit the flexibility of online classes as one major factor in its growing popularity. Students often report satisfaction with the online format, “stating that it was easy to work at their own pace and gave them the freedom to work from home” (“The ABCs of CMC”, 2006, 2). John F. Lyons (2004), in “Teaching U.S. History Online: Problems and Prospects,” also remarks:

full text >>>