Elementary Students,Creativity, and Technology

Abstract

This article reports on the impact on student personal creativity of a longitudinal study that had as its major goal the creation of a unique intervention program for elementary students. The intervention was based on the National Profile and Statement (Curriculum Corporation, 1994a, 1994b) for the curriculum area of technology. The intervention program comprised thematically based units of work that integrated all eight Australian Key Learning Areas (KLA). A pretest/posttest control group design investigation (Campbell & Stanley, 1963) was undertaken with 580 students from 7 schools and 24 class groups that were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups. One group (10 classes) formed the control group. Another 7 classes received the year-long intervention program, while the remaining 7 classes received the intervention, but with the added seamless integration of their available classroom computer technologies. The effect of the intervention on the personal creativity characteristics of the students involved in the study was assessed using the Creativity Checklist, an instrument that was developed during the study. The results suggest that the purposeful integration of computer technology with the intervention program positively affects the personal creativity characteristics of students.     

The Internet,Public Libraries,and the Digital Divide

Virtually every public library in the United States provides public access Internet computers as a role central to its mission. This article addresses the issue of why the Internet matters for public libraries, both in terms of impacts on the general public, particularly the digitally disadvantaged (part one of the article) and impacts on libraries themselves (part two of the article). Each part of this report begins with an extensive literature review, followed by a data analysis section. In part one, the author uses the 2000 United States Census dataset to evaluate library efforts to bridge the digital divide, by analyzing differences in the growth of public terminals in library systems serving counties with different levels of household income, households in poverty, non-white households, and non-English-speaking households. The analysis finds no disparity in the number of public computers available in areas with high and low incomes but finds a significant—and widening—disparity in the number of computers available in areas with a higher versus lower percentage of non-white and non-English-speaking households. In part two of the report, the author uses a random effects linear regression model to estimate the effects of Internet access on library usage. This analysis finds that having Internet terminals (versus having no Internet terminals) has a significant positive effect on a library's visits and reference transactions, but not on a library's circulation. An increase in the number of Internet terminals has no significant effect, positive or negative, on visits, reference transactions, or circulation.     

10 Ways to Keep Techies Happy

This article explores the factors in developing a successful cooperative relationship between professional librarians and an organization's information technologists. He discusses the clash of cultures between the two groups and makes ten concrete suggestions for how to ease that relationship and make it work.     

Changing pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs about using computers for teaching and learning mathematics: the effect of three different models

This study examines the effect of three different computer integration models on pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs about using computers in mathematics education. Participants included 104 pre-service mathematics teachers (36 second-year students in the Computer Oriented Model group, 35 fourth-year students in the Integrated Model (IM) group and 33 fifth-year students in the Exploring Mathematical Relationships with Mathematical Software (EMReMaS) group. The results indicated a remarkable change in beliefs within the EMReMaS and IM groups concerning computer use in teaching and learning mathematics. The present study offers empirical evidence that the pre-service mathematics teachers’ experiences in computer-based mathematics courses played a significant role in this change. Teacher education programmes should consider this learning method for pre-service teachers.     

运用目标教学方法培养学生编程能力

本文运用布卢姆的目标教学思想,通过VB语言教学在认知、情感和技能操作方面对学生编程能力的培养进行了探索与实践。     

The technological trigger: Fostering educational revolution

While we live in an Information Society, information technology has barely penetrated the classroom. Not only does it make no sense for every aspect of our lives save education to be enriched by appropriate technologies (e.g., computers, video discs, interactive systems), this technology has the potential to trigger an educational revolution much in the way that the Gutenberg press triggered a revolution 500 years ago. Technology alone cannot fix our ailing educational system. Yet it can be the thin edge of the wedge in giving us the capacity to provide an educational experience that stimulates the student (and the teacher), opens myriad worlds of information, and conforms to what we believe to be best teaching and learning practices.     

基层电大图书馆信息化建设的实践

随着社会经济发展,生产力不断进步,信息技术、通信技术、网络技术的广泛应用,加快了图书馆的现代化建设的步伐。本文结合佛山电大图书馆信息化建设的实践,谈谈基层电大图书馆建设的基本框架和功能作用。     

Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Application for Learning Neuroanatomy in Psychology

Neuroanatomy is difficult for psychology students because of spatial visualization and the relationship among brain structures. Some technologies have been implemented to facilitate the learning of anatomy using three-dimensional (3D) visualization of anatomy contents. Augmented reality (AR) is a promising technology in this field. A mobile AR application to provide the visualization of morphological and functional information of the brain was developed. A sample of 67 students of neuropsychology completed tests for visuospatial ability, anatomical knowledge, learning goals, and experience with technologies. Subsequently, they performed a learning activity using one of the visualization methods considered: a 3D method using the AR application and a two-dimensional (2D) method using a textbook to color, followed by questions concerning their satisfaction and knowledge. After using the alternative method, the students expressed their preference. The two methods improved knowledge equally, but the 3D method obtained higher satisfaction scores and was more preferred by students. The 3D method was also more preferred by the students who used this method during the activity. After controlling for the method used in the activity, associations were found between the preference of the 3D method because of its usability and experience with technologies. These results found that the AR application was highly valued by students to learn and was as effective as the textbook for this purpose.     

温度传感器在笔记本电脑散热系统中的应用

文章在对温度传感器的主要类型进行论述的基础上,结合笔记本电脑的基本工作原理,探讨了温度传感器在笔记本电脑散热系统中的主要应用范围。最后,基于笔记本电脑散热的实际需要,进行了基于温度传感器的笔记本电脑散热系统设计。设计结果表明,所设计的散热系统散热效果良好,通过应用温度传感器能够在不同的环境温度下进行不同程度的散热,有效地保证了笔记本电脑的正常运行。     

一种办公大楼智能节电系统的设计

通过应用WEB服务技术提出了一种全新的计算机控制的办公大楼智能化的节电系统,可通过减少待机电能消耗达到节能的目的;该系统还可以降低办公大楼的安全隐患,实现安全的目的。该系统使用了无线WAP控制技术方便使用;WEB服务器通过远程登录可以与任何异构网完成通讯,提供WEB服务;系统经过改造还可以有更广阔的应用空间。