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TECHNOLOGY BASED ANALYSIS AND DATABASED DECISION MAKING, TIE 533

(This course is actually a hybrid of two new courses, and might better be called "Application Tools for Inquiry Learning.")

National College of Education, National-Louis University

Spring 2009: Lisle, Thursdays, 4:30 - 7:20 pm.

3 Semester Hours (2 + 1)

Instructor

Craig A. Cunningham. Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Technology in Education Program
office: 312-261-3605; cell: 773-505-1133
craig.cunningham@nl.edu
Web site: http://craigcunningham.com
Office Hours: Thursday before or after class by appointment only

Course Materials

No required textbook. Participants are expected to seek out and obtain any resources they need to meet course requirements.

Optional:

Simon, Jinjer (2005). Excel data analysis: Your visual blueprint for creating and analyzing data, charts, and PivotTables. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Chase, K. J. & Palmer, S. (2006). Access 2003 for starters: The missing manual. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc.

Birnbaum, Duane (2002). Microsoft Excel VBA programming for the absolute beginner. Unknown: Premier Press, Inc.

Bernhardt, Victoria L.(2006). Using data to improve student learning in school districts. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. (Please note that this is a series of works with separate titles each for High Schools, Middle Schools, and Elementary Schools as well as the cited volume for School Districts. Select the volume appropriate for your situation.)

Course web site: http://craigcunningham.com/nlu/tie532spr09/index.htm.

Gerry Zeller's resources: http://www.zellerandassociates.com/IL-TCE/.

Email account (required). NLU provides an email account to each student. To get starteed, click https://serverlp1.nl.edu/misc/getpass.html. (You should check your NLU email regularly even if you prefer to use another account for daily use, or have it forwarded to your favorite account.)

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Technology in Education program is to prepare educators to use technology in their schools and to provide instructional leadership and technical support to other educators who wish to integrate technology in teaching and learning.

Catalog Description

This course will explore the use of productivity tools and instructional software for curricular and administrative applications.  Students will use advanced features of productivity tools to evaluate artifacts and data for instructional decision-making, and they will use the knowledge base on integrating technology to guide application of specific strategies in support of problem-based curricula.  In addition, students will assist one or more teacher(s)/colleague(s) in using recommended tools and strategies.

Questions to Guide This Course

What kinds of data and assessment strategies are needed to help districts, schools, teachers and students?  How can this data help school reform, curriculum design and student learning experiences? How can student data and knowledge of a range of learning environments help teachers be designers of meaningful instructional materials and experiences?  How can application technology resources play a part in the process of creating problem-based curriculum?

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

  1. Select, compare, and evaluate productivity tools (e.g., database, word processing, spreadsheet, drawing, graphing, presentation, cognitive mapping software) and other software programs that are appropriate to support instructional objectives. (TS1D., 7B., 7D., 7G., TF-III.E.1, TF-VII.B.1)
  2. Develop expertise with advanced features of selected productivity software. (TS1I., 7A., TF-V.C.1., TF-V.C.8.)
  3. Use productivity tools to evaluate artifacts and data for instructional decision-making. (TF-IV.B.)
  4. Report on and synthesize the current research and trends related to the use of technology in education to support integration in problem solving in instructional settings (TF-III.E.2., TF-IV.C.2, TF-VIII.A.1)
  5. Examine how learning technologies can assist in the development of problem solving and higher order thinking skills.  (TS1E., TF-V.C.6., TF-V.C.7.)
  6. Define and create a classroom climate that is conducive to the teaching of problem solving skills. (TS1G., TS1J, TF-III.A.R., TF-III.D., TF-III.D.1)
  7. Review and apply teaching strategies that integrate technology to foster the development of students' problem solving skills. (TF-III.A.4., TF-III.C., TF-III.C.1.)
  8. Apply theories of learning, teaching, and instructional design in preparing model lessons using technology to teach specific subject area objectives within a problem-based curriculum. The lessons should include activities that integrate computers/technology for a variety of student grouping strategies, address diverse student populations, and assess students' content-area learning and use of technology tools. (TS1A., TS1B.,TS1H., TS3A., TS8C., TS12D., TF-II.A., TF-III.A.4., TF-III.B., TF-III.B.1, F-IV.A.1., TF-IV.A.2, TF-IV.C.1, TF-VI.C., TF-VI.C.1., TF-VIII.A.)
  9. Develop instructional materials to facilitate the use of productivity tools to address curricular (content area and technology) objectives in settings which foster ethical, and legal use of technology by students. (TS1C., TS4F., TF-III.A.1.)
  10. Assist other teacher(s)/colleague(s) in using recommended tools and strategies for implementation of technology in inquiry-oriented curriculum. (TS9B.)
  11. Identify resources for a professional library that will support technology facilitators and specialists in their own professional growth as well as in the work to support others.  (This is part of an ongoing portfolio requirement across courses.) (TF-VII.C)
  12. Candidates demonstrate a high standard of professional ethics by: cultivating curiosity and excitement for learning in themselves and others, and using information from self and others
    to continuously improve.

( ISBE: Technology Specialist (TS)    ISTE: Technology Facilitator Standards (TF))

Major topics

Basic Principles of Measurement
• Scales of measurement
• Characterizations of distributions of data
• Central tendency (mean, median, mode)
• Variance (range, standard deviation)
• Exploratory Analysis and visual displays of information
2 Curricular Applications of Productivity Tools
• Productivity tools vs. instructional software
 Selecting software for communicating concepts, conducting research, making
decisions, and solving problems
 Evaluation criteria and reliable sources of software evaluations
 Ethical and legal issues related to using software
• Strategies for using technology resources in classroom and computer lab settings
 Current research findings and trends on inquiry-oriented learning in instructional
settings
 Teaching problem-solving principles and skills using technology resources
 Using heterogeneous grouping, teaming and collaboration
 Assessing student learning of subject matter using technology tools
 Evaluating students' use of technology tools
• Computer/technology literacy curriculum in P-12 schools
 Current state and national technology standards for P-12 students
 State and district technology plans
• Developing curricular plans for integrating technology in the P-12 environment
 Aligning curriculum strategies with district/regional/state/national content and
technology standards
• Using learning technologies with diverse populations
 Selecting and applying appropriate technology resources to affirm diversity and
address cultural and language differences.
 Classifying adaptive and assistive hardware and software
 Resources for procuring adaptive and assistive hardware and software
 Resources for proper implementation adaptive and assistive hardware and software
• Assisting other teachers/colleagues in using recommended tools and strategies for
implementation
3 Administrative Applications of Productivity Tools
• Selecting software for communicating concepts, conducting research, making decisions,
and solving problems
• Practice using advanced features to develop professional products, including setting
preferences, defaults, and other selectable features of common productivity tool programs
(e.g., word processing, desktop publishing, graphics programs, and utilities)
• Using productivity tools to evaluate artifacts and data for instructional decision-making

Curricular Applications of Productivity Tools
• Productivity tools vs. instructional software
 Selecting software for communicating concepts, conducting research, making
decisions, and solving problems
 Evaluation criteria and reliable sources of software evaluations
 Ethical and legal issues related to using software
• Strategies for using technology resources in classroom and computer lab settings
 Current research findings and trends on inquiry-oriented learning in instructional
settings
 Teaching problem-solving principles and skills using technology resources
 Using heterogeneous grouping, teaming and collaboration
 Assessing student learning of subject matter using technology tools
 Evaluating students' use of technology tools
• Computer/technology literacy curriculum in P-12 schools
 Current state and national technology standards for P-12 students, including National
Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S)
 State and district technology plans
• Developing curricular plans for integrating technology in the P-12 environment
 Aligning curriculum strategies with district/regional/state/national content and
technology standards
2 Teaching problem solving
 Results of National Assessment of Educational Progress and other evaluations
 Goodlad study
 World of work; SCANS report;
 21ST CENTURY SKILLS (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/)
 NETS-S
 Jonassen’s model of meaningful learning
3 Problem Solving Frameworks
 Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives - Cognitive Domain
 Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
 Guilford Structure of Intellect Model
 Piaget's Theory of Intellectual Development
 Polya Problem Solving Model
 A Model of Thinking Skills
 Basic Processes
4 Complex Thinking Processes
 Problem Solving
 Decision Making
 Critical Thinking
 Creative Thinking
 Question-posing (McKenzie)
 A Model of Metacognitive Thinking Skills
 Monitoring Task Performance
 Selecting and Understanding Appropriate Strategies
5 Conceptual Frameworks of Thinking Skills for Analyzing Software
 CompuTHINK Project
 Sunburst Communication Problem Solving Skill Matrix
 HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills Program)
 ISTE’s Educational Software Evaluation Form:
http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/pdf/App_D_Software.pdf
• Available Materials
 Software
(1) Applications: Excel, Access, Inspiration, Kidspiration, Model-It
(2) Educational Software: Zoombini’s, Science Court, Mighty Math, Thinkin’
Things, I Spy Collection, Land of Um, Carmen SanDiego series, Math Circus,
The Model Shop, Brain Teasers, Mind Bender, BizWiz, Microworlds EX,
Decisions/Decisions series, Crazy Machines, Nancy Drew series, Freddi Fish
series, Lego Creator, Spy Fox series, Pajama Sam series
(3) Published materials including documentation and teacher support materials
(4) Manipulatives
 Technology Games
(1) Literacy’s developed through game playing
(2) Literacy’s developed through game design & development
(3) 21st Century Skills developed through game design & development
(4) Transfer of motivation and learning to other real-world settings
National-Louis University
University Course Outlliine
6
(5) Games as a system of rules
(6) Types of games: Role-playing games (RPGs); Massive Multi-player Online Role
Playing Game (MMORPG); Simulations
• Teaching problem-solving
 Four teaching strategies
 Didactic
 Discovery
 Meditative
 Collaborative
 Providing for individual differences
 Awareness of diversity of learning styles and how to address them
• Classroom Environment
 What conditions encourage development of problem solving skills?
(1) Acknowledge student response
(2) Reflective-paraphrasing response
(3) Clarifying student response
(4) Wait time
(5) Meta-cognition
(6) Teacher model
 Questioning techniques
(1) Posing questions at various cognitive levels
(2) Posing clarifying questions
(3) Fostering student questions
 What conditions impede development?
• Evaluation
 How can problem-solving skills be measured?
 What instruments are available?
 Portfolio assessment

 

Accessibility

Please Note: National-Louis University is committed to ensuring that all of its facilities and programs are accessible to all persons.  If you believe you may qualify for course adaptations or accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, it is your responsibility to immediately, but no later than the second class session to contact the Office of Diversity, Access and Equity (DAE Office) or the instructor.  You may contact the Director of Diversity and Equal Employment at (847) 947-5491 or via e-mail at Erin.Haulotte@nl.edu.  If you have coordinated services with the DAE Office, please provide your letter of accommodation to the instructor.

Academic Honesty

With respect to the academic honesty of students, it is expected that all material submitted as part of any class exercise, in or out of class, is the actual work of the student whose name appears on the material or is properly documented otherwise. The concept of academic honesty includes plagiarism as well as receiving and/or giving improper assistance and other forms of cheating on coursework. Students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action and may be dismissed from the University.

Faculty has the right to analyze and evaluate students’ course work.  Students may be asked to submit their papers electronically to a third party plagiarism detection service.  Students who are asked to submit their papers and refuse must provide proof for every cited work comprising the cover page and first cited page for each source listed in the bibliography.  When evidence of academic dishonesty is discovered, an established procedure of resolution will be activated to bring the matter to closure.  See Policy on Academic Honesty in the University Catalog and Student Guidebook (http://www.nl.edu/StudentServices/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook/).

For resources on how to cite properly and avoid plagiarism, go to NLU’s Center for Academic Development (http://www.nl.edu/centers/cad/) and the NLU Library (http://www.nl.edu/library/).

Overview of Course Requirements

  1. Class participation and classwork. Only very rarely will the instructor deliver course content orally in a lecture format. Each week, you will be expected to participate in activities related to the content of the readings and the topics listed under the calendar of assignments and topics. Some of these activities will require that you have read the assigned reading. Activities will include individual, small group, and whole class projects designed to foster shared inquiry and the construction of knowledge.

  2. Develop a one-hour professional development workshop for teachers related to using one or more advanced features of a word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, or database program for educational purposes. (This can be either something in Microsoft Office, Google Documents, StarOffice, InspireData, or other productivity suite.) Choose your program/feature and email it to the instructor by the start of class on April 23. Send your outline (in PPT or Word format) to the entire class and instructor by the start of class on May 14. Deliver an abridged version of the experience (20-30 minutes) to the class.

  3. Develop a lesson plan in which students use productivity tools in a problem-based, inquiry-oriented, curriculum. Use a lesson-planning template you typically use, or use one provided by the instructor. Due to instructor by the start of class on May 21.

  4. Additions to your professional library. Develop an online annotated list of at least 6 articles related to problem-solving in the curriculum and at least 6 articles related to databased decision-making. Send the URL to the entire class and instructor by the start of class on May 28. Click here for more information on annotations.

  5. Benchmark Assignment: tool for databased decision-making. (See description and rubric.) Due to instructor by midnight on June 11.
    • Investigate and summarize the practices and procedures your school district employs for student assessment data including collection, analysis, and use.
    • Develop and document a tool, built with advanced features of productivity applications, that provides some decision-making support related to instructional planning or practice (at the classroom, grade-level, school, district, or state level.)
    • Develop and deliver a presentation to your peers describing the tool and its applications. (June 11.)

Attendance

  • Regular and punctual class attendance is expected. Absences will be noted.
  • Students who know they must be absent from class should notify the instructor in advance.
  • You are responsible for completing any work missed.

Schedule of Assignments and Topics

Assignments are listed on the date they are due. They should be emailed to the instructor or sent to instructor and all students (as noted below) prior to the start of class.

April 9 : Introduction to the course.

Introduction of participants and instructor.

Overview of course.

What is school improvement?

What is problem-solving?

school improvement cycle
(source: http://www.zellerandassociates.com/IL-TCE/)

What are productivity tools?

April 16 : NO CLASS due to instructor conference.

Read: Games, Learning, and Society by Kurt Squire. Then, choose one of the articles in the references section, and find and read that article as well. Summarize that article in an email (at least 250 words) to the instructor and all members of the class. Include your answer to this question: how significant do you think games will be in the future of formal k-12 education?

NOTE: you can find many of the referenced articles using the NLU online journal search system, available at http://my.nl.edu.

April 23 : Problems, solutions, and learning.

Email instructor by start of class with choice of program/feature for professional development workshop.

 

May 14 Kim Oswald using charts and graphs in word
May 14 Dianne Rowe using Surveys and e-Surveys in InspireData to gather data
May 14 Rebecca Rivan

Google Docs: Creating and editing a summary sheet of all responses to a form survey.
May 14 Jeremy Vrtis Google Docs Forms
     
May 21 Cheryl Annette Robinson Using Excel to display fractions
May 21 Catherine Kuzel Excel data sorting
May 21 Stephanie Pietrucha excel to create a timeline
May 21 Angela Sutherland conditional formatting in Excel
May 21 Tanaka Douglas using Excel VLOOKUP and IF Function
May 21 Andy Dole excel pivot tables

 

Discussion of gaming and education.

Why are problems good occasions for learning?

"A problem is any situation where you have an opportunity to make a difference, to make things better;  and problem solving is converting an actual current situation (the NOW-state) into a desired future situation (the GOAL-state)."

Problem-solving in education and life

Problem-solving software

Problem-based learning

What is PBL? (http://pbln.imsa.edu/model/intro/index.html)

Problem-based learning (PBL) is focused experiential learning organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems.

itemPBL engages students as stakeholders immersed in a messy, ill-structured, problematic situation.

itemPBL organizes curriculum around this holistic problem, enabling student learning in relevant and connected ways.

itemPBL creates a learning environment in which teachers coach student
thinking and guide student inquiry, facilitating learning toward deeper
levels of understanding while entering the inquiry as a co-investigator.

  • What Do We Know?
    • How Do We Know This? (What are our sources and how good, truthful, valid are they?)
    • What Do We Think We Know? (These are hunches, hypotheses--but not certainties)
    • What Do We Need to Know? (These drive our research which will take us deeper into the problem)

(http://pbln.imsa.edu/model/intro/index.html)

Introduction to Excel: Making a gradebook. Excel Gradebook exercise

 

 

What is Action Research?

April 30 : What to do with data.

Send to instructor by the start of class: a paragraph describing your professional development workshop idea, including: the software you want to use, a list of functions in that software that you'll teach, the educational context (teacher or student use) that you'll use, a brief idea of an activity or activities that you want participants to do.

 

 

Let's collect some data!

Online survey tools:

May 7 : School improvement cycle.

Professional development workshops - discussion.

Planning your benchmark project - discussion.

Types of data:

  • Yes/no.
  • Categories. (example: gender, ethnicity)
  • Lickert.
  • Continuous (numerical).
  • Qualitative data.

Measurement

• Scales of measurement
• Characterizations of distributions of data

Assessment videos: http://www.edutopia.org/assessment

Basic assessment concepts: http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/basic.htm

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/news-by-subject/school-administration/?i=55648

 

Access data merge exercise. (Here's the data and here)

May 14 :

Outline of professional development experience due to entire class and instructor by the start of class.

Professional development workshops, part I.

May 14 Kim Oswald using charts and graphs in word
May 14 Dianne Rowe using Surveys and e-Surveys in InspireData to gather data
May 14 Rebecca Rivan

Creating a Self-Correcting Quiz
May 14 Jeremy Vrtis Google Docs Forms

 

 

The Five W's:

1.Who’s Learning, Who’s Not?

2.Why?

3.What’s Being Learned, What’s Not?

4.Why?

5.What Are You Going To Do About It?

See, Say, So:

What do you SEE in the data?

What do you want to SAY about the data?

And SO what’s next?

Three Whats (Rick Prestley)

    • What?
    • So What?
    • Now What?

    The Five "Gets"

    1.Get Data
    2.Get Them Electronic
    3.Get Them Disaggregated
    4.Get Them Graphical
    5.Get Talking

SMART Goals

 

Some notes on AYP in 07-08: http://district299.typepad.com/district299/2007/09/chicago-public-.html and http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ayp/htmls/ayp_calc.htm.

NCLB Glossary: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/index/az/glossary.html and http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ayp/htmls/glossary.htm

Useful link: Statistics glossary: http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/steps/glossary/index.html

 

Edie L. Holcomb
edielholcombdiagram

Victoria Bernhardt
victoria_bernhardt

Factors in school improvement: Determining Needed Data
factors in school improvement
Bernhardt, Victoria L., Using data to improve student learning in school districts. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, 2006 (p. 11)

Sources of Data
sources_of_data

 

ISBE Special Education profiles: http://webprod1.isbe.net/LEAProfile/SearchCriteria1.aspx

 

"The study of lower-income schools found that the strongest elements in high-performing schools are linking lessons closely to state academic standards, ensuring there are enough textbooks and other teaching materials, carefully and regularly analyzing student performance and putting a high priority on student achievement. The study's authors say that these criteria show that poverty and other challenges need not keep students from doing well." (http://articles.latimes.com/2005/oct/26/local/me-schools26)

 

AYP Flow chart for Illinois: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ayp/htmls/making_ayp.htm

May 21 :

Lesson plan due to instructor by the start of class.

Check out this web site for resources related to Student Progress Monitoring: http://www.studentprogress.org/

Review of tools for monitoring academic progress: http://www.studentprogress.org/chart/chart.asp

Presentation on student progress monitoring and curriculum-based measurement: http://www.studentprogress.org/player/playershell.swf

Professional development workshops, part II.

May 21 Cheryl Annette Robinson Using Excel to teach fractions(?)
May 21 Catherine Kuzel Excel data sorting plus Mail Merge
May 21 Stephanie Pietrucha excel to create a timeline
May 21 Angela Sutherland conditional formatting in Excel
May 21 Tanaka Douglas using Excel VLOOKUP and IF Function
May 21 Andy Dole excel pivot tables

Quest Atlantis demo: http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/site/view/Educators

"a participatory framework that emphasizes action and reflection as central components to the learning process. This notion of an active learner engaged in real-world activities is central to the child-centered, experientially-focused, and inquiry-based learning environments promoted in academic research, and is consistent with current frameworks and plans for educational reform."

"Central to our work in the Quest Atlantis (QA) project has been designing a context for learning, which sits at the intersection of education, entertainment, and social action. Designed to support social commitment and real-world action. QA is an immersive context with over 20,000 registered members worldwide. The project is intended to engage children ages 9–14 in a form of dramatic play comprising both online and off-line learning activities, with a storyline inspiring a disposition towards social action.

The core elements of QA are 1) a 3-D multi-user virtual environment, 2) learning Quests and unit plans, 3) a storyline, presented through an introductory video, novel and comic book, that involves a mythical Council and a set of social commitments, and 4) a globally-distributed community of participants. The narrative helps to establish continuity among the QA elements and helps to bridge the fictional world of Atlantis with the real world of Earth, an act of interpretation by each individual child. Central to this narrative is a group of young activists, the Council, who communicate with participating children and help scaffold their activities. "

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ypk9xyPmPU; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMP5iYJ8U3c, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8FkAUxMWpc

Second Life: Educational Possibilities (downloaded from http://gaming.psu.edu/node/193)

May 28 :

Send URL of annotated list of resources on problem-solving and databased decision making to all students and instructor by start of class.

Some additional tips on using Excel

Use this file

http://spreadsheets.about.com/lr/excel_text_functions/215194/2/

http://www.contextures.com/xlCombine01.html

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA011498511033.aspx

http://cameron.econ.ucdavis.edu/excel/excel.html

Data-interpretation exercises

Interactive Illinois Report Card: http://iirc.niu.edu/Default.aspx

In teams of two, use the Interactive Illinois Report Card and NCES site to answer the following questions. Email the class and instructor with your answers (put all of them into one email...be sure to include your names). Be sure to give evidence or cite a source for each answer?

  1. Compare Illinois with other states in terms of its educational achievement. What rank would you give the state (out of 52; including Washington DC and Defense Department schools)?
  2. What are the best three states in terms of educational achievement? Worst three?
  3. Does the rank of Illinois in comparison with other states vary depending on which student group is compared? With which groups is Illinois doing comparatively well, and with which comparatively poorly?
  4. What special weaknesses in Illinois' educational achievement have you noticed? What special strengths?
  5. Is the State of Illinois currently making Adequate Yearly Progress under NCLB?
  6. Are all reported subgroups in the State of Illinois currently making Adequate Yearly Progress under NCLB? Which groups are and are not? Do you have a hypothesis that explains what you see?
  7. How does the achievement gap between white and black students in Illinois compare with the national average? Explain what you see.
  8. Based on trends in the data, predict the percentage of Illinois students meeting or exceeding state goals in the year 2012.
  9. Find the data for your particular school or district. What is the weakest subject-area and grade level for your school or district? What is the strongest? Do you have any hypotheses that explain these results? Based solely on the data available to you on the Interactive Illinois Report Card, what instructional changes do you think need to be made in your school or district.
  10. Based on trends in the data, predict whether your school will be making Adequate Yearly Progress in the year 2012, if current laws do not change and data trends continue. Be sure to look at all subjects, grade levels, and groups reported in your school report card.

 

Pivot Tables exercise. (Here's the data)

June 4 : TBA

 

June 11 :

Benchmark assignment due to instructor by midnight.

Presentations of databased decision tools

 

Resources

Audet, R. H., & Jordan, L. K. (2005). Integrating inquiry across the curriculum. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.

Jonassen, D. H. (2004). Learning to solve problems an instructional design guide. Instructional technology & training series. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

McKenzie, J. A. (2005). Learning to question - to wonder - to learn. Bellingham, Wash: FNO Press. Anderson-Inman, L., & Zeitz, L. (1993). Computer-based concept mapping: Active studying for active learners. The Computing Teacher, 21 (1),6-11.

Anderson-Inman, L., & Zeitz, L. (1994). Beyond notecards: Synthesizing information with electronic study tools. The Computing Teacher, 21 (8), 21-25.

Apple classrooms of tomorrow: Philosophy and structure [and] what's happening where (1991) . Cupertino, CA.: Apple Computer, Inc.( ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED340349)

Bateman, W. L. (1990). Open to question the art of teaching and learning by inquiry. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Baugh, I. (1994). Libris*Thesaurus*Rex. The Computing Teacher, 22(1), 44-45.

Beaver. J. (1994.). Problem solving across the curriculum: Improving student' problem solving skills using off-computer and on-computer activities. Eugene,OR: ISTE.

Bernhardt, Victoria L. Using data to improve student learning in school districts. Larchmont, NY, 2006.

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Power of the Mashup - A mashup is a hybrid application that draws from multiple sources to create something new. Boss and Krauss explore examples of what can happen when teachers understand how to use technology to promote essential learning in innovative and unexpected ways. Learning and Leading with Technology : the ISTE Journal of Educational Technology Practice and Policy. 35 (1), 12.

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing project-based learning your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age / Suzie Boss, Jane Krauss. Eugene, Or: International Society for Technology in Education.

Brown, J., & Verhey, R. (1993). Problem solving using the Rankin-Hughes framework. MACUL Newsletter.

Brown, M. (2005). “Essential Questions.” Available: http://mathstar.nmsu.edu/exploration1/unit/content_questions.html; last accessed February 13, 2008.

Brown, S.(1990). Integrating manipulatives and computers in problem-solving experiences. Arithmetic Teacher, 38 (2), 8-10.

Budin, H. & Kendall, D. (1988). Technology and the social studies: A vision. Social Studies Teacher, 9(2), 9.

Callison, D., & Preddy, L. (2006). The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Cawelti, Gordon (ed.) Handbook of Research on Improving Student Achievement. Arlington, VA, Educational Research Service, 2004. Best Practices Audit Grids

Casey, M.B., & Tucker, E. (1994). Problem-centered classrooms: Creating lifelong learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(2), 139-143.

Chen, C.-H., & Bradshaw, A. C. (2007). The Effect of Web-Based Question Prompts on Scaffolding Knowledge Integration and Ill-Structured Problem Solving. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 39 (4), 359-375.

Duffield, J. A. (1991). Designing computer software for problem-solving instruction. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 39 (1), 50-62.

Dugdale, S., LeGare, O., Matthews, J. I., & Ju, M.-K. (1998). Mathematical Problem Solving and Computers: A Study of Learner-Initiated Application of Technology in a General Problem-Solving Context. Journal of Research on Computing in Education. 30 (3), 239- 53.

Fishman, S. M., & McCarthy, L. P. (1998). John Dewey and the challenge of classroom practice. The practitioner inquiry series. New York: Teachers College Press.

Forbes, C. & Ryba, K. (1994). Linking students, teachers, and learners in an inquiry-based classroom. The Computing Teacher, 21 (6), 26-29.

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Note on annotations

An annotation is brief. It starts with a properly written citation (APA) and should contain a minimum of four sentences (and a maximum of 8); at least one sentence devoted to addressing each of the following points:
*          What did the author/researcher(s) think he/she was looking for?
*          What did the researcher(s) think he/she found?
*          Why evidence does he/she provide for thinking so?
*          Why did you select this particular piece?
*          How do you believe this choice helps you grow as a technology-using instructional designer or user of data in the learning environment within the goals of this course?

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