Abstract: A growing number of studies have investigated diverse applications of technology-based interventions with children with autism. The purpose of this paper is to review the growing empirical support for the efficacy of technology-based interventions with children with autism and to recommend future directions for research. This review will focus on five examples of technology introduced as a temporary instructional aid to be removed once the goal of behavior change has been met: (a) tactile and auditory prompting devices, (b) video-based instruction and feedback, (c) computer-aided instruction, (d) virtual reality, and (e) robotics. Future directions for research and practice with each technology are discussed. Keywords: autism; technology-based interventions; computer-aided instruction; virtual reality; robotics. ********** A growing number of studies have investigated diverse applications of technology-based interventions with children with autism. The popularity of technology in the field of psychology is evidenced by the development of new journals in the area (e.g., the Journal of Special Education Technology, the Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, etc.). In addition, clinical psychology journals are recognizing the importance of technology in service delivery and devoting special issues to the topic (e.g., Newman, 2004). Parents and clinicians regularly report that children with autism are drawn to technological devices and researchers have noted the importance of devising treatments that take advantage of this fascination (Colby, 1973). The purpose of this paper is to review the growing empirical support for the efficacy of technology-based interventions with children with autism and to recommend future directions for research. A review of technology-based interventions must first clarify the use of the word technology. The term is broadly defined as "the practical application of knowledge" or "the specialized aspects of a particular field of endeavor" (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 1994, p. 1210). This broad definition encompasses virtually any information or object that has been used in application to a field of study. For example, the application of stimulus control is technology to a behavioral clinician. A more specific use of the term refers to use of mechanical or electromechanical processes that often increase productivity and reduce or eliminate manual operations or operations done by older technologies. In the twenty-first century, technology commonly denotes a variety of popular electromechanical devices such as cell phones, video recording equipment, and hand-held, desktop, and laptop personal computers. It is the use of these tools with children with autism that will be the subject of this review paper. Some technology-based interventions are designed for indefinite use as an assistive tool (e.g., voice-output augmentative communication devices, microswitches, etc.) while others are introduced as a temporary instructional aid to be removed once the goal of behavior change has been met. This review will focus on five examples of the second category: tactile and auditory prompting devices, video-based instruction and feedback, computer-aided instruction, virtual reality, and robotics. Research support for the use of each technological advancement with children with autism will be reviewed, and directions for future research and practical application will be discussed. Mechanical Prompts Individuals with autism often need external stimulus prompts to initiate, maintain, or terminate a behavior. Commonly used prompts include vocal, gestural, physical, written/pictorial, and signed prompts, and each modality has been demonstrated effective for multiple purposes (MacDuff, Krantz, & McClannahan, 2001). Technological advancements in the last decade have created cost-effective automated prompting devices with the ability to deliver the same level of prompting with less human interaction and obtrusiveness and often less human effort in managing prompt delivery (e. …

Abstract: This paper deals with a required methods course, based on the national curriculum of science and technology for junior high schools. The course participants are pre-service teachers who study towards a B.Sc. degree in education in science and technology parallel to their studies in one of the faculties of sciences or engineering. Working in small teams, the students carry out a project in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment. The final outcomes of the project are group and individual written reports, a portfolio, a multimedia presentation and a physical model. The research question was: what implementation issues and processes do higher education students encounter in a Project-Based Learning environment which involves an alternative assessment approach? Qualitative and quantitative tools for collecting data included ‘the participant as observer’ observations at the classroom, semi-structured interviews with students, questionnaire, and analysis of students' reports and products. The findings relate...

Abstract: The purpose of this longitudinal case study is to describe the educational trajectories of a sample of 152 young women from urban, low-income, single-parent families who participated in the Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) program during high school. Utilizing data drawn from program records, surveys, and interviews, this study also attempts to determine how the program affected the participants' educational and career choices to provide insight into the role informal science education programs play in increasing the participation of women and minorities in science, math, engineering, and technology (SMET)-related fields. Findings revealed 109 participants (93.16%) enrolled in a college program following high school completion. Careers in medical or health-related fields followed by careers in SMET emerged as the highest ranking career paths with 24 students (23.76%) and 21 students (20.79%), respectively, employed in or pursuing careers in these areas. The majority of participants perceived having staff to talk to, the job skills learned, and having the museum as a safe place to go as having influenced their educational and career decisions. These findings reflect the need for continued support of informal science education programs for urban girls and at-risk youth. 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 835-860, 2004 Percentages remain low despite efforts over the past several decades to achieve more equitable numbers of women and minorities in the science, math, engineering, and technology (SMET) careers. The discrepancy in SMET careers has been attributed to numerous issues relating to education, psychology, and society. It is impossible to identify one single cause since all issues affecting women's choices whether to participate in SMET careers are complex and interrelated. It is likely that a combination of factors is still deterring young women from choosing a profession that involves science.

Abstract: In recognition of the fact that science centers and other informal educational institutions can play a role in the reform of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, several major research and professional programs are currently underway. This article discusses one such effort, the Center for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS), a collaboration of the Exploratorium, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and King's College, London and the need for a theoretical framework based on socio-cultural theory to link discussion of varied efforts characterizing science learning in informal settings. The article discusses two key problematics related to developments in the science education field of the past decade: (1) integrating studies that are undertaken from multiple disciplinary perspectives, namely, science education, developmental psychology, and cultural studies, and (2) characterizing critical properties of informal learning in museums. It reviews work that has been conducted in nonschool settings and, using examples from research conducted by the Center for Informal Learning and Schools, it reviews questions currently under investigation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed88(Suppl. 1):S71–S82, 2004

Abstract: Technology is a key driver for innovation and sustainable business growth. Whilst industrial interest in the area is growing, from an academic perspective the conceptual basis of the subject of technology management is fragmented and poorly defined. This paper describes a framework that has been developed to support practical and theoretical understanding of the management of technological innovation. At the heart of the framework are two sets of business processes that are important for effective technology management, including the three "core" processes of strategy, innovation and operations, together with a set of five supporting technology management processes: identification, selection, acquisition, exploitation and protection. The framework supports the integration of these processes by focusing on the "pull" and "push" knowledge flows that need to occur between the commercial and technological functions within the firm.

Abstract: (2004). Technology Roadmapping for A Service Organization. Research-Technology Management: Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 46-51.

Abstract: This paper describes the frameworks and cognitive tools that have been developed to enhance practising teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in primary school technology education. The frameworks evolved from our research that firstly examined existing teaching practices, secondly enhanced formative interactions and thirdly enhanced summative assessment strategies. The evidence gained over the three years demonstrated how the effective use of frameworks could be utilised to enhance teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). How we see learning is of prime importance in examining the development of teacher pedagogical content knowledge. A sociocultural view of learning is taken where human mental processes are situated within their historical, cultural and institutional setting. In the research project we strongly emphasised the need for teachers to build a knowledge base for teaching technology. Critical aspects identified as enhancing PCK included: negotiated intervention, planning frameworks, reflection on case studies, workshops and support in classrooms, appropriate resources, teacher agreement meetings, portfolios of student work and summative profiles. The increased PCK resulted in: enhanced teacher knowledge about technology including the nature of technology, areas of technology and specific technological knowledge, changed pedagogical approaches, enhanced teacher student interaction, refinement of appropriate learning outcomes, critical decision making, improved teacher confidence, and enhanced student learning. Seven characteristics or features of pedagogical content knowledge that we believe are important for effective teaching and learning in technology are presented.

Abstract: This piece discusses issues of vision, skills and knowledge, and departmental culture as barriers to the integration of technology into teacher education courses. After a review of literature in these three areas, themes found from interviews with innovators at Western Michigan University are presented and discussed. Also included are recommendations for institutions seeking to integrate technology into their teacher preparatory curriculums. "There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new order or things ..." Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince This article describes a qualitative case study regarding potential barriers to the integration of technology into teacher-preparatory courses, as perceived by teacher-educators at one university. It includes major themes gleaned from interviews with change agents, framed by their visions for appropriate technology usage, their skills and knowledge, and their perceptions of departmental culture. Also included is a brief review of literature in each of these areas, as well as conclusions and recommendations made regarding institutional change and the integration of technology. Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers To Use Technology (PT3) is a U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to over 400 universities. Western Michigan University accepted a grant in 1999. The primary focus of PT3 at WMU is to enable all WMU preservice graduates to proficiently use technology in order to engage students in 21st century collaborative, learner-centered environments (PT3 Grant Objectives, 2000). Thus teacher-preparatory faculty are being asked to model collaborative and learner-centered uses of technology for students, who will then integrate these ideas into their future classrooms. Identified in the first year of the grant was an implementation strategy. In essence, the implementation of the grant is about institutional change. While multi-faceted, one key component of WMU's institutional change strategy will be described in this article; the diffusion of grant objectives and integration of technology standards by faculty instructing teacher-preparatory courses. Specifically, perceptions of barriers to technology integration are addressed. Technology standards that have guided and will continue to guide grant goals and objectives are provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). There are six broad areas identified by ISTE as critical to using technology in education: (a) Technology Operations and Concepts; (b) Planning and Designing Learning Environments; (c) Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum; (d) Assessment and Evaluation; (e) Productivity and Professional Practice; and (f) Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues. One diffusion approach has been to encourage College of Education and Arts and Sciences faculty, through discussion, marketing, technological assistance, and professional development opportunities, to address the ISTE standards in their teacher-preparatory courses. These would then reinforce what elementary students learn in a specialized technology course, as well as reach those students seeking to become secondary educators or educators in other specialty areas, such as physical education, music, and art. As this approach to the integration of technology in teaching is central to the institutional change the grant is intended to effect, it was important that grant evaluators understand the perceptions of the major players. One way to assess whether the grant initiatives to date are working, specifically, whether teacher-preparatory faculty are indeed changing, is to assess the roadblocks or barriers, as perceived by the participants themselves, in regards to the integration of technology into their classes or courses. Research methods used to do so are described next. Research Methods Collection of data on faculty perceptions came from many sources. …

Abstract: This essay presents a vision for technology integration in teacher education that develops teachers into “technology integrationists,” or teachers who thoughtfully choose to integrate technology when it supports students’ subject matter learning. Four principles guide the design of technology learning experiences for preservice and in-service teachers to increase the likelihood that they will become technology integrationists. The principles are (a) connecting technology learning to professional knowledge; (b) privileging subject matter and pedagogical content connections; (c) using technology learning to challenge professional knowledge; and (d) teaching many technologies. The advantages and limitations of using these principles with preservice and in-service teachers are discussed. Future innovations in technology learning approaches in teacher education are outlined.

Abstract: The pressures for incorporating technology in higher education are both internal and external, and the consequences substantial. Students need to be empowered to succeed as lifelong learners in an information-rich environment (Barr & Tagg, 1995; Chapman, 1996; Holmes, 1999). Using technology to engage students in the integration and synthesis of information changes the fundamental teaching paradigm from teacher-centered to learner-centered instruction (Van Dusen, 1997). Younger students arrive at campuses with the expectation that technology will play a major role in their education, and as consumers they demand the same service quality that they demand elsewhere: lower costs, better service, higher quality, and a mix of products that satisfies their definition of a good education (Mooney & Bergheim, 2002; Zemsky, Massey, & Odel, 1998). Technology expands opportunities to market educational programs for older or working adults, and also opens the higher education market to new providers: corporate universities, for-profit institutions, and technology-based distance providers. Employers seek graduates who demonstrate both mastery of the current knowledge base and mastery of the technology that will enable them to stay current (Duderstadt, 1999/2000; Klor De Alva, 1999/2000; Zuboff, 1988). External financial pressures on colleges and universities send a mixed message. On the one hand, the growing public dismay about escalating educational costs results in efforts to control expenditures and budgets (Burd, 1998; O'Banion, 1997). On the other hand, despite shrinking financial resources at the state level, the federal government offers grant opportunities to institutions for technology initiatives (Carnevale, 2000; Ohio Board of Regents, 1992). Institutions have recognized that incremental responses--such as adding a few courses here and there or enriching existing course offerings (Demb, 2002; Von Hipple, 1988)--are insufficient to fully exploit the opportunities or manage the challenges represented by technology. Those institutions are thus adjusting to a new reality whose response requires transformational change (Backoff & Nutt, 1997b; Connor, 1998; Hammer & Champy, 1993; Young, 1997; Wheatley, 1992). Some institutions respond more quickly than others. With missions closely tied to the needs of workforce development and businesses, community colleges have already exhibited an innovative level of responsiveness and leadership with technology-based programming (Baker, 1998; Ehrmann, 1998; Oblinger, 1996). Other types of institutions are also responding to these pressures. Market forces are pushing private liberal arts institutions to incorporate technology to keep and attract students. Bentley College, Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Franklin University, and others are reconstructing their educational offerings. Eventually every institution will be transformed to some degree because information technology fundamentally affects not only how the colleges function and who is served, but the very core of teaching and learning pedagogy (Van Dusen, 1997). The special challenge faced by these institutions is to preserve vital core values as they stretch toward frame-breaking new realities (Backoff & Nutt, 1997a; Carter & Alfred, 1997; Collins & Porras, 1997). Community Colleges, Change, and Leadership Successful community colleges respond to the educational needs of their communities by broadening their portfolios to include a major focus on perpetual learning for adults, workplace learning, and occupational preparation (Holmes, 1999). Enrolling an estimated 5.5 million students by 2000 and capturing 40% of the higher education market, community colleges are expected to be major players in employing new technologies to "harness the winds of change" (Bleed 1993; Chronicle, 2002). In recent years, almost all community colleges have implemented programs to improve service and quality. …

Abstract: Summary of the main report, which examined current research and evidence for the impact of ICT on pupil attainment and learning in school settings and the strengths and limitations of the methodologies used in the research literature.

Abstract: In order to cultivate the kind of techno logy literacy in our students called for by leaders in the field, it must simultaneously be cultivated in our teachers. While the literature in the field of English education demonstrates the efficacy of computer technology in writing instruction and addresses its impact on the evolving definition of literacy in the 21st century, it does not provide measured directions for how English teachers might develop technology literacy themselves or specific plans for how they might begin to critically assess the potential that technology might hold for them in enhancing instruction. This article presents a pedagogical framework encompassing the necessary critical mindset in which teachers of the English language arts can begin to conceive their own "best practices" with technology —a framework that is based upon their needs, goals, students, and classrooms, rather than the external pressure to fit random and often decontexualized technology applications into an already complex and full curriculum. To maximize technolo gy's benefits, educators must develop a heightened, critical view of technology to determine its potential for the classroom. The steps for doing this include:

Abstract: This paper reports on a 2-year study designed to investigate the trajectory of change in an urban 5th grade teacher as she introduces science inquiry using the Web-Based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) Data for this study included videotapes and transcripts of classroom instruction, and audiotapes and transcripts of interviews conducted with the teacher as she was implementing the curriculum We also conducted retrospective interviews that enabled us to validate our account of the observational-based changes in the teacher's practices The results suggest that the teacher's classroom practices shifted over time, from a greater focus on logistics to more of an inquiry orientation The results further suggest that this shift can be attributed to repeated opportunities to teach a WISE curricular unit They also show that support from the curriculum and other professionals, allowed the teacher to reflect on how her practices support students' learning

Abstract: Information and communications technology (ICT) brings many potential benefits to technology education, though the evidence of improved performance on traditional tasks is not yet proven. Areas such as computer-aided design and manufacture are now becoming standard elements of any student's technology education. These applications of ICT require changes to the arrangements of the teaching and the learning, but teachers may see few implications for what is learned. Network technologies, on the other hand, offer a new dimension of ICT for tasks such as designing. These dimensions may require a transformation in some aspects of technology education. This article will outline what such networking could do for collaborative learning in technology education, drawing on recent findings from research on learning. It will explore an example of collaborative designing, to see how its potential can be exploited and how it may transform learning in a way that ICT has probably not done so far. Such an exploration will look at both 'learning to collaborate' and 'collaborating to learn', two inter-related themes that are important in, and for, modern design practice in the world outside schools, as well as in research on learning. Although the technologies may yet have to reach maturity to become reliable and easy enough to use in schools, technology educators must be prepared to exploit the learning potential, and this paper is intended to encourage that preparation.

Abstract: This study addressed the level that instructional technology is integrated in the teaching/learning process in three secondary career and technical education (CTE) programs, namely, agriscience, business, and marketing education. CTE teachers are most active in exploring the potential of using technology in the teaching/learning process, and in adopting technology for regular use in instruction, but are not very active experimenting with technology or with advanced technology integration. The CTE teachers did not experience substantial barriers in their efforts to integrate technology in the teaching/learning process and perceive they are good teachers. In general, CTE teachers experienced some technology anxiety that prevents them from using technology in their instruction. Six factors (technology training, self-perceived teaching effectiveness, availability of technology, perceived barriers, technology anxiety, and teachers having a home Internet connection) combined in various ways in four multiple regression models to explain teachers’ technology integration in the teaching-learning process.

Abstract: This paper describes the results of a national study to investigate teachers' experiences in the implementation of the technology curriculum in New Zealand schools from years 1–13. This investigation of the implementation of the technology curriculum is part of a larger study being undertaken nationally in all curriculum areas (National Schools Sampling Study) to explore how effective the curriculum is in practice and how the results can inform future developments. National focus groups, questionnaires and case studies are used to explore how the curriculum is being implemented. The questionnaires were distributed to over 10% of New Zealand schools. The key findings indicate that most primary school teachers are aiming for curriculum coverage, have moderate levels of confidence but are concerned about curriculum overcrowding. Years 7 and 8 teachers are mainly concerned about assessment, whereas secondary school teachers are constrained by existing structures in schools.

Abstract: The Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA, 2000, 2002) document indicates the centrality of design to the study of technology, "Design is regarded by many as the core problem-solving process of technological development. It is as fundamental to technology as inquiry is to science and reading is to language arts" (p. 90). Design in technology education most closely allies with engineering design. For instance, The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) defines design in the Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs as "the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences and mathematics and engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective" (ABET, 2000). Design as an Instructional Strategy In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the educational value of design activities in which students create external artifacts that they share and discuss with others (Soloway, 1994; Papert, 1993; Resnick, 1998). A synthesis of the literature reveals that pedagogically solid design projects involve authentic, hands-on tasks; use familiar and easy-to-work materials; possess clearly defined outcomes that allow for multiple solutions; promote student-centered, collaborative work and higher order thinking; allow for multiple design iterations to improve the product; and have clear links to a limited number of science and engineering concepts (Crismond, 1997). The National Research Council's How People Learn (Bransford, 1999) hails instruction where students monitor their understanding and progress in problem solving. Research reveals that experts consider alternatives, note when additional information is required, and are mindful if the chosen alternative leads toward the desired end. These strategies are central to the culture of design. However, in classroom settings, most problems are usually well defined, so students have little experience with open-ended problems. Technological design problems, however, are seldom well defined. The design process begins with broad ideas and concepts and continues in the direction of ever-increasing detail, resulting in an acceptable solution (Thacher, 1989). So using design in the classroom can be challenging, as students are not familiar, or initially not comfortable, with the open-ended nature of design. This can also pose problems for teachers, who must relinquish directive control. However, it also provides opportunity to use constructivist pedagogical practice to engage students in their own learning. The informed design process discussed in this article, and the underlying pedagogical support methodology, provide a way to optimize the use of design as a pedagogical strategy. Pedagogical Rationale for Design As a pedagogical strategy, design activities have great potential to: * Engage children as active participants, giving them greater control over the learning process. * Assist students to integrate learning from language, the arts, mathematics, and science. * Encourage pluralistic thinking, avoiding a right/wrong dichotomy and suggesting instead that multiple solutions are possible. * Provide children an opportunity to reflect upon, revise, and extend their internal models of the world. * Encourage children to put themselves in the minds of others as they think about how their designs will be understood and used (Resnick, 1998). All too often, however, design is not used to maximum pedagogical advantage in the classroom. As an instructional strategy, design has all too often focused on the product rather than on the learner. Design is often characterized as "gadgeteering," and trial-and-error problem solving where students do not always gain important (i.e., standards-based) conceptual understandings. …

Abstract: Technology education has long struggled to establish itself as an equal partner in general education and often struggled to gain recognition for the value of its instruction. Frequently technology educators tout the effectiveness of their programs based on anecdotal evidence gathered from their classroom experiences on how their instructional methods empower students to learn. Although technology education originated without any meaningful input from cognitive science research, it appears that technology education instruction methods are remarkably consonant with findings from cognitive science that define good instruction. Specifically, there is considerable accord between how instruction in technology education and cognitively based instructional models such as collaborative learning, socially distributed expertise, design/engineering, and project-based instruction can be connected. The role of the cognitive research findings on instruction could inform a long over-due theoretical grounding of instruction in technology education. The absence of research on learning and instruction in technology education could be attributed to a lack of theoretical grounding in this relatively new field. This paper examines four cognitively based models of instruction and reviews the relationships between research in the cognitive sciences on learning and instruction in technology education. The consonance between the research recommendations from the cognitive sciences and practice in technology education instruction could serve to stimulate debate on the theoretical grounding of an emerging field of study.

Abstract: The article summarises the design and outcome of an inquiry into the promotion of interest in technology by technology education. The reason for the present study is the low proportion of women in technical occupations, studies or subjects. Such a marked gender difference leads to different ways of life which discriminate against women. It is necessary, therefore, to search for the underlying causes and to take measures in order to support technological activities. The aim of the German study was to determine differences in the interests of girls and boys in technology and to support interest more widely in technology by technology education. The study was conducted in a class in the third year of elementary education.

Abstract: This article reports on students' decision making processes and sources of knowledge in an integrated teaching and learning setting. The study was conducted in a Year 9 classroom as students undertook a 10-week solar-powered boat project and were exposed to related concepts from science, technology and mathematics. Data collection involved detailed case studies of three pairs of students, interviews, classroom observation and analysis of the artefacts and portfolios produced by the students. Students were found to access knowledge from a variety of sources, including teacher's notes from formal instruction, informal interactions with the teacher, observation of and interaction with other students, as well as sources outside the classroom. However, the utility of the knowledge sources was influenced by the nature of the task. When students were performing open-ended tasks, they drew on a wider variety of knowledge sources than when they were performing less open tasks. Moreover, subject discipline-based sources often were not as helpful in solving open tasks. The study leads to several important implications for designing teaching and learning in integrated curriculum settings.

Abstract: Teacher education programs in the United States are trying to equip tomorrow's teachers with the technology skills needed to impact learning in the classroom. During the past decade there has been a realization that teaching technology skills alone is not adequate-pre-service teachers must also learn how to integrate the use of technology into their curriculum. This paper describes BYU's instructional technology course and the design process that a team of instructors went through to redesign the course in order to put greater emphasis on technology integration. An iterative redesign approach was used. Several iterations of the course redesign will be shared along with the strengths and limitations discovered in the design and implementation process.

Abstract: The tools to help teachers reflect on their professional knowledge are few in number, and often difficult to utilise. This paper reports on a study conducted with both primary and secondary technology initial teacher education students in a number of different countries who were given the same teacher-knowledge graphical framework as a tool to support reflection on their own professional knowledge. We wanted to investigate if, despite the different country contexts, student teachers of technology could take advantage of their experience with graphic visualisation to help them articulate abstract notions such as aspects of their developing teacher knowledge. We discovered that the graphical tool acted as a framework that enabled them to set out their subject knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and `school' knowledge and was useful in helping them become more self-aware. In this paper, the framework itself is introduced, the way it was presented to the novice teachers is outlined and the relative impact of such `self awareness' on their understandings, enabled by the framework, is then discussed.

Abstract: In the United States cognitive research about technology education for the general educational purpose of technological literacy has suffered from a lack of a coherent focus. Certainly, there are studies that have addressed cognition, yet analysts of technology education research have been unable to coordinate their findings in any meaningful way (Streichler 1966; Dyrenfurth & Householder 1979; McCrory 1987; Zuga 1994). There are several persistent problems facing technology educators that contribute to the inability to develop clear interpretations or generalizations of the relationship of cognition and technology education. If some of those problems are identified, then, perhaps, we can address them in order to devise directions and strategies for studying cognition in technology education.

Abstract: As the number of computers accessible to students and teachers has increased, there has been a growing emphasis on integrating technology across the curriculum. Even though schools increasingly invest in new technologies, the actual use of computers in classrooms remains limited. This paper examines a model developed to guide the implementation of a Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to use Technology (PT3) project and its capacity to promote improvement of teachers’ ability to integrate technologies into their instructional practice. The essential conditions, identified by ISTE, provided the foundation on which this model was developed. Emphasis was placed on access, professional development, support, incentives, and assessment, with the remaining conditions embedded within. The findings indicate that the model was effective in improving teachers’ technical skills and their ability to integrate technology into instructional practice.

Abstract: Acknowledgements The project team wishes to acknowledge the support of Becta (the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) for initiating and funding this project on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), and the ongoing advice, encouragement and support which we have received, in particular from Malcolm Hunt, Head of Evidence and Research, Becta, and from Andrew Jones and Michael Harris, Education Officers, Becta.

Abstract: By the developments of technology that is bridge among science and application to supply needs of human beings. Technology affects all aspects and issues in human being’s lives. Especially, it creates competitive trends and global action to people. On the other hand, adaptation to the changes becomes inevitable situation under the perspective of catching competition. Reaching information became the factor of creating easy life by the help of technology. Technological developments open wide range of oppurtunities for people especially in education. Internet is a part of technology in order to catch alternatives on every areas at competitive environment. It provides us to get efficient and fast information, establishing contact with everyone and to have a chance for searching all types of data with its globalization effect. Internet facilities contribute individual to search lonely in order to get information in a stable and comfortable way. This study is vital because of reflecting current and neccessary applications at education which is using internet in an efficient way. Because internet provides easy access to everyone to get knowledge under the dimensions of equality and individuality at competitive environment.

Abstract: This paper examines the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its relation to the development of human capital in Malaysia as a country undergoing transformation into an ICT-driven and knowledge-based society. Education and training, being the key variable of human capital, is examined in terms of the government expenditure on education and training, years of schooling, number of enrolment and level of education of the labour force. ICT development is measured in terms of the personnel involvement in Research and Development (R&D) in related areas of technology or the development allocation and expenditure for R&D, and the extent of ICT usage in the various sectors of the economy and population.

Abstract: The majority of research on user technology acceptance, e.g. technology acceptance model, focuses on individual users' beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward technology use. In this paper, we attempt to examine prior research on user technology acceptance from a methodological angle by borrowing Markus and Robey's research framework (1988). We find that prior studies usually take technology imperative perspective, use variance theories, and emphasize the micro level of analysis. Therefore, we propose an "emergent perspective - process theories - mixed level of analysis" approach to analyze user technology acceptance. From this perspective, a new model is proposed and several propositions are derived and discussed. This paper draws on several prior theories and models, such as the technology acceptance model, computer self-efficacy and the task-technology fit model, but reassembles them in a novel way. The paper concludes with the research and practical implications.