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Modern society gives great importance to scientific and technological literacy, development of “21st century skills,” and creating individuals who are not passive users of ICT tools but active thinkers and even tinkerers. The learning process is thus constantly evolving to facilitate the acquisition of such skills, such as setting goals and making evidence-based decisions, thinking critically, and solving problems while efficiently managing time as well as using technology, cooperating ethically, and communicating effectively. STEAM is the approach to learning that uses concepts from natural sciences, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to foster critical thinking, computational and design thinking, as well working effectively together, mimicking the process followed by scientists. The end goal is engaged and motivated students who participate in experiential and inquiry-based learning in fun, immersive environments that facilitate learning through a creative process. The Handbook of Research on Integrating ICTs in STEAM Education includes current research focusing on the development of STEAM and ICT educational practices, tools, workflows, and frames of operation that encourage science skills, but also skills related to the arts and humanities such as creativity, imagination, and reflection on ethical implications. Covering topics such as early childhood education, machine learning education, educational robotics, and web-based simulations, this major reference work is an essential resource for engineers, educators of both K-12 and higher education, education administration, libraries, pre-service teachers, computer scientists, researchers, and academics.

Creating Transformative Online Communities in Higher Education provides a practical approach for building authentic learning experiences into the design and delivery of online teaching and learning systems. Combining three conceptually related ideas—complexity theory, transformative learning, and the Community of Inquiry—this novel, highly applicable framework enables instructors to create compelling virtual learning experiences for students. As higher education faculty, instructional designers, and graduate students shift from presenting information to creating experiences, the book offers an evidence-based disruption of the current thinking on and practice of course design.

In this digital age, faculty, teachers, and teacher educators are increasingly expected to adopt and adapt pedagogical perspectives to support student learning in instructional environments featuring online or blended learning. One highly adopted element of online and blended learning involves the use of online learning discussions. Discussion-based learning offers a rich pedagogical context for creating learning opportunities as well as a great deal of flexibility for a wide variety of learning and learner contexts. As post-secondary and, increasingly, K-12 institutions cope with the rapid growth of online learning, and an increase in the cultural diversity of learners, it is critical to understand, at a detailed level, the relationship between online interaction and learning and how educationally-effective interactions might be nurtured, in an inclusive way, by instructors. The Handbook of Research on Online Discussion-Based Teaching Methods is a cutting-edge research publication that seeks to identify promising designs, pedagogical and assessment strategies, conceptual models, and theoretical frameworks that support discussion-based learning in online and blended learning environments. This book provides a better understanding of the effects and both commonalities and differences of new tools that support interaction, such as video, audio, and real-time interaction in discussion-based learning. Featuring a wide range of topics such as gamification, intercultural learning, and digital agency, this book is ideal for teachers, educational software developers, instructional designers, IT consultants, academicians, curriculum designers, researchers, and students.

Promote your students'creativity and get them excited about learning! In the second edition of this popular, practical book, authors Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi show you how to implement Genius Hour, a time when students can develop their own inquiry-based projects around their passions and take ownership of their work. Brought to you by MiddleWeb and Routledge Eye On Education, the book takes you step-by-step through planning and teaching Genius Hour. You'll learn how to guide your students as they:● inspire learning and brainstorm wonders;● develop inquiry questions based on their interests;● conduct research and experiments about their topic of choice;● create presentations to teach their fellow students in creative ways; and● present their finished product for a final assessment.This edition includes new chapters on managing your classroom projects and recommended books. Throughout the book you will find voices from the Genius Hour community sharing real-life stories and inspiration. Appendices contain handy FAQs and ready-made lessons and resources. In addition, a companion website, www.geniushourguide.org, offers bonus materials and regular updates to support you as you implement Genius Hour in your own classroom.

Boost students'communication and writing skills, with strategies and examples to help them craft their own stories, tell their truth and be heard.The world should be the driving curriculum in our schools. Assignments should be authentic, have real-world connections and encourage students to create meaningful work. Accordingly, content created and read in school should go beyond books and include podcasts, popular culture, games and films to help students build writing and critical-thinking skills.New Realms for Writing features a variety of teacher-created resources and samples of student work to illustrate how teachers can design inquiry units for their content area that are authentic and engage students while developing digital age skills.This book:Provides insights into creating and using innovative materials and texts that are differentiated and personalized to student learners, specifically for teaching writing.Provides pedagogy and lesson ideas that promote student choice and voice within units of study that make cross-curricular connections. Offers tips to ensure that tech tools support student learning -- while not driving it.There are many great tech tools to support learning, but the conversation must center on thoughtful teaching and purpose, with tech supporting robust pedagogy. This book offers strategies and lesson ideas to help teachers make sure their instruction does just that.Audience: K-12 educators

This practical resource for secondary school librarians offers guidance for collaborating with teachers and students to develop inquiry-based research projects.With success stories from librarians all over the U.S. illustrating how they've guided teachers and students through the research process, this book provides strategies for using memorable events to activate students'natural curiosity and activities for generating essential questions for exploration.The book includes:Ideas and resources to help librarians be more effective in research and inquiry.Tips for developing search strategies, locating and curating resources, evaluating sources and celebrating students'inquiry beyond the traditional research paper.Lessons and assessment ideas to keep librarians current on information literacy topics.Written for librarians by a librarian, this book will help librarians collaborate with classroom teachers on inquiry projects and offers new ideas and insights to inspire them in the process.Audience: 6-12 school librarians

When implemented effectively, technology has great potential to positively connect with learning, assessment, and motivation in the context of K–12 science education and inquiry. Written by leading experts on technology-enhanced science learning and educational research, this book situates the topic within the broader context of educational psychology research and theory and brings it to a wider audience. With chapters on the fundamentals of science learning and assessment, integration of technology into classrooms, and examples of specific technologies, this concise volume is designed for any course on science learning that includes technology use in the curriculum. It will be indispensable for student researchers and both pre- and in-service teachers alike.

Using Inquiry in the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate Students provides an overview of inquiry learning and the importance of developing creative thinkers and information literate students in twenty-first-century education. The text explores how learning can be directly applied in a classroom setting using real world application through technology oriented activities. Coffman showcases WebQuests, Web inquiry, telecollaborative, and problem-based activities with examples and skill-building exercises for readers to implement in their lessons for use in their classrooms. Using this guide, readers will work through strategies for effectively integrating technology into a teaching and learning environment so students gain maximum knowledge and understanding of core concepts. Plus, the content is personalized so that the reader can create activities and lessons for their specific curriculum needs.

There is currently a rapidly growing interest in inquiry learning and an emerging consensus among researchers that, particularly when supported by technology, it can be a significant vehicle for developing higher order thinking skills. Inquiry learning methods also offer learners meaningful and productive approaches to the development of their knowledge of the world, yet such methods can present significant challenges for teachers and students. Orchestrating Inquiry Learning addresses the key challenge of how to resource and support processes of inquiry learning within and beyond the classroom. It argues that technological support, when coupled with appropriate design of activities and management of the learning environment, can enable inquiry learning experiences that are engaging, authentic and personally relevant.This edited collection of carefully integrated chapters brings together, for the first time; work on inquiry learning and orchestration of learning. Drawing upon a broad range of theoretical perspectives, this book examines: Orchestration of inquiry learning and instruction Trajectories of inquiry learning Designing for inquiry learning Scripting personal inquiry Collaborative and collective inquiry learning Assessment of inquiry learning Inquiry learning in formal and semi-formal educational contexts Orchestrating Inquiry Learning is essential reading for all those concerned with understanding and promoting effective inquiry learning. The book is aimed at an international audience of researchers, post-graduate students, and advanced undergraduates in education, educational technology and psychology. It will also be of interest to educational practitioners and policy makers, including teachers, educational advisors, teacher-students and their trainers.

Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology is designed for anyone interested in integrating both inquiry and technology as a tool into a teaching and learning environment. This book will provide easy to follow step by step procedures to both plan and create an inquiry activity that uses the Internet as a learning tool. Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology provides an overview of inquiry learning and the benefits of inquiry learning strategies and methods in a classroom. This book will have readers working through strategies for integrating technology into a teaching and learning environment and at the same time personalizing the experience for the teacher so they can create activities and lessons for their specific curriculum needs. Readers of the Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology book will be guided through the process of identifying objectives, big idea questions, finding resources, and building a web-based inquiry lesson that will include a webquest, web inquiry, and a telecollaborative activity. The book concludes with a section regarding assessment in inquiry oriented activities and an overview of inquiry activities using the Internet as a tool to engage learners in the process of learning. This book presents necessary information in a non-threatening format. Teachers can easily progress through this book and begin practicing building inquiry-oriented activities in a classroom to better meet the needs of their students.