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The purpose of this study was to identify salient features for a critical thinking app and create an instrument to facilitate the app evaluation and selection process. Two questions guided the study: (1) What distinguishes critical thinking instructional apps from others? and (2) What design principles are essential to develop a critical thinking instructional app? The study was conducted in two phases, including a synthesis of existing research in Phase I and development of an evaluation instrument in Phase II. Three lines of research (on critical thinking, educational apps design principles, and tools for the evaluation of educational apps) informed the development of the instrument, which included three evaluation categories (content, pedagogy, and design). A synthesis of research used to create the instrument is included herein along with the instrument design process, rationale for this design, recommendations for usage, its limitations, and implications for future practice and research. Findings will enable app users to more wisely select critical thinking apps specific to their needs and assist app developers with distinguishing the salient qualities required to design apps for critical thinking. The study accordingly contributes to both software evaluation and its development with findings beneficial to both app users and developers.

Developments in computer and information technologies continue to give opportunities for designing advanced E-learning systems while entailing objective and technical evaluation methodologies. Design and development of E-learning systems require time-consuming and labor-intensive processes; therefore any decision about these systems and their analysis needs systematic and structured guidance to lead to better decisions. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques are applicable in instructional technology-related research areas as well as in other academic disciplines. In this study, a conceptual domain model and a decision activity framework is proposed for E-learning systems. Instructional, technological, and administrative decision domains are included in this model. Finally, an illustrative example is given to show that AHP is an effective MCDA method for E-learning-related decisions. (Contains 4 figures and 9 tables.)

According to the Internet World Stats (2010), the growth rate of internet usage in the world is 444.8 % from 2000 to 2010. Since the number of internet users is rapidly increasing with each passed year, e-learning is often identified with web-based learning. The institutions, which deliver e-learning service via the use of computer and internet, are responsible to choose the most suitable e-learning service provider for effective distance education. The purpose of this research is to identify the e-learning design requirements and to select the most suitable e-learning service provider. In this research, fuzzy logic-based Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was employed. A questionnaire was conducted in order to collect the data from a group of experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in related industry. By using the Converting Fuzzy data into Crisp Scores (CFCS) technique, the collected data was defuzzified. Then, the critical success factors of e-learning service providers were identified. As a result, fuzzy logic-based QFD was utilized for the selection of the e-learning service providers. (Contains 2 figures and 5 tables.)

While technology integration has influenced and changed the preparation of teacher candidates at all levels for a long time, utilization of mobile devices such as tablets, is still relatively new to teacher training institutions. Research indicates that the issue of technology integration in early childhood should move beyond the discussion of whether technology use is appropriate, and rather focus on how to integrate this medium in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in a developmentally appropriate manner. This study provides significant and valuable insights for the early childhood teacher education community by identifying a process to train early childhood pre-service teachers to evaluate and select iPad applications that are developmentally appropriate, and exploring emerging patterns of ways in which early childhood preservice teachers integrate and implement tablet technology and related apps within prekindergarten children's education.

A product evaluation was conducted of "Desire2Learn", an online learning management system gaining popularity in educational institutions. Since an online trial version of the software was not available for evaluation, an inspection meeting with the vendor was arranged. This provided the evaluation team with an opportunity to examine the precautions necessary for ensuring the objectivity of a product evaluation based on vendor-supplied information. The report outlines the team's use of evaluator-driven enquiry and a triangulated approach to information checking. The "Desire2Learn" product is assessed as a flexible and useful addition to the range of learning management system options.

This report discusses the educational uses of the "wiki," an increasingly popular approach to online community development. Wikis are defined and compared with "blogging" methods; characteristics of major wiki engines are described; and wiki features and selection criteria are examined.

Four integrated learning management packages were reviewed: "CentraOne", "IntraLearn", "Lyceum", and "Silicon Chalk". These products provide different combinations of synchronous and asynchronous tools. The current report examines the products in relation to their specific value for distance educators and students.

In the era of information technology and general digitization of society, invasion of every kind of software is evident. No matter how laudable is the existence and development of educational software, taking into account its role, its quality and whether it achieves the desired goal is very important. In addition to programming experts it is necessary to include educational experts in certain fields when developing educational software. Those who should take an active part and be able to distinguish good from bad educational software are certainly teachers. Especially as they should be the most competent persons from which parents will seek the advice and opinion when searching for appropriate educational software.

Mobile technology has transformed the way consumers access and use information. The exponential growth of mobile apps makes finding suitable, easy-to-use nutrition and health-related apps challenging. A guide for consumers helps them ask important questions before downloading apps. The guide can be adapted for other Extension disciplines.

As tablet technologies continue to evolve, the emergence of educational applications (apps) is impacting the work of teacher educators. Beyond online lists of best apps for education and recommendations from colleagues, teacher educators have few resources available to support their teaching of how to select educational apps. In response, this article puts forward a framework for choosing educational apps based on their purpose, content, and value. The framework first classifies educational apps into four categories before delineating them into smaller subcategories. A sample of apps that are representative to each category and subcategory are included. This framework provides teacher educators with a much-needed resource to support their instruction of educational apps.

Having trouble finding the right app? In this article, Kevin Larkin discusses the difficulties teachers encounter when searching the App Store for high quality, appropriate apps that support students' mathematical learning. Kevin provides a useful link to a collection of over 100 app reviews.

In recent years, educators and students are increasingly employing online collaboration applications such as Google Docs[TM] and PBWorks[TM] for group projects and assignments. Yet, the effectiveness of these emerging technologies has not been rigorously examined. Anchoring upon and informed by the existing literature, two design characteristics--sociability and visibility, and two human characteristics--gender and age, are focused on, which are salient in online collaboration applications. A field experiment was conducted to examine the direct and moderating effects of design and human characteristics on learning outcomes. The research found that sociability improved process satisfaction and positive social environment while visibility enhanced academic performance and solution satisfaction of learners. Males had higher solution satisfaction while older learners had higher academic performance. Moderating effects were also found. Both theoretical and practical implications are drawn. In particular, a rubric for online collaboration application selection for academic performance is conceived. This study provides empirical support for online collaboration application effectiveness in education which will augur well for future adoption, use and evolution. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

This case study examined the educational software evaluation processes of pre-service teachers who attended either expertise-based training (XBT) or traditional training in conjunction with a Software-Evaluation checklist. Forty-three mathematics teacher candidates and three experts participated in the study. All participants evaluated educational software selected by the novice groups in accordance with Software Evaluation checklist. Two analysis procedures were applied: (a) similarities in rankings of the same educational software between the XBT and traditional groups using the checklist and (b) organizing common themes in the data collected through journals and in-class observations. The results showed that the expert-XBT group agreement rate was 63%, while the expert-traditional group agreement rate was 42%. Moreover, the XBT group showed a similar approach to the experts, including assessing each criterion and evaluating the software as a whole. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

In October 2012, Microsoft will release the commercial version of its next operating system, presently called "Windows 8." This version represents a significant departure from the past. Microsoft wants this operating system to meet user needs regardless of physical platform (e.g., desktop, notebook, tablet, mobile phone). As part of this mission, the company has created a new, touch-oriented user interface that has already appeared on new Windows phones. What will the release of this new operating system, which does not rely on mouse-clicks, mean for educators? How will the Windows 8 interface challenge teachers of information technology? This article will discuss these issues based on what is currently known about this new product. Schools do not need to upgrade, as there is no "killer application" forcing the use of Windows 8. Current Windows 7 software will run fine on most versions of Windows 8. Using a touch-screen display with Windows 8 is helpful, but not required. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

Game-based learning harnesses the advantages of computer games technology to create a fun, motivating and interactive virtual learning environment that promotes problem-based experiential learning. Such an approach is advocated by many commentators to provide an enhanced learning experience than those based on traditional didactic methods. However, the adoption of such a seductive learning method engenders a range of technical, educational and pedagogical challenges, including: (i) how to enable domain experts--with little computer games development skills--to plan, develop and update their teaching material without going through endless and laborious iterative cycles of software and content development and/or adaptation; (ii) how to choose the right mix of entertainment and game playing to deliver the required educational and pedagogical lesson/teaching material; and (iii) how to reuse existing games software frameworks and associated editing environments for game-based learning. Much research is already underway at addressing the stated challenges; however, these approaches do not address the key challenge of facilitating the planning and development of teaching material with the right mix of pedagogical elements, educational components and fun. Thus, this study aims to investigate the use of model-driven software engineering approaches to facilitate non-technical domain experts (teachers) to plan, develop and maintain game-based learning resources regardless of the intricacies of the game engine/environment (platform) used. This article investigates the state-of-the-art in model-driven game development to provide a summary of developments in game design languages, game software modelling languages, game models, game software models, model-driven game frameworks, game software frameworks, model-driven engineering tools and assistive user interfaces. The findings from this survey will prove a useful guide for future development of high-level educational game creation tools for game-based learning. (Contains 3 tables, 18 figures and 31 notes.)

In the Netherlands, as in many other countries, the algebraic expertise of students graduating from secondary education is an issue. The use of digital tools for algebra education is expected to change epistemologies, activity structures and student achievement. Therefore, a study was set up to investigate in what way the use of ICT in upper secondary education might enhance the algebraic expertise of students. One of the first decisions to be made concerned the choice of appropriate digital tools. This paper describes the process of designing and using an instrument for evaluating digital tools. The conceptual framework guiding this process includes notions on symbol sense, instrumental genesis and formative assessment. The evaluation instrument is designed through a Delphi method and provides a blueprint of tool features that are relevant for the purpose of this study. The results show that such an evaluation instrument is valuable both for choosing appropriate digital tools and for making concrete the aims and expectations that researchers have on the issue of integrating technology in algebra education. The final instrument is presented and illustrated through examples implemented in different digital algebra tools. (Contains 5 tables, 8 figures, and 3 footnotes.)

Courses in Computer Architecture and Organization are regularly included in Computer Engineering curricula. These courses are usually organized in such a way that students obtain not only a purely theoretical experience, but also a practical understanding of the topics lectured. This practical work is usually done in a laboratory using simulators of computer systems. Since the open literature contains a variety of simulators being used for such purposes, this paper attempts to give a survey of simulators suitable for teaching courses in computer architecture and organization, to establish the evaluation criteria and to evaluate selected simulators according to these criteria. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Digital lecture capture and broadcast solutions have been around for only about 10 years, but are poised for healthy growth. Frost & Sullivan research analysts estimate that the market (which amounts to $25 million currently) will quadruple by 2013. It's still dominated by a few key players, however: Sonic Foundry holds a hefty 40 percent-plus market share, and only a handful of vendors provide the lecture capture systems in use at most major universities. The cost of these systems varies widely, though, depending on the features and functions available. In general, vendors charge a fairly inexpensive licensing fee for software--DyKnow, for example, charges anywhere from $24 to $108 per license depending on the product and volume. Watch out: Hardware, training, and maintenance costs can run into tens of thousands of dollars a year. Many vendors offer programs that capture content in some form or other; even an iPod, for example, can be used to record a lecture and play it back. A full-fledged content capture system, however, is designed "specifically" for that purpose and offers a spectrum of features tailored to K-12 or higher education instructional content. This article provides a sampling (in alphabetical order by vendor name) of major lecture capture solution providers whose products fit that definition.

Like any infrastructure technology, Virtual World (VW) platforms provide affordances that facilitate some activities and hinder others. Although it is theoretically possible for a VW platform to support all types of activities, designers make choices that lead technologies to be more or less suited for different learning objectives. Virtual World platforms' capabilities can be characterized in terms of the extent to which they are multiple or special purpose and the degree to which they support incorporation of few or many knowledge resources. Matching these capabilities with a framework for characterizing instructional approach and learning objectives provides a basis for selecting, piloting, and advocating use of particular VW platforms in specific educational contexts. (Contains 4 figures and 3 tables.)

Course management systems (CMSs) are software systems designed to manage course content and course activities. These tools integrate technological and pedagogical features into a web-based system that allows instructors, even those who are unfamiliar with web-based technologies, to design, deliver, and manage an online course. However, CMSs have introduced so much new functionality so fast that end users have not had a chance to seriously reflect on what they need or want. In this article, the authors review some literature to identify common weakness across CMSs. The authors then recommend technological accommodations that should make learning with these tools more efficient and enjoyable.