Mobile technologies have become inexpensive and ubiquitous. This has led to the
proliferation of mobile technologies being employed by students for mobile learning
(mLearning) purposes. Preferences for mLearning technologies among a higher education
student population at a mid-sized Indiana research and teaching university are explored
in this article. The findings of this research are compared to similar research from
several years prior conducted by Conole, Laat, Dillon, and Darby, 2006. This comparison
yielded some interesting findings such as students in both studies strongly agreeing
that mLearning is an important aspect of their coursework. Other interesting findings
include the laptop remaining as a preferred student technology, and the discussion board
gaining in popularity among the U.S. population when compared to their U.K. counterparts
in the Conole et al. (2006) study. Opportunities for future research relating to
mLearning still remain and are described in this article.
Alternative teacher licensure, also known as alternative teacher certification, is a growing national trend in education, and it has long been common in the field of career and technical education. Alternatively licensed teachers often enter teaching with a wealth of subject area knowledge due to their previous work experience. Mentorship programs are one of the best ways to help alternatively certified teachers to successfully navigate their first year in the classroom. This study investigated the teacher perceptions of the Indiana Workplace Specialist I (WSI) licensure training program during the 2011-2012 academic year.
People are increasingly trying to multitask while walking. Text messaging while walking is a significant area for concern. The number of text messages sent is expected to be more than 8 trillion in 2012. Texting is becoming so commonplace that people use this technology while engaged in other activities. The dangers of multitasking have hit the streets as people are becoming involved in more accidents while walking as they text on mobile phones. This simulation activity measures a student's ability to multitask by texting and walking. The activity simulates walking in the real world and is best suited for middle school students. Additional activities, after completing the simulation, will challenge middle school students to learn more about multitasking globally through scientific inquiry researched on the Internet. The students will use language arts skills to generate a report or presentation to share with classmates. Their findings will give the entire class a cultural perspective on accident statistical comparisons between different countries.
The activity described in this article engages students in learning about proper meat storage procedures by using the Internet. They apply their knowledge practically through creation of a pamphlet to be displayed in their kitchen at home and a follow-up report on their parents' kitchen procedures; they may also participate in a classic food storage experiment. This activity is well suited for elementary school children in the second through fourth grades and promotes all basic STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts. Kitchen activities require all these concepts for successful and safe outcomes. The examination of food storage devices references engineering, and technology is used for the research and pamphlet creation. The section on bacteria introduces life sciences, and physical sciences come into play through the discussion of heat inducing change in the meats. Math skills are integral to the reference table containing temperatures and times.KEYWORDS activity, food safety, STEM
LITERATURE REVIEWAs one study suggests, following hands-on activities with interactive explanations and discussions increases students' understanding of material covered in those activities (Brown and Brown, 2010, 57). Thus, the intended use of the activity presented in this article is jumpstarting classroom discussion, and students should intake more information than they reproduce on the pamphlet. Their inquisitiveness should also be stimulated so that they carry not only their informational pamphlets home, but also further curiosity to their parents. The students' experiences with the material at home will play a vital role in expanding their learning since "[i]t must be acknowledged that the out-ofschool environment plays a critical role in shaping health outcomes in children and that schools cannot be given exclusive responsibility for influencing those outcomes" (Katz et al. 2010, 25).Through interaction with the material, both in the classroom and at home for practical purposes, students should develop an understanding of the pertinence of food safety to their own lives. Developing an "emotional connectedness" with subject matter through participation and inquiry helps students recollect material more readily, states a study (Park and Park 2012, 36). Instructors can instill this connection within students by having students discuss how often their family cooks at home, and by what means. Additionally, it has been
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