Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000003922881 | LB1028.3 H36 1996 rf | Reference Book | Handbook | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Examines the use of technologies to facilitate teaching and learning as well as the design of instruction and learning environments. Outlines the breadth of issues, theories, and methods that define the field of education, educational communications, and technology; describes the theoretical and intellectual foundations for the methods and models that researchers and designed use to develop and criticize the research and products; and summarizes and critiques the base of research studies on hard technologies. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Reviews 2
Booklist Review
What does research tell us about television learning or computers as cognitive tools or the design of graphics and text in the technological environment? How are various research methodologies applied in the field of educational communications and technology? These are just a few of the 42 chapters in this latest in Macmillan's series of research handbooks in education. Authoritative researchers and practitioners summarize the literature and explore research methods and models. Chapters are arranged in seven sections. "Foundations for Research" includes viewpoints from the fields of behaviorism, communication, cognitive and ecological psychology, sociology, and theory, among others. Examples of topics from the sections on hard and soft technologies relate to specific media (e.g., television, distance learning, virtual realities) and instructional and informational design research (e.g., visual literacy, cognitive teaching models, adaptive systems, library information access). The role of illustrations, text, sound, and multiple-channel communications is explored in "Instructional Message Design." "Instructional Strategies" covers learner control, ergonomics, and more, and "Issues of Organization and Change" and "Research Methodologies" (experimental, qualitative, descriptive, developmental) round out the volume. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography. Tables, illustrations, and photographs are usually included where appropriate, although the contrast between the chapters on visual message design (no illustrations) and text design (numerous helpful graphics and design examples) is somewhat surprising. An index provides detailed access to the text. Although the text is written by and for academic researchers and requires a certain level of familiarity with the subjects for comprehension and appreciation, undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty in communications, education, psychology, and computer science will find this title a useful and necessary addition to the reference or circulating collection.
Choice Review
The word "research" is key to this work, which is not the type of handbook one uses to find a quick fact or figure, but to read literature reviews, historical background, and overviews of theories related to educational technology. The book includes 42 chapters in seven sections covering foundations, media-related research, instructional and informational design, message design and instructional strategies, issues of organization and change, and research methodologies. Many of the section editors and chapter authors have written extensively in their fields, and each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography. Timeliness is a particular challenge in such a fast-changing field; this source will not be useful for the latest hardware or hottest Web sites. Rather, its strengths are its useful introductions to the theories, research, and methods that explore how technology can enhance learning. This valuable resource for both students and practitioners would be a stronger reference source if it provided a glossary and more extensive indexing. Recommended for academic libraries supporting schools of education, library and/or information science, and multimedia design as well as school system and high school libraries. E. Carroll; American University
