Factors affecting teachers\u27 level of classroom Internet use and teachers\u27 self -efficacy regarding classroom Internet use

This study examined the factors that affect teacher classroom Internet use and teacher self-efficacy with using the Internet. With regards to classroom Internet use, the factors examined were grade taught, years of teaching experience, type of school technical support, Internet-related professional development training, number of Internet-accessible computers in the classroom, student socioeconomic status, and teacher Internet self-efficacy. For teacher Internet self-efficacy, the factors examined were years of teaching experience, type of school technical support, and Internet-related professional development training. This study surveyed 419 public school teachers, across grades K-12, using stepwise multiple regression to analyze the factors and their relationships with classroom Internet use and teacher Internet self-efficacy.;The results from the 419 survey respondents indicate that grade taught, number of Internet-accessible classroom computers, school socioeconomic status, and teacher Internet self-efficacy were all significant predictors of classroom Internet use. In-service training and multiple-day workshops were also found to be significant predictors of classroom Internet use, but the variable college credit courses was not. Further, the factors of years of teaching experience and type of technical support were not significant predictors. The data for teacher Internet self-efficacy indicated that years of teaching experience was a negative predictor of self-efficacy, while all three types of professional development were a positive predictor. Technical support was not a predictor of teacher Internet self-efficacy

Technology Professional Development: Long-Term Effects on Teacher Self-Efficacy

The West Virginia K-12 RuralNet Project was an NSF funded program to train inservice teachers on integrating the Internet into science and mathematics curriculum. The program involved training inservice teachers through an intensive summer workshop and supplemental online courses. This study examines the effects of the project on the long-term self-efficacy of inservice teachers and their use of the Internet in the classroom. The specific research questions addressed are: Do professional development programs affect the long-term self-efficacy of inservice teachers? Did the addition of online courses and follow-up to the program affect self-efficacy levels? Finally, do certain external factors, specifically years of teaching experience, college technology courses, professional development, or participation in other similar professional development programs play a role in teacher self-efficacy? The findings indicate that: (a) Teachers improved level of self-efficacy after the summer workshops remained high even years after their involvement in the program, (b) that combining an intense summer workshop with additional online courses shows a significant difference in some aspects of self-efficacy over just having a professional development workshop, and (c) certain external factors do affect teacher self-efficacy over the long-term

Cheating in the Digital Age: Do Students Cheat More in Online Courses?

With the assistance of the Internet and related technologies, students today have many more ways to be academically dishonest than students a generation ago. With more and more Internet based course offerings, the concern is whether cheating will increase as students work and take tests away from the eyes of instructors. While the research on academic dishonesty in general is quite extensive, there is very limited research on student cheating in online courses. This study of 635 undergraduate and graduate students at a medium sized university focused on student cheating behaviors in both types of classes (on-line and face to face), by examining cheating behavior and perceptions of whether on-line or traditional face-to-face classes experienced greater cheating behaviors. (Contains 6 tables.

Using a Panel of Immunomarkers to Define Homologies in Mammalian Brains

Brain mapping has relied on a small number of routine chemical stains for many decades. The advent of immunomarkers has had a major impact on the ability to define homologous nuclei from one species to another. The first atlas to present a panel of immunomarkers was that of Paxinos et al. (1999a,b) in the adult rat brain. The markers used were parvalbumin, calbindin, calretinin, SMI32, tyrosine hydroxylase, and NADPH diaphorase (plus nissl and acetylcholinesterase). The ‘signature’ of a nucleus of interest in a new species can be tested against the findings in the rat. Since the pattern of immunomarkers seems to be conserved in mammalian evolution, such extrapolations can be made with reasonable confidence. A marmoset brain stained with a comprehensive set of immunomarkers has recently been published on the internet (Tokuno et al., 2009) and we are in the process of defining nuclear homologies in this brain by comparison with the same markers in the rat. In this article, we present an example (mapping the amygdala in the marmoset) which demonstrates the application of this immunomarker panel in defining homologies. The technique is particularly valuable in situations where little data on hodology or electrophysiology are available

Remaily Seedless Grape

Since the late 19th century when grape breeding began at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, a major goal has been to combine certain fruit attributes such as seedlessness, crisp texture, and adherent skin of Vitis vinifera L. table grapes with some of the vegetative characters such as disease resistance and cold hardiness of native American hybrid (V. labruscana, Bailey) grape cultivars

Differences in Perceived Issues in Teacher Preparation Between First-Year Teachers and Their Principals

The perspectives of both teachers and principals are valuable in understanding to what extent recent graduates from formal educator preparation programs are ready to take on teaching roles and tasks as a teacher. The understanding gained may contribute to bettering initiatives targeted on teacher retention, particularly in those critical beginning years of practice. This study examined the perceived effectiveness of first-year teachers’ preparation from the perspectives of the teachers and the principals, utilizing three-year survey data of 644 first-year teachers who graduated from a higher education institution and 497 hosting principals in a Midwest state. The findings note that the first-year teachers and principals, in general, had similar views regarding the preparation of the teachers. Significant differences were found related to certain competency domains as identified in the state’s teaching standards. Also discussed in the article are longitudinal trends and recommendations for addressing noted challenges faced by first-year teachers

On the Green function of linear evolution equations for a region with a boundary

We derive a closed-form expression for the Green function of linear evolution equations with the Dirichlet boundary condition for an arbitrary region, based on the singular perturbation approach to boundary problems.Comment: 9 page