Editorial Overview

Abstract

From chalk boards to smart boards, and from textbooks to eBooks, technology has always been integral to education. Yet until recently, it was assumed that if a technology was good in one educational context, then it would be good for all. Today we are coming to realize that context is important when designing educational technology systems. For example, technologies that enhance learning in higher education will not necessarily be appropriate for children in elementary school. Likewise, technologies that help students to understand history may not translate well to learning mathematics. This is the theme of the current issue of JETS: different technologies for different contexts. Our issue begins with the middle school context. The first paper focuses on problem-based learning in middle school science. The authors have implemented and tested various versions of a system for helping students with scaffolded learning using the ACT-R theoretical framework. Their description of the system is complete and easy to follow, and could readily be replicated in other schools. The second paper examines the impact of virtual reality, both immersive and nonimmersive, on 9th-grade social studies classes. The novel study described in this paper offers important insights that are likely to make teachers of social studies, both in and out of the classroom (including museums), want to try virtual reality. In the third paper, the authors describe how 3D printing has been used to increase engagement and understanding in middle school math classes. A side benefit is apparently that the teachers who participated in the program were afterwards more eager to experiment with other new technologies in the classroom. With the fourth paper we shift our focus to higher education. This paper examines the impact of moving college classes online during the pandemic, specifically on undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) recitation courses at a research university. The authors note which aspects of these courses were retained, and what else was either added or lost. They also claim that, as might be expected, some of the changes will persist even as we migrate back to the classroom. Changes due to the pandemic are also the subject of the next paper. Specifically, the paper focuses on ICT (information and communications technology) competencies that are developed when a college math class is delivered in a blended manner. Although the paper is about a teaching experience at an African university, the lessons learned are important for any university in the developing world. Editorial