Influence of Avatar Choice on Teacher Perceptions of Student Success

Dennis Beck

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (Mar 02, 2009) pp. 1388–1394

We have an inadequate understanding about the effect of avatar choice on teacher expectations and perceptions of student success. The gender and ethnicity of students has been shown to specifically effect teacher perceptions and expectations of...

The use of narrative in online education

Dennis Beck

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2004 (2004) pp. 352–355

Exploring the uses of narrative in an online educational environment will be the primary focus of this proposal. In this presentation, I will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the online environment with respect to education, the definition...

Characteristics of discussion board postings that elicit more interaction

Dennis Beck

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2005 (2005) pp. 2162–2165

Discussion boards are being used widely in a variety of educational contexts. It makes sense then to explore how the composition of discussion board messages influences the response. This study explores the characteristics of discussion board...

PDA's in the classroom: A study of cognitive changes in elementary school children

Dennis Beck

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2006 (Mar 19, 2006) pp. 1451–1452

PDA's improve motivation, engagement, and learning, while remaining accessible and portable. Handhelds seem to easily adjust to various curricular content and thus integrate well with a variety of curriculum. Handhelds also seem to enable teachers...

Topics: Elementary Education, Students

The types of autobiographical experiences that contribute toward individuals becoming technology-using pre-service teachers

Dennis Beck

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (Mar 03, 2008) pp. 4042–4048

This study examined autobiographical experiences that contribute toward individuals becoming technology-using pre-service teachers. This was significant because although many people have looked at characteristics of technology using teachers, few...

The Online School Librarian: Roles and Responsibilities

Dennis Beck

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 59, No. 3 (May 2015) pp. 77–84

Children across the United States of America are maturing in a media-saturated society. Unfortunately, this often results in poor content choices and evaluative skills. North American schools have attempted to address this problem through...

Empowering Teachers? An Exploratory Study of Personnel Practices in Virtual Charter Schools in the United States

Dennis Beck; Robert Maranto

Journal of Open, Flexible, and Distance Learning Vol. 18, No. 2 (Dec 23, 2014) pp. 59–81

Virtual charter schools have the potential to transform teacher personnel management. However, there is currently little evidence that they are doing so. This study examined how 89 teachers at two virtual charter schools perceived school personnel...

The Digital Divide and Digital Narrative: Exploring the possibilities

Dennis Beck; Constance Wyzard

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 26–31

The Digital Divide is the gap between people with ready access to technology and those with little access. Although many individuals understand the Digital Divide, some still exhibit apathy toward those on the inadequate side of the divide. As a...

Topics: Digital Divide

Bridging the Digital Divide: Connecting Teachers with those on the other side of the divide

Dennis Beck; Wyzard Constance

Global Learn 2010 (May 17, 2010) pp. 3653–3659

The Digital Divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to information technology and those with very limited or no access. Many individuals have come to understand the digital divide through several resources. Unfortunately,...

Topics: Digital Divide

Effects of detailed customization of student avatars on teacher expectations of students

Dennis E. Beck

(2008) pp. 1–178

The gender and ethnicity of students have been shown to specifically affect teacher expectations of students in real-life classrooms. As part of a Multi User Virtual environment (MUVE), people socially interact via avatars which have the capability...

The Influence of Teacher Avatar Gender and Ethnicity on Student Expectations and Evaluations in a Virtual World Environment

Dennis Beck; Cheryl Murphy

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (Mar 05, 2012) pp. 145–149

The gender and ethnicity of teachers have been shown to affect student expectations and evaluations. In Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE), people socially interact via avatars that have the capability to be customized to minute details of...

Review of Educational Research Methods in Desktop Virtual World Environments: Framing the Past to Provide Future Direction

Dennis Beck; Ross Perkins

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan 24, 2014)

This article describes educational research methodologies being used in the investigation and evaluation of desktop virtual world environments (DVWEs) as used to teach a variety of subjects in higher education. Ellis? research framework on...

An Examination of Educational Leadership Program Field Experiences in K-12 Virtual Schools

Dennis Beck; Jason LaFrance

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (Mar 05, 2012) pp. 3833–3838

Virtual and blended experiences are an emerging trend in education. K-12 virtual schooling was first utilized in the 1990s and continues to grow. Currently 48 of 50 states offer some virtual experience in K-12 education. Of these, 39 states have...

The Creation of a Theoretical Framework for Avatar Creation and Revision

Dennis Beck; Cheryl Murphy

International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments Vol. 5, No. 3 (July 2014) pp. 1–17

Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVE) are increasingly being used in education and provide environments where users can manipulate minute details of their avatar's appearance including those traditionally associated with gender and race...

Signature Pedagogy: A Literature Review of Social Studies and Technology Research

Dennis Beck; Jenni Eno

Computers in the Schools Vol. 29, No. 1 (January 2009) pp. 70–94

A literature review of 121 peer-reviewed articles, books, and conference proceedings was conducted to determine the signature pedagogies of social studies education and technology integration. The authors found that the signature social studies...

Mapping the Terrain: Educational Leadership Field Experiences in K-12 Virtual Schools

Jason A. LaFrance; Dennis Beck

Educational Administration Quarterly Vol. 50, No. 1 (February 2014) pp. 160–189

Opportunities for K-12 students to choose virtual and blended learning experiences continue to grow. All 50 states including Washington, D.C., now offer some virtual experience in K-12 education. Of these, 40 states have state virtual schools or...

Topics: Virtual Environments, Leadership, Schools, Administrators

Evolving Roles of Online and Face-to-Face Instructors in a Lecture/Lab Hybrid Course

Dennis Beck; Richard E. Ferdig

Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 7, No. 1 (2008) pp. 5–17

Although lecture and lab courses are commonly used in higher education, there are potential problems with this format. However, technology is presenting new opportunities for teaching such a type of a course. This study explores the changes in the...

Value-added in a Virtual Learning Environment: An Evaluation of a Virtual Charter School

Martin Lueken; Gary Ritter; Dennis Beck

Journal of Online Learning Research Vol. 1, No. 3 (December 2015) pp. 305–335

This paper evaluates an online charter school that serves children in grades K-8 in a southern state in the United States. We compare growth in math and literacy learning on state standardized assessments between students enrolled in this school and ...

Topics: Virtual Environments, Learning Objects, Middle School Education, Learning Management Systems, Learning Outcomes

Why they choose and how it goes: Comparing special education and general education cyber student perceptions

Dennis Beck; Anna Egalite; Robert Maranto

Computers & Education Vol. 76, No. 1 (July 2014) pp. 70–79

While critics offer concerns that cyber charter schools under-enroll special education students, such schools may offer advantages for these students, and some cyber schools have identified this market niche. Little is known about such schools. We...

Language: English

Challenges of Virtual School Leadership

Jayson W. Richardson; Jason LaFrance; Dennis Beck

American Journal of Distance Education Vol. 29, No. 1 (2015) pp. 18–29

The purpose of this case study was to examine challenges faced by virtual school leaders in the United States. Through semistructured interviews, the researchers explored challenges faced by eighteen leaders of fully online or blended online...

Defining Differentiation in Cyber Schools: What Online Teachers Say

Jennifer G. Beasley; Dennis E. Beck

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 61, No. 6 (2017) pp. 550–559

Online education has grown over the last ten years and with it has been an increase in diverse learners. In an effort to understand how online teachers meet the needs of diverse learners, researchers surveyed teachers in two cyber schools. 118...

A Place for Us? Latino Parent and Student Satisfaction in a Cyber School

Dennis Beck; Robert Maranto; Sivan Tuchman

Educational Research Quarterly Vol. 41, No. 1 (2017) pp. 63–83

Research indicates that traditional public schools are less effective in serving Latino students. Yet Latino students, but not their parents, exhibit greater school satisfaction than do their counterparts. The purpose of this study was to examine...

Leveraging Transmedia Game Play and Student Design to Target 21st Century Skills: Instructor Experiences Teaching Computer Literacy in The Broken Window Learning Game

Scott Warren; Anjum Najmi; Dennis Beck

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Vol. 30, No. 4 (2019) pp. 505–537

There is evidence that video games can promote an inquiry-based and dynamic form of lifelong learning. For example, video games have been shown to support problem-solving processes, developing critical thinking skills, and foster the communication...

Parent Involvement And Student/Parent Satisfaction In Cyber Schools

Dennis Beck; Robert Maranto; Wen-Juo Lo

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2013 (Mar 25, 2013) pp. 229–236

There is evidence that in traditional public schools the school satisfaction of students and parents varies by parent involvement. Prior studies suggest that multiple factors influence parental involvement, including race, socioeconomic status,...

Special Issue on Supporting Students in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments

Jered Borup; Lisa Hasler Waters; Dennis Beck

Journal of Online Learning Research Vol. 2, No. 4 (Dec 31, 2016) pp. 327–331

K-12 online learning has grown dramatically the last decade. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that this growth has occurred despite course completion rates and standardized test scores that tend to be lower than those found in face-to-face ...

Determinants of Student and Parent Satisfaction at a Cyber Charter School

Dennis E. Beck; Robert Maranto; Wen-Juo Lo

Journal of Educational Research Vol. 107, No. 3 (2014) pp. 209–216

Research indicates that in traditional public schools the subjective well-being of students and parents varies by gender, race, and special education status. Prior studies suggest that general education students are more satisfied with their...

Synthesizing Presence: A Multidisciplinary Review of the Literature

Dennis Beck; Paul Fishwick; Rasha Kamhawi; Amy Coffey; Julie Henderson

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research Vol. 3, No. 3 (Nov 13, 2010)

This multidisciplinary literature review analyzed one hundred and eight peer-reviewed journal articles focusing on presence from four academic disciplines: Mass Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, Education, and Psychology. It was conducted...

Job Attainment and Perceived Role Differences of Cyberschool Leaders

Jayson W. Richardson; Dennis Beck; Jason LaFrance; Scott McLeod

Journal of Educational Technology & Society Vol. 19, No. 1 (2016) pp. 211–222

As cyberschooling options expand, it is vital that we understand the nuances of these particular learning opportunities. Because little research exists on leaders of K-12 cyberschools, this exploratory case study had two purposes. We first examined...

The Use of Instructional Technology in Direct Vocabulary Instruction

Julia B. Stoner; Ann R. Beck; Marcia Dennis; Howard P. Parette

Journal of Special Education Technology Vol. 26, No. 3 (2011) pp. 35–46

A bivalent counterbalanced within-subjects research design was used to determine the effectiveness of vocabulary instruction across two instructional conditions with 30 3 to 4-year-old at-risk preschool children. Instruction presented vocabulary...

A Comparison of the Degree of Student Satisfaction Using a Simulation or a Traditional Wet Lab to Teach Physical Properties of Ice

Philip G. Crandall; Corliss A. O'Bryan; Susan A. Killian; Dennis E. Beck; Nathan Jarvis; Clausen

Journal of Food Science Education Vol. 14, No. 1 (January 2015) pp. 24–29

It is often difficult to offer food chemistry students traditional, hands-on laboratory experiences due to lack of funds for equipment, insufficient laboratory space, or the nature of distance education. A traditional wet laboratory exercise was...

Topics: Physical Education, Chemistry Education

The Other Side of the LMS: Considering Implementation and Use in the Adoption of an LMS in Online and Blended Learning Environments

Erik W. Black; Dennis Beck; Kara Dawson; Susan Jinks; Meredith DiPietro

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 51, No. 2 (March 2007) pp. 35–39

There are more similarities than differences among learning management system (LMS) software products. In a recent study, Carriere, Challborn, and Moore compared a variety of LMSs and went as far as to suggest that the only real differences between...

Student-Centered and Dynamic Interfaces that Enrich Technical Learning for Online Science Learners: A Review of the Literature

Susan A. Killian; Dennis E. Beck; Corliss A. O'Bryan; Nathan Jarvis; Edgar C. Clausen; Philip G. Crandall

Journal of Food Science Education Vol. 13, No. 3 (July 2014) pp. 47–56

Communicating complex scientific and technical information presents a challenge for food science educators. The most efficient learning occurs when all senses are engaged, one reason that many educators believe that scientific principles are best...

Development of an Augmented Reality Game to Teach Abstract Concepts in Food Chemistry

Philip G. Crandall; Robert K. Engler; Dennis E. Beck; Susan A. Killian; Corliss A. O'Bryan; Nathan Jarvis; Clausen

Journal of Food Science Education Vol. 14, No. 1 (January 2015) pp. 18–23

One of the most pressing issues for many land grant institutions is the ever increasing cost to build and operate wet chemistry laboratories. A partial solution is to develop computer-based teaching modules that take advantage of animation, web...

Topics: Instructional Materials, Chemistry Education

Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2013

(2013) pp. 1–186

Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education is now in its fifth year of publication, and has become one of the most important journals for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). This journal represents the...