home

EDTC 6140 Kathryn Blades -Technology Glossary

[| ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (AUP)Acceptable Use Policy] The written agreement of a school or university that provides guidelines and/or specifies the permissable actions for students and faculty using the educational unit's local area and wide area networks. [|NETS for Teachers]

Hardware (external and internal devices) to adapt the computer's capability for input, processing, and output for students of different needs (e.g., touch screen, voice-recognition devices). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * ADAPTIVE/ASSISTIVE HARDWARE**

Software that allows an individual to develop or program an application to meet specific objectives (e.g., HyperStudio). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * AUTHORING TOOL**

Tool used to access and manipulate information on the Web (e.g., Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * BROWSER**

Small groups of workstations or learners in a classroom setting. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * CLASSROOM CLUSTER**

Particular combinations of hardware and software that determine how a user works with a computer system. Single-user and networked computers are examples of computing environments, as are Windows and Macintosh operating systems and the machines they run on. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS**

Software that can graphically represent the relationships among ideas (e.g., Inspiration¨). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * CONCEPT-MAPPING SOFTWARE**

A theory and teaching strategy holding that learners actively acquire or "construct" new knowledge by relating new information to prior experience. It contrasts with strategies that rely primarily on passive reception of teacher-presented information. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * CONSTRUCTIVISM**

Information sored in digital format [|NETS for Teachers]
 * DIGITAL ARCHIVE**

A digital or electronic archive of student work. The work may be digital to begin with or scanned into electronic form and can include digital video. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * DIGITAL OR ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO**

Information management system that holds information in digital format. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * DIGITAL STORAGE SYSTEM**

A computer program that allows the user to simulate drawing. Image elements created with a draw program are stored as mathematical formulas, and each element can be changed or moved independently (e.g., Kidpix, Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia FreeHand). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * DRAWING SOFTWARE**

Educational computing and technology encompasses knowledge about and use of computers and related technologies in (1) delivery, development, prescription, and assessment of instruction; (2) effective uses of computers as an aid to problem solving; (3) school and classroom administration; (4) educational research; (5) electronic information access and exchange; (6) personal and professional productivity; and (7) computer science education. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY**

This area includes (1) issues of technology use in society; (2) fundamental vocabulary and operations of computer/technology-based systems; (3) use of tool applications for personal, academic, and instructional productivity; and (4) use of the computer as a tool for problem solving. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY LITERACY**

Journal created electronically, as with word-processing software, and stored in digital format. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * ELECTRONIC JOURNAL**

A digital or electronic archive of student work. The work may be digital to begin with or scanned into electronic form and can include digital video. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * ELECTRONIC OR DIGITAL PORTFOLIO**

Collections of reference materials in electronic format (e.g., Encarta, ERIC--Educational Resources Information Centers). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * ELECTRONIC (REFERENCE) RESOURCES**

Issues of equal distribution and use of computers and related technologies and resources across subpopulations of students and educators. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * EQUITY ISSUES**

Those issues that deal with the ethical use of software and computers and related technologies by students and educators (e.g., privacy, piracy, integrity of information, responsibility for content, and use of recreational applications). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * ETHICAL ISSUES**

A legal principle that allows portions of a copyrighted work to be used for educational purposes without permission from the copyright holder (e.g., use of portions of a copyrighted work with students by educators to illustrate a concept). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * FAIR USE**

A technique for disseminating information through publication of a group of commonly asked questions and answers about a particular subject. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)**

One of a number of types of computer software that enable the user to create or manipulate illustrations, graphs, drafting products, and a variety of other images. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * GRAPHICS PROGRAM (GRAPHICS SOFTWARE, GRAPHICS UTILITIES)**

A hand-held calculator that, in addition to performing calculations and functional operations, can graph functions and relations. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * GRAPHING CALCULATORS**

Those issues that deal with societal and humanistic impact of information, computer, and related technologies. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * HUMAN ISSUES**

Hypermedia refers to interactive, nonlinear presentation of information in which more than one medium may be used (e.g., print, video, and computer), and in which users select their own paths through the material. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * HYPER MEDIA**

Hardware and software used to access electronically archived information and computer- or satellite-based telecommunications networks (e.g., FTP, search engines, satellite downlink and receivers, Web browsers). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * INFORMATION ACCESS AND DELIVERY TOOLS**

A program that combines several software applications with a common interface and data sharing among the tools in the collection. Typically, packages include word processing, database management, telecommunications, spreadsheet, and business graphics (e.g., AppleWorks). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * INTEGRATED SOFTWARE PACKAGE**

A cooperative learning strategy in which each member of a group leaves the home base group to become part of another group that specializes in becoming an expert in some aspect of a topic. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * JIGSAW**

A KWHL chart has four columns with the following headings: What I KNOW, What I WANT to know, HOW I am going to learn what I want to know, and what I LEARNED as a result. Students usually begin study of a topic by filling out the K or K and W part of the chart and fill in the rest as they progress through the activities of the lesson. Graphic Organizers, http://graphic.org/kwhl.html, provides information on how to create KWHL charts. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * KWHL**

Those issues that deal with the legal use of information, software, and technology by students and educators. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * LEGAL ISSUES**

Software that manages electronic discussion groups or computer conference distribution lists from one person to many. The messages are sent directly to the participants' e-mail addresses. Listserv and majordomo are commonly used programs of this type. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * MAILING LIST**

Materials that support tactile learning and reinforcement of concepts (e.g., blocks, rods). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS**

The ability to assess the purpose, legitimacy, and appropriateness of information received, particularly mass media messages. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * MEDIA LITERACY**

Computer software used to prepare a multimedia presentation or interactive session or products (e.g., HyperStudio, Macromedia Director). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * MULTIMEDIA-AUTHORING SOFTWARE**

A personal computer workstation capable of supporting multimedia, including high-quality audio, video, still images, and text. Usually indicates having a CD-ROM drive. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * MULTIMEDIA COMPUTER**

Computer software designed to support presentations involving multimedia (e.g., PowerPoint). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * MULTIMEDIA-PRESENTATION SOFTWARE**

Computer-based telecommunications networks that allow users to access, retrieve, and communicate information; broadcast messages; send electronic mail; and participate in user forums (e.g., America Online). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * ONLINE SERVICES**

A graphics program that enables the user to simulate painting and to manipulate image colors. Paint images are stored as patterns of dots called bitmaps. Individual image elements cannot be moved independently (e.g., Kidpix, Photoshop, PhotoDeluxe). (See drawing software.) [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PAINTING SOFTWARE**

A handheld computer that often includes pen-based entry and wireless transmission to a cellular service or desktop system. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PDA (PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT**

Descriptions of behaviors that demonstrate acquisition of desired knowledge, attitudes, or skills. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PERFORMANCE INDICATORS**

Tools that can be used to make picture-related documents such as banners, signs, certificates, and cards (e.g., PrintShop, SuperPrint). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PRINT/GRAPHIC UTILITIES**

Computer peripherals that measure and report data directly to a computer program where it is stored. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PROBEWARE**

Productivity tools refer to any type of software associated with computers and related technologies that can be used as tools for personal, professional, or classroom productivity (e.g., Microsoft Office, AppleWorks). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS**

A collection of performance indicators that, when taken together, define expected characteristics or behaviors. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PROFILE**

Undertaken in the context of progress toward completion of a project. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * PROJECT-BASED**

An online conference using video in which all sites participate simultaneously. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * REAL-TIME VIDEO CONFERENCING**

Software that allows retrieval of information from electronic databases (library catalogs, CD-ROMs, the Web) by locating user-defined characteristics of data such as word patterns, dates, or file formats. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * SEARCH ENGINES**

A computer program that simulates an authentic system (city, pond, company, organism) and responds to choices made by program users (e.g., Oregon Trail II, SimCity). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * SIMULATION PROGRAM**

A sketch of the components of a frame or slide in a multimedia presentation. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * STORYBOARD**

Instructional applications that involve some aspect of computers or related technologies (e.g., use of a teacher-constructed database in a social studies unit; using a graphing utility to teach relationships between two measures in economics, science, or mathematics). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * TECHNOLOGY-BASED INSTRUCTION**

The Uniform Resource Locator is the address on the World Wide Web used to access a particular Web server, site, or page (e.g., www.iste.org). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * URL**

Video and audio transmitted live via telecommunications that allow people at remote locations to see and hear each other. Examples of videoconferencing systems used in education include VTEL and CU-SeeMe. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * VIDEO CONFERENCING**

Site on the Web representing an individual's, organization's, or institution's Web presence. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * WEB PAGE**

Editing tools that generate and display files in hypertext markup language (World Wide Web) format (e.g., PageMill, Home Page, FrontPage). [|NETS for Teachers]
 * WEB-PAGE CREATION SOFTWARE**

Invoking one of the many search engines available for locating information on the Web related to specific key words. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * WEB SEARCH**

See Web page. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * WEB SITE**

(1) The worldwide array of hypertext transfer protocol (http) servers allowing access to text, graphics, sound files, and more to be mixed together and accessed through the Internet. (2) Used loosely to refer to the whole universe of resources available using Gopher, FTP, http, Telnet, USENET, WAIS, and some other tools. [|NETS for Teachers]
 * WORLD WIDE WEB (WEB)**