No abstract

Conceptual change models of student learning are useful for explicating the role of prior knowledge in students’ learning and are very popular in the research on learning in the subject areas. This article presents an analysis of a conceptual change model for describing student learning by applying research on student motivation to the process of conceptual change. Four general motivational constructs (goals, values, self-efficacy, and control beliefs) are suggested as potential mediators of the process of conceptual change. In addition, there is a discussion of the role of classroom contextual factors as moderators of the relations between student motivation and conceptual change. The article highlights the theoretical difficulties of a cold, or overly rational, model of conceptual change that focuses only on student cognition without considering the ways in which students’ motivational beliefs about themselves as learners and the roles of individuals in a classroom learning community can facilitate or hinder conceptual change.

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This study is distinguished by distancing itself from the type of multimedia research that looks at the etTects of multimedia instructional units on students. The approach. instead, is within a constructionist learning paradigm and the research task is to take the first steps to begin to know what we don't know about the student creation of multimedia documents. The outcome of preliminary research on the use of MediaText. a multimedia composition tool. with high school students across several disciplines indicates from an analysis of document level and link level data on 62 student-produced multimedia documents across individual students and assignments that students unfamiliar with multimedia tend to apply their existing writing skills to produce annotated text rather than integrated compositions. in which the links are clearly part of the structure of the data. RESEARCtI AND-I-tfEORY OF MULTIMEDIA IN EDUCATION

For entrepreneurs, being offered a distribution deal by Walmart seems like a dream come true. After all, what better way to have a new product quickly appear in thousands of stores all around the United States or maybe even all around the world? This dream became a reality for Marty, the creator of Tiny Sips—a simple, wholesome children’s beverage made from Montana spring water and all-natural ingredients. As the details and conditions related to the distribution deal became apparent, however, Marty soon understood that doing business at that level requires sophisticated entrepreneurial savvy and a great deal of capital. The joy of possibly selling Tiny Sips everywhere suddenly became eclipsed by questions about how to raise enough cash to scale quickly while simultaneously minimizing risk. Marty needed to employ the business acumen necessary to slow down, consider the pros and cons, and make the best decision for his company. The educational focus of this case involves weighing the entrepreneurial risks and rewards of pursuing a deal with a large retailer like Walmart. While this type of opportunity may seem exciting at first glance, a variety of factors must be considered in order to find a thoughtful and sensible path forward.