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A qualitative inductive analysis of 110 open-ended questionnaires was performed, as part of a research network aiming at investigating views of pedagogical innovation among teacher educators in seven Israeli colleges of education. Three results emerged: (1) teacher educators mention technology when describing implementations of pedagogical innovation in their teaching; (2) the stories that teacher educators associate with pedagogical innovation do not deal with the most up-to-date learning technologies; and (3) teacher educators tend to use inclusive terms in their descriptions of pedagogical innovation. The discourse of teacher educators on the subject of innovation seems to differ from the discourse in other professional communities, such as the medical, agricultural, high-tech, and business communities. The importance of these findings is heightened in view of the expectation that those who are responsible for the training of the next generation of educators would design innovative approaches to meet the future needs of the education system.

This paper presents five emergent categories of learning with mobile applications (apps) and suggests an overarching profile to characterize such apps. The categories are organized into three levels. The micro level focuses on interactions and includes (i) interaction with the device and (ii) interaction with the environment. The intermediate level focuses on activities and includes (iii) location-based learning and (iv) supporting any learning environment. The macro system level includes (v) applications as part of a complex system. Common to these emergent categories is the experience of learning in blended spaces. This primary pedagogical principle leads to additional principles such as embodied cognition, the device as a discovery machine, and open playful design. This paper discusses the interrelationships between these principles, and concludes with drawing a profile of uniqueness, enabling utilization of such principles for deep understanding of the environment and for promoting new literacy of 'mobile system thinking.'

This paper reports the results of a study aimed at exploring the advantages of dynamic visualization for the development of better understanding of molecular processes. We designed a technology-enhanced curriculum module in which high school chemistry students conduct virtual experiments with dynamic molecular visualizations of solid, liquid, and gas. They interact with the visualizations and carry out inquiry activities to make and refine connections between observable phenomena and atomic level processes related to phase change. The explanations proposed by 300 pairs of students in response to pre/post-assessment items have been analyzed using a scale for measuring the level of molecular reasoning. Results indicate that from pretest to posttest, students make progress in their level of molecular reasoning and are better able to connect intermolecular forces and phase change in their explanations. The paper presents the results through the lens of improvement patterns and the metaphor of the "ladder of molecular reasoning," and discusses how this adds to our understanding of the benefits of interacting with dynamic molecular visualizations.

An approach to the teaching and learning of high school computer science (CS) to and by educationally disadvantaged students (EDS) is described, as well as the implementation of six pedagogical principles in two learning environments developed for Israeli schools. Following a brief description of the main characteristics of EDS classes and a review of the proposed guiding principles for the curricular development for such classes, implementation of two of these principles is discussed. First, the implementation of "decomposition" is presented with regard to the TEVEL (Hebrew version of the Logo programming language) version of the CS module for EDS. Then, the implementation of "a pattern-oriented curriculum" is presented with regard to the Pascal version of the CS module for EDS. Our data show that in both versions, students taking the national final exam achieved above-average grades. We also found that at the end of the module, the students master basic programming tools and recognize basic algorithmic patterns. These findings indicate the potential contribution of our approach for EDS in particular, but also for CS students in general.

This paper explores how outstanding female high school pupils perceived the profession of electrical engineering (EE) before and after a one-day conference aimed at exposing them to the profession of EE. The main finding indicates that, if planned properly and thoughtfully, even a single one-day conference can significantly change the perception of what EE is. In addition, the authors explore the pros and cons of studying EE, as expressed by the female high school pupils. They conclude with some recommendations related to the role of women in EE. Index Terms--Electrical engineering (EE) education, gender issues, profession of electrical engineering, professional development.