Dictionary

=A=

=B=
 * **Activ** - the prefix for Promethean classroom technology products: ActivInspire, ActiVote, ActivExpression, ActivSlate, etc.
 * **Adaptive learning** - a learning process that adjusts its content, presentation and knowledge assessment to the learner's skill level
 *  **Administrator** - an LMS Administrator is the person or group managing the content, logistical processes, and users, including the day-to-day management of the system. This management usually incorporates providing instruction and assistance to users of the LMS and ensuring all information is relevant.
 * **Aggregator** - tool used for networking. A program for watching for new content at user-specified [|RSS] feeds.
 * **AICC -** is the acronym for Aviation Industry CBT Committee. The committee is comprised of professionals from around the world who develop t raining guidelines for the aviation industry.
 * **Alert master-** Type of assistive techonology used to alert a person with a hearing disability by connecting the apparatus to phones, door bells, that vibrates to alert the user.
 * **Alternate Keyboards** - Computer ceyboards designed to allow people with disabilities or conditions use software programs through the use of a modified keyboard.
 * **Animoto** - Web tool utilized to create well orchestrated and unique video clips from personal photos and music. Easy to learn and free.
 * **Applet** this is a java application embedded into a website. The applet cannot use resources from the local machine.
 * **Application** is a term for a program installed and used on a [|computer system]. Examples are: Web Browsers, word processors, and chat programs. Windows file extension is .exe. Macs use the .app extension.
 * **Articulate** - one of the leading software packages for rapid e-learning development. The [|Articulate Studio '09 Professional] comes as a three-piece set with Presenter, Engage (to make interactive content) and Quizmaker, with an optional fourth piece, Video Encoder.
 * **Assessment Technology** - software (either stand alone or as part of authoring software) that will assist an instructional designer in the writing and formatting of tests. The software allows for the use of questions that are not possible in paper-based tests (i.e., drag and drop). The tests can be delivered in a variety of methods (web, cd, paper). The tests can be graded by the software and the results delivered to a LMS.
 * **Assistive Technology** - a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology)
 * **Asynchronous learning** - Student-centered, computer-facilitated learning without time or location constraints
 * **Authoring Tool -** a software package that authors use to create and put together content deliverable to users
 * **Authorware** - a popular course authoring tool
 * **Audacity**- free downloadable software used to record and edit voice/audio.
 * **Audience Response System (ARS)** - technology tool which allows large groups to respond to questions via a remote control.
 * **Auxillary Storage Devices**- devices for storing large amounts of data; floppy disks, zip drives, hard disks, etc.
 * **Avatar**- A character that represents an online user.


 * **"Bamboo"** or "**Bamboo pad"** - shorthand for [|Wacom's Bamboo tablets] used by students and teachers to input hand-drawn data into the computer, or manipulate software applications or data. Although the convenience is obvious for art students, students learning Chinese, editing photos, or anyone writing math formulas, equations or diagrams, it's also helpful for learners who prefer using a pen instead of a keyboard or mouse. Experienced users of digital pens are sometimes faster than mouse users. The pens have buttons that replicate the left- and right-click found on mice, and the tablet can be used to scroll through data very quickly. Local stores like Staples and Best Buy carry all three sizes, and the price is much cheaper than you'll see advertised on the Wacom website link included in this entry.
 * ======**BCC** means "blind carbon copy." When sending an email to more than one person, the addresses in the BCC box will not be shown to all recipients. If the address are provided in the CC field, all the addresses are visible.======
 * ======**B****log**- Blog is a short version of the term ‘web log.’ The common blog is a publicly accessible web-based journal. Blogs allow the posting and updating to the journal by non-technical people. (http://www.techdictionary.com) ======
 * ======**Blog vs. wiki**- A wiki is a collaborative construction engine, with refactoring and edit-in-place being the dominant forms of activity, with each person being an equal contributor to the one. Wiki’s are more flexible than blogs. A blog is more like a content faucet, a source with a single voice. While updates to existing content are common, the dominant activity is pouring in new content through a topic, subject, or viewpoint filter. ([|http://www.techdictionary.com]) ======
 * **Blue Screen-** a photographic technique in which a subject is filmed in front of a blue background so as to allow matte compositing of the film with other footage ([|http://www.merriam-webster.com])
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Bookmark**- Similar to a real-life bookmark, an Internet bookmark acts as a marker for a Web site.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Boolean Search Logic**- a search done for very specific data, performed using operatives such as and, or, and not
 * **Blaudience**- the audience to a blog, an individual or a group of people who follow a blog
 * = BYOD/BYOT- <span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">stands for Bring Your Own Device/ Technology, which is a movement where school districts, schools and teachers are encouraged to allow students to bring and use their own technology such as an iPhone, iPod, Kindle, laptop computer, iPad or other tablets. It is an effective movement for the schools across many countries but needs to be strategized properly. This system can help to make 1:1 computing a reality as well as cut down costs. =

=C=


 * **Captivate** - one of the leading software packages for rapid e-learning development, made by [|Adobe].
 * **CAD** (Computer Aided Design) - Use of computer technology for the design of objects, real or virtual.
 * **CAT** - Computer Adaptive Testing
 * **CBA** - Computer Based Assessment: a term describing technologies that allow students to take tests via a computer or other electronic means. Results can be immediate to the learner, tests graded automatically, and sent to a SCORM-compliant LMS for reporting and storage. CBAs are also know as CBT (computer based testing) or e-assessment.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**CBI-** Computer Based Instruction: somewhat generic term describing instruction provided via computer (also referred to as eLearning; WBT- Web Based Training; CBT- Computer Based Training; CBL- Computer Based Learning)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**CBL-** Computer Based Learning; somewhat generic term describing instruction provided via computer (also referred to as eLearning; WBT- Web Based Training; CBT**-** Computer Based Training; CBI- Computer Based Instruction)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**CBT-** Computer Based Training; somewhat generic term describing instruction provided via computer (also referred to as eLearning; WBT- Web Based Training; CBL- Computer Based Learning; CBI- Computer Based Instruction)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Clicker**- A device that "uses infrared or radio frequency technology to transmit and record student responses to questions" (aka //student response device//) []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Closed Captioning** - a system which gives a viewer the option to see text that provides additional information on a television screen or computer monitor
 * **Cloud computing-** a way of computing, via the [|Internet], that broadly shares computer resources instead of using [|software] or [|storage] on a local [|computer] . //Cloud// refers to the fact that exact pathways and exact servers need not be addressed by the user.  []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**CMS** - Content/Course Management System (also described as a virtual school) - a system used to manage information in a collaborative environment
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Collaboration** - a joint cooperation with other people or organizations facilitated by technology where ideas, data, and documents are shared; technology has advanced this ability through the web and videoconferencing as well as software alternatives
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Collaborative workspace--** "place" where groups of people gather resources or information related to their personal or professional lives (from "Horizon Report--2008")
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Collective intelligence -** the knowledge inherent to a society or a large group of individuals
 * **Communication Board -** A low-tech (non-computerized) or high-tech (computerized) way for students who are unable to speak/communicate to communicate with others through use of pictures (and possibly a computerized voice).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Compliant** - program will work with other programs
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Computer-**A device that computes, especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes information. []
 * **Computer simulation**, a **computer model**, or a **computational model** is a computer program, or network of computers, that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system. []
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">**Connectivism-** a learning principle based on the premise that knowledge exists in a network and that learning occurs as these networks are traversed by the learner; differs from constructivism because constructivism is based on linguistics, whereas connectivism is based on experiences; connectivism as a learning theory is promoted by [|George Siemens] who summarizes Connectivism as “networked and social learning.”
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">**Constructivist Learing** - theory based upon the concept that we construct our knowledge out of our experiences
 * **Cookie** - data sent to your computer by a Web server that records your actions on a certain Web site
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Copyright** - the set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Course Authoring vs. Web Authoring Tool-** A course authoring tool is a program that creates a framework for e-learning. They have templates, links for files, wizards for importing media, etc. to make an e-learning course. They can even be formatted to track grades, homework, and other assignments. A web authoring tool can do all of these things, but with A LOT more effort on the side of the author. However, a web authoring tool can be a lot less expensive. They also do not offer as much, but if the author doesn’t need a sophisticated program, a web authoring tool might be the way to go.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**[|**Creative Commons**]** **-** a type of media license that lets others share, use, and sometimes edit the work legally
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">**Curriculum -** a predefined series of courses that a learner must complete for either educational or vocational goals; can be tracked via a LMS or LCMS

=**D**=

= =
 * **data glove** - a computer input device worn like a glove which tracks hand movements as the hand interacts with a computer simulation or virtual environment.
 * **del.icio.us** is a social bookmarking web service for storing, sharing, and discovering web bookmarks.
 * **[|Diigo]** - "a research tool and knowledge-sharing community" that allows for collaborative online bookmarking, archiving, and annotating
 * **Discussion Board** - an online communications tools which allows all members to see all messages; a forum (see also: thread)
 * **DOS** means disc operating system. It was the first operating system used by IBM computers. Two different forms of DOS were sold, PC-DOS, and MS-DOS. MS-DOS is the one Microsoft bought rights to.
 * **Dreamweaver** - a popular web site authoring tool
 * **Dvorak Keyboard** - Some languages have several keyboard layouts. For example, we have the English QWERTY format and the English Dvorak format. You can change the keyboard layout in your computer’s software; you don’t need to buy another keyboard. (Although you may find you want to remark your keys, so you aren’t confused. Might be easier just buying another keyboard.) Some who use assisted technologies find the Dvorak keyboard a better fit. Patented in 1936, it’s supposed to increase typing efficiency and speed by locating the keys used most often in the home row. You can see a picture of both the QWERTY and DVORAK keyboards in [|Webopedia]. It’s entry says “//It has been estimated that in an average eight-hour day, a typist’s hands travel 16 miles on a QWERTY keyboard but only 1 mile on a Dvorak keyboard //.” [Wonder why doctors don’t recommend a Dvorak keyboard for persons with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?] I would think it might take a while to retrain one’s brain from a QWERTY layout to using a DVORAK one. The same Webopedia entry mentioned that there are also special Dvorak keyboards for people with only one hand.

=**E**=


 * **eBook -** an electronic book; a digital rendering of a traditional printed book that can be read on a dedicated hand-held device (including some cell phones) or on a personal computer
 * **E-Learning** - A type of technology supported education or learning; somewhat generic term describing instruction provided via computer (sometimes refered to as CBT- Computer Based Training; WBT- Web Based Training; CBL- Computer Based Learning; CBI- Computer Based Instruction)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">**Educational Simulations - structured environments, abstracted from some specific real-life activity, with stated levels and goals. They allow participants to <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">practice real-world skills with appropriate feedback but without affecting real processes or people. (__Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds__ by Clark Aldrich) **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Emulator - **A system simulation which imitates the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept the same data, execute the same programs, and achieve the same results as the imitated system.**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">**Ethernet** is a form of connectivity that appears like a slightly larger telephone jack. It is used to connect one computer to another, connect to a local area network, or connect to high speed Internet modems.
 * **eTwinning** is an online professional learning community that was established for teachers in Europe.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**Explicit collective intelligence**: Knowledge gathered and documented by many individuals (examples: Wikipedia; this ltencyclopedia wiki)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**Explore Learning**-offers the world's largest library of interactive online simulations for math and science education in grades 3-12. []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**Edmodo-** a private micro-blogging site designed for teachers and students. Requires no student emails.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**[|E-missions]- "** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">are simulated, problem-based, learning adventures delivered right into the classroom via distance learning technology. With the use of the internet and video conferencing equipment, these “live” scenarios are conducted in your classroom by a Flight Director at Mission Control from the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University."

= = =F=

= =
 * ** Flowchart - a diagram that shows step-by-step progression through a procedure or system especially using connecting lines and a set of conventional symbols( []) **
 * **Facebook-**is a [|social networking] website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.[|[1]] Since September 2006, anyone over the age of 13 with a valid e-mail address (and not residing in one of the countries where it is banned) can become a Facebook user. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, and school or college. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations in the [|US] with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better. []
 * **Fair Use**- any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and "transformative" purpose such as to comment upon, criticize or parody a copyrighted work. A checklist to consider is:
 * Educational use (teaching, research, scholarship, criticism, comment)
 * Transformative or Productive use (changes the work to serve a new purpose)
 * Nonprofit use
 * Small quantity (e.g. a single chapter or journal) is used vs. a large portion or entire work; for an article or other excerpt, the portion taken should not exceed 10% of the work
 * The portion used is not central to the entire work
 * The amount used is appropriate for the educational purpose
 * **Flickr** - an image and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community platform
 * **Flip Video Camera** - a relatively inexpensive and easy to use video camera.
 * **Firewall** - A device to keep users who are not authorized to perform certain tasks away from the network

=**G**=


 * **Games** - structured activities in which two or more participants compete within constraints of rules to achieve an objective; can combine education and pleasure with an emphasis on experience rather than competition
 * **Gestalt Design Principle** **-** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The finished, final product is greater and more important than the sum of the individual components that went into the product
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Gigabyte** is a unit of storage space equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes or 1024 megabytes. It is better estimated to be 1 billion bytes, or 1000 megabytes. It is the unit of measurement before the terabyte.
 * **Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) -** this digital mobile telephone system operates at either the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz frequency band, and uses digitally compressed data, sending the data down a channel with two other streams of user data each in its own time slot; this system is globalized through international roaming agreements allowing mobile phone use in many parts of the world
 * **[|Glogster]**- a website that allows you to create digital posters and include text, images, music, and video.
 * **GNU Public License** -a free, copyright license for software and other kinds of work

=**H**=


 * **HIVEs** - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Highly Interactive Virtual Environments is the encompassing term for the combined areas of educational simulations, games, and virtual worlds. (__Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds__ by Clark Aldrich
 * **HTML** - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hyper Text Mark-up Language - the language that one needs to write content on the Web to build Web pages whether they be personal or business Web pages

=I=


 * **IM** - short for instant message, it's a form of communication between two Internet users; several IM services are free of charge, such as AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Instant Messenger.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">**Implicit collective intelligence:** data collected and collated from search engines and media sharing sites that reflect human action s
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">**[|Institute of Play]** - a nonprofit organization involved in the new game-based NYC public school Quest 2 Learn with the mission : "// We promote GAMING LITERACY: the play, analysis, and creation of games, as a foundation for learning, innovation, and change in the 21st century. Through a variety of programs centered on game design, the Institute engages audiences of all ages, exploring new ways to think, act, and speak through gaming in a social world. " // They are actively seeking more partnerships with schools, non-profits and corporations interested in bringing gaming into their environment//.//
 * **Interactive Whiteboard** //-// is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface, where users control the computer using a pen, finger or other device.
 * **Interface** is a point of interaction between two systems or work groups. In the manuracturing environment, the interaction and coordination between a number of work groups communicate plans ad control production activity. This interaction can come in the forms of schedule, human interaction, computer systems, or any other medium of communication.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"> **Interoperability** **- T**his is the ability for the different components of the e-Learning course to work together. This could include Java applets, a third party assessment tool, or anything else included in the course. Interoperability also includes the ability to track. Courses need to track assessment results and completion of activities. Two popular standards to ensure interoperability are AICC and SCORM.
 * **ISL** - Immersive and Simulation Based Learning; a great example of how this is used is at [|Stanford School of Medicine]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|iTunes] **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">is a proprietary digital media player application, used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program is also an interface to manage the contents on Apple's popular iPod digital media players as well as the iPhoneiPad . Additionally, iTunes can connect to the iTunes Store via the Internet to purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, applications, iPod games, audiobooks, podcasts, feature length films and movie rentals.

=**J**=


 * **Java** is a programming language developed and used by Sun Microsystems.
 * **Joomla!** is anopen source content management system platform for publishing content on the World Wide Web and intranets as well as aModel-view-controller (MVC) Web application framework.
 * **Juice** **-** a media aggregator which automatically downloads podcasts and media files to your computer or portable device
 * **[|Jing]**- an open source screencasting tool. Available in free or paid version.

=K=


 * **Kindle -** a wireless reading device for digital books, also known as eBooks, developed by Amazon.com
 * **KWL Chart-** Teachers activate students' prior knowledge by asking them what they already **K**now; then students (collaborating as a classroom unit or within small groups) set goals specifying what they **W**ant to learn; and after reading students discuss what they have **L**earned. Students apply higher-order thinking strategies which help them construct meaning from what they read and help them monitor their progress toward their goals. [|http://www.ncrel.org]

=L=

=**M**=
 * **LAN** - a term for "Local Area Network," pronounced as "land" without the d to avoid sounding strange to computer savvy people, is a computer network limited to a close geographical area, such as a residence or small office
 * **LCMS** **-** Learning Content Management System - a program designed to manage a course, its lessons, and the media, maintaining items of content in a central repository
 * **LMS** **-** Learning Management System- a program designed to help administration register users, manage courses, track the completion level of students, and provide reports back to the management
 * **Learning Assessment Technology** - used to measure student (or worker) achievement relative to established standards, to direct instruction for improved performance, and to manage/analyze assessment data
 * **Learning Community** - a group of people who share common values and beliefs, and are actively engaged in learning together and from each other
 * **LectureShare** - a free web-based Course Management System (CMS)
 * **LinkedIn** - a collaborative community of professionals [|linkedin]


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Machinima -** film-making using avatar actors and Virtual World settings
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Management System** - The record keeping system available with the software. The system can be extensive, with multiple print out options, or it can be a simple record of total correct answers. Not all software contains a management system. [|www.personal.psu.edu]
 * [|mathplayground] Action packed math site for elementary and middle school students featuring math games, math word problems, math worksheets, logic puzzles, and math videos.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Media** - tools used to deliver and store data or information, includes, but is not limited to: audio, video, text, graphics, animations
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Medium** **-** channel or means of communicating media
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Memory Stick** - a type of flash memory created by Sony used to store information for a variety of accessories such as digital cameras and cell phones
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Message** **board** - an online discussion site
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Metadata** - descriptive information about content
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Mind Map** **-** a visual representation of ideas and tasks revolving around a centralized topic
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> **Microblog**- <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 111%;">A blogging service that limits the number of words or characters a user can enter in one <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 121%;">[|communication] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> (examples are Twitter, Plurk, and Jaiku) or the brief messages sent through these services; Microblogs are usually short text messages, but can include audio or video, and can be communicated via website, text messaging, or email, and received on computers or cell [|phones] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 132%;">**.** **(** **[|http://www.techdictionary.com])**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) -** A game where thousands if people play in a virtual world. The players take on the role of characters specific to that world (Jedi, Orcs, Space Marines, etc) to interact and adventure with other players. The game universes are persistent and are often upgraded with new adventures.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">**Mobile learning-** accumulation of knowledge through the use of digital mobile devices such as mobile phones, iPods, laptop computers and hand-held gaming devices; learning "on the go"
 * **Monte Carlo Simulation** - a computerized mathematical technique that provides all possible outcomes to of a decision, provides the ability to better assess risk and as a result improve the decision making process
 * **Moodle -** an open source course management system provided under the GNU Public license since 2002
 * **Mountbratten Brailler -** an electronic [|braille device] that can connect to a computer and has speech feedback.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**MP3 -** the file extension for MPEG Audio Layer-3, a set of standards for compressing and downloading audio files from the Internet
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Multimedia** **- the** combination of various digital media types, such as text, images, sound, and video into an integrated multisensory interactive application or presentation to convey a message or information to an audience. (Neo, M., and K. Neo (2001). Innovative teaching: Using multimedia in a problem-based learning environment. Educational Technology & Society Education 4(4).

=**N**=


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">**National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-** (NIDRR), the branch of the U.S. Department of Education responsible for supporting research and related activites that improve the lives of people with disabilities
 * **Netvibes** - a website that is part RSS aggregator and part social networking website. A user can have multiple tabs for the different types of feeds. Widgets can also be added (email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). It builds a sense of community because a person can make one of their tabs public and share it with a specific group of people. This would be great in a Social Studies classroom looking at current events or in a company that all needed access to specific news feeds.
 * **Ning** - an online social networking platform for the purpose of forming groups
 * **Nobel Prize** - a website for educational games. Includes games for children and adults in such areas as math, science, managing disease. [|Nobel Prize]
 * **Notebook** - the software toolkit provided by SMART technologies available to use on interactive whiteboards

=**O**=

=**P**=
 * **Online Learning Community** - a common place on the Internet that addresses the learning needs of its members through proactive and collaborative partnerships.
 * **Online Tutorials** **-** instruction for students or staff that uses the internet to present knowledge electronically in a sequential, interactive, student-centered learning format that can be used synchronously or asynchronously, is accessible at anytime or from anyplace, and frequently includes review, reinforcement, and progress monitoring.
 * **Open Educational Resources (OER)** - educational materials that are 'digitized materials offered freely and openly for educators, students and self-learners to use and re-use for teaching, learning and research" (Wikipedia, "open educational resources", retrieved March 2010).
 * **Open Source** **-**software whose code is available to everyone, free of charge, with a few stipulations. When users modify the code and make variations or enhancements, they share their new versions with everyone else free of charge. This creates of huge collection of free modifications and features, available to all the users. Proponents of Open Source software believe it causes more rapid development of the software than would happen otherwise. Moodle (a CMS), Drupal (for building websites,) and OpenOffice (like Microsoft Office) are three common examples of Open Source software.
 * **Operating System -** the programming that makes computers run their most basic operations

=**Q**=
 * **Page Turner:** By using this device to hold a book for a student, s/he is then freed to focus on reading & comprehending the material in the book. A page turns when the students presses a switch. http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Foundation/intro/introbasic.php
 * **Personal Emergency Response System** **(PERS)** - a particular sort of assistive technology that use electronic sensors connected to an alarm system to help caregivers manage risk and help vulnerable people stay independent at home longer.
 * **Physical simulation -** a simulation in which a replication is constructed to behave like a real object.
 * **Podbean-** an online tool to publicly host, search for, and subscribe to podcasts.
 * **Podcast -** an audio file that can be downloaded from the Internet for use on a computer or portable audio player (not necessarily an iPod).
 * **Podcatcher** - a software program that automatically checks a podcast's RSS feed and downloads it to a computer. Examples are iTunes, Juice, and iPodderX.
 * **Polling-** a technique used in educational settings to generate student/audience feedback, from which, data can be immediately processed and projected graphically. Useful to generate further discussion, and assess student understanding.
 * **Pre-scripted chat system** -a safe communication mode generally used by children in virtual worlds. In this system a user selects a question from a bank of possible questions. Another user responds by selecting choices from a bank of answers appropriate for the original question.
 * **Professional learning community** is defined as educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.
 * **Promethean Planet** an open source web resource that allows educators to share flipharts, lesson plans, and resources. You are able to download flipcharts and resources and upload your own.
 * **Plug-in -** A small piece of software that adds features to already existing programs
 * **Post** - to publish a message on a blog, SNS, or other online forum.

=**R**=
 * **Quest to Learn (Q2L) School** - an experimental, non-charter public school in New York City whose entire 6th grade curriculum is based on video games. They plan to add another grade each year, through 12th grade. A December 20, 2009[| Parade magazine article] featured the new school. See also Institute of Play.
 * **QWERTY**- A term used to describe the standard keyboard. These are the first five letters on the upper left line of the keyboard.


 * **RAM-** readable and writable memory that works as storage while the computer is on. It is erased every time the computer is turned off
 * **Reskin** - is where a user takes an existing game and, while keeping the main internal structure of the game, changes the external parts, (visuals, dialog, sounds, action & plot), so it looks like an entirely different game. It's a way for even young students without programming knowledge to be able to create their own games pretty easily. An example is the Atari game "NeverWinter Nights". You can play the game as is, or change it so it seems to be a completely different game as the students at MIT did, creating the American History game Revolution. NeverWinter Nights was used by local high school students who took Harrisburg University's "Intro Game Modding" class, to create their own game, collaboratively created by the class.
 * **RSS -** stands for Really Simple Syndication and allows the publishing of content from one site onto another, or to an individual by means of a RSS Reader, with real-time updates and is commonly referred to as a feed. Examples of linked content include blog entries, podcast, vodcasts, and news headlines

=**S**=

=**T**=
 * **SafeSearch**-a Google setting which filters out adult content from Web and Image search results.[]
 * **SCORM** **-** is the acronym for shareable content object reference model. A SCORM allows content authors to easily provide their material to audiences through various LMS. The SCORM is self-contained; everything necessary to import, launch, deliver, and track the training is included in the package. More detailed description at [|One Minute SCORM Overview].
 * **Screencast** is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a //video screen capture//, often containing audio narration.([]) A screencast could be likened to a video of what is happening on the screen.
 * **Screenshot** is a a digital image of what is displayed on a screen at any given moment in time. A screenshot could be likened to a photograph of the screen.
 * **[|ScreenToaster-]** a completely web-based screencasting tool.
 * **Sculpted prim**(itive) (or **sculpty**, **sculptie**, or just **sculpt**) is a [|Second Life] 3D [|parametric object] whose 3D shape is determined by a [|texture]. These textures are [|UV maps] that form the rendered 3D sculpted prim. Sculpted prims can be used to create more complex, organic shapes that are not possible with Second Life's [|primitive] system.
 * **Search Engine** - they locate relevant Web sites when users enter search terms or phrases (techterms.com)
 * **[|Second Life] -** This is a virtual-life game for ages 18 and older, which is like the Sims online, but it lets you create your own characters, objects, and houses through actual 3D modeling. **[|Teen Second Life]** is for 13-18 year olds.
 * **Section 508 -** Federal act that requires any entity receiving Federal funds to have it's materials be accessible to people with disabilities
 * **Serious Game**- a game in which education is the primary goal, rather than entertainment. Serious games have been created for the military, government, classroom, corporations, health care, politics, religion and art. (Source: //Serious Games//, by David Michael and Sande Chen.)
 * **Short message service (SMS)** is a communication mechanism that permits the sending and receiving of short (140) characters) messages between mobile phones
 * **SilverLight-** is a cross-browser, cross-platform and cross-device browser plug-in that helps companies design, develop and deliver applications and experiences on the Web.
 * **Simulations** -<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 90%;"> use rigorously structured scenarios carefully designed to develop specific competencies that can be directly transferred in to the real world. (Clark Aldrich on Simulations and Serious Games)
 * **Skydrive** - an open source application from "Windows" where users can store up to 25GB of information.
 * **Skype** is a software application that allows for audio-video communication over the Internet.
 * **SLOODLE** - integrative combination of Second Life with Moodle. SLOODLE stands for Simulated Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It is an open source project that offers [|introductory classes online].
 * **SME -** Subject Matter Expert, who may or may not also be the program designer, developer, or instructor.
 * **Social Networking** is a phenomenon that has recently taken over the web, allowing more connectivity and interaction between web users. Several websites, such as Facebook and MySpace are "virtual communities."
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Social Networking Sites**- sites designed to allow members to make contact based on similar backgrounds, interests, or endeavors.
 * **Social Operating Systems** - next generation in the realm of social networking. The SOS focus is on building networks of relationships and will help to manage out interactions with others.
 * **Software**- refers to digitally stored information that is read or written by a computer. Computer programs are an example of software.
 * **Spatial Contiguity** - Verbal and visual information placed physically close together.
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Storyboard **- <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a panel or series of panels on which a set of sketches is arranged depicting consecutively the important changes of scene and action in a series of shots <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> ([])
 * **Student Response System -** portable, hand-held devices that allow students to instantly provide feedback and answer questions posed by their instructors. Also known as audience response system,
 * **Synchronous learning** **-** people gathered together in the same place, at the same time, for the purpose of learning the same thing in a face-to-face situation


 * **Telepresenc​e** - <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present at a location other than their true location
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Template** -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> a pre-formatted stored pattern for a document serving as a starting point for a new document. Templates can be created by the user or come pre- packaged with a program. Templates eliminate having to format your documents each time.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Temporal Contiguity** - Verbal and visual information presented simultaneously rather than consecutively.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Text-to-voice and voice-to-text**- assistive tecnology that enables verbally impaired individuals to communicate
 * **3D computer graphics** (in contrast to [|2D computer graphics]) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often [|Cartesian]) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. Such images may be for later display or for real-time viewing.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Thread** - an ongoing conversation on a discussion board or forum resulting from a specific posting.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Touch screen** - a type of assistive technology product which allows a user to "touch" the computer screen which activates the computer and provides ease of use (no mouse or keyboard is needed). The touch screen is built into the computer's monitor.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**[|Twiducate]** - a private social networking site for schools.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**[|Twitter] -** An online microblogging tool that allows its members to connect to others by "posting" (maximum of 140 characters) comments, questions, or status updates; while "followers" are able to comment or give feedback on the author's "post".
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|timetoast] place to create timelines that you can add to your blog or website. You can create historical timelines of important events

=**U**=


 * **USB** stands for Universal Serial Bus. It is now the most common port for connectivity in computers today. Many different accessories and peripherals connect to a PC through USB.
 * **Use Case** - Is a term used to articulate and descibe the essentual actions, applications and needs, of the various users, of a particular program or software. The Use Case statements can be used as criteria in the review and evaluation process.
 * **URL-** uniform resource locators; web addresses

=** V **=

= =
 * **Virtual Classroom** - S<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">oftware to offer educational / training programs, either in a synchronous or asynchronous manner, to users that are separated from the instructor by different locations. A VC, typically includes Web based video-conferencing, or Webinars, but should by its very term, offer a collaborative format where instructor & student(s), as well as student-to-student dialogue is supported through the software.
 * ======**Virtual Communities** - from the book The Virtual Community by Howard Rhiengold, virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace.======
 * **Virtual Computer Labs**: A network of computers where the user can access and use operating systems and software through a web browser; enables hands-on training that can be delivered to anyone, anywhere, anytime (from "The Emerging Value of Virtual Labs")
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Virtual Economy** - is the economy within a virtual world where virtual goods are exchanged within the context of a virtual game.
 * **Virtual Meetings** **-** Real time interactions that take place over the Internet using features such as audio and video, chat tools and application sharing. Some applications that will enable virtual meetings are Wimba, WebEx, Saba Centra, DimDim, Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro and GoToMeeting.
 * **Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)** **-** is a software system designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting, as distinct from a Managed Learning Environment, (MLE) where the focus is on management. A VLE will normally work over the Internet and provide a collection of tools such as those for assessment (particularly of types that can be marked automatically, such as multiple choice), communication, uploading of content, return of students' work, peer assessment, administration of student groups, collecting and organizing student grades, questionnaires, tracking tools, etc. New features in these systems include wikis, blogs, RSS and 3D virtual learning spaces. ([]**)**
 * **Virtual School** **-** another term for CMS
 * **Virtual Worlds** - multiplayer (and often massively multiplayer), three-dimensional, persistent social environments with easy-to-access building capabilities. (Clark Aldrich on Simulations and Serious Games)
 * **Vision Software****-** Software program that allows a teacher to supervise student activity on computers, with the ability to share one student screen with all students, take control of a student screen, and even send private mesages to students.
 * **Vodcast** - Similar to a podcast, except includes video and audio.
 * **Voice over Internet Protocol** – <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (VoIP) is a group of transmission facilities managing the delivery of voice communications (telephone calls) over the internet. Voice information in digital form is transmitted in discrete packets over a data network using the internet rather than ordinary telephone service, eliminating toll charges.

=**W**=


 * **WAI** - [|Web Accessibility Initiative]: strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities
 * **WBT- Web Based Training:** somewhat generic term describing instruction provided via computer (also refered to as eLearning; CBI- Computer Based Instrucrtion; CBT- Computer Based Training; CBL- Computer Based Learning)
 * **Web 2.0** is a term to reflect the new generation of web use that includes the interactivity presented by social networking and other trends. The term came into use in 2004.
 * **Web Authoring Tool-** Software used to create and maintain websites.
 * **Web-based simulation****-** (WBS) emerged in 1996, and is typically used to denote the invocation of computer simulation services over the internet, specifically through a web browser. Increasingly, the web is being looked upon as an environment for providing modeling and simulation applications, and as such, is an emerging area of investigation within the simulation community
 * **Webkinz** - small stuffed animal toys that come with a tag and a "secret code". The code is used on the Webkinz website to access a virtual version of their stuff animal. In the virtual world games can be played, jobs can be done to earn money, items may be purchases, and most importantly your virtual pet must be taken care of (fed, given water, etc.) in order to stay "alive".
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">**Web streaming -** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">of media files on the web. Typically compressed video content is sent over the internet and the user receives it as a continuous stream of data that is played as it arrives. The user requires a program to uncompress the incoming data.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">**Wi-Fi** is a short term meaning "wireless fidelity." The term refers to the wireless networking equipment used to connect to the Internet and other devices.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">**WiiMote** - a $40 investment that can turn a whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard. Directions can be found on the TED Talks video on the classroom technology page.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">**Wiki** - named for a Hawaiian word that means quick, a wiki is a website that allows for the collaborative creating and editing of a single page or a number of linked pages easily for the purpose of sharing information.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.9pt;">**[|WiloStar3D]** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - an online, virtual world for K-12 homeschoolers who want to attend school in a virtual world.
 * **Wimba-** an online classroom used to present powerpoints, voice, text, etc.
 * **Wizard** - a guide for creating a new document in a software program. [|www.techterms.com]
 * **Word Cloud-** a visual depiction of words associated together and their frequency
 * **Wordle-** a free online tool that generates word clouds from text inputted by the user. []
 * **WYSIWYG**- (What you see is what you get) implies that in the system you are using the editing format closely mirrors the final product

= = =X=


 * **XHTML** serves as an abbreviation for "Extensible Hypertext Markup Language." It is an expansion of HTML. As such, XHTML 1.0 is commonly known as HTML 5.0.
 * **XML** is an acronym for "Extensible Markup Language." It is a metalanguage that can be used to create markup languages for various applications or in HTML documents.

= = =Y=

=Z=


 * ZIP** is a file type for compressed files. Just about any file can be added to a zip file and compressed to a smaller file size for emailing or sharing. The file extension is .ZIP.
 * Zoho - a suite of online applications which are free to individuals and some of the applications have a subscription fee for organizations. All access is through their website (zoho.com).