All Terms

scaffolded Instruction

Instructional strategy in which a teacher or expert provides strategic support to collaboratively complete a task that would be initially too difficult for a student to complete independently; the goal is to build understanding and confidence so that the scaffold (teacher's help) can eventually be removed; based on Leo Vygotsky's theory of the zone of proximal development.

script

A simple computer program used to execute specific or limited tasks; often used for pages on the Internet to serve dynamic content and to tailor pages for individual visitors.

server

A computer that hosts information available to anyone accessing the Internet or an internal intranet.

server error

An error occurring on the server, usually preventing access or display of a Web page; Web server errors have codes in the 500 range.

sight vocabulary

Words that a reader can immediately identify without having to decode; essential reading skill for fluency.

social bookmarking

Web site that provides a way for students or teachers to save and share Web page links; links are saved with one or more tags to locate the site in the future.

student-centered instruction

Instructional approach that increases the role that students play in learning through inquiry, active engagement in student-generated discussions and problems, research, and peer review; the ultimate goals is for students to take greater ownership in their learning.

summative assessment

Assessment that occurs at the end of a chapter, unit of study, or grading period; goal is to evaluate mastery of content after instruction has occurred; opposite of formative assessment.

think aloud

Instructional strategy in which a person verbalizes the mental strategies he or she is using to comprehend a text while reading; usually characterized by reading a piece of text aloud, stopping to note the questions one asks oneself or note observations being made, and then continuing to read; models comprehension strategies that expert readers are known to have and struggling readers are known to lack.

Title 1

Formal title is Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; part of the U.S. federal education legislation that appropriates funds designed to ensure that "all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments." (U.S. Department of Education)

transfer of learning

The ability to take previously learned knowledge or skills and apply them to new situations; an essential cognitive function of learning.

transparency

The degree to which policies, processes, and organizational activities are open, accessible, and understandable to students, teachers, community, members, school boards, and the general public.

URL

Uniform resource locator. It is a means of identifying an exact location on the internet.

validity

The degree to which a test accurately measures content or skills specified in learning objectives or outcomes; thus, a mathematics test that requires extensive reading skills would have low validity because it measures skills other than mathematics.

video streaming

Web-based delivery method for digital video files; allows video to be continuously received in small chunks (or packets) in order to reduce the amount of time it takes to display and play the video.

visual learner

A visual or spatial learner receives and processes information through visual representations and cues. These include images, graphics, pictures, flow charts, or any and other materials that represent the course materials in a visual way.

wide area network (WAN)

A network comprised of smaller local area networks (LANs).

wiki

A Web site that relies on the collaborative creation and editing of content by multiple users or members; some wikis are public and others may be private; developed by Ward Cunningham.