How can parents help their children become positive digital citizens, leverage tools for learning and creativity, while maintaining a healthy balance in a digital age? In this article, the author offers a framework in helping parents become guides and mentors for their children in the dizzying digital age. The following guidelines are presented:…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Equity Auditing." Contents include: (1) Using Equity Audits to Assess and…

This article presents qualitative results of the first three years of the New Mexico Laptop Learning Initiative (NMLLI). Results suggest that teachers, students, and their communities support this initiative to improve student learning. Descriptive statistics were used during year two to further understand how the laptops were being used by…

Knowing what different kinds of computer equipment can do is the first step in choosing the computer that is right for you. This digest describes a developmental progression of computer capabilities. First the basic three software programs (word processing, spreadsheets, and database programs) are discussed using examples. Next, an explanation of…

Parents must prepare children for a world needing citizens with training in science and technology. This article describes the parent's role in helping children learn science and presents suggestions for science activities based on household events and focusing on basic concepts. (SM)

Exposure to cell phones, DVD players, video games, computers, digital cameras, and iPods has made today's young people more technologically advanced than those of any previous generation. As a result, parents are now concerned that their children are spending too much time in front of the computer. In this article, the author focuses her…

Parents must be well-informed about computer technology in order to make appropriate decisions for their schools. The paper discusses pro's and con's of computers in the schools, the importance of dispelling myths about education and technology, and parents' roles in making decisions. (SM)

Suggesting that all Americans join together in the effort to educate children, this paper presents 1-page "tip sheets" (on 8 separate topics in education) that provide tips for what families, schools, businesses, colleges, and community groups can do to meet the challenges facing American education. Each tip sheet presents background…

This report is based on the assessment of ICT (information and communication technology) literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that tool with a nationally representative sample of approximately 7,400 students from Years 6 and…

This handbook is intended to help classroom teachers, teacher-librarians, technology teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and students to learn about the Big6 Skills approach to information and technology skills, to use the Big6 process in their own activities, and to implement a Big6 information and technology skills program. The…