Choosing instructional materials wisely is one of the most important jobs education leaders and teachers have, perhaps now more than ever. Unfinished academic instruction resulting from the COVID-19 crisis demands better ways to reignite student engagement and accelerate learning. At the same time, the disparate impact of the pandemic on students…

The California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) Toolkit for Instructional Materials Evaluation (TIME) is a suite of tools and processes for evaluating and selecting instructional materials aligned with the CA NGSS. This 11th report in the NGSS Early Implementers Initiative evaluation series is intended for school and district…

Just as teachers' perceptions of instructional materials influence what they do with those materials, school leaders' perceptions of instructional materials influence their decisions about how and how strongly to support teachers' material use. The authors address a gap in existing literature by identifying what school leaders regard as key…

Instructional materials are essential tools in the English language arts classroom. They allow students to interact with words, images, and ideas in ways that develop their abilities in multiple literacies such as reading, listening, viewing, thinking, speaking, writing, and technology. Because selection policies should reflect local interests and…

Discusses functions of the Alberta (Canada) Computer Technology Project's courseware clearinghouse, reviews findings on instructional software quality, identifies software development trends, and discusses need for support systems to facilitate the incorporation of computer assisted instruction in Canadian schools. (MBR)

Based on the results of a survey distributed to all New York State public and non-public elementary and secondary schools, this publication presents a scenario of the current state of use of microcomputers and related equipment in those schools, and provides data and a context for a series of subsequent publications. The 20 data tables that…

This examination of the educational and economic advantages of using videocassettes instead of broadcast television for Open University distance education begins by noting that, while the potential importance of television in distance education is widely recognized by educators, students appear to be less appreciative. The Video Cassettes Loan…

"Education for a Digital World" contains a collection of strategies and tools for effective online teaching, based on the principles of learning as a social process. Narrative is supplemented by real-life examples, case studies, and resources to supply comprehensive perspectives about structuring and fostering socially engaging learning…

The survey reported here of 12,008 students in 93 undergraduate Open University courses was designed to assist in Open University audiovisual policy development and planning and to provide a data base for summative evaluation of audiovisual media use in individual courses. Emphasis was on the first aim, and detailed data were collected only for 17…

This review of the technical possibilities of audio, television, computing, and combination media addresses the main factors influencing decisions about each technology's suitability for distance teaching, including access, costs, symbolic representation, student control, teacher control, existing structures, learning skills to be developed, and…

A project was conducted to study Calgary teachers' use of films and videotapes borrowed from a media services loan library and to identify the significant variables affecting their film and tape use. Data were gathered through a preliminary survey of six schools and a subsequent survey of 500 randomly selected teachers in the district. Results are…

A list of almost 300 titles of Spanish language reading materials represents the recommendations of the California Media and Library Educators Association for use with Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is intended as a guide for teachers of Spanish and teachers of English language arts…

Replicating a 1979 study, a survey of school library media specialists in 440 Iowa school districts was conducted in the spring of 1983 to determine the influence of a model policy published by the Iowa Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on the development, adoption, and provisions of school district policies for the selection of instructional…

Designed to put educators in touch with the literature, people, and resources that will keep them informed of the current and future state of the art in computer education, this guide provides citations from 1976 through March 1982 compiled from computer searches of ERIC, Magazine Index, and Newspaper Index, and from manual searches of Education…

Three major areas of new technology appropriate for distance education are briefly described: satellite delivery, video teleconferencing, and computers and networking. Important considerations are offered to college and university trustees for media selection and policy formation. (MSE)