Laptop use in class is a characteristic of universities that is changing rapidly. Although much of the attention and research regarding this issue has focused on the debate of whether to impose mandatory laptop programs, the reality of wireless campuses allows students to use their laptops in class for class related and non-class related…

Despite the last few years' growth in awareness of open-source software in schools and the potential savings it represents, its widespread adoption is still hampered. Randy Orwin, technology director of the Bainbridge Island School District in Washington State and a strong open-source advocate, cautions that installing an open-source…

The literature on globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) has predominantly focused on research or classroom partnerships in higher education that usually involve traditional students enrolled in traditional degree programmes. However, the driving motivation behind GNLEs--learning in partnership across institutional and national…

School networking is increasingly important in a globalised world, where schools themselves can be actors on an international stage. This article builds on the activities and experience of the longest established European initiative in this area, European Schoolnet (EUN), a network of 31 Ministries of Education. First, we offer an introduction…

Distance education in social work has grown significantly due to the use of interactive television and computer networks. Given the recent developments in delivering distance education utilizing Web-based technology, this article presents a literature review focused on identifying generational trends in the development of Web-based learning…

The new era of mobile computing promises greater variety in applications, highly improved usability, and speedier networking. The 3G iPhone from Apple is the poster child for this trend, but there are plenty of other developments that point in this direction. Previous surveys, in LLT, and by researchers at the UK's Open University, have…

The concept of convergence has evolved significantly during recent years. Today, "convergence" refers to the integration of the communications and computing resources and services that seamlessly traverse multiple infrastructures and deliver content to multiple platforms or appliances. Convergence is real. Those in higher education, and especially…

Middle-level teachers, librarians, and media specialists can use this book to meet current English language arts and technology standards and to prepare students to be literate citizens in the 21st century. Additional teaching tools include timelines of classroom events, reproducible rubrics for assessing curriculum units, suggested Web resources,…

The commoditization of low-cost hardware has enabled even modest-sized laboratories and research projects to own their own "supercomputers." The authors argue that this local solution undermines rather than amplifies the research potential of scholars. CIOs, provosts, and research technologists should consider carefully an overall…