Years ago, as personal computers and other technological advancements began to find their way into classrooms and other educational settings, teachers and administrators sought ways to use new technology to benefit students. The potential for improving education was clear, but the limitations of the available education technology made it difficult…

Just a few years ago, virtual worlds were credited with the power to transform the universe. Used since the late 1990s in military and medical applications, virtual worlds first gained mainstream media attention when Linden Lab released Second Life in 2003. While other worlds, including open source environments, have launched since then (examples…

Technological innovation is driving fundamental changes in all aspects of our lives. This is especially true of digital content, as our use of e-books, downloadable music, streaming television and movies, and online social networks has exploded. However, the explosive growth in our use of digital content seems so far to have eluded many of the 50…

Engagement is crucial for 21st-century students, and nowhere more so than at the middle school level. Middle school is a time of transitions for students--from a single, self-contained classroom with one teacher who knows every student well, to six or even eight classrooms in which teachers see more than 100 students every day; from a pedagogy…

This paper reviews literature on the use of computers at work and home, computer skills needed by new teachers, and suggestions for administrators to support computer usage in schools. A survey of 52 school districts serving the Houston area of southeast Texas is reported, indicating that 22,664 computers were in use, with a mean of 436 computers…

Describes the results of three surveys that were conducted in 1982 and 1986 to determine the availability and use of microcomputers in public schools in Texas and Pennsylvania. Library use of microcomputers is examined as well as classroom use, trends are examined, and hypotheses for a planned future study are given. (17 references) (LRW)

A discussion of standardized statewide electronic transcript formats and national standardization of electronic data exchange for college student records looks at implications for tracking transfer students' progress. Relative ease of use of the formats and the information contained in the records are examined, technical requirements are noted,…

These proceedings included the following papers: "The Language of Interdisciplinary Programs or 'What Do You Mean By That?'" (Ezzell, Turner); "When Mothers Become Students: Impact on Children and the Family System" (Burns, Gabrick); "Multi-Discipline Theorizing Meets the Blackboard: The Evolving Discourse Community"…