Students need to know how to find and use information, yet only 31 percent of information searches succeed. Google and Wikipedia are not the only providers of answers, although they are often students' first stops for information. Everyone knows how to open a browser, but can teachers assume they know how to search effectively for information? In…

In a world progressing with dizzying acceleration into the Information Age, the slow, measured approach of the traditional university can place administrator, faculty member, and student alike at a disadvantage. To move into this brave new world, the academic animal needs tools. "Beyond 2020: Envisioning the Future of Universities in America" is…

Posits a reciprocal relation between the popularization of computer-based technology and the democratization of Central/Eastern Europe. Discusses the introduction of the communicative approach to language teaching, the choice of languages in schools, and the potential of new technologies for improving global communication. Advocates coherent…

This article presents the personal literacy journey of the author that originated while driving through Scotland. The journey serves as one touchstone of his own personal and professional life. The author shares what he finds on "this" particular journey: (1) Particular (and often peculiar) interest; (2) Active engagement of the four…

Provides an overview of distance-education technologies. Discusses synchronous and asynchronous distance-delivery approaches, and the extent to which they offer students the opportunity to interact with other students and faculty. Suggests elements that comprise an ideal delivery system, and offers some views on the future of distance education.…

Discusses the marriage between higher education and interactive media, which holds the promise of education beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom. Addresses the driving forces behind this movement, the role played by the media, the marriage's merging form and structure, and its broader implications for the future. (VWC)

Focuses on students who fit into "niches," and discusses how the Chattanooga State Technical Community College's distance-learning program accommodates these learners. Describes five "niche" learner categories: students with disabilities, power-line maintenance technicians, emergency-service personnel, truckers, and industrial…

Recounts Rio Hondo Community College's decision to "go online" in anticipation of reduced funding, needed expansion, increased inservice training, changing student demographics, and the movement into computer technology. Summarizes the changes faced by the college and discusses how its Public Service Department involved administrators…

In the past, adult education focused on basic training, providing general skills that lasted a lifetime. Today social and economic pressures are pushing adults into lifelong learning. For lifelong learning to become a reality, a system is needed that allows individuals to further their learning, with regular periodic breaks, without penalties or…

This paper surveys issues that draw together instructional technology (IT) with the goals of the traditional classroom curriculum. Ways that IT serves to further the traditional educational goals of developing lifelong learners who function with skills, knowledge, and wisdom are examined, as well as the potentials and challenges of IT. The first…

The need for lifelong learning is increasing as humanity transforms the planet into a global village. The growing number of people using the electronic infrastructure is creating new practices in which learning and work are intertwined. Professional educators must build the collective intelligence required for a knowledge-based society, and in…

The National Council on Economic Education's (NCEE) EconEdLink site provides lessons and classroom learning activities based on economics topics in the news, as well as access to real-time economic data. EconEdLink's content is designed to help integrate economic concepts across the curriculum as outlined in the Voluntary National Content…

Digitized information technology will transform education as the printing press transformed European culture. It can help educators achieve current goals more efficiently, and achieve new goals. It provides greater flexibility in pedagogy and greater access to educational resources. Equal access by all classes must be ensured, and teachers must…

Forecasts for the future are made against the backdrop of population growth, environmental change, information technology, and globalization. Schools and teachers as we know them will change radically, perhaps become obsolete, as computers and the Internet enable access to information from anywhere, any time. Learning will become a life-long,…

Because it is Internet-based, telelearning is less centralized than distance learning. Learners can access a wide range of information and attend virtual classes. Increased flexibility will lead to education for individual learners rather than classes. Teachers will have to consider technological, organizational, and pedagogical changes to move…