Bill Rupp offers practical wisdom from his perch as a Montessori parent of four children and as a self-proclaimed digital immigrant who has spent over twenty years in the information technology field. His list of "Considerations before Making Rules for Technology Use" builds on a positive environment of conversation and communication…

"Asking why" is an important foundation of inquiry and fundamental to the development of reasoning skills and learning. Despite this, and despite the relentless and often disruptive nature of innovations in information and communications technology (ICT), sophisticated tools that directly support this basic act of learning appear to be…

In creating and maintaining public safety, risks which entail some amount of danger are necessary. These risks must be rated regarding the amount of benefit and danger they would bring in order to ascertain the worthiness of the risk. It is important to realize that risks can often bring greater safety, that many safety devices themselves involve…

Differences in training in developing countries can be traced to the experiences of colonization, industrialization, and advancing technology. Since decolonization after World War II, developing countries have had to cope with depleted primary resources and unprecedented and unexpectedly rapid industrialization. Industrialization has taken the…

Virtual Reality (VR) is a new medium which allows total stimulation of one's senses through human/computer interfaces. VR has applications in training simulators, nano-science, medicine, entertainment, electronic technology, and manufacturing. This paper focuses on some current and potential problems of virtual reality and virtual environments…

Describes the nature of technology. Summarizes the claims of the anti-technologists, such as Marcuse and Ellul, and the moderate pro-technologists, such as Ferkiss, Mesthene, Brooks and Bowers, National Academy of Engineering, Norman, and Weizenbaum. Provides 79 references. (YP)

Outlines design issues for developing an asynchronous distance course, including appropriate technology, format, academic rigor, communication and feedback, group identity, and evaluation. The components of a graduate course in psychology at the State University of New York at Cortland, currently being offered using this model are described, and…

This paper describes an inservice training program, developed collaboratively by the Idaho Assistive Technology Project and the Idaho State Department of Education, that is designed to increase the expertise of Idaho's special educators in the area of assistive technology. The lack of training Idaho's special educators have had in assistive…

The problem with developing technology in the South Pacific is similar to that of most developing countries. The size of these island nations and the market alternatives compound the problem in the South Pacific. Although there have been some piecemeal efforts in the South Pacific to develop technology, none has made more than a limited impact. In…

This paper begins with a discussion of technology-supported activities to support meaningful learning and planning for a new research agenda. The remainder of the paper is a description of two prototype technology-based assessments developed to help address the dearth of appropriate student learning measures available to inquiry-oriented,…

The way in which teachers use technology in their instruction is often a function of their educational and technological background, their previous teaching experience, and the amount of attention the instructor pays to the goals of the course. The three stages of teaching elicit the following types of questions: (1) survival: "How can I survive…

This paper discusses issues central to communicative/cognitive development in children with visual impairments who also have other disabilities, and presents a multi-modal model of augmentative alternative communication delivery that includes tangible symbols, language input strategies, voice output communication devices, software programs with…

Professional development has historically been a "one-shot" workshop wherein information barrages the learner in a streaming fashion and little to no information is retained. Even more exasperating is the lack of follow-up support once the workshops have concluded. Due to the desire for technologically appropriate professional development and…

This paper examines some aspects of a graduate course in educational technology at the University of Regina (Saskatchewan). The focus of the course (offered in the fall 1999 semester) was to examine how aspects of learning theory can impact the use of technology in schools and to develop a theoretical model that could drive and reflect appropriate…

The Common Thread Case Project is a multi-year project that uses multimedia compact disc technology and high-bandwidth telecommunications to provide a unique, case-based professional development network for teachers in the midst of systemic reform in the state of Kentucky. The project is a partnership between the University of Kentucky, the…