Discusses how distance education can solve South Africa's problems of access to quality higher education, noting the need for radical shifts in perspective and sophisticated understanding of academic literacy. Explores key features of proposals by the Council on Higher Education (developing human capital and reducing high levels of structural…

Describes the process of bringing a college preparatory school up to industry standard in technology. To enhance the project's success, the school provided faculty with laptop computers and training classes, and made use of 15 of its own students who were getting their Microsoft Certified Professional certification. (NB)

Suggests ways for educational institutions to avoid wasting money on software, including: (1) training staff properly; (2) considering the total costs of owning and maintaining software before purchasing it; and (3) finding out if the software will run properly on the school's hardware and network. Asserts that all of the hardware, connections,…

Lists 13 different Internet search engines that might be of interest to educators, including: AOL Search, Alta Vista, Google, Lycos, Northern Light, and Yahoo. Gives a brief description of each search engine's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses and includes Web addresses of U.S. government offices, including the U.S. Department of Education.…

Reports that the Metropolitan Community Colleges (MCC) (Missouri) upgraded their information systems in four years, for less than $7 million. Offers advice based on lessons learned in the MCC process, including: (1) identify implementation leadership among veteran staff; (2) train everyone who will use the system; and (3) test and test again. (NB)

Offers the reflections of a teacher who is retiring in the year 2015 after a 40 year teaching career. Focuses on the role technology had on the changes she experienced as a teacher. Discusses different forms of technology, such as visualization software and Geographic Information Systems, and the role of a teacher. (CMK)

Explains what "portal" sites are on the World Wide Web stating that they often provide services or information that people frequently utilize. Contends that teachers and schools should consider creating a social studies portal site. Discusses different Web sites and offers two examples of social studies portals. (CMK)

Through a critical analysis of Classroom Connect's Quest experiences from 1998-2002, this study provides a framework for using narrative theory to guide the design and evaluation of educational multimedia and online education. Narrative theory, derived from literary and media studies and influenced by cultural studies, offers numerous parallels to…

In this personal narrative, the author describes "READ 180," a framework designed to teach struggling readers. The READ 180 program is premised on surface-level skills. Students answer comprehension questions and spell words with a keyboard and a computer screen rather than a booklet, pencil, and paper. Describing her experience with one…

A questionnaire was generated from the results of a series of interviews at The City School one of the 27 state secondary schools in Sheffield. In October 2002, it was sent out to 499 Heads of Department at the remaining 26 state secondary schools. Responses were received from 188 teachers, ranging in age from 24 to 60 years old. The purpose of…

Teachers in all academic disciplines face increasing expectations to integrate technological applications into their lessons. These applications can be used to supplement face-to-face instruction or as stand-alone learning modules. Either way, technological applications can facilitate student-centered, inquiry-based instructional approaches.…

This case study looks at teacher candidates who were enrolled in a content-area literacy course and used online technologies and literacy strategies to promote meaningful learning among students at a remote elementary school some 45 miles away from the university campus. As they worked under the guidance of a classroom teacher, a professor and a…

More and more school districts, as well as for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations, are offering Internet-based summer classes in core subjects, such as algebra and reading, and electives such as creative writing. In this article, the author discusses the growth of enrollment in online education for summer. The logistical ease of…

This article describes digital game-based learning (DGBL), the uniting of educational content with computer or online games, that holds the potential for a wealth of educational applications, if managed properly. DGBL motivates by virtue of being fun. It is versatile, can be used to teach almost any subject or skill, and, when used correctly, is…

Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, have created micro*scope, a free, searchable knowledge environment for exploring the microbial world. Microbiology can easily be incorporated into the curriculum, because microbial communities are easy to access. Organisms grow quickly, making certain arrays of…