Describes thin clients as low-cost personal computers that lack hardware features and run applications off of a school's central server or via an application service provider on the Internet. Discusses advantages, including being easy to use, easy to manage, and less costly to service; and considers possible problems. (LRW)

This first in a five-part series of articles that form the basis for a professional development course on the impact of technology on classroom curriculum focuses on obstacles faced by teachers in bringing technology into the classroom and strategies to overcome them. Multimedia instruction, hypermedia, and computer networking are discussed. (LRW)

Discusses problems with the use of technology, especially the Internet, for providing inservice teacher education. Highlights include the gap between available technology and the expertise to use it; antiquated hardware; the rapid growth and acceptance of the World Wide Web and graphical browsers; and the expertise gap between rural and urban…

This article, written by a high school student, describes how he helped his school attain access to state-of-the-art technology and to the Internet. Topics include problems, security issues, teacher training, examples of student Internet projects, technical details of the school's computer system, and how the school encouraged this student's…

Discussion of the use of multimedia for training considers when multimedia is appropriate, what the potential benefits are, and how to effectively manage the development process. An informal study of multimedia projects is presented that identifies problem variables, including hardware and software decisions, organizational dynamics, and…

Course management systems (CMSs) are software systems designed to manage course content and course activities. These tools integrate technological and pedagogical features into a web-based system that allows instructors, even those who are unfamiliar with web-based technologies, to design, deliver, and manage an online course. However, CMSs have…

Offers guidelines for school districts planning to add computer technology, especially local area networks (LANs). Topics include electricity for laboratories, networkable software, hard drives, file servers, computer classes for parents, laboratory technicians, telephones, facilities considerations, inservice teacher training, access issues,…