In this article, the author looks to the past for trends in hardware, software, networking, and education and attempt to extrapolate where they are going and what their broad implications might be. However, there are many different ways that trends can be interpreted, and it is easy to pick trends that support one's thesis and ignore ones that…

This paper describes the origin and work of an independent research and development facility whose role is to catalyse the development of broadband applications for education. The paper describes how a three pronged approach is helping content developers understand the opportunities and make use of good research and practice in learning to develop…

Proposes 13 trends that educational software development should follow. Four main areas are considered: (1) the computing environment, including hardware and networking; (2) software design, including learner control and hypermedia; (3) the user, or learner, including group activities; and (4) the software development process, including…

Attributes one elementary school's rising test scores to the principal's introduction of a computer-based curriculum and integrated learning system; a neighboring elementary school's laboratory approach proved unsuccessful. For technology-based change to work, the principal must understand the technology, know the school's instructional and…

Includes "Ready for the Techno World?" (Dykman); "Getting Computers to Think" (Ross); "Industrial Technology Class Welcomes the World" (Suba); "Distance Learning Combats Nursing Shortage in Texas" (Rojas, Anderson); and "Fantasy as an Educational Tool." (JOW)

Provides an historical overview of the issues and opportunities presented by distance education throughout the world and discusses future possibilities such as digital and networked technologies, the increased use of homes as learning sites and of computers rather than printed materials, and the economic impact and costs of distance education.…

Describes a training system designed and developed by the Portuguese Welding and Quality Institute of Macau for all aspects of open learning. Highlights include the technical training of teachers, using the Internet; the Asian version; and new challenges resulting from new training technologies such as shared multimedia networks. (Author/LRW)

Traces the origin, changes, and current status of the PLATO system at the University of Illinois. Highlights the program's benefits to students, its adaptations, and its establishment of large networking systems. (ML)

This special section explains the latest developments in networking technologies, profiles school districts benefiting from successful implementations, and reviews new products for building networks. Highlights include ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), cable modems, networking switches, Internet screening software, file servers, network management…

Describes the development of strategies and software to help people work collaboratively while at a distance from one another. The importance of collaborative activities, the shared spaces concept behind groupware, examples of software that support synchronous and asynchronous group activities, and design issues for educational groupware are…

While distance education can be traced to correspondence courses that in the 19th and 20th centuries relied on mail services to transmit communications between student and teacher, it is the advent of computers networked via the Internet that has dramatically affected the character of distance education. For the purposes of this paper, distance…

Discusses three evolving paradigms for supporting learning and work performance: instructional design, performance support, and network systems. Describes an overall trend toward greater flexibility and empowerment, and shows how each paradigm reflects the technologies available at the time of its initial development. (AEF)

Strategies at several private and public colleges and universities to support advancing information technology are described. Trends include distributed computing, database connectivity, and increased computer use in teaching. Common instructional concerns include facilitating use of technology and developing "supertech" classrooms.…

Describes a pilot project using electronic mail and conferencing in college courses including blind and deaf students. The effectiveness of group interaction is compared to the standard classroom. The use of communication technologies in the design of educational systems to simultaneously transcend physical distance and physical disabilities is…

Describes tools for technological forecasting, including expert opinion, leading indicators, and trend analysis. Discussion includes process of technology diffusion and the changes it creates, and draws implications for instruction and school administration as well as emerging computer and telecommunications applications in business. Estimates are…