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)

Discussion of the role of new computer communications technologies in education focuses on modern networking systems, including fiber distributed data interface and Integrated Services Digital Network; strategies for implementing networked-based communication; and public online information resources for the classroom, including Bitnet, Internet,…

Discusses the use of an asynchronous learning network (ALN) for information and software systems design courses at Drexel University (Pennsylvania). Results indicate that ALN-based education is cost-effective; that students on and off campus find the ALN more convenient and a superb learning environment; and that organization of materials is…

Discussion of the use of the Internet and World Wide Web for interactive distance education courses focuses on the importance of providing iterative usability evaluation of online courses and strategies to ensure effective online course presentation. Design heuristics are suggested, including feedback, help and documentation, and controls for…

Defines portability of educational software; examines research regarding the portability of educational materials; considers barriers to portability; describes a research project conducted at the University of Twente (Netherlands) concerning the portability of computer-related educational resources, including networked learning environments; and…

Discussion of cooperative learning focuses on the use of Learning Circles on the AT&T Learning Network and its effects on teachers. The use of computer networks to link classrooms for learning activities is described and benefits of such activities for teachers are discussed, including knowledge acquisition, developing new instructional…

Discusses changes in information technology in higher education. Three basic model shifts are explained: (1) from personal to work group computing and communicating; (2) from system islands to integrated systems; and (3) from internal to interenterprise computing and communicating. Strategic planning for information technology and keys to planning…

Two articles discuss changes that are making technology useful to teachers. After examining computer uses in education, the articles describe new research and educational technology trends, and products and projects that got three teachers hooked on technology. (SM)

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)

Presents the ALEXIA system, a lexical-learning environment for French as a second or foreign language, and describes its network module, which can automatically build graphs of certain lexical semantic relations. (Author/VWL)

Discusses telematics and the use of computer networks to support collaborative education, both among teachers for training and planning and among students in their learning process. Highlights include traditional class groups and groups using computer-mediated communication; teachers' roles; learning circles for teachers; online teacher training;…

Presents a brief historical background for computer-assisted instruction and distance learning in the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). Focuses on the National Grid of Learning (NGL), an experiment in the UK to connect all learning institutions electronically. (AEF)

Examines three main aspects of using the Internet in education concerning (1) activities that can be carried out on the Internet; (2) skills and knowledge teachers need to make full use of the opportunities that networking offers; and (3) classification of the educational goals that can be pursued with the aid of networking. (AEF)

Draws on results of a four-year effort to establish a campus-wide, computer-supported writing environment to suggest that computer networks and specifically designed instructional software can provide the basis for network-supported, writing-center-based writing-across-the-curriculum programs. Discusses development of network communication tools…

The purpose of this study was to determine certain attitudes of students who had received instruction via an interactive distance education environment utilizing compressed video technology. Subjects were students enrolled in courses offered by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and other members of the Mississippi Community College network.…