Describes the experiences of the American Library Association in implementing an Internet gopher to make information more available to members. Topics discussed include an explanation of gopher software; organizational considerations, including organizational values; training to improve staff familiarity with the Internet; preparing documents for…

Discusses classroom uses of scientific CD-ROMs. Highlights include the effect on students, including stimulating interest and promoting scientific thinking; compact disc technology; sources of CD-ROMs, including NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration); obtaining CD-ROM data using the Internet; and an example of elementary students…

Describes Kids Network, an educational network available from the National Geographic Society that allows students in grades four through six to become part of research teams that include students from around the world. Computer hardware requirements and a list of Kids Network research questions are listed in a sidebar. (JMV)

Describes the creation of a wide-area network for school districts based on one developed at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (Texas). Topics include conducting a needs assessment, selecting hardware and software, issuing a Request for Proposals, management capabilities, network installation, the bidding process, the…

Describes the use of multimedia computer networks for campus communications. Topics discussed include a campus communication strategy; the target audience; integrating technology with campus goals and other communication methods such as student newspapers; and adding on for future expansion. Examples of communication systems at six college…

Discusses ways to locate information on the Internet. Highlights include LISTSERVs; files to download, including text, graphics, software, sounds, and animations through Archie; locating files on a Gopher via Veronica; the World Wide Web; and electronic mail addresses. (LRW)

A survey of graduate students involved in distance education on North Dakota State University's Interactive Video Network included 80 on campus and 13 off. The instructional models rated most effective were role playing, simulation, jurisprudential (Socratic method), memorization, synectics, and inquiry. Direct instruction was rated least…

According to futurist/educational technology expert Chris Dede, new technologies will revolutionize education only when used to support new models of teaching and learning. Grafting technological solutions onto antiquated structures and learning approaches is misguided. Sidebars explain schools' technology access problems and review Clifford…

The Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico is connecting its 14 high schools to Internet. Three UNAM institutions designed a foreign-languages instruction model based on international cultural and scientific exchanges via computer networks. Mexican students studying English are interacting with English-speaking people, solving real problems, and…

Describes a prototype online search system called ASK (Assisted Search for Knowledge) that will provide Internet and dial-up access to an array of databases related to environmental and demographic change. The Global Change Data and Information system that is being organized by federal agencies is described. (Author/LRW)

Looks at interdisciplinary work in composition and computer-mediated communication (CMC). States that work on writing and electronic networks has drawn from early experimental studies of CMC in social psychology. Reviews the work of four groups conducting social psychological research on CMC. Advocates a dialogic relationship between research in…

Explains how teachers and students, using a computer and modem, can tap into computer networks to enhance writing experiences. Reviews the experience of one teacher and her students on three different networks: (1) America Online; (2) WorldClassroom; and (3) the Internet. (TB)

Deals with three issues regarding computers in schools: (1) security measures for both hardware and software; (2) the usefulness of a network modem; and (3) a faculty workshop on revision. Appends a list if revision questions for writers developed by the faculty workshop. (SR)

Discusses the use of the "portraiture" methodology to study a joint curriculum project between a U.S. and a Puerto Rican bilingual (Spanish-English) elementary school, which focuses on the use of De Orilla a Orilla, an international computer networking project, to arrange collaborative teaching, communicate by electronic mail and…

Discusses problems with integrated learning systems (ILSs) in the schools, noting they are still an unproven solution to problems in education plagued by many serious limitations. The article recommends dealing with the fundamental problems of the educational system before investing time and money in ILS. (SM)