Laptop use in class is a characteristic of universities that is changing rapidly. Although much of the attention and research regarding this issue has focused on the debate of whether to impose mandatory laptop programs, the reality of wireless campuses allows students to use their laptops in class for class related and non-class related…

Despite the last few years' growth in awareness of open-source software in schools and the potential savings it represents, its widespread adoption is still hampered. Randy Orwin, technology director of the Bainbridge Island School District in Washington State and a strong open-source advocate, cautions that installing an open-source…

The concept of convergence has evolved significantly during recent years. Today, "convergence" refers to the integration of the communications and computing resources and services that seamlessly traverse multiple infrastructures and deliver content to multiple platforms or appliances. Convergence is real. Those in higher education, and especially…

This article is adapted from the introduction to EDUCOM's forthcoming book, Campus Networking Strategies, which includes 10 case study chapters detailing academic experiences with computer networking. Topics discussed in the introduction include network issues for management, networking economics, engineering and telecommunications issues, and…

Reviews six books on technology and science. Views expressed include that technology is a major teacher and that technology would become the efficient deliverer of the education product, to warnings of blindly accepting technology as progress. (MLF)

Focuses on communication via electronic networks as a unique form of discourse that exists on a continuum between context-dependent interaction of oral conversation and the abstracted composition of written text. Reviews research in related fields of psychology, composition theory, computer and information sciences. Suggests directions for further…

The technology team in a suburban Cleveland (Ohio) school district saved thousands with do-it-yourself wiring work in four schools and the district office and kindergarten building. Classrooms, labs, and libraries have been wired, and selected areas in each facility are now being connected to the Internet. (MLF)

Ohio SchoolNet is a state-funded partnership to encourage and support local school improvement. The project's $95 million cost is being funded through bond sales. By the end of 1999, SchoolNet will have facilitated the installation of networking technology in all public K-12 schools and classrooms across Ohio. (MLF)

This paper reviews literature on the use of computers at work and home, computer skills needed by new teachers, and suggestions for administrators to support computer usage in schools. A survey of 52 school districts serving the Houston area of southeast Texas is reported, indicating that 22,664 computers were in use, with a mean of 436 computers…

Insertion of computer technology in existing school buildings requires leadership at the district level, careful planning to provide properly located and sized support space, and a media backbone that will serve for a long time. The architect must design in flexibility for connection of hardware applications that are still being developed. (MLF)

Considers the wealth of information on the Internet and suggests a number of ways to incorporate it into meaningful instructive activities. Posits five levels of Internet activity: personal use, sharing material with students, incorporating material into units, facilitating student-directed projects, and student-initiated and directed projects.…

These three essays focus on the creation and sustenance of learning communities among students and instructors at the college and university level. The essays are: (1) "Creating and Sustaining Learning Communities" (Carolyn Dudgeon), which emphasizes a seamless educational continuum for lifelong learners in a collaborative, caring…

Presents a vision of the impact of the National Public Network and offers seven recommendations for its evolution and implementation. (MDH)

Today's information infrastructure provides access to a growing array of software and services for education. As both the capabilities of technology and the number of its uses grow, the need to set national policy for computer networking has become increasingly apparent. The High Performance Computing Act of 1991 established government support for…

In recent years, the widespread availability of networks and the flexibility of Web browsers have shifted the industry from a client-server model to a Web-based one. In the client-server model of computing, clients run applications locally, with the servers managing storage, printing functions, and network traffic. Because every client is…