Provides an overview of the information technologies that best facilitate and support educational activities, emphasizing areas relevant to distance education. Technologies in the areas of video communications, audiographics, telephone systems, and computer communications are classified and described. (CLB)

The first session of IT@EDU98 consisted of four papers and was chaired by Dong Thi Bich Thuy (University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). "Technology for Learning: The Present and Future in the United States" (Thomas Owens, Carolyn Cohen) focuses on how technology is changing learning, looks at the most promising opportunities as…

This paper gives an account of the use of the CoSy conferencing system in an introductory information technology course at the British Open University in 1988. A discussion of the integration of the CoSy system into the existing curriculum is followed by descriptions of the conferencing environment and the interface to CoSy. Profiles of students…

This publication is meant to share ideas about distance education and descriptions of work-in-progress in this area. In the first of three papers, "Computers, Related Devices and Distance Education: How Cinderella Becomes a Princess," George Hampton describes the need for technological literacy and suggests computer-assisted instruction…

Fifteen developments in technology that have laid the foundation for the current information-technology environment on college and university campuses are listed. They include both specific technological innovations and broader trends that make use of several technologies. (MSE)

This study assessed the effectiveness of a home computing policy for distance education students in terms of student access to computing equipment; the extent of computer use by faculty; the impact of home computing on students' organization of their work and the workload and difficulty of the course; and the availability of support and help for…

The two papers presented in this document discuss aspects of the computer revolution and its effects on the production of print materials. The papers are addressed to readers who are educators rather than technologists. The first article, entitled "Print," interprets that term broadly to include text development and production, and…

This paper describes the characteristics of "smart schools" and offers guidelines for developing such schools. Smart schools are defined as having three features: (1) they are computer networked via local area networks in order to share information through teleconferencing, databases, and electronic mail; (2) they are connected beyond…

This proceedings volume includes the following 29 papers: Session 1--(1) "Technology for Learning: The Present and Future in the United States" (Thomas Owens, Carolyn Cohen); (2) "Computer Systems Technology Programs at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (Canada). A Technology-Based Model for Information Technology"…

Describes New York University's nationwide telecommunications program called The Virtual College, which delivers interactive video to PCs in student homes for an advanced professional certificate in information technology that is primarily used by managers. Highlights include cost effectiveness; the classroom reengineering framework, learning…

Thomas Edison State College (New Jersey) has developed a computer-assisted distance learning system to make undergraduate study more accessible, efficient, and effective for nontraditional students. The three main components: an infrastructure to provide varied technical services; an independent study course system; and diagnostic, online pretests…

The 1994 Study of Communications Technology in Higher Education was a nation-wide survey of colleges and universities about instructional uses of microcomputers and audiovisual and multimedia technologies. Eight questionnaires were developed: six for institutional-level spokespersons at 1,000 randomly selected institutions in the United States;…

This update reports on the technology available in New York's public schools. Data and figures are provided for the following measures: total number of microcomputers in New York State public schools; percent of old and new computers; ratio of students to technology resources; number and percent of schools having at least one of a given type of…

A new course, Independent Study Research and Writing via Telecommunications, is being developed by the Division of Independent Study (DIS) of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction to teach telepublishing skills utilizing the NeXT telecommunicating (interpersonal computing) techniques, i.e., NeXT Mail. This multimedia electronic-mail…

Intended for outreach workers, community development workers, tutors, managers, and coordinators, this guide focuses on how laptop computers are and could be used innovatively and resourcefully for basic skills, outreach, and widening participation generally. Chapter 1 introduces aims and management of the Laptop Initiative for Adult and Community…