As part of a longitudinal case study on engagement in middle years mathematics, 20 students attending their first year of secondary school in Western Sydney were asked to provide views on their experiences of the transition to secondary school in relation to mathematics teaching and learning. Differences in teacher-student relationships caused the…

Identifies three major obstacles to introducing computers into public schools as a central tool for communicating and creating knowledge including inappropriate teaching methods, stereotyping of students, and obsolete facilities. Argues that unless these obstacles are overcome, the gulf in our society between the "haves" and the "have nots" will…

Researchers and practitioners have attempted to identify technologies that support students' scientific understanding, activities and support practices that facilitate students' inquiry processes, and methods to sustain technology-enhanced innovations in everyday science classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to examine the findings and…

During the 1994-95 academic year, a research team at Indiana University expanded the faculty distance education training curriculum to include video vignettes that illustrate instructional techniques used in the regular classroom adapted for distance education settings. This paper summarizes the research literature supporting these efforts and the…

In "The Invisible Computer," Donald Norman illustrates his theory of invisible computers turning into information appliances with examples of past inventions like the radio, automobile, and phonograph. Second generation computers have evolved as far as technology will allow. At the present time, the technology itself is the driving force…

This paper explores the impact of Internet access in schools on teachers' professional lives, experiences, and capabilities. The research was conducted within the context of Common Knowledge: Pittsburgh a project designed as a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and the Pittsburgh…

An interactive tool was created to gauge the skills and attitudes of individuals and populations regarding computer technology and its attendant changes. The goal of the project was to develop a non-threatening, user-friendly instrument to assess the computer skills and attitudes of preservice and inservice teachers and administrators at all…

Project Homeroom is an innovative attempt by several Chicago-area schools, International Business Machines, and Ameritech to introduce state-of-the-art computing and telecommunications resources into the educational environment. This report details the second and final year's efforts in three high schools. An evaluation team from the Technological…

This paper examines the use of First Class conferencing software to create a virtual culture among research students and as a vehicle for supervision and advising. Topics discussed include: computer-mediated communication and research; entry to cyberculture, i.e., research students' induction into the research community; supervision and the…

This book is intended to give technology providers a better understanding of the dynamics of interactive distance learning (DL). For technology consumers it provides an understanding of the basics of available telecommunication technologies and the tradeoffs among available alternatives. Among the topics discussed in the book's 12 chapters are the…