Horror stories abound of colleges closed, faculty laid off, and liberal arts programs terminated. Families express concern about costs, students worry about debt, and society appears skeptical about whether a college education is worth it. In many of these reports, colleges and universities are to blame for their own failures. Academic programs…

Smartphone apps have lately emerged as a potent instructional aid for teaching engineering courses. Teaching engineering courses often involve explaining complex problems that require creative solutions to students who are typically tech-savvy. This article reviews 10 smartphone apps that have been developed to teach engineering courses. The apps…

The affordances and pedagogical benefits of technology in the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms are widely acknowledged. One potential use of technology is in eliciting and managing students' responses, which is an area where EAP/ESP teachers often report difficulties. Traditionally, teachers…

This article reviews two recent books on the rising use of digital data in schools and university education, reflecting on areas of further research, analysis, and action. The books discussed are: (1) "The datafication of primary and early years education: playing with numbers," by A. Bradbury and G. Roberts-Holmes, London, Routledge,…

This article provides brief descriptions of the latest product releases in the education market. These products include hardware, software, and resources. The following products are presented in this article, but not limited to: (1) Radius Audio Learning System(www.learningresources.com); (2) The Indigo Learning System from LearningSoft, LLC…

Introduces the articles of this special section on the evaluation of educational technology and provides an overview of each paper. Calls for adjustments to, rather than replacement of, existing evaluation frameworks. (SLD)

Introduces this special issue focusing on eight projects designed to promote complex learning using technology with an associated chapter of commentary. Highlights key issues related to the use of technology and lists 14 learner-centered psychological principles for complex learning. (SLD)

Discussion of speech processing computers that are capable of speech-to-text translation (speech recognition) and text-to-speech production (speech translation) highlights five products currently available: Voice EM, Voice Report, MedTrans 200, Development System, and DragonDictate. Criteria the speech recognition systems must meet for use in the…

Some comments are provided about challenges facing the "instructional theory community," and specific remarks are made about papers presented at a session on expectations about instructional theory at the 1998 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) (Session 2). An area of particular interest is that of…

Offers a detailed analysis of two major producers of children's literature available on CD-ROM: Discis Books and Living Books. Discusses their differing approaches to format, narration, pictures, and teacher support materials. (SR)

Discusses a book, "Taming the Beast: Choice and Control in the Electronic Jungle" that explores 27 key issues about technology in order to understand its impact on ourselves, social structures, and the environment. Highlights include the effective use of technology in schools; anxiety concerning technology; technological literacy; and…

Presents two reviews of "The Evolution of American Educational Technology" (Paul Saettler), a detailed history of educational technology that is organized chronologically into particular movements. Saettler's responses to the critiques are also included. (SLW)

This paper describes the selection process of 17 articles for inclusion in the book, "Classic Writings on Instructional Technology." The book brings together original "classic" educational technology articles into one volume to document the history of the field through its literature. It is also an attempt to make available…

Describes how software that is written or adapted for primary students can be included in each guided reading phase for Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" and Suzy Kline's "Horrible Harry in Room 2B." Notes available hardware platforms for each of the six pieces of software described. (MG)

Reviews "Teaching with Technology: Creating Student Centered Classrooms" by J. Haymore Sandholtz, C. Ringstaff, and D.C. Dwyer, a report on the Apple Classrooms Of Tomorrow Project. Notes that strengths of the book include its accessibility for teachers and administrators, use of quotations from teachers to illustrate the change…