Argues that problems encountered when dictating are different from problems confronted when writing. Discusses two means of interacting with computers by means of voice. (JAD)

This CRitical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) sheet describes resources on the educational use of personal digital assistants (PDAs). It provides an overview, a section on the use of PDAs by teachers and in teacher education, a section on the use of PDAs by students and in classrooms, and a listing of a few of the many Internet resources on PDA use in…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on how technology is having an impact on the overall institutional processes and goals of higher education institutions. It is important that technology should not just be added to existing processes and structures, but integrated into institutional processes. This annotated bibliography…

This digest reviews some significant research on technology use in the classroom that examines how investment in technology will pay off in terms of student learning, and it indicates the conditions under which technology is most likely to have a positive impact on student learning. First presented are two longitudinal studies on how students…

Improvements in portable computing technology and examples of successful pilot programs using laptop computers and other portables have inspired many K-12 schools to consider laptops for their students. In a study of Anytime Anywhere Learning, commissioned by Microsoft (published as the Rockman Report), five models were identified of laptop use…

In the early years of the Internet, there was an expectation that the availability and easy access to online resources of unparalleled abundance would increase educational equity throughout the socio-economic spectrum. In fact, research suggests that patterns of technology access often mirror existing inequalities rather than mitigate them, and if…

This digest describes the "Counseling Software Guide" (Walz and Bleuer, 1989). It summarizes the contents of the guide: (1) general information about the use of computers in counseling; (2) practical guidelines on what to look for in software; (3) an overview of trends and developments in availability and use of software; (4) an overview…

Distance education is an alternative method for delivering academic course work to students unable to attend traditional campus-based classes. This Digest presents information on the many forms of distance education and keys to successful teaching with distance education. Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is…

While the World Wide Web receives most of the publicity, another aspect of the Internet also draws considerable attention. IRC, more formally referred to as Internet Relay Chat, provides a means by which one user can type a message in real time to one or more Internet users, and almost instantaneously, the message appears on the monitors of all…

Over the last 20 years, K-12 schools have spent millions of dollars equipping their schools with the latest technologies, but often without a thoughtful plan of how their use would impact learning and teaching. What is important is how the technology is integrated with the instructional program. To ensure that technology dollars have an impact on…

The "digital divide," the separation between those with access to new technologies and those without, is seen by many as one of the leading equity issues in the United States. Computer and Internet access varies widely across the United States, with better educated people, those with more money, and whites more likely to have Internet…

The educational applications of technology are many and varied, including use as an educational delivery method and an instructional tool. However, technology is often introduced without much thought, and it changes rapidly. Technology can have the following effects: improve educational attainment and skill development; reduce educational…

Graphical representations play an important role in both science and mathematics education. Graphs can summarize very complex information or relationships very effectively. Although graphs are explicitly taught in mathematics classrooms as an end in themselves, many subject areas such as science or social studies utilize graphs to represent and…

To be effective, technology cannot exist in a vacuum, but must become part of the whole educational environment. New measures of evaluation are under development which would help to better define the role of technology in its wider context. This ERIC digest summarizes the observed benefits of technology implementation and addresses the importance…

The essays in this collection focus on recent advances in instructional technology and their use in community colleges. The collection includes: (1) "Telecourses: Using Technology to Serve Distant Learners," by Leslie N. Purdy; (2) "Satellites Stop Beeping and Start Teaching," by Peter Vander Haeghen; (3) "Change through Cooperation: The NILRC…