Today's hyper-connected students live in a world of instant interpersonal communications and virtually infinite access to information and educational resources. But this networked world, and the powerful learning tools it offers, has yet to penetrate the typical classroom. In many ways educational institutions are spinning their curricular wheels,…

Includes "It Boggles the Mind" (Odell); "Merging Your Classroom onto the Information Superhighway" (Murphy); "The World's Largest Computer Network" (Fleck); "The Information Highway in Iowa" (Miller); "Interactive Video Networks in Secondary Schools" (Swan et al.); and "Upgrade to Humancentric…

The 1990s will usher in increasingly sophisticated interactive multimedia technologies leading to widespread employment of virtual reality. The arts (visual, music, drama, dance, and creative writing) are intimately involved with instructional technology's future. The arts provide both adult (commercial) creators and contributors to the programs…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the usefulness of an interactive communications network for agricultural education at the secondary level. The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) is a two-way full motion fiber optics telecommunications system capable of linking secondary agricultural departments throughout Iowa. The…

Discusses distance learning at East Mecklenburg High School (Charlotte, North Carolina), a demonstration site for the North Carolina Information Highway. Highlights include community/adult education, hardware, costs, video and sound equipment, distance learning class scheduling, and future outlooks. (AEF)

Discusses the proper planning and upgrading of telecommunications infrastructure in schools that can support state-of-the-art data, voice, and video applications. An example of one school's efforts at installing an integrated telecommunications system for its 17,500 students is highlighted. (GR)

The introduction of inter-school electronic networks has added a new dimension to education in Canada that has many implications for students who attend schools in rural communities. Collaborative internet-based teaching and learning and the creation of virtual classes within regional intranets now complement traditional on-site instruction in…

Describes the design of a learning environment, called the Climate Visualizer, intended to facilitate scientific sense-making in high school classrooms by providing students the ability to craft, inspect, and annotate scientific visualizations. Discusses how visualizations can promote creation of scientific theories, especially in conjunction with…

Describes an experiment in network collaboration using the Geometer's Sketchpad to allow students in a computer laboratory to view one another's work. (MKR)

Asynchronous computer-based conferencing offers several unique capabilities as a medium. Participants can read and write messages at whatever time is convenient for them, groups can interact even though participants are geographically separated, and messages are available to readers almost instantly. Because the medium has served for over a decade…

Reports on a survey of middle and high schools in eastern North Carolina's Clinical Schools Network that examined the current status of computer networking and how the role of school media specialist is being affected. Results are reported related to perceived instructional needs and network problems, as well as proposed instructional and…

The goal of the Educational Technology Center (ETC) Computer-based Conferencing Project has been to explore the potential of computer-mediated communication to support teachers in collegial exchange about their subject and practice, and to develop recommendations for future applications and management of such conferences. The purposes of this…

Describes how innovations in educational technology contribute to motivation and achievement in the Berkshire Union Free School District (New York), a public school for at-risk students. Highlights include classroom presentation stations, examples of student multimedia projects, and state and federal recognition for the school. A list of producers…

Scotch College (Adelaide, Australia) has networked 90% of its classrooms. This article describes the campus computer network and its hardware and configuration; World Wide Web problems and solution; a "mini Internet" of curriculum-specific materials gathered from the Web; student and faculty use; student and staff training; security;…

Discusses the planning and installation of a high school local area network. Highlights include suggestions for: defining goals, applying for funding, coordinating installation, teacher training, developing district technology plans, plans for growth, choosing locations, maintenance plans, system security, system backup, and use studies. (JKP)