Discusses changes in the Internet, including new e-mail addresses. Several new discussion groups are described, including groups that encourage participation by kindergarten through grade 12 students, parents, teachers, and administrators; one concerning curriculum issues; and one exploring educational potentials of the Internet. (LRW)

Describes the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), a digital telecommunications system. Applications of ISDN in the classroom are examined, including information systems such as computers and fax machines; video conferencing; desktop computer conferencing; and voice messaging and caller identification. Cost estimates are also included.…

Explains WebQuests, Internet-based lessons that integrate technology into the classrooms without the risks of exposing students to inappropriate Web sites. Examples are given of WebQuests that students created in various grade levels, as well as an assignment for teacher education students to design a WebQuest. (LRW)

Describes the Virtual Reality and Education Lab (VREL) established at East Carolina University to study the implications of virtual reality for elementary and secondary education. Highlights include virtual reality software evaluation; hardware evaluation; computer-based curriculum objectives which could use virtual reality; and keeping current…

This fourteenth article in a series on the principles of the AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) Code of Professional Ethics focuses on the issue of equitable treatment, using an example of providing equitable computer technology in a school district. (LRW)

Describes educational applications for Hypercard, a new piece of software for Apple Macintosh microcomputers. Highlights include programing languages; the development of databases; school media center applications; telecomputing possibilities; use in research activities; and the need for Macintosh computers and educational software in elementary…

Discusses the change from a teacher-centered approach when computers were first used in the classroom to a learner-centered approach. Highlights each of six articles presented in this special issue that explore the issues related to using the computer as a tool to learning with, rather than to learn from. (AEF)

Presents a framework for developing a World Wide Web-based lesson. Focuses on determining an instructional goal, browsing existing curricula for ideas, developing clear objectives for the Web-based lesson, and finding online resources to achieve the state objectives. Sidebars list online curriculum sites, search directories, and search engines.…

Describes projects in schools using innovative educational technology. These programs include an interactive television and computer network; an initiative to use the Internet in rural areas; a telecommunications network to share information throughout Tennessee; and an announcement of the Marlowe Froke National Award for Leadership in Educational…

Describes educational technology franchises that sell services to students, either through schools or directly through retail centers, to educate them about and with technology. Topics addressed include the emphasis on personalized instruction; cooperative learning; curriculum; cost effectiveness; site-based management in public education; and…

Describes LEARN NC (North Carolina), a program of the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a network of elementary and secondary school educators that helps teachers make effective use of the World Wide Web and integrate it into their classrooms. Explains their Web site, which contains lesson plans and other…

Describes statewide professional development programs in Michigan that were developed to train teachers in technology use. Discusses Teach for Tomorrow, which combines online learning with local facilitators and peer support networks; and the Great Lakes Education Network Best Practices project, which combines lesson plans from the Web with…

In July 1998, Pennsylvania State University, Mont Alto, began its version of the "TICKET" (Technology Integration Certification for K-12 Educators and Teachers) program that provides classroom teachers in remote regional school districts with access to educational opportunities to develop technology competencies that can enhance their instruction.…

Describes programs in Florida that help teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. Highlights include technology literacy for students; creating learning environments; Web sites; state standards; the Florida Information Resource Network; the Instructional Technology Resource Center; and the development of an online high school. (LRW)

The project-based software, "The Writing Trek," was created to give teachers the tools they need to promote literacy at all grade levels. Lessons include skill-building exercises, an onscreen reference library (writer's handbook, almanac, thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, and lexicon), and advice by leading writers. The design and development process…