On May 7, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Universal Service Order outlining a plan to guarantee that all eligible schools, libraries, and rural health care providers have affordable connections to the Internet. By making $2.5 billion available annually, this program will provide discounts (commonly known as the E-rate)…

Electronic network systems, their components--terminal, microcomputer, or communications word processor; telephone, and modem (modulator-demodulator)--and their applications are explained for educators in this digest. Emphasis is on the characteristics and capabilities of: (1) electronic mail, which allows the transmission and reception of…

Begun in 1969, the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) records, maintains, and transfers education and health information on over 600,000 migrant children in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This information is used by local educators dealing with individual migrant students, and by local, state, and federal…

This digest highlights features of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), explains how to use the system most effectively, and offers suggestions on how teacher education faculty can present and use the ERIC system to supplement classroom instruction. Following a description of how resources in ERIC can be helpful to teachers and…

Small public libraries can deliver service like big libraries, without sacrificing hometown warmth and charm. By borrowing strategies used by successful small businesses in the private sector, defining goals and exploiting low cost technologies, small public libraries can serve customer wants as well as much larger institutions. Responding to just…

Computer networks can fall into three broad categories--local area networks (LAN), microcomputer based messaging systems (this includes computer bulletin board systems), or commercial information systems. Many of the same types of activities take place within the three categories. The major differences are the types of information available and…

Digital reference services (also known as "AskA" services, as in "Ask-an-Expert") provide subject expertise and information referral over the Internet to their users. This ERIC Digest provides an overview of the growing digital reference movement and its implications on sponsoring organizations, and examines current practices…

Ten commonly held misconceptions about the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) information system are presented together with a brief discussion of the facts for each one. These factual responses provide the following overview of the ERIC system. ERIC is a national information system that includes 16 clearinghouses and four support…

The Internet is an international computer network composed of thousands of smaller networks. As K-12 schools connect to the Internet, a new method of communication opens up to educators and their students. This ERIC Digest describes some sample services and resources that are available to the K-12 community by electronic mail over the Internet.…

Although there are many content-rich resource sites for elementary and middle school students on the World Wide Web, finding such sites can often be difficult. This ERIC Digest describes more than 50 K-8 curriculum related Web sites of special interest to students, teachers, parents and librarians. Sites are listed under the following categories:…

This digest offers basic information about resources, available to users of personal computers, in the area of professional development in special education. Two types of resources are described: those that can be purchased on computer diskettes and those made available by linking personal computers through electronic telephone networks. Resources…

This digest highlights features of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), explains how to use the system most effectively, and offers suggestions on how health and physical education teacher education faculty can present and use the ERIC system to supplement classroom instruction. Following a description of how resources in ERIC can…

Designed to demonstrate that the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is a useful source of information for educational practitioners at all levels, this digest provides an introduction to the ERIC system and describes the National Education Practice File Project (NEPF). This 2-year project was designed to find out from…

As K-12 schools connect to the Internet, a new method of communication opens up to educators and their students. This ERIC Digest describes some sample services and resources that are available to the K-12 community by electronic mail over the Internet (resources and addresses are subject to change). Question answering services, electronic…

This digest provides examples of projects which can be used in the early childhood education (ECE) and child development classrooms to introduce students to Internet resources. The first section of the digest suggests guides that teacher educators can use to design Internet training sessions and to locate resources of interest to adults working…