Based on analysis of discussions of fiction using Dedalus Interchange in literary analysis classes, it was found that synchronous electronic conferencing exposed students to more viewpoints, deemphasized traditional authority, increased metalinguistic awareness, decreased inhibition and gender barriers, and facilitated increased social…

Highlights two recent studies in the field of distance education. C.N. Gunawardena and F.J. Zittle found a high degree of variation between learner satisfaction and social presence in a computer-mediated communication environment. J. McDonald and C. Campbell-Gibson study demonstrated that groups meeting in a synchronous computer-mediated course…

Relates experiences with replacing textbooks with computer-based multimedia, citing middle-school use of multimedia software Science 2000 in Laredo, Texas. Advantages include interactivity, extensive databases, visual learning, data links, and student enthusiasm. Drawbacks include superficiality, lack of infrastructure support, teacher resistance,…

Describes a graduate course on distance learning which uses seven kinds of asynchronous and synchronous interactive media. All students were able to find their voices in one of the media, and many achieved profound learning experiences at a distance. One of the disadvantages of using multiple media is the problem of measuring the outcomes of…

Explores challenges that teachers face when they attempt to include computers in instruction. Investigates teachers' adoption of educational reforms and teachers' perceptions of computers in classroom instruction. Presents information from a case study of a mathematics teacher's classroom practice; notes implications for the preparation of…

Examines the role of reading in the acquisition of French in context, and shows how, in the area of reading, the computer can be transformed into a highly pedagogical teaching/learning tool because of the text retrieval program TACT. (32 references) (Author/CK)

Describes advantages and disadvantages of microcomputer uses in the classroom. Provides a listing and a brief description of exemplary microcomputer-based laboratories (MBLs) used by high school students and preservice teachers. (ZWH)

Results using 165 students show a greater difference on the Test of Integrated Process Skills occurred in the setting where cooperative learning and microcomputer-based laboratories were used. (PR)

Describes the use of a supercomputer in chemistry and physics instruction. The computer is used by high school students to create high quality, nearly 3-D graphic images of scientific phenomena. (PR)

Examines two tenets of communicative language teaching--authenticity of the input and authorship of the language user--in an electronic environment. Reviews research in textually-mediated second language acquisition and analyzes two cases of computer-mediated language learning: the construction of a multimedia CD-ROM by American college learners…

Examines various issues related to language-teaching via interactive television, focusing on experiences using interactive television in Australian schools. Discusses how interactive television works, how such a classroom differs from normal classrooms, the teacher's role, the structure of a typical lesson, and successful and unsuccessful teaching…

The present study makes use of the capabilities of computerized environments to enable simultaneous display of molecular representations that correspond to observations at the macroscopic level. This study questions the immediate and long-term effects of using a multimedia instructional unit that integrates the macroscopic, symbolic, and molecular…

Teaching is a moral and educational enterprise. Therefore, teachers are expected to explain and justify the instructional methods and designs they use in their teaching to demonstrate how they meet the moral and educational ends of the teaching enterprise. To justify the use of particular instructional methods and designs goes beyond giving a…

Substantial disagreement exists in the literature regarding which educational technology results in the highest cognitive gain for learners. In an attempt to resolve this dispute, we conducted a meta-analysis to decipher which teaching method, games and interactive simulations or traditional, truly dominates and under what circumstances. It was…

Working together and exchanging ideas is inherent in interactive learning. The focus of interactive learning is on what learners believe is important to learn, the various processes learners use to learn and how learners use learning in other settings and situations. Active learning processes that promote reflection, writing, demonstrations,…