An Amiga 500 microcomputer with a talking word processor was used by an Australian visually impaired elementary school pupil, to provide an alternative to braille in using text and writing. This article reviews the relevant literature, explores the challenges and limitations posed by the technology, and offers a case study of the student and her…

Considers educational challenges and opportunities for universities offered by sociotechnical networks, such as the Internet. Uses the case of a course on globalization to outline some practical possibilities for using the Internet to facilitate critical thinking. Suggests that geography educators need to develop a technoliteracy that…

The author introduced a three-phase training model into a yearlong inservice technology training program, field testing the model with a group of elementary school teachers. Strategies, tips and insights are shared regarding each phase of the following phases: "Familiarization: Getting Acquainted with the Computer Environment"; "Utilization: Using…

ComWeb is an analog/digital hybrid computer network providing communication between students and teachers directed from the teacher's workstation that can be adapted for deaf and hard of hearing students in a mainstream environment. This article describes the implementation of a ComWeb-based class in computer literacy classroom and compares…

An overly narrow and specialized focus on technology in schools discourages the use of computers to promote higher-order thinking. Many districts have concentrated on skills training, failed to supply such necessary supports as professional development, conflated technology use with instructional quality, and classified all software applications…

Earlier work, often referred to as the "hole in the wall" experiments, has shown that groups of children can learn to use public computers on their own. This paper presents the method and results of an experiment conducted to investigate whether such unsupervised group learning in shared public spaces is universal. The experiment was…

In recent times discussion surrounding the use of computers in early childhood education has emphasised the role computers play in children's everyday lives. This realisation has replaced early debate regarding the appropriateness or otherwise of computer use for young children in early childhood education. An important component of computer use…

Using survey methodology, this study examined the beliefs and practices of mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) regarding the integration of technology in their teacher education programs. In addition, the relationship among MTEs' beliefs about the importance of technology, their comfort with using and teaching with technology, and the degree to…

Background: Although much has been written about the ways in which new technology might transform educational practice, particularly in the area of literacy learning, there is relatively little empirical work that explores the possibilities and problems--or even what such a transformation might look like in the classroom. 3D virtual worlds offer a…

Computer technologies develop at a challenging fast pace. Formal education should not only teach students basic computer skills to meet current computer needs, but also foster student development of informal learning ability for a lifelong learning process. On the other hand, students growing up in the digital world are often more skilled with…

In this paper, an educational technologist describes his critical approach to using computers in instruction. He discusses his development from high school English teacher to educational technology instructor in a university setting, focusing on people, literature, and films that have shaped his view of technology as well as on his disappointment…

This document contains an introduction to a group of papers in which the authors/professors who have designed and taught graduate or undergraduate courses in educational technology engage readers in the ideas of narrative as a part of teaching. The instructors also encourage readers to consider alternate approaches to teaching and learning that…

During the 1994-95 academic year, a research team at Indiana University expanded the faculty distance education training curriculum to include video vignettes that illustrate instructional techniques used in the regular classroom adapted for distance education settings. This paper summarizes the research literature supporting these efforts and the…

A new approach is being tested at Michigan State University (MSU) to support technology integration within the teacher education (TE) program. A group of technology guides are supporting instructors who are teaching common courses in the teacher preparation program. This change in focus from supporting TE undergraduate students to supporting TE…

This report focuses on the imperative to prepare teachers to understand and use technology. Drawing on the experience of the Texas Centers for Professional Development of Teachers (CPDTs), the report illustrates how CPDTs are exploring models of instruction built on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards and…