Although it is evident that the Industrial Age has given way to the Information Age, educational institutions are still using Industrial Age models of instruction that encourage passive learning and stress knowledge mastery. In the media-rich Information Age, educators must shift to instructional models that put learners at the core of both the…

This report summarizes the key laws, policies, and regulations and current or persistent issues associated with Tennessee public education. Two major questions directed the inquiry: What were the principal educational policy developments in Tennessee in the 1980s and 1990s? and What major educational challenges and issues currently exist in…

This set of information sheets is intended to improve practice in special education through technology, media, and materials. The first information profile introduces NCIP (the National Center to Improve Practice), gives an example of how one special education administrator uses NCIP resources, and offers suggestions for facilitating NCIP…

During the 1994-95 academic year a series of four focus groups were held to learn more about faculty attitudes toward computing and instructional technologies at the University of North Texas. This report assembles faculty quotes which represent group concerns about: (1) the reliability of the equipment and its technical support; (2) the…

Since the 1960's biology teaching in secondary schools has been transformed from a formal approach reflecting the structure of the discipline and mirroring the concerns of the scientific community to a broad-based approach reflecting the concerns of society as a whole. The aim of biology education today is to heighten awareness, improve students'…

This competency-based secondary learning guide on understanding the impact of new technology is part of a series that are adaptations of guides developed for adult consumer and homemaking education programs. The guides provide students with experiences that help them learn to do the following: make decisions; use creative approaches to solve…

Distance education has become a major teaching and learning tool. Distance education typically uses technology to reach learners in the following ways: (1) audio communication through one- or two-way radio or telephone; (2) audiographic links such as computer-to-telephone setups; (3) freeze-frame transmission of visual images; (4) one-way…

In 1991, educators at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia began developing ideas for integrating telecommunications into the instructional practices of public school teachers using Virginia's Public Education Network. Teachers from across the state were invited to participate in a telecommunications project called the…

This document, which is designed for classroom teachers at all levels, examines the various electronic communications technologies available today and describes teaching methods and classroom techniques that teachers of business communication and other business education courses can use to introduce students to those technologies. Presented first…

Many colleges and departments at Tennessee Technological University, as well as most other major universities, are progressing toward more interactive instructional materials. The benefits of implementing instructional technology are numerous and diverse. However, because of increasingly austere budgets, a focused and cost-effective approach to…

In order to prepare prospective teachers of secondary school mathematics to effectively guide the teaching and learning process using technology, a new required course was developed at Middle Tennessee State University. Technology has been integrated into mathematics courses in which these preservice teachers are enrolled. This paper discusses the…

Suggesting the need for a balance between literature and intentional skills instruction, this book provides K-2 teachers and administrators with a theoretical base for creating a balanced reading program and gives educators a chance to step into actual classrooms where teachers have successfully implemented effective programs. Each chapter in the…

This publication consists of colorful data sheets on the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Centers (ERC) Program, a program designed to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industries by bringing new approaches and goals to academic engineering research and education. The main elements of the ERC mission are cross-disciplinary…

This book, a report from the National Center for Improving Science Education, examines how technology can be taught in the classroom. The five chapters establish the need for technology education, describe its status, develop a vision of what it could and should look like, and make suggestions and recommendations about how to achieve that vision.…

This document is designed to help administrators and teachers plan, develop, and implement technology education (TE) programs. It provides a philosophical foundation and broad outline for constructing comprehensive TE programs that develop middle school and high school students' technological literacy by focusing on the ways in which ingenuity,…