Explores the management of CD-ROM service in Malaysian academic libraries and marketing strategies used to popularize it. Findings revealed that these libraries use a variety of marketing and promotional channels, some of which need improvement; the libraries need to strengthen their end-user education programs to suit users with different levels…

Reviews speech-interactive learning activities in selected commercial products: activities for vocabulary development, conversational practice, and pronunciation. Suggests the effectiveness of speech-interactive computer-assisted language learning is determined less by capabilities of the speech recognizer than by (a) design of language-learning…

Describes an experiment in which presentation size and text length is varied in a HyperCard application. Students performed a fact-retrieval task from a reference handbook. No interaction is found between these two independent variables. Performance is significantly better for the longer texts, but no significant difference is found for the two…

Examines the effective use of computers in an undergraduate classroom based on the needs and desires of multiple-interest groups: students, instructors, support staff, administrators, software developers, publishers, and faculty colleagues. Suggests that the successful integration of technology will meet the needs of each group. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the value of having a good library media-center newsletter that ensures consistent positive visibility and suggests topics to consider, including requesting teacher input on collection development, explaining computer software, book talks, copyright issues, current Web sites, biographies of new teachers, and media-center projects. (LRW)

Discussion of free speech on the Internet focuses on three basic options open to schools trying to resolve the dilemma of protecting children while preserving intellectual freedom: commercial censorware, blocking, and filtering. Concludes that adult supervision is still the most effective means of regulating access to the Internet. (LRW)

Discusses the processes involved in migrating a library's automation system. Highlights include getting information from vendor demonstrations, setting up an evaluation database to analyze RFPs (requests for proposals), making a spreadsheet that compares costs of packages, making recommendations once the data are analyzed, and implementation…

Describes collection-development strategies for use in the identification, evaluation, and selection of numeric-data resources. Addresses three primary issues: the delineation of collecting scope and organizational role; the identification of potentially relevant data resources; and the evaluation of those resources in accordance with objective,…

Describes the University of Washington Digital Libraries Initiative that provides the context for effective collaboration among faculty, engineers, students, and librarians for the creation, use, and investigation of electronic information services, resources, and systems developed from a users' perspective. Also explains an image-archiving…

Provides a background to technology and authentic teaching of culture in foreign language instruction. Introduces each of the five articles in a special issue on technology and teaching where the authors focus on the importance of using different media and technology to facilitate culture learning. (AEF)

Findings from a study investigating students' reactions to a hypermedia program used to analyze real-life interactions indicated that pragmatic awareness can be developed in virtual culture contact situations. Similar interactive software in combination with ethnographic activities may be more effective in culture teaching and learning.…

Reviews the development of computer-aided instruction (CAI) and provides criteria for effective CAI on the World Wide Web. Presents an experimental CAI package called "oo Micro!" intended to satisfy those criteria. Describes the package contents and procedures, and provides an Internet address where a demonstration can be found. (DSK)

Using software and a coding system developed by the author, the text of all spoken and written discourse was analyzed from four face-to-face (FTF) courses and two courses taught via computer-mediated communication (CMC). Results indicated that interaction patterns in the CMC courses resembled discussion, whereas patterns in the FTF courses…

Identifies indicators of excellence in educational technology including hardware, software, integration, on-site support, administrative support, conference participation, use of emerging technologies, home and community connections, technology planning, and educational reform. (DB)

Argues that there are no generalizations about what features of technology or software type makes computer-assisted learning (CAL) successful. "Niche based success" comes from a close fit between a piece of courseware and its situation of use that is specific to that niche. Discusses teacher analysis of weak existing situations and how…