Discussion of teachers of the future focuses on their role as historians, where the subject, the history of the subject, and the history of applicable information technologies related to the subject will need to be taught. Discusses computer networks, multimedia materials, distance learning, access to information, and active versus passive…

Examines issues in using technology in college instruction, particularly the nature and degree of involvement of technology. Discusses the tension between substance and presentation, and the significant challenges in making technology meet learning needs. Suggests that more research is needed to prove that technology meets these needs and…

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) are educational software based on expert systems that store educational knowledge. This article describes a model for computer-assisted mediation and its application in a prototype multimedia ITS for teaching blind children the recognition and reproduction of Braille signs. This system differs from previous work…

Discusses the outcomes of the United States Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) intended to bring together copyright owners and users to develop fair use guidelines. Describes efforts of the six CONFU working groups: digital images, distance learning, educational multimedia, library use of computer software, electronic reserve systems, and interlibrary…

Computer simulations in clinical pharmacy education help expose students to clinical patient management earlier and enable training of large numbers of students outside conventional clinical practice sites. Multimedia instruction and its application to pharmacy training are described, the general process for developing multimedia presentations is…

Reports on a use of computer-aided instruction and multimedia technology in an outpatient library to meet the information needs of people who have severe and persistent mental illnesses. Topics include funding, special needs related to schizophrenia, computers in mental health rehabilitation, collection development, and library usage. (Author/LRW)

The Multimedia Education Laboratory of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Michigan develops multimedia-based educational materials presenting difficult concepts and chemical engineering processes. Highlights include software developed for undergraduate courses; the Multimedia Encyclopedia of Chemical Engineering Equipment;…

Reviews empirical studies from a wide variety of fields to show that computer-based multimedia instruction may be able to help people learn more information more quickly compared to traditional classroom lecture. Topics include interactivity; control of learning pace; novelty; and learners with low prior knowledge or aptitude. (103 references)…

Reports on a study that investigated the collaborative interaction patterns exhibited by five-year-old preprimary children in a multimedia educational computer environment in Perth, Australia. Discusses software appropriateness; preexisting computer competency and computer attitudes; friendship between collaborators; social goals; learning…

Discusses the limited exposure many preservice teacher programs have regarding innovative uses for technology in the classroom. Describes the use of a WebCT-based virtual field trip to an elementary school, using constructivist theory as a framework, to help preservice teachers rethink traditional instruction. (Author/LRW)

Describes collaboration of two teacher educators, one in early childhood language arts and one in computers in education. Discusses advantages and disadvantages and extensions of this model, including how a college-wide survey revealed that students in teamed courses are better prepared to teach and learn with technology. (DR)

Examines how different internal learner characteristics (prior knowledge, self efficacy, and interest) and different external constraints (learner control, instructional design, and level of control) influence the learning process. Discusses learning from multimedia environments (video, hypertext, kiosk, and other hypermedia) within a schema…

A study of 38 fifth-grade students investigated the effectiveness of two interactive multimedia instructional spelling programs, one offering behaviorist-visual learning options and the other offering cognitivist-phonological learning options. Both groups showed increased spelling ability, though neither program outperformed the other, suggesting…

Discusses ways in which software (available at most school computing sites) can be used to create interesting visuals for lesson plans and activities. Describes a series of computer-generated graphics (created using Microsoft PowerPoint) designed to support a unit on families and diversity. (MJP)

Evaluates the effectiveness of Web-based, interactive, multimedia electronic learning materials by comparing students' learning outcomes in the lecture and online versions of an introductory computing course at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Suggests that the use of carefully designed interactive electronic learning modules…