A group of higher education policy experts identified the most pressing federal and state public policy developments likely to be debated in 1995. This report discusses the 10 issues identified: (1) student loan changes; (2) restricted taxpayer support; (3) tax policies; (4) federal support for research and other programs; (5) State Postsecondary…

This paper summarizes and extends an earlier study that reviewed the literature on technology effectiveness, focusing on computers, traditional distance education, two-way interactive telecommunications, multimedia, and the Internet. It also adds some tools for technology evaluation as well as a rationale for using regions to distribute…

This paper examines how, why, and by whom technology is being used in schools. Educational technology is defined as the systematic design and use of hardware and software to achieve specific objectives. Recent studies indicate that the most frequent location of computers in schools is in the administrative office; second is in the library media…

This videotape cassette portrays the role of portfolios for educational improvement through assessment in a California classroom participating in the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) educational technology program. Elementary school students at the Stevens Creek School used computers for writing assignments, and included the best of their…

With funds from the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Project SYNERGY was launched in January 1990 to address the problem of students entering colleges underprepared in basic skills and to make use of the tremendous potential for significant remediation through computers. Twenty-two institutions in the United States and Canada,…

A national telephone survey of 1,206 regular education teachers was conducted on behalf of the National Education Association to determine the incidence of school-provided educational technology and to assess teacher perceptions of their effects on the education process. Some forms of technology, such as photocopiers, television, and videocassette…

This project developed and evaluated an intervention program involving applications of technology to enhance the communication skills and behaviors of children with deaf blindness and other severe disabilities. Of interest were specific applications designed to increase attention, use of symbols, reception, expression of choice, awareness of…

Distance learning in Connecticut has begun to develop in the wake of telecommunications (TELCO) infrastructure modernization. Progress in this area is reviewed and discussed. The state has not yet adopted a standardized statewide policy governing the delivery of educational telecommunications programing, and various private producers currently…

The five essays in this volume represent the contributions of one group of leaders in the application of computers to the teaching and learning of foreign languages and illustrate present and future uses of technology in assisting language learning. Various pedagogical problems and approaches are considered in the papers. They are: (1)…

This study describes how some school districts have implemented full motion, two-way interactive video in rural small schools and communities. A prototype and guidelines for future implementation are presented. Researchers studied 14 school districts in the Oklahoma Panhandle and eastern New Mexico and three sites in Texas where the technology has…

Whether two-way visual contact between an instructor and students would promote dialogue during teleconferenced instruction was studied, and the types of verbal dialogues that might be affected by two-way video contact were explored. The following three types of instruction were assessed: (1) Group A, teleconferenced instruction in which students…

Assistive technology that can help disabled computer users is described, and a resource guide to computer help for the disabled is presented. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has broad implications for higher education, in that it mandates that colleges and universities give disabled students equal access to computers on public…

This paper presents a model for designing computer-based simulation environments within a constructivist framework for the K-12 school setting. The following primary criteria for the development of simulations are proposed: (1) the problem needs to be authentic; (2) the cognitive demand in learning should be authentic; (3) scaffolding supports a…

This paper presents a framework and model for design of open-ended learning environments (OELEs). First, an overview is presented that addresses key characteristics of OELEs, including: use of meaningful, complex contexts; provision of tools and resources; learner reflection and self-monitoring; and social, material, or technological scaffolding.…

In Switzerland, bilingual education models have existed for a long time. Some schools have a bilingual tradition that reaches back to the nineteenth century, as do informal models along the French-German language border. At the same time, exchanges between language communities led to bilingual learning, and the Raetoromania is a compulsory, though…