This paper presents a history of electronic distance education in the United States. Three broad categories of delivery systems are described: (1) over-the-air open circuit systems such as VHF-UHF stations, microwave, instructional television fixed service (ITFS), communications satellites, and educational radio and television; (2)…

This document consists of the two issues of the biannual serial "Rural Libraries" published during 1992. The issues contain three articles and seven speeches and conference papers. The articles describe: (1) how strong community support led to the development of a library on the Glasgow campus of Western Kentucky University; (2) a report of the…

This document outlines the proposals for a regional information system strategy resulting from a project undertaken by the Caribbean Community Secretariat and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Sub-regional Headquarters for the Caribbean. The document covers: (1) the role of information in the development…

The U.S. Department of Education is supporting a 3-year program involving Virginia Tech's computer department and a rural public elementary school. The project seeks to determine whether immersive access to networked computing by students and their families has measurable effects on long-term student achievement. A fifth-grade classroom was…

The purpose of this study was to obtain descriptive information about the nation's public library connectivity, use, and costs related to the Internet. The study gathered data from a national sample of public libraries from the period between May and July 1997. Unlike the 1994 and 1996 students, the 1997 study drew a new library sample that…

This directory provides information about various types of Michigan libraries. The directory is divided into 14 sections: (1) "Alphabetical List of Public and Branch Libraries Whose Names do Not Indicate Their Location"; (2) "Public and Branch Libraries"; (3) "Library Cooperatives"; (4) "Academic Libraries";…

The Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network (PALPIN) was developed to improve the practice of adult literacy teachers, tutors, and program administrators throughout Pennsylvania. The project to develop PALPIN was initiated in 1995-1996. The primary objectives for the PALPIN project's third program year were as follows: adapt and…

This paper describes the ongoing project EONT--Experiment in Open and Distance Learning using New Technologies. The main objective of the project is to examine whether ODL using new technologies is effective. EONT will achieve its goals through experimentation, using an ODL environment based on some of the available new technologies (i.e.,…

The University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) has continued in recent years to extend and broaden its efforts in the revitalization of its undergraduate education program. The University's location (it covers three different islands) makes it a particularly appropriate testbed for examining the application of information technologies to…

Faculties in schools of education are challenged to prepare educators for a changing world. In Canada, a growing number of educators are proactive in the face of a networked world. SchoolNet and its educational partners have been instrumental in articulating the possibilities that lie ahead. The individual's need to learn must be met in…

Individualized instruction and the associated accountability mean more documentation for teachers. How can teacher productivity be increased to handle the heavier workload? The solution for the Jacqueline Vaughn Occupational High School, a special education school in Chicago, was a networked local school computer linked to each teacher's personal…

A New York State Cornell Cooperative Extension project for children, youth, and families is implementing electronic connectivity or Internet access to support the development of computer literacy among staff and program participants and to promote positive program outcomes in communities at risk. Reducing Risks and Increasing Capacity (RRIC) is a…

Through state and regional education networks and commercial providers, the vast resources of the Internet are increasingly available to administrators, school library media specialists, and classroom teachers. This ERIC Digest lists a sample of no cost Internet resources of special interest to K-12 educators (resources and addresses are subject…

Written by practicing teachers about actual instructional computing projects, this book provides information teachers need to integrate instructional technologies into their classrooms. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1, "New Tools for the Classroom: An Introduction to Networked Learning," includes chapters: (1) "Getting Started in a…

This document focuses on four community colleges--in Ireland, Denmark, California, and Mississippi--that play central economic development roles in their communities. Each has chosen to specialize in the skills and knowledge needed by local industry and the regional economy. Such technical colleges have emerged as key regional institutions, not…