Describes developments in British education in distance learning technologies. Highlights include networking the rural areas; communication, community, and paradigm shifts; digital compression techniques and telematics; Web-based material delivered over the Internet; system flexibility; social support; learning support; videoconferencing; and…

Suggests that it is vital that all library and information science (LIS) students be trained to think and work in a virtual networked environment by taking a class in a Web-based classroom. Discusses components of a virtual classroom and describes a model Web-based class at San Jose State University. (Author/LRW)

Discusses results from a meta-analysis that synthesized existing research comparing the effects of hypermedia versus other forms of instruction on students' achievement. Results suggest that the effects of using hypermedia are positive over non-hypermedia, but the effects may vary depending on what type of instruction hypermedia is compared to.…

Describes the development and implementation of a web-based software engine that selects from a database of questions for students to answer and provides immediate feedback for students and instructor. Discusses the results of using this technology in an organic chemistry section. (Contains 22 references.) (WRM)

This article provides background information about distance learning, the rationale for it, descriptions of three distance learning programs designed specifically for gifted students, and the pros and cons of providing instruction using this method of delivery. The ability of distance learning to provide access to higher level coursework is…

Reports on the nature of interaction during one-way video and two-way audio teleconference sessions at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) based on recording of actual interaction and participants' reactions. Suggests a design for an ideal teleconference session, based on findings of the study. Includes seven tables. (AEF)

Examines the state of teacher education and new initiatives for preparing technology-proficient teachers. Three sidebars present new teachers' words on the role of technology in teacher training; a description of three colleges of education that are leading the way; and results of "Technology & Learning" survey of schools of teacher…

Focuses on four aspects of the interaction process in distance education: (1) justification for interaction in the pedagogical process; (2) definition of interaction as it applies to the process of learning; (3) relationship between the current technologies and interaction; and (4) methodologies for integrating interaction into distance education.…

Explores the relationship between practice at reading, student reading performance, and organizational features using data from a computer-assisted student self-assessment of reading comprehension program (The Accelerated Reader). Finds student reading ability strongly positively related to amount of in-school reading practice; amount of reading…

Describes the development of a scheme for measuring instructional interactivity in multimedia/computer-based training materials. Identifies four categories of content-specific interactions: enriching, supportive, conveyance, and constructive, including the instructional value of each. Illustrates the shorthand action score and discusses extending…

Discusses technology with reference to children's play, including how technology mixes with the established connection between children's play and emergent literacy and advantages and disadvantages of the three-way intersection of technology, literacy, and play in early childhood education. Addresses play and computers, software, the Internet, and…

Illustrates how the Dick and Carey systems approach model (1990) can still be used as part of the instructional design and developmental process in an inquiry-based online constructivist learning environment. Focuses on the Shell Island Dilemma, a scientific inquiry simulation on the Carolina Coastal Science Web site. (AEF)

Illustrates the importance of helping students explore and discover topics in geometry and shows how students who use Geometer's Sketchpad, a powerful computer drawing program, develop a better understanding of geometry. Describes several activities that use the technology to help students discover a wide range of geometric relationships. (AEF)

This article discusses the assistive technology training needs of families and provides an overview of the instructional CD-ROM, "Families, Cultures, and AAC". This CD-ROM is designed to provide information about assistive technology, especially augmentative and alternative communication, to both professionals and families through an engaging…

A new computer program designed to teach people with autism spectrum disorders to better recognize and predict emotional responses in others was evaluated with 22 adolescents with autism or Asperger syndrome. Experimental subjects made gains relative to the control group on post-intervention assessment measures. Gains correlated significantly with…