Libraries' dependence on computers can lead to frustrations for patrons and staff during downtime caused by computer system failures. Advice for reducing the number of crashes is provided, focusing on improved training for systems staff, better management of library systems, and the development of computer systems using quality components which…

Considers the wealth of information on the Internet and suggests a number of ways to incorporate it into meaningful instructive activities. Posits five levels of Internet activity: personal use, sharing material with students, incorporating material into units, facilitating student-directed projects, and student-initiated and directed projects.…

A physics professor ponders the advantages and possibilities of the Internet in graduate education and shares his own experiences delivering graduate courses and individual lectures online. Discusses accreditation and costing between institutions, the nature and extent of copyright problems, and the most useful forms of student interaction. (PVD)

Describes the Proffit Mountain project, part of a senior-level class in applied geophysics that provides students with hands-on experience in applying principles and techniques learned in class. Students conduct magnetic, gravity, and radiometric studies over a diabase body which intrudes rhyolite at Proffitt Mountain in southeast Missouri.…

Asserts that current software makes it easy for instructors to integrate visual displays into their lectures. Reviews the benefits of using visual displays, provides a taxonomy of visual displays, and proposes principles for constructing each type of display. Includes reproductions of related computer graphic screens. (MJP)

Provides some cursory guidance on the mechanics of establishing and instructing in a virtual classroom. Briefly discusses the history and central issues of distance education, describes how to teach an online virtual seminar, and offers recommendations for future courses. Discusses such issues as instructor availability, directing discussions,…

Summarizes the findings of a study of the conditions associated with introducing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into precollege curricula. Principal data sources included questionnaires, field observations, and interviews. Concludes that GIS will rapidly, and inevitably, become the tool of choice for exploring spatial concepts. Includes…

Provides brief descriptions of Internet sites for teachers wishing to access various hazard warnings, satellite images, hazard vulnerability maps, reports, and other data concerning geophysical, hydrologic, and meteorological hazards. Includes suggested classroom strategies and references to past articles in the "Journal of Geography" containing…

Illustrates how a computer software symbolic-processing program can be easily incorporated into an advanced undergraduate microeconomics course. Symbolic-processing programs are relatively sophisticated software packages that combine numeric, symbolic, and graphic computation in a single unified computing environment. Includes examples of…

Explores new forms of publication that are gaining wider use in scholarly communities, including on-line journals, listservs and other on-line discussion groups, and self-publishing. Discusses how these are influencing the kinds of scholarship taking place in on-line contexts and how they raise new questions about criteria used for academic…

How will appropriate technologies for courses designed in the 21st century be determined? Some say the meeting of students with teachers will soon be a relic of the past, like signal fires. Others advocate the need for face-to-face instruction. Another position is advocated by those who say education should use a combination of face-to-face and…

The authors recount some challenges associated with teaching poetry to high school students and describe how an interactive software program to generate "found" poetry based on student input helped simulate dialogue about words and word choices. (AEF)

Reviews the role of computer technology in promoting the education of children with special needs within regular classrooms, discussing: technologies for students with mild learning and behavioral disorders, speech and language disorders, hearing impairments, visual impairments, and severe physical disabilities. Examines barriers to effective…

Describes the Valdosta State University (Georgia) Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology's venture into creating its own online graduate degree program without the assistance of private vendors. Topics discussed include the new program design process, student recruitment, technologies used to build and support the program, and the…

Teacher-librarians must prepare students to use technology and information effectively. An outline for a curriculum entitled "Computer Skills for Information Problem-Solving" is presented. Specific desired competencies are listed in the following areas: (1) task definition; (2) information-seeking strategies; (3) location and access; (4)…