As Internet usage increases nationally, it becomes more apparent that the Digital Divide (the gap between those who have information access and those who do not) is related to demographics. Although the number of low income and ethnic households that have Internet access is increasing, the Digital Divide is expected to widen because access…

This paper reports on one dimension of a longitudinal study that researched the impact on student creativity of a unique intervention program for elementary (year 6 and year 7) students. The intervention was based on the Australian National Profile and Statement for the curriculum area of Technology. The intervention program comprised…

This study analyzed how faculty and graduate students interacted within a distance education environment when a new technology was introduced. Data from an education course offered via interactive audio/video and supported with Web-based materials and interaction opportunities were analyzed. Initially, the course was developed for delivery through…

This paper describes processes undertaken by Central Missouri State University's Department of Curriculum and Instruction to prepare teacher candidates to create Web-based professional portfolios, Central's expectations for content coverage within the electronic portfolios, and evaluation procedures. It also presents data on portfolio construction…

The interest in the effects of computer-mediated communication on language learning has increased in recent years. It is asserted by proponents that use of e-mail in second language learning promotes more effective discourse management, the use of more foreign language functions, and greater levels of student participation. E-mail puts learners in…

This booklet presents educators with practical ways to put the Internet to work in the classroom. An introduction provides resources for getting connected to and exploring the Internet. The next section on using the Web in the classroom discusses a student-created Web survey; cooperative challenge; social action; community connection; simulation;…

This issue is a debate-discussion concerning science centers in the electronic age. The articles are based on presentations made at the Science Center World Congress (1st, Heureka, Finland, June 13-17, 1996). The four articles are: (1) "Lessons from Laboratorio dell'Immaginario Scientifico" (Andrea Bandelli); (2) "The Doom-Shaped Thing in the…

This book shows how to use readily accessible computer technology to engage hard-to-reach children, including those with attention deficit disorder, autism, aspergers, and developmental delays. The authors demonstrate that the computer's ability to combine motion, sound, color, text, and physical activity makes it a cutting-edge approach. The…

The integration of technology into adult literacy promises both exciting and problematic times, especially with regard to curriculum evaluation. Different evaluation approaches have various strengths and weaknesses. A particular strength of the adversarial approach is a well-rounded evaluation with both positives and negatives identified; its main…

In the spring of 1999, the Finnish Ministry of Education devised an information strategy for the period of 2000-2004. This is the second of its kind. The first strategy had been devised to steer national information society development in the fields of education and research from 1995 onwards. The new strategy has aroused a great deal of interest…

Noting that growing consensus about the importance of the first 5 years of life has prompted in-depth considerations about the systemic quality of early care and education in the United States, this issue of "State Education Leader" examines various aspects of early learning. Topics considered in this issue are: (1) key issues in financing early…

This paper addresses the problem of how a community college writing center can maintain its personalized character as it moves toward online resources and approaches. The authors describe a writing resource developed by the Writing Center at LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY) by LaGuardia and CUNY faculty and…

This paper focuses on the rationale for incorporating Blackboard, a Web-authoring software package, as the knowledge construction tool in computer information system courses. The authors illustrate previous strategies they incorporated in their classes, and they present their uses of Blackboard. They point out their reactions as teachers, and the…

Researchers have claimed that while educational computer software does not necessarily improve students' academic performance, it does provide for students a more interesting and motivational environment for learning. It naturally fits in the context of students' learning since it can deliver nonstop actions, realistic sounds and vivid colors to…

The growing interest in the field of educational technology in the design of constructivist learning environments has led to a renewed examination of problem-based learning (PBL), an approach to instruction in which all learning results from students' efforts to solve a complex problem. Concurrent advances in technology make it possible to use…