This paper is a report on the development of a digital portfolio system for a teacher education program. The development of the system was based upon a three-year comparative case study of four principals representing rural and urban schools and included pre-kindergarten through 12th grade levels in a Midwestern state. The research generated…

This first phase of a content analysis of online, asynchronous, educational discussions is designed to generate a method for automatically categorizing messages into cognitive categories using neural network software. This phase of research answers two questions regarding the method of automatically analyzing discussion messages: Can a neural…

Technology has been making rapid strides since its inception in the school curriculum. In 1970, four kinds of software were available for use in reading instruction, although they were criticized for deficiencies. Throughout the 1980s, the number of schools having computers and sufficient software increased. Advantages in using computers in…

The specific characteristics of the World Wide Web mean that publishing documents using this medium has a number of unique requirements and presents a different challenge to anyone wishing to put documents on the Web. Key issues which have to be resolved include determining the nature of the documents to be published, identifying whether documents…

Second language teachers are encouraged to assign multimedia projects to their students. They are challenging for the student to create, can effectively reinforce learning, and are a fun way for students to practice language skills. Rather than have students draw a poster or write a paper, the teacher can assign a presentation using a combination…

"Journey Home," an interactive CD-ROM program about Homer's "Odyssey," was produced at North Shore Community College (Massachusetts) to create an innovative method for teaching literature. Based on a prototype developed on an Apple II, the program incorporates video, text, graphics, music, and artwork related to the Odyssey and…

This paper describes the origins and early development of the Institute for Technology Assisted Learning (ITAL) at New Mexico State University, which was established to assist faculty with both resources and training to teach in a distributed learning model. ITAL held seminars for eight faculty during a 3-week period in July 1997 with the…

This practicum was designed to increase the use of computer technologies, which would enhance student learning outcomes. The primary goal was to improve the language arts skills of third, fourth, and fifth grade students by using specific software and related activities. A secondary goal was to raise teachers' computer comfort levels and skills.…

Articles in this special issue include the following: "ICT and Modern Foreign Languages: Learning Opportunities and Training Needs" (Graham Davies); "Authoring, Pedagogy and the Web: Expectations Versus Reality" (Paul Bangs); "Web-based Instructional Environments: Tools and Techniques for Effective Second Language…

In order to assess the current presence of computing technology in American schools, a national survey was conducted of elementary and secondary principals and technology coordinators in 655 public and private schools. Results are discussed in terms of: computer density; computer capacity; computer renewal; peripherals; computer location;…

This guide focuses on moderating non-pedagogical online conferences that use World Wide Web-based conferencing software, whether synchronous or asynchronous. The first section provides information on getting ready and discusses features and advantages of synchronous and asynchronous systems. The second section focuses on getting started, including…

A science classroom was used to study the effects of a shared intranet environment on students' problem-solving ability and metacognitive reflection skills through shared contextualization. Subjects were first-time 9th- and 10th-grade biology students from three public high schools. An evaluative analysis of the CourseInfo software (Blackboard,…

This study examined correlations between teacher characteristics and teacher attitudes toward multimedia development among teachers creating multimedia projects in teacher teams and with students using HyperStudio. Information on personality type, age, gender, grade level, years of teaching, computer experience, and self-reported skill levels was…

Physical educators at one university use multimedia authoring software so students can integrate text, graphics, video, audio, and digitized images into their lesson plans. The article explains how to produce and develop multimedia lesson plans, describes the advantages of multimedia, and explains how to get started with limited technology skills.…

This paper reviews the current status of technology use in education, identifies future needs, and offers guidelines for meeting those needs. It notes that teacher educators who are comfortable with technology will graduate technological leaders for schools that hire them. (SM)