Considers how as educators recognize the importance of improving listening skills among students, the role of audio books gains curricular significance. Notes that teachers can use them for whole class work, or for students to work in small groups, or individually. Presents a guide for evaluating audio books. (SG)

Presents suggestions regarding graphics books that focus on superheroes, mysteries and crime, real life issues, and history that are aimed especially at teens who resist reading and are not confident in their reading abilities. Describes five useful resources for teachers and media specialists interested in graphic novels. (SG)

Describes differences between print and online reference sources in terms of the structure of the sources and the process of searching. Factors that affect the decision of which type of source to use are identified and grouped into seven categories: availability; cost; convenience; bibliographic; subject specification; inaccessibility through…

Provides a practical guide for evaluators of social studies courseware derived from a general evaluation instrument and the National Council for Social Studies' curriculum specific guidelines. The criteria address content, instructional, and technical quality, as well as social studies knowledge, skill development, and values. Includes a sample…

Discusses how to develop and implement an open learning program when there are materials available but no trainers to use them. (JOW)

Lists 794 new and forthcoming videocassettes, films, filmstrips, slides, recordings, and multimedia kits designed for preschool through senior high school which were released between April 1988 and March 1989. Annotated entries are arranged under 65 subject headings, and a directory of distributors is included. (MES)

Outlines steps in producing videos for marketing camp programs: defining the need for the video and what population it will target; determining a budget based on technical quality and what uses the video will have; and developing and revising a script that highlights the action of the video. (LP)

This overview of the types of multimedia technology available for education addresses issues of selection, instructional design and development, and effective classroom applications. (SK)

Contends that starting a full orchestra in elementary school allows a music program to be visible to the community and garner support for budgetary requests. Discusses the process for organizing an elementary orchestra and problems that orchestra directors may encounter. Includes a list of orchestra music for elementary musicians. (DSK)

Reports results from managers working in four countries, reporting the richness of five media, equivocality of 11 situations, preferred media for each situation, and cultural values. Finds richness and equivocality measures reliable and unidimensional, and media preferences for face-to-face and telephone communication channels for each situation…

Discusses multimedia Web site design that may include images, animations, audio, and video. Highlights include interfaces that stress user-centered design; using only relevant media; placing high-demand content on secondary pages and keeping the home page simpler; providing information about the media; considering users with disabilities; and user…

What could be more vital to teachers' everyday work in the classroom than the curriculum and instructional materials they use? Instructional materials help guide both what and how teachers teach and what and how students learn. These materials play a prominent role in the lives of students and teachers, yet most educators are not aware that the…

There is an abundance of educational software available, the quality of which ranges from invaluable to a waste of money. The following guidelines should make shopping for software as painless as possible: (1) know your objectives; (2) be sure the software fits your equipment; (3) consider dealer support; (4) consider brand names first; (5) check…

A critic summarizes his varying reactions to a debate in live, televised, tape recorded, and printed formats. (PF)