The proposed deployment of the National Research and Education Network (NREN) offers an unprecedented opportunity for shaping a new expression of civic and pedagogical culture. It can be a positive force for change or a regressive distribution of resources and influence to those already most in possession of them. To prepare for the NREN, the…

A computer-oriented, classroom-based research project was conducted at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Virginia, to explore the ways in which students in a composition and literature class might use a local area network (LAN) as a catalyst to critical thinking, to construct a decentralized classroom, and to use various forms of…

This case study focused on the effects of collaborative activities between two teachers and their students. The authors explored the effectiveness of distance learning for adolescents in promoting self-esteem, achievement, and multicultural understanding. In Cultural Connections, diverse students across Texas collaborated on multicultural…

This book explores the interplay and impact of technology on how people work and learn, manage themselves in the workplace, and manage knowledge in their lives. It aims to show how technology can help people and organizations achieve the level of competence necessary to survive and succeed in the global marketplace of the next century. Part I…

This paper provides an overview of five innovative projects involving network learning technologies in the United States: (1) the MicroObservatory Internet Telescope is a collection of small, high-quality, and low-maintenance telescopes operated by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (Massachusetts), which may be used remotely via the…

The population explosion and developments in information technology have created a powerful need for technological advancement on a global scale. Such advancement must come through education, and such education, given the size and breadth of the need, is best realized through multimedia instruction and distance education. Communications…

Colorado educators interested in expanding curricular offerings in their elementary and secondary schools and providing staff development programs to their teachers and staff have many tools at their disposal. One of the most popular is the use of distance education and other telecommunications technologies to provide courses and individual…

This document examines the impact of new information technologies on the various roles of national libraries. Seventy-two national libraries responded to a questionnaire designed to assist in determining how such institutions worldwide are responding to recent technological innovations. The first of six chapters identifies three basic…

The papers presented at this conference challenged participants to become an integral part of the planning necessary to keep libraries on the cutting edge of technological advances. Academic libraries are admonished to reposition themselves to deliver both new and traditional services, or face the prospect of being preempted by other agencies. The…

The Central Libraries Automated Network (CLAN) of Nevada is a cooperative system which shares circulation, cataloging, and acquisitions systems and numerous online databases. Its mission is to provide public access to information and efficient library administration through shared computer systems, databases, and telecommunications. This document…

This resource guide helps state and local administrators of vocational special needs programs, special needs educators, counselors, researchers, and policymakers serving rural youth and adults to locate resources. Resources cited in this guide are publications; newsletters; journals; special issues of journals; agencies, associations, and…

This special issue is a collection of reports on the applications of technology to schools, written by educators affiliated with the Technology Leadership Network (a group sponsored by the National School Boards Association). In "Meet the Pioneers of More Productive Schools," James A. Mecklenburger, the director of the National School Boards…

A junior high/middle school science improvement project established by the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Fairleigh Dickinson University is described in this report. Among project goals are: to improve teacher skills and qualifications in science teaching and offer access to instructional resources; to eliminate teacher isolation; and to…

Second of a two-part series that identifies probable changes in English instruction resulting from technology's impact on society and schools. Provides a review of five books recommended for considering the source, nature, and direction of trends in hardware, software, and "neural netware," or brains. Reports questions used by researchers on this…

Includes the abstracts of seven of the 191 papers presented at a recent educational computing conference. Topics include computer-based tutoring, computer-assisted instruction with low achieving students, education-industry collaboration, hypothesis testing, Western Carolina University MicroNet, the New Jersey Science Supervisors Electronic…