Describes the mobile library service in Memphis/ Shelby County (Tennessee) that was designed to meet the needs of non-English speaking residents. Discusses identifying target populations; funding; technology to provide access to the Internet; English as Second Language and multicultural Web sites; and cellular digital packet data (CDPD) and…

Describes increases in federal aid that affect: (1) the rural telecommunications infrastructure, access to the Internet for rural schools and libraries, and distance learning and telemedicine programs; (2) nonmetropolitan airports and other transportation; and (3) water treatment and wastewater facilities in rural, American Indian, and Alaska…

The success of distance education programs is directly related to the systematic instructional design and communication technology; the quality of instructional material and systems is critical to the success of a distance learning system. Merging technologies are of great importance to distance learning programs because the advanced instructional…

Explores organizational influence in the policy network that formed around the issue of determining essential services on the Canadian information highway. Qualitative content analysis found the essential services issue had two main aspects: ensuring universal access to telecommunications networks and determining the criteria for defining…

Discusses telecommunications developments affecting Latino access and participation. Examines telecommunications policy as political discourse. Presents elements of a telecommunications policy agenda drawn from that of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and focusing on access to services, education for digital literacy, needs of small businesses…

Four telecommunications experts comment on changes in the industry and how these changes may result in career opportunities for American Indians. American Indian reservations have limited access to telecommunications and information technology and would benefit from the advocacy of Native professionals. (CDS)

The theme for this quarterly supplement is "Searching for Technology Funding" and contains eight articles. Among the topics are schools as community-based Internet service providers, teaching kids how to search the Internet, a review of instructional software, technology coaches, and two board members' experiences with cyberspace. (MLF)

Discusses the decline in expenditures for telecommunications in schools and considers the role of instructional technology. Topics include problems with electronic books; technology use; Internet access; spending for instructional technology; teacher and student computer use; staff development; preservice training; technology support; outdated…

Focuses on projects funded by the National Science Foundation that illustrate the potential of computers and telecommunications to convey higher-order skills and knowledge. Discusses two projects, ScienceWare and Learning though Collaborative Visualization, as examples of knowledge-networking. Describes three other projects that are centered on…

Explores the potential utility of design principles and the design studio for enacting information infrastructures essential for individuals and communities to thrive in the knowledge economy. The proposed approach, Digital Places Design, furnishes those engaged in planning and managing telecommunications infrastructure with a tool to realize…

Describes educational benefits of providing teachers with wireless telephones. (PKP)

The widespread adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) in higher education (HE) since the mid 1990s has failed to produce the radical changes in learning and teaching than many anticipated. Activity theory and Rogers' model of the adoption of innovations provide analytic frameworks that help develop our understanding of the…

Higher education has an important stake in the national effort to widely deploy a state-of-the-art broadband public network. The Broadband Policy Group (BPG) developed a set of three principles to provide a consistent frame of reference for pursuing policy initiatives: (1) affordable broadband access; (2) a new regulatory structure; and (3)…

The challenges we face in the e-content environment are significant, and errors are costly. Our ability to divine the future is limited, but the prognostication diamond can help. We must examine not only those changes at the center of the diamond--that is, within higher education--but also those changes at the four connecting points of the…

This paper reports our implementation of a handheld wireless environment to support Jigsaw cooperative learning activities in a college setting. A quasi-experimental research design was conducted to investigate the effects of using handhelds, as well as issues associated with the use of handheld technology. Two intact classes of fourth-year…