In 1999, 108 of Appalachia's 406 counties were "distressed," with high poverty and unemployment rates. Three experts on Appalachia (Ron Eller, Amy K. Glasmeier, Greg Bischak) discuss problems and potentials of these counties, focusing on the working poor, welfare reform, the utility of social indicators, the challenge of changing the…

Explains Cultural Connections, a model for implementing constructivist, intercultural distance learning partnerships. Highlights include a theoretical framework; social constructivist pedagogy; intercultural communication; telecommunications; Web pages; and examples of a middle school partnership in Texas, a fourth-grade connection between Texas…

The staff of teacher education institutions in Scotland are under increasing pressure to ensure that teachers in training acquire a range of information and communications technology skills. This paper reports a study of current skills and attitudes of some Scottish training institutions and students' related experiences. Ways of ensuring…

Describes experiences of a school whose students use laptop computers to access school library resources, online databases, and local university online catalogs for research projects. Discusses use of a local area network that is partly wireless; and presents issues librarians should consider, including requiring print and electronic resources and…

The "Electronic School," a supplement to "The American School Board Journal," provides network news and contains six articles about closing the gap between technology haves and have-nots, library automation, putting Title 1 funds to use for technology purchases, funding from education foundations, using e-mail for board business, and cooperation…

The potential for the World Wide Web to drastically alter exploration of the liberal arts is examined. Possibilities include new alliances between faculty and among disciplines; exploitation of varied online resources for learning, particularly for distance learners; and improved access to teachers through electronic mail and conferencing. (MSE)

Includes three reports that describe how Utah's government, libraries, and educational institutions at all levels are becoming more effective through the use of computer and telecommunications technology. Highlights include public library connectivity; public school networks that provide Internet access; and higher education technology and…

Examines APPAL-LINK, the Southwestern Virginia Telepsychiatry Project. The project uses state-of-the-art telemedicine equipment to link a state psychiatric hospital with two rural, isolated community mental health center programs. Provides an overview of telemedicine and discusses the problems, opportunities, and future of the project. (MJP)

Examines the current status of online developmental courses. Features descriptions of programs at several colleges, including the names and e-mail addresses of individuals to contact for further information. Describes the hardware requirements for offering online courses as well as how such courses typically operate. (MAB)

Describes the pedagogical framework of an interdisciplinary, international project entitled NINTER (Networked Interaction: Theory-Based Cases in Teaching and Learning). Discusses a pedagogical model for teacher and staff development programs in a networked environment; distributed cognition; cognitive apprenticeship; challenges for educational…

Shows how ICT (Information and Communications Technology), particularly the World Wide Web, was used for the study of English in a psychology course at the University of Granada (Spain). Discusses the development of learner autonomy and describes the course Web site. (Author/LRW)

Examines the extent to which fostering learning communities can improve literacy skills. Shows possibilities for improvements in writing and reading by fostering a community of learners that focuses on scientific inquiries using computer technology, and that learning communities can enhance the reasoning, problem solving, and learning strategies…

Discusses the use of electronic communication networks in education to foster literacy development and considers how innovations are introduced and accepted. Describes electronic communication networks in a college classroom used on a local area network to improve students' abilities to write, read, and engage in collaborative problem solving…

Describes elementary and secondary school projects in Victoria, Australia using telematics and interactive television. Provides an overview of telematics management and implementation and discusses lessons learned, professional communication, teaching materials, and future developments. Outlines programs enriching primary school science,…

Describes uses for new technologies in teacher professional development. The paper examines literature on teacher knowledge and professional development; discusses how research can inform design of three types of technology to support teacher learning (multimedia, productivity tools, and telecommunication information systems); investigates how…