One of the truisms about computers is that they're difficult. Despite the fact that the PC Revolution is now well into its third decade and the continuing improvements in the user friendliness of PCs and Macs, printers and scanners, and software and the Internet, using a personal computer can still be a hair-raising experience. This is…

Community action and social change have roots in personal family narratives that connect members within the same household, between families and schools, and between families across national borders. In two northern California communities, the value of computer literacy lies in the personal narratives that unite these families to each other,…

This article provides suggestions for developing a laboratory-based research methods course using computers. We describe important considerations for creating this type of course including selecting software, choosing experiments, and teaching students with different levels of computer skill. We also include 3 model projects that required…

In this article, we discuss the literacy narratives of coauthors Melissa Pearson and Brittney Moraski, who came to computers almost a generation apart. Our goal is to demonstrate the importance of situating literacies of technology--and literacies more generally--within specific cultural, material, educational, and familial contexts that…

More and more business schools are offering classes online or classes using a mix of face-to-face and online elements. In this article, we focus on how technology readiness and learning-goal orientation influence students' preference toward these mixed classes. We conducted a large-scale survey to determine whether students who are technology…

Traditionally in rural Africa it was the drum, reports of gun shot, or perhaps the smoke of a burning bush that served as a primary form of communication. However it was Gutenberg's discovery of the printing press that paved the way for the age of mass communication. These methods were taken over by radio waves that communicate to millions of…

In this paper we consider the significance of cyber "LAN" cafes as sites where on and off-line practices meet in way that complicates binary notions of the gendered gamer. Existing research into computer games culture suggests a male dominated environment and points to girls' lower levels of competence and participation in games. Building on…

In many countries, information and communication technology (ICT) has a clear impact on the development of educational curricula. In Flanders, the education government has identified and defined a framework of ICT competencies for expected outcomes, related to knowledge, skills and attitudes that pupils are expected to achieve at the end of…

A comprehensive, formal comparison of strategies used by preservice teachers to learn how to use new technology has yet to be researched. Understanding the relative strengths and weakness of learning strategies would provide useful guidance to educators and students. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effectiveness of four…

This paper aims to discuss the role and impact that information technology (IT) has on the future and existing style of learning and teaching. It highlights the importance of acquiring computer skills and being literate in IT. The focus is put on certain areas related to IT and education which include pedagogy and training to build IT literacy…

An important area in the learning and development of individuals with disabilities is the acquisition of independent, age-appropriate leisure skills. Three adults with autism and mental retardation were taught to access specific Internet sites using backward chaining and most-to-least intrusive prompting. The number of independent steps completed…

A discernible difference, attributed to the digital divide, is evident between the adoption and implementation of distance education technologies in institutions of higher learning in low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in high-income countries in America and Europe. A review of the literature revealed a rural-urban digital divide…

Instructional elements remain the foundation of current instructional design practice. Practice is the instructional element provided after learners have been given information required to master an objective and Navigation is the non-instructional element guides the learner on the sequence of instruction. Linear Navigation can be referred to as…

This paper aims to move away from the notion of a digital divide premised on technology "haves and have-nots" to a more nuanced understanding based on technological practices. It draws on empirical research from interviews with eight case-study families about the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICT) fit into…

Students' computer access and literacy in the context of CALL has seen very little empirical investigation. This study surveyed 911 students in basic college foreign language programs to estimate their readiness for hybrid language instruction. The questions on the survey covered issues concerning students' ownership and accessibility of…