Iowa has the only state-owned and operated telecommunications network in the nation. The fiber-optic network allows schools both Internet access and true interactive televised communication. The network's many advantages to rural schools include the course-sharing league in western Iowa, which has worked through various difficulties of distance…

The Education Network of Maine, the distance education arm of the University of Maine, delivers courses over an interactive television system, and has begun offering courses using the Web, videotapes, and other modes. Evaluations reveal that students have been satisfied with: logistics of courses offered, professors, and technology. An area of…

Provides some cursory guidance on the mechanics of establishing and instructing in a virtual classroom. Briefly discusses the history and central issues of distance education, describes how to teach an online virtual seminar, and offers recommendations for future courses. Discusses such issues as instructor availability, directing discussions,…

Reviews the history of distance education in South Dakota. Highlights include interactive videoconferencing on the Digital Dakota Network (DDN); four video consortiums for K-12 schools; the Rural Development Telecommunications Network; the Electronic University Consortium; higher Education opportunities via the Internet, satellites,…

Discussion of distance education, developments in communication technology, and communication theory focuses on the results of a study of university students that compared the dynamics of a traditional classroom with a virtual classroom facilitated by two-way audio-video technology. Considers email use, student interaction and collaborative…

Describes a distance education program developed at Grambling State University (Louisiana) that used partnerships with industry and another university to meet the needs of changing demographics, isolated rural populations, and decreasing government resources. Telecommunication service needs and developing and marketing content are discussed. (LRW)

Explains North Dakota's telecommunications infrastructure which is particularly suited to rural areas and low population communities. Topics include an information network of multitype libraries; distance learning for elementary and secondary education; local library networks; Interactive Video Network; educational telecommunications; public…

England's 1.6 billion-pound National Grid for Learning initiative represents an unprecedented government commitment to educational use of information and communications technology (ICT). NGfL will integrate ICT into all schooling areas via increased funding, teacher training, and simulation of a systemwide "ICT culture." Implications and…

Provides a rationale for online instructional practice in teacher education and in foreign language learning and summarizes the online teaching and learning strategies applied by the partners in a telecommunications partnership between two universities-one in the United States and one in Taiwan. (AEF)

It is widely assumed that developments in information and communication technologies are fundamentally transforming and improving higher education. As a part of an ongoing evaluation of technology-supported pedagogy in one university, our three-year research project was designed, on the one hand, to determine if and how selected technologies were…

Drawing on an ongoing project examining the literacies prevalent at an outsourcing site, this article explores the changing nature of workplace practices enabled by new information and communication technologies. It also examines the complex geopolitical dynamics of these practices, the discourses of development, and globalization. The author…

This study analyzes a couple-level ("N" = 581), longitudinal data set of employees to provide evidence about technology use over time, the factors that predict use, and the potential for a spouse to influence an individual's use. Although longitudinal usage patterns suggest a trend toward adoption and use of e-mail, the Internet, cell phones, and…

Information and communications technology (ICT) brings many potential benefits to technology education, though the evidence of improved performance on traditional tasks is not yet proven. Areas such as computer-aided design and manufacture are now becoming standard elements of any student's technology education. These applications of ICT require…

Purpose: Dementia caregiving is a rapidly growing public health problem. Logistical problems prevent many caregivers from utilizing available interventions. This article provides a demonstration of the usefulness of technology for conducting telephone-based support groups in ethnically diverse dementia caregivers. Design and Methods: Participants…

In recent years laptop computers have become increasingly popular in educational settings; wireless connectivity is a more recent development which is only now being fully explored, and which has led to the creation of the "wireless laptop lab." In this article, the authors share some of the experiences and concerns that they have encountered…