This special report is a collection of seven essays exploring issues in professional development and teacher improvement: (1) "The Missing Link" (Ann Bradley) looks at the elements of effective staff development and new attention focused on teachers' on-the-job training; (2) "Union Dues" (Jeanne Ponessa) examines the role of…

This narrative recounts experiences at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the design process of two university courses meant to test the potential and the limits of the technologies represented in the Internet. The courses described evolved as a means for teaching a junior and senior level political theory class for…

This guide lists electronic discussion lists, bulletin boards, and conferences related to second language teaching and learning that may be of use in the second language classroom. It also offers suggestions for the use of these resources in teaching. The guide has three main sections. The first, devoted to electronic communication in a single…

The Connecticut State Legislature has adopted sweeping telecommunications legislation that will enhance distance education in the state through cable television and telecommunications technologies. This legislation eradicates the delimitation on cable operators of one-way transmission of cable signals and removes the primary statutory restriction…

The current trend toward collaboration is having an impact on the fields of adult basic education and adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and literacy education. This digest looks at collaboration for adult ESL programs and for family bilingual and ESL literacy programs. It discusses the distinctions among cooperation, coordination, and…

A survey was undertaken to acquire information about the preservice training of teachers in technology. The survey considered general information and student characteristics, learning about hardware and software, the dissemination of educational technology, and information about telecommunications technology. Thirty-two surveys were completed by…

In December 1990, in an effort to identify the telecommunications and electronic technologies that will be used in the 1990s for distance learning programs at postsecondary institutions, questionnaires were sent to the chief executive officers of all two-year institutions nationwide, and to a random sample of 750 four-year baccalaureat…

Expanding on its original purpose in developing an electronic community of humanities teachers and students in South Carolina from an existing agricultural telecommunications system, Project REACH received authorization from its sponsor, the BellSouth Foundation, to develop a statewide network for educational telecommunications and to provide…

The print-based model of distance education through correspondence continues to be used, but is being supplemented and, in some cases, replaced, by other media. A second generation of distance education in the 1960s and 1970s was characterized by reliance on open broadcasting, supported by correspondence instruction and print materials. A third…

A library has the capacity to deliver much more than just its locally stored and owned resources. By using telecommunications, information can be sought from online databases and from other pupils in schools across the world. This paper includes: (1) an explanation of the link between "virtual reality" and the "virtual…

The methodology developed for the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications' evaluation of the "New Pathways to a Degree" projects funded by the Annenberg/CPB Project is described. This methodology provides an approach for conducting a valid, reliable evaluation effort that is sensitive to specific institutional issues and…

Missouri's Video Instructional Development and Educational Opportunity Program (VIDEO), enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri through Senate Bill 709, encourages all educational institutions in the state to supplement educational opportunities through the use of telecommunications technology, including instructional television…

This paper describes a pilot project to train rural native American paraprofessional personnel to deliver routine speech-language services to children under the overall supervision of a certified professional. The program had three components: on-site visits, desk-top conferencing, and distance training. The program was implemented at one…

This book begins with an overview of computer technology concepts, including computer system configurations, computer communications, and software. Instructional computer applications are then discussed; topics include computer-assisted instruction, computer-managed instruction, computer-enhanced instruction, LOGO, authoring programs, presentation…

This report summarizes western states' policies and regulations governing the approval of higher education programs electronically delivered across state lines by institutions in other states. It caps the first year's activities in a 3-year Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications project, "Balancing Quality and Access: Reducing…