Gives recommendations based on participant feedback for improving the way the Internet is integrated into teacher-education programs and social studies methods courses. Asserts that social studies professors must foresee the challenges (technical problems, fear, frustration, or gender bias) and overcome them so all preservice teachers have…

Summarizes professional issues related to technology and distance education courses and different delivery formats. Typical problems encountered as well as questions that may guide decision making regarding the selection of delivery formats for specific programs are addressed. An example of a distance education course is provided. (Author/CR)

Applies Stephen Covey's seventh habit (sharpening the saw/self-renewal) to needed personal and professional development activities for school business officials. Key activities include networking, mentoring, surfing the net, professional reading, formal learning, and reinventing oneself. Self-reinvention is the Covey habit that recharges,…

Discussion of Internet2 and the college or university's decision to participate in the network looks at the characteristics of the system and the advantages of access to it; infrastructure needed to participate; costs to the institution; considerations in making the decision to participate; and the consequences of waiting. (MSE)

Looks at some key elements of teachers' knowledge and skill bases and considers how these might be supported in Web-based instruction. Describes the "micro-genres" that constitute the instructional events of the online class. Introduces a software package to demonstrate how these interactions may be facilitated in practice. (Author/AEF)

Reviews library news for 1997. Highlights public library budgets, examined by number of patrons served; Internet filters and censorship; librarians and the media; private and government funding sources; outsourcing; expectations for growth in the publishing industry, emphasizing the Asian economic crisis; and new ideas from the next generation of…

The Next Generation Internet (NGI) proposal by the Clinton Administration would advance the current state of the Internet, advance university research capabilities, and assist federal agencies in achieving their missions. Several concerns to be addressed before deciding on final action include the appropriate roles of the federal and private…

Describes a Web-based, asynchronous, distance instruction course in public administration at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Reading Seminar course is both reading and writing intensive. It uses a peer review process that encourages interactivity among students who critique and comment on each other's work. Course evaluations have been…

Discusses the Internet as a resource for secondary school students and describes a three-day Internet Information Literacy unit that is designed to improve students' critical thinking skills in using the Internet. Considers reliability problems, evaluation criteria, navigation problems, and effective research strategies. (LRW)

Describes a study of the social dynamics of new media (television, personal computers, CD-ROMs, Internet, email, and World Wide Web) in Scottish households. Analysis of interview transcripts from group conversations revealed recurrent narratives and behavioral genres to navigate social space that contribute to a theory of social informatics in the…

Presents case study data on one sixth-grade classroom of Kids as Global Scientists (KGS) project participants during the eight-week program. Finds that students made significant gains in weather content knowledge, and interviews revealed a high level of student motivation and satisfaction with the project. (Contains 38 references.) (Author/WRM)

Provides background information on the onset of the millennium/century. Maintains that the turn of the millennium/century constitutes a historical benchmark that can and should engage students in the changing world in which they live. Describes nine activities for teaching students about the turn of the millennium/century. (CMK)

Examines the growing demand for e-mail reference (Aska) service and how librarians can best manage an electronic help desk. Discusses problems of minimal information and anonymous patrons, followed by views on restricting/not restricting access to the service. Suggests ways to try to screen requests and specify a clientele. Notes the importance of…

Describes how the Rochester Public Library (Minnesota) managed public access to the Internet for both residents and non-resident patrons. Discusses user needs, staff involvement, system software, fees, and handicapped accessibility. (LRW)

Examines the ways that South Kalgoorlie Primary School (Australia) has integrated learning technologies into classroom programs. Describes school goals related to learning technologies and class projects using e-mail, Web sites, PowerPoint, student-created interactive multimedia materials, and spreadsheets. (SV)