New technologies such as audiotex and videotex raise public policy issues related to access, use of a common carrier network, basic versus enhanced services, financing the system, government responsibility, the Bell companies as providers, consumer protection, and privacy. (SK)

Uses content analysis of 15 major research journals to evaluate the telecommunications research productivity of U.S. communications programs. Ranks communication programs producing telecommunications articles in selected journals, producing student-authored telecommunications articles, producing articles on new and recently emerged technology or…

Describes how to find accurate, current information about telecommunications industries, products and services, rates and tariffs, and regulatory information using electronic information resources available from the private and public sectors. A sidebar article provides contact information for producers and service providers. (KRN)

Although telecommunications technology is transforming almost every sector of American society, education still reflects the industrial age. We are approaching a time when a publicly financed and managed satellite-based communications network dedicated to educational purposes is in the nation's best interest. Key national educators must join the…

Discussion of the potential effects of fiber optic-based communication technology on information networks and systems design highlights library automation. Topics discussed include computers and telecommunications systems, the importance of information in national economies, microcomputers, local area networks (LANs), national computer networks,…

During the 1992-93 school year, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory conducted study of rural schools in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas that were using one kind of telecommunications technology: full-motion interactive video. Many schools were at risk of being closed because they could not provide education comparable to that available in…

Discusses a project that (1) uses telecommunications technology to link the river communities of the past with students today; and (2) uses thematic, interdisciplinary projects to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Notes that 20 school buildings in four Ohio school districts will be participating. (RS)

Colleges and universities must build and maintain a robust, comprehensive technology infrastructure to provide needed services today and in the future. Significant financial, technical, and human resource challenges inhibit achievement of this infrastructure. Rider University (New Jersey) solved the problem by forming a partnership with Bell…

Discusses the place of learning theory in the planning, design, and implementation of learning tasks using information and communications technology. Considers hypermedia and learning and the constructivist approach to learning, proposes a model for applying constructivist theory to learning, and describes an example involving the World Wide Web.…

Explains how one university extended the electronic reach of its students without sacrificing the university's nearly 150-year-old mission of personalized education. The five-year partnership between the school and a communications company and other cooperative arrangements with suppliers, service, and software manufacturers in transforming the…

Phone interviews explored the attitudes of 27 course directors regarding continuing medical education (CME) needs. The action-reflection practitioner-inquiry method involved physicians and CME leadership in joint discourse for planning CME programs. (Author/JOW)

Describes use of two-way video with deaf middle and high school students at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind to communicate with other students using sign language. Provides information on structuring the interactions, the technical set-up, and useful technology. (DB)

Explains Project REBUILD (Restructuring Educational Behaviors to Ultimately Improve Literacy in Dual languages) that was implemented in the Los Angeles Unified School District to improve the performance of Limited English Proficient students through the use of advanced telecommunications and technology, provided in part by private corporate…

Discusses the need for theory in the field of distance education, reviews several traditional theoretical approaches, and describes a new theory called Equivalency Theory that incorporates telecommunications. Compares theories of independence and autonomy, industrialization of teaching, and interaction and communication. (LRW)

Examines the changing role of community network associations or freenets in providing Internet access by examining the case of the Calgary Community Network Association (CCNA) in Alberta, Canada. Discusses the withdrawal of states from the telecommunications field, priorities of the Canadian government, and the role of the private sector.…