Computer-based communication has tremendous potential to support older adults. But if people are to use such systems autonomously, it is necessary to move beyond current interfaces and systems and develop devices that fit into the environment of the user. Using a Grounded Theory approach, three focus groups were held and, subsequently, 9 older…

For the thirty-seventh year, the Research and Theory Division and the Division of Instructional Design of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) sponsored the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. This year's Proceedings…

For the thirty-seventh year, the Research and Theory Division and the Division of Instructional Design of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) sponsored the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. This year's Proceedings…

The Internet and the Information Super Highway have become familiar buzz words. This paper briefly discusses five projects with the general aim of using telecommunications and the Internet to foster the renewal of math and science education in rural schools. The broad questions, "Does access to the Internet and the Information Superhighway…

Communication and information technologies can reduce the barriers of distance and space that disadvantage rural areas. This report defines a set of distinct voice, computer, and video telecommunication services; describes several rural information applications that make use of these services; and surveys various wireline and wireless systems and…

In 1990, the Satellite Telecommunications Educational Programming (STEP) Network in Spokane (Washington) joined with state education agencies from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to form the Pacific Northwest Star Schools partnership for distance education. The STEP network offers telecast courses to 500 schools, 90% of which are in…

A study examined 49 students' use of distance education (DE) technology in a telecommunications course about the social and economic impacts of information technology. The originating site was a specially equipped television studio on the home campus. Aside from study guide readings, students wrote reaction journals and a paper about an…

This report examines statewide planning and budgeting for educational technology in the 15 states covered by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), with a focus on state-level expenditures for telecommunications networks, microcomputers, software, and other technology. Capsule descriptions of each state's current activities are provided,…

This conference convened 35 leaders and experts in telecommunications and education in order to consider ways in which the educational community can be more involved and effective in telecommunications policymaking and to promote positive uses of telecommunications in education. The meeting also addressed the role in these processes for the U.S.…

A study was conducted by an electronic bulletin board system (BBS) team to explore a variety of approaches to electronic communication between the Government Printing Office's (GPO) Library Programs Service and the depository libraries. After reviewing various dissemination technologies, the BBS team recommended that an electronic bulletin board…

This report was prepared in response to a request from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for information on efforts to develop high-speed computer networks in the United States, Europe (limited to France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United…

The New Zealand Correspondence School is a large, state-funded, national institution teaching at preschool and elementary-secondary school levels. Like the regular education system, it long has been tightly controlled, with a national syllabus, national grading and examinations, and national guidelines for interpretation of the syllabus. The…

A discussion of distance learning looks at the ways in which it does or does not address issues of cultural pluralism and the needs implied by this. Introductory sections look at the way in which current telecommunications socialize individuals of all ages and at the difficulty of research into this process. Media technology applicable in the…

The first of two parts of this paper, "From Computer Literacy to Technological Literacy: The Challenge for Faculty Development," traces some of the problems and solutions associated with faculty development issues surrounding computers and telecommunications technologies. It is argued that although the need for technological literacy…

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL), in cooperation with Laurentian University, convened a 2-day meeting of some 30 Canadian educators to ascertain through discussion and dialogue how best and to what purposes COL might cooperate with institutions and associations involved in distance education in Canada. This report summarizes six presentations…