Discusses engaging preservice teacher education in distance education activities so they could discover and construct meaning. Presents the concept of constructivism and instructional design guidelines. Describes the telecommunications course and learner objectives, including course design, distance learning projects, and learners' frustrations…

Discusses issues of information technology as they relate to the future of developmental education. Characterizes the potential applications for laptop-based technologies, telecommunications, and hypermedia. Suggests that educators will need to teach developmental students how to use the technology as an extension of their minds. (MAB)

In this interview, the author of "Edutrends 2010" (1992) projects future educational technology developments. We are leaving the Information Age and entering a new Communications Age that will see increased use of multimedia instruction, personalized information technologies (such as TV/VCR remote control wristwatches), informal…

A key obstacle to using educational technology is limited support for teachers trying to integrate unfamiliar techniques into instruction. Research-verified technologies include calculators, distance education, drill and practice (CAI) systems, laser videodiscs, microcomputer-based labs, presentation software, and telecommunications. Emerging and…

The University of California at Santa Cruz has completed a successful test of a wireless computer network that would enable students and professors to get on line from anywhere on campus. The network, linked by radio waves, could save millions of dollars in campus wiring costs and would better meet student and faculty information needs. (MSE)

Surveys of perceptions and attitudes of preservice elementary science teachers regarding their use of telecommunications indicated that they perceived networks as useful tools for enhancing teacher training programs and for supporting their work in the schools. (16 references) (Author/MKR)

Schools in isolated rural areas like Braxton County, West Virginia, can emerge as learning communities and telecommuting villages. Future school mergers will be less common than consolidation of programs and services to improve access for students, their families, and the community. Technology will link schools with a global information network.…

Discusses the need for lifelong learning in our future society and considers the growing importance of telecommunications learning centers. The role of evaluation is discussed; the diversity of needs and value systems is examined; and the failure of the Learn Alaska network resulting from the lack of appropriate needs assessment is described. (two…

Examines how information technology (IT) might be exploited to promote rural development. Considers how IT impacts on the rural periphery. Implies that using IT for rural development may lead to greater decentralization. Describes the Nordic telecottage experiments in which 65 centers for telecommunications were established. (KS)

Discusses the availability of computer conferences on the Internet and their practical benefits to librarians, including problem solving, sharing employment information, conducting surveys, discussing new products and services, and announcing conferences and meetings. (two references) (EA)

Describes Archie, an online catalog of electronic holdings of anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol) archive sites on the Internet. Accessing Archie through e-mail and using it in a telnet session are discussed. The Internet Gopher and Whatis, which can be used with Archie, are also explained, and search examples are included. (four references)…

Reports the preliminary results of a survey of the environmental scanning behavior of 207 chief executive officers (CEOs) in the Canadian publishing and telecommunications industries. Topics addressed include information sources, perceived source accessibility, perceived source quality, and frequency of source use. (16 references) (LRW)

Describes the participation of a small Catholic school near Philadelphia in the AT&T Learning Circles Project, which involved networking with schools in several states. The integration of the telecommunications project with the language arts curriculum is discussed, including creative writing about local food and historic places to share with…

This article on the University of Michigan Information Technology (IT) Division's implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles describes TQM premises, the implementation process, and initial effects (e.g., increased use of concepts of customer needs and quality indicators). The particular relevance of the TQM approach for IT…

Discussion of the use of telecommunications in the social studies curriculum focuses on three main areas: (1) searching and reading information in databases, including the appropriate use of commercial database services; (2) electronic mail and bulletin boards; and (3) the role of the telecomputing teacher. (five references) (LRW)