Describes the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) advisory committees in terms of research, public, college and university, and special libraries. All four of the type-of-library advisory groups work to shape OCLC policies and programs, according to the particular needs of each group. OCLC's financial and programmatic success depends upon…

This article reviews research on the social functioning of students with learning disabilities (LD) and draws implications for the inclusion of students with LD in regular education classrooms. Social skills, self-concept, friendships, and social networks are addressed. It argues that the social dimensions of placement decisions for these students…

Discussion of the use of information and communications technologies in education focuses on networked learning. Highlights include virtual universities; lifelong learning; learning models; learning styles; motivation for learning; research in information behavior; information skills; and the developing role of networked learner support. (Contains…

Provides an overview of information policy, including its importance, its key instruments, and its complexity. Information policy issues that may create new roles for libraries include the ramifications of the public's right to information, the organization and retrieval of electronically networked information, information literacy training,…

Provides the rationale for establishing a connection to the Internet. Describes Internet services, including e-mail, telnet, file transfer protocol (FTP), USENET, gopher, Archie, and World Wide Web. Identifies reasons why the Internet is a valuable tool. Outlines steps for establishing a connection and discusses the future of the Internet. A…

Describes some of the author's observations about information technology trends and their impact on her two grandchildren's classroom experiences. Topics include the shift from acquisition to information access, the shift from paper to electronic format, networked communications and computerized collaborative projects, and the emerging portability…

Adolescents ages 13-15 in Zimbabwe (n=132) and the United States (n=97) completed a measure of perceived social support. In Zimbabwe, adolescents perceived support as coming from a variety of persons, while U.S. adolescents saw their parents and best friends as sources of most social support. (SLD)

Describes California's Educational Development Network (ED>Net), an experimental effort to use the existing community college infrastructure to enhance the state's economic development activities. Highlights ED>Net's focus on developing organization, process, and individual skills in the current workforce. Indicates that ED>Net is…

Explores possibilities of inner-city networking, and provides a description of the federal government's Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP). The authors also enumerate the challenges faced by inner-city communities establishing such networks and describes TIIAP-funded programs meeting those challenges that…

Explores noneconomic factors that enhance or discourage international adoption of the Internet. Cultural mores, religious convictions, literacy, gender traditions, class distinctions, and social perceptions all influence the global diffusion of the Internet and are significant to its long-range effects. (AEF)

Describes the Gateway to Educational Materials Project (GEM) at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology at Syracuse University. Explicates the GEM metadata element set and how GEM metadata is created. Discusses the syntactic binding of GEM metadata and the mechanisms for its distribution. Concludes with a brief discussion of existing…

Twelve rural North Carolina colleges facing decisions regarding campus technology investments chose to form a technology alliance to share information, identify critical needs, rethink budget development and funding formulas at local and state levels, leverage resources, and cooperate in new ventures. Includes recommendations for other colleges…

Examines the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in the college classroom using survey data from 89 undergraduate sociology students. Discusses advantages and disadvantages of conferencing systems, either through local area networks or Internet-based systems; preferred uses of CMC; and results of regression analyses. (Author/LRW)

Investigated development of critical reading skills in English as a foreign language (EFL) in a computer-networked environment. The computer-networked environment combined the security and support of the language learning classroom and exposure to authentic reading material. Findings suggest the computerized learning environment contributed to…

Describes the ImpacT2 evaluation of students aged ten to 16 in the United Kingdom that uses image-based concept mapping to explore the impact of networked technologies on students' learning. Explains a method for interviewing young students and discusses implications for the way that information and communication technologies (ICT) are used in…