This report presents the results of a study of how emerging technologies can help educators deliver standards-based education to K-12 students. The first section of the report provides background on the new technology offerings and defines smart desktop systems. The second section lists critical questions for decisionmakers related to general…

This study investigated the impact of word processing on middle school students. The study involved a high, middle, and low academic ability student, each spending an average of 114 minutes on the computer per week over four months. Data collection consisted of questionnaires, interviews, observations, and students' work. Each student answered…

This paper describes the Educational Software Components of Tomorrow (ESCOT) project. The focus of the project was on principles that support problem-solving and learner-centered design issues, and the purpose was to garner lessons from a large educational software development project to share with the learning sciences and other interested…

This study investigated college teachers' reported uses of instructional strategies that include realistic problem-solving based on technology competencies recommended by the International Society for Technology in Education and adopted by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Data were collected from Arkansas…

A study examined whether citizens of Pennsylvania are aware of and able to access the Internet, how they are using online state resources, and whether there is a parity of access to advanced information services between rural and urban citizens. Data were gathered via telephone surveys of 1,000 residents from 62 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.…

Universities and corporate training centers are under pressure to offer increasingly flexible, as well as individually relevant, learning. Instead of trying to develop a stream of Web-based courses to run parallel to "business as usual" courses, a department can focus on gradually building a knowledge base in which key resources from…

This paper reports on the development and implementation of a flexible audit trail system comprising a library of auditing functions that can be embedded into interactive courseware and customized to the requirements of researchers and developers. A series of essential criteria considered critical to the development of a robust, flexible audit…

This paper describes work that has been in progress on the use of information and communications technology in the transformation of teaching and learning in several subjects in the School of Fine Arts, Classical Studies and Archaeology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Its specific focus is on the "Virtual Print Room" project.…

This book-and-CD package provide a lively, hands-on introduction for teachers and scholars in the humanities and social sciences. New technology is changing the nature of research and teaching in the humanities and social sciences. From specialized online forums to Web-based teaching and distance learning, computers are being used to expand…

This paper presents research and development of an adaptive World Wide Web-based system called Explor@ Advisory Agent, capable of tailoring advice to the individual student's needs, actions, and reactions toward pedagogical events, as well as according to diagnosis of content acquisition. Explor@ Advisory Agent consists of two sub-systems, the…

This paper reviews a set of studies designed to test the hypothesis that the presence of animated pedagogical agents in multimedia environments can promote deep learning. This was done by first comparing the learning and motivational outcomes of students who learned in the context of social-agency to students who learned in a more traditional text…

This study examined the independent effects of six approaches to learning in online computer conferencing: (1) deep learning: (2) comprehension learning; (3) relating ideas; (4) surface learning; (5) syllabus boundness; and (6) achievement motivation. Deep learning, comprehension learning, and relating ideas were combined into a more general index…

Business educators in middle schools and high schools across the country play a prominent role in developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for students to succeed in the workforce. With the advancement of technology, business teachers are coming back to the teacher education program to be retooled and retrained to teach business…

Since technology use in schools has been increasing, teachers want to maximize its use in their classroom to increase student learning. Therefore, accreditation requirements for colleges include integrating computer and information technology with teacher education and professional development programs. This paper describes different models for…

The Higher Education Act of 1965 gives special recognition to some postsecondary schools--called Minority Serving Institutions--that serve a high percentage of minority students. These and other schools face stiff challenges in keeping pace with technology. One rapidly growing area, distance education, has commanded particular attention and an…