The influences of a student's prior knowledge and desired goal on the difficulties and benefits associated with using hypertext were examined in this study. Participants, 12 students from an undergraduate course in educational psychology, were assigned to either the low or high prior knowledge category. Within these two groups, subjects were…

Through state and regional education networks and commercial providers, the vast resources of the Internet are increasingly available to administrators, school library media specialists, and classroom teachers. This ERIC Digest lists a sample of no cost Internet resources of special interest to K-12 educators (resources and addresses are subject…

This paper describes a prototype software tool for support of peer-to-peer conversation in distance education courses in text-based asynchronous mode, utilizing the visual structure of multiple threads of conversation. The theoretical basis for this design is a comparative analysis of oral, written, and electronic communication that enables the…

The results of two recent statewide surveys dramatically underscore the continued expansion and use of technology for instructional and management applications in New York State's school districts. The first survey is the fall 1989 Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) School Data Form Survey, which is completed annually by all public and nonpublic…

A questionnaire was administered to 167 preservice elementary education undergraduates. The questionnaire was designed to assess the relatedness of personological variables to the expected use of computers in teaching by preservice student teachers. The data collected comprise the baseline for a 5-year longitudinal study that is to be conducted…

The impact of word processing on students' attitudes and grades was studied using 235 students in 15 sections of freshmen composition at a large midwestern university. Students in the word-processing sections wrote and revised their papers on the Macintosh Plus using the software MacWrite. Students in the traditional sections used paper, pencils,…

A systematic study was conducted with a group of 10- to 12-year-olds using computer assisted instruction in a unit on fire which included a computer simulation of combustion. Three research questions were addressed to learn more about how the computer experience challenged the students' preconceptions: what the students thought the computer knew,…

This guide is designed to supplement a computer disk (a hypercard stack) that introduces students to issues raised in the debate over global warming. The stack is recommended for grades 9 through 12, and is appropriate for social studies, government, or science courses. This guide integrates a number of interactive teaching strategies including…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a computer-based system that would allow interactive video developers to integrate and manage the design components prior to production. These components of an interactive video (IVD) program include visual information in a variety of formats, audio information, and instructional techniques,…

This study attempted to implement and validate a 5-month effort to transition 42 pupils with mild and moderate disabilities (most with learning disabilities) out of math instruction in special education resource rooms and into regular education math. A preliminary discussion examines the "cascade of services" model and transenvironmental…

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of the use of computers in the schools within the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia (Canada). Thirty teachers, librarians, principals, and senior district administrators were interviewed to determine the computing background of the interviewees and how they were using…

The process of development of a computerized database of instructional materials for the uncommonly taught languages is described. Content of the database includes information on materials for instruction in the less commonly taught languages, some previously stored in a semi-automated file. These include references and information on basic tools,…

This paper establishes the roots of computers and automated teaching in the field of psychology and describes Dr. S. L. Pressey's presentation of the teaching machine; B. F. Skinner's teaching machine; Meyer's steps in composing a program for the automated teaching machine; IBM's beginning research on automated courses and the development of the…

This paper discusses issues related to the design of software tools that support learners in their participation in network-based learning activities. To guide the development and use of a new class of educationally-oriented network tools, this paper proposes a cognitively-based, distributed network learning framework (DNLF). This framework has…

Nova University (Florida), which began its initial efforts in distance-delivery teacher education in 1983, now has doctoral and master's degree programs in which professional educators, information specialists, trainers, and others in similar fields are committed to a program of intense work and challenge through telecommunications. Students who…