Arranged in three sections, this resource for secondary school students provides an introduction to the computer's impact on society. The first section surveys historical methods of recording and storing information: clay tablets, papyrus, and books. The second section describes how computers work and ways they can be used. Also considered are the…

This 68-paper collection represents a broad mix of telecommunications issues, problems, innovations, needs and resources, from a conference organized by the Pacific Telecommunications Council, an independent, voluntary-membership organization dedicated to the beneficial development and use of telecommunications in the broad Pacific area. Papers…

A demonstration project was undertaken to determine whether 1978 telefacsimile technology could address public library needs in a cost-effective manner. The TALINET project involved local public library staff in five developing communities in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, as well as research/resource information staff at…

The paper seeks to find a way to make rural education the focus of special efforts to develop electronic technologies, and to use rural schools as the developmental sites for configurations of technology that have broad and general utility. The first section suggests that smallness is an asset to rural education, for education in small units is…

Project CIRCUIT (Curriculum Improvement Resulting from Creative Utilization of Instructional Two-Way Television), a two-way interactive video and audio system serving the schools of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, was evaluated in its second year through interviews with teachers, students, administrators, and the project director, and examination…

The academic environment is undergoing a major shift, as increasing numbers of schools are ready to offer courses using mobile technology for economic and other reasons both from an instructor and student perspective. The mobile learning (m-learning) approach would necessitate changes in pedagogy, educational roles, curricular content, and…

This final report presents the results of a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's (UTC) strategic planning study team, which was charged with documenting computerized services currently available and recommending to the UTC administration areas in which new services should be introduced at the university. A questionnaire was administered to…

Four papers discuss both perceived and tested uses of communications satellites for amplifying access to information and for fostering networking among higher educational institutions around the world. Derived from the work of the Foundation for the International Exchange of Scientific and Cultural Information by Telecommunications (FISCIT), a…

The purpose of these hearings was to review the progress in Mississippi of two programs (Star Schools and Chapter 1, both initiated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) which use technology in order to provide instructional programs for economically disadvantaged students in rural schools. Included are testimonies of administrators…

New policies are needed for the U.S. telecommunications industry. The continuation of current policies--which emphasize customer and convenience services to the near exclusion of developing domestically produced equipment and improving infrastructure--will constrain the domestic growth of U.S. corporations and make it difficult for smaller…

The telecommunications sector is characterized by massive structural changes due to changes in technology as well as in the regulatory environment. Research and development activities become more and more important for the development of the industry as they determine the competitive position of firms and nations to a large extent. Both the…

The Commonwealth Secretariat commissioned Educational Technology Associates to conduct a study on the educational use of satellites for the Commonwealth Secretariat's Education Program. The study had the following aims: (1) to identify the policy issues that need to be addressed by ministries of education, universities, and other educational…

The current status and apparent trends of local area networks (LANs) in school districts are explored in this short report. Results of a 1987-88 Quality Education Data survey are cited, indicating that 64% of 173 of the largest school districts in the country were already networking and 36% intended to be networking by 1990. The advantages of…

The research described in this report was conducted to (1) ascertain employers' perceptions of how well the telecommunications technology program at Skyline College (California) meets their needs; (2) determine what advanced-skills training would benefit students; and (3) provide a model for an employer follow-up study. Employers' names were…

Critics of higher education complain that universities and broadcast television fail to meet the needs of adult learners. The creation by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1979 of a project in adult learning was an attempt to make both television and educators more responsive to adult learners. However, the result of this project and…