A good news scenario about the future of education in the United States includes many things that are already being done and other things that can be dreamed of. One example is the "Awesome All-Stars Academy," a dream of a group of dedicated politicians, administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and students who took seriously their…

This guide provides information on how to provide equitable technology education. The first section, "Identifying Inequities in Technology," presents inequities in access, in type of use and in the curriculum. The second section, "Finding Solutions," describes a planning process to help educators tap the commitment to equity of…

A study examined the incorporation of computer games into English classrooms, seeking to explore computer games as text, players' engagement with them, literacies needed, and the interchangeability of traditional and newer technology. Subjects were students enrolled in a coeducational private middle school or a state secondary school, and used two…

This essay derives from roundtable discussions of teams from seven research universities involved in a Knight Collaborative Engagement on Academic Indicators and Information Systems to Guide Resource Decisions. While colleges and universities are built on the premise that good data, well tested by an often adversarial process of discovery and…

This paper reports on a computer initiative implemented by a metropolitan school district in Virginia. The initiative began in 1995 when the school district of 44,000 students funded 5 computers and a color printer for each elementary classroom in 34 schools. The goals of the initiative focused on: increasing student performance; addressing…

This collection of papers focuses on community building within teacher education programs in Canada, Israel, Australia, and the United States, suggesting that teacher educators must go beyond localized experiences and reach out to each other in a global discussion. There are 12 chapters in 4 parts. Part 1, "Opening the Conversation,"…

This newsletter issue contains the following article and features: "Developing a Dual-Language Program" (Lynn Davey); Principal's Perspective: "Battling for Bilingualism" (Maurice P. Downey, Jr.); and Web Resources. Davey's article describes how the principal of a Phoenix elementary school managed the transformation of a traditional bilingual…

The Service-Learning Center (SLC) at Virginia Tech has developed a home page that has been cited in national publications and serves as a virtual center for linking more than 1,000 students across the university with the information and resources they need to fulfill course-based service-learning components. The home page was developed with the…

This document presents the Texas STaR (School Technology and Readiness) Chart, designed to help school districts determine their progress toward meeting the goals of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology. The chart provides indicators for four levels of progress (i.e., early, developing, advanced, or target technology) in the following focus…

This book looks at the developing understanding of approaches to online teaching and the emergence of pedagogies that will ensure online teaching and learning materials are effective. Contributors to this volume were participants at an expert seminar held at the International Center for Learner Managed Learning at Middlesex University, London, and…

Once a school district decides to offer students virtual classes, it has to recognize the costs associated with the implementation, the logistical needs, the staff that will be needed to assist students, and the maintenance of the technology. Adapting the philosophy of virtual education is only the beginning. The role of the traditional teacher…

Computer mediated communication tools enable today's distance learners to engage in collaborative problem solving, threaded discussions, and peer tutoring through asynchronous distance learning environments. This paper suggests that these are best accomplished by establishing virtual learning communities, which break down traditional…

This paper presents the proactive steps taken by Idaho State University to address accountability in teacher education. The university addressed accountability mandates and new accreditation standards through a Web site (http://www.ed.isu.edu) that includes electronic documents providing evidence of meeting National Council for the Accreditation…

This book is a collection of articles that examine critical issues of technology, teaching, and learning in three areas: access, communication, and literacy. Following an Introduction by Jay Blanchard, articles are presented in three sections: Access and Opportunity; Online Communication; and Literacy. The articles include: "An Exploration of…

Over the past five and one-half years, the Idaho Educational Technology Initiative has distributed 56 million dollars to Idaho public schools. This report reviews the progress made toward accomplishing goals established by the Idaho Council on Technology in Learning (ICTL). It is based on data collected during visits to 36 schools in 16 school…