Discusses design principles derived from the socio-cognitive theoretical framework for developing Web-based environments to support the construction of scientific knowledge through situated action. (Author/MM)

Discusses the problems arising with standardized testing which play an important role in the structure and politics of K-12 education. Describes the benefits of using interactive Internet technologies for the assessment of inquiry-based science instruction. (Contains 21 references.) (YDS)

Describes a community-based computer education program for the young people (and adults) of Chicxulub Puerto, a small fishing village in Yucatan, Mexico. Notes the children learn Maya, Spanish, and English in the context of learning computer and telecommunication skills. Concludes that access to the Internet has made a profound difference in a…

Discusses a multimedia-based program designed to provide students with a self-paced study of woody plants using color images of twigs, leaves, bark, fruit, and flowers. The program uses Authorware, software that can be used on both Macintosh- and Windows-compatible platforms. This program is intended for use as a supplement to field-study…

Discusses the effect of collaboration via e-mail links on the quality of 10- to 11-year-old students' science investigative skills in six elementary rural schools. The project identified several important issues related to teacher-inservice training requirements, development in cooperative groupwork for children, and software design. (AIM)

Argues that new educational technologies change the meaning of words common to teacher vocabulary, especially words such as "classroom community,""knowing," and "coming to know." Points out that human senses used in learning are nullified if not assaulted by educational technologies. (DDR)

Describes the development and implementation of a web-based software engine that selects from a database of questions for students to answer and provides immediate feedback for students and instructor. Discusses the results of using this technology in an organic chemistry section. (Contains 22 references.) (WRM)

The predictive validity of active responding on a computer-based groupware system was examined with 48 second graders. Results showed that active responding correlated highly with initial and final performance measures and that active responding contributed significantly to predicting final performance when initial performance was controlled.…

This article provides background information about distance learning, the rationale for it, descriptions of three distance learning programs designed specifically for gifted students, and the pros and cons of providing instruction using this method of delivery. The ability of distance learning to provide access to higher level coursework is…

Provides definitions of the following words and phrases that are related to technology and its use in the social sciences classroom: CD-ROM, database, discussion group, e-mail, hypertext and hypermedia, Internet, simulation, spreadsheets, virtual field trip, and World Wide Web. (AEF)

An after-school computer club was developed in which language-minority children learned to master a series of educational computer games through reading instructions, interacting with peers, and interacting with adult mentors. Results show how an informal educational environment can foster generalizable problem-solving skills that transfer to…

Discusses the U.S. Copyright Office's May 25, 1999 Report on Copyright and Digital Distance Education. Presents the Register of Copyrights' recommendations to Congress as to how to "promote distance education through networks, while maintaining an appropriate balance between the rights of copyright owners and the needs of users of copyrighted…

Investigates which computer software programs are most available and most frequently employed by students in Catholic elementary schools. Identifies the extent to which computer software programs, implicitly or explicitly, contained values antithetical to, or supportive of, the educational philosophy of a Catholic school. Contains 18 references.…

Examined the extent to which computers were used within the instructional environment by preschool/elementary school teachers who had graduated from an early-childhood program at a large southeastern university between 1983 to 1993. Found that the teacher's educational level and grade taught were related to attitudes toward and use of computers.…

Describes a summer science course in which an Internet-based computer network that allows elementary teachers to interact with each other and encourage more science instruction is designed, modeled, and evaluated. Contains over 20 references. (WRM)