In the spring of 1999, the Finnish Ministry of Education devised an information strategy for the period of 2000-2004. This is the second of its kind. The first strategy had been devised to steer national information society development in the fields of education and research from 1995 onwards. The new strategy has aroused a great deal of interest…

Noting that growing consensus about the importance of the first 5 years of life has prompted in-depth considerations about the systemic quality of early care and education in the United States, this issue of "State Education Leader" examines various aspects of early learning. Topics considered in this issue are: (1) key issues in financing early…

This paper addresses the problem of how a community college writing center can maintain its personalized character as it moves toward online resources and approaches. The authors describe a writing resource developed by the Writing Center at LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY) by LaGuardia and CUNY faculty and…

This paper focuses on the rationale for incorporating Blackboard, a Web-authoring software package, as the knowledge construction tool in computer information system courses. The authors illustrate previous strategies they incorporated in their classes, and they present their uses of Blackboard. They point out their reactions as teachers, and the…

Researchers have claimed that while educational computer software does not necessarily improve students' academic performance, it does provide for students a more interesting and motivational environment for learning. It naturally fits in the context of students' learning since it can deliver nonstop actions, realistic sounds and vivid colors to…

The growing interest in the field of educational technology in the design of constructivist learning environments has led to a renewed examination of problem-based learning (PBL), an approach to instruction in which all learning results from students' efforts to solve a complex problem. Concurrent advances in technology make it possible to use…

These eight papers address the five goals of the national standards for foreign language learning: communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities. They include the following: (1) "From Rhetoric to Reality: Applying AATSP Standards to the Spanish Classroom" (Maria J. Amores and Frank W. Medley, Jr.); (2) "Standards for Teaching…

This proceedings contains 63 papers presented at ASCLITE (Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education) 2001. The focus is on the following themes related to the use of computers in higher education: (1) reflection in and on action, for reflective inquiry, for students, for teachers, for design and…

Institutional, national, and global pressures demand that universities address issues of quality in teaching and learning. The maintenance of existing courses and the imperative to offer new courses online necessitates the development of measures and guidelines that can inform instructional designers and academics. A number of quality guidelines…

The main purpose of this paper is to describe the basic findings obtained as a result of the implementation of two projects of Computer and Information Technologies held in Valencia (Spain) between 2002 and 2003 with 92 second year university students enrolled in English as a foreign language to find out their ICT and foreign language needs both…

The purpose of the Pyramid Technology Training (PTT) program was to improve teaching, learning, and school staff productivity in the Fairfax County Public Schools (Virginia). Each of 23 technology training specialists served a school pyramid and other schools in an administrative area, providing technology training, technical support, advice,and…

With teacher assistance and computer availability, composition students may use the World Wide Web as a valuable learning tool in the networked composition classroom and during personal studying time. The paper offers a list of six online providers and the number of subscribers for each. The paper then presents 118 selected web sites, including:…

This CD-ROM product is an interactive supplement to Shakespeare's text of "Romeo and Juliet." It contains an interactive cast of characters and the entire script of the play with an accessible audio performance. Other features include: "Dr. Wacko"--a feature that calls the student's attention to the more subtle nuances of the…

The Preschool Technology Training Project was designed to develop and demonstrate a regional training model on the applications of assistive technology for preschoolers with disabilities. The goal of the training was to enable preschool special education teachers, related services personnel, and parents of young children with disabilities to…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a project designed to investigate the effective implementation of technology hardware and software as an instructionally integrated component of educating elementary children with disabilities within the regular classroom setting. The project conducted a series of applied research studies to use as a…