Discusses the use of computer software for students with special needs in the music classroom. Focuses on software programs that are appropriate for children with special needs such as: "Musicshop,""Band-in-a-Box,""Rock Rap'n Roll,""Music Mania,""Music Ace" and "Music Ace 2," and "Children's Songbook." (CMK)

Studied whether computer-mediated communication results in more equal participation among students by comparing face-to-face and electronic discussion. Findings reveal a tendency toward more equal participation in the computer mode as well as a pattern of student use of more lexically and syntactically formal language in electronic than in…

Technologies can help overcome some human problems in strategic planning. Group Support Systems technology allows issues to be divorced from the people proposing them and allows debatelike discussion. Strategic Conferencing with a multiattribute value model supports shared understanding and provides modeled scenarios of consequences. Mental…

Video conferencing uses telecommunications technologies to create an interactive learning environment. Incorporating video conferencing into the classroom takes preparation, and instructors must clarify purpose; make it personal; keep it short and small; prepare students; use a shared screen; plan for interactions; and use effective visuals and…

Identifies and describes sublevels of novices using a database management package, clustering those whose interaction is effective, partially effective, and totally ineffective. Among assistance documentation, functional tree diagrams (FTDs) were more beneficial to partially effective users than traditional reference material. The results have…

Emphasizes that the introduction of new technologies in the learning process of second languages should entail more didactic efficiency, educational effectiveness and pedagogical efficacy. Describes the Didascalia framework of criteria for added value. This framework requires an accurate, objective and adaptable specification of the added value of…

To determine whether online training courses are effective, companies should evaluate training software when considering its purchase or development. Author describes the development and use of an instrument for evaluating online courses created by AT&T's Network Operations Education and Training organization. Also includes the On-Line…

Describes "Self-Serve Reserve", an electronic application developed at the library of Norwich University (Vermont) to handle reserve reading and be easy to use, reduce or eliminate the need for paper copies, deliver imaged documents, require modest start-up costs, and be scalable from a stand-alone workstation to network access.…

Reports on the exploratory phase of a computer assisted language learning project designed to provide a package enabling students of German as a second language to develop their reading and writing skills, learn new vocabulary and syntactical structure, and enhance their competence in the production of text commentary. (Six references) (Author/CK)

Discusses advancements in multimedia technology, and presents a design model for managing interactive multimedia courseware production that includes five phases: analysis, development, production, evaluation, and implementation. Five examples of interactive multimedia courseware are described. (Author/LRW)

Outlines an investigation into the nature of metacognition and its relation to the learning process in a constructivist interactive multimedia learning environment. Topics include the relationship between metacognition and learning technologies (and an example), the learner's perspective, the designer's perspective, and the teacher's perspective.…

Provides an annotated bibliography of readings, both print and electronic, on copyright and fair use. Articles and essays, as well as World Wide Web sites, are listed for general reference, distance education, and multimedia and Internet development. (LRW)

Computer-based teaching is ineffective when instructional systems are designed emphasizing technology rather than course information. In view of this, the development of NEAT (Integrated Environment for Authoring in ToolBook) at Acadia University (Nova Scotia) is discussed. Other topics include intelligent tutoring systems, a question repository…

Examines student-computer dialog specification and management, an aspect of learning environment design tasks, and shows that it is possible to define decisional latitude intervals in which students may work. Dialog specification is made with a design method, "Diane+," that allows simulation of the evolution of the student's level and evaluation…

This special section explains the latest developments in networking technologies, profiles school districts benefiting from successful implementations, and reviews new products for building networks. Highlights include ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), cable modems, networking switches, Internet screening software, file servers, network management…