This report summarizes one of a series of workshops organized by RAND's Critical Technologies Institute (CTI), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, to take advantage of the experience and insights of those already implementing new technologies in schools. The workshop consisted chiefly of dialogues with educators and experts from the…

With today's growth in the use of electronic information systems for e-mail, data development and research, and the relative ease of access to such resources, protecting one's data and correspondence has become a great concern. "Pretty Good Privacy" (PGP), an encryption program developed by Phil Zimmermann, may be the software tool that…

Project CD-VisROM was a 3-year federally supported project to develop procedures by which students who are visually disabled could access the vast amounts of information available through the compact disc read-only-memory (CD-ROM) medium. The heart of the system is a computer which is equipped with several CD-ROM drives, and a CD-ROM in each…

Utah's Southeastern Education Service Center has devised a five-phase vision plan for improving the educational technology infrastructure in the southeastern region of the state. The fourth phase involves the creation of the Southeastern Utah Regional Wide Area Network (SURWAN), which will link all K-12 schools to the Internet by 1996. This…

The New Generation System (NGS) is a computer network developed to transfer academic records of migrant students. NGS was developed as a result of the phasing out of the Migrant Student Record Transfer System. NGS is backed by a 29-state consortium that uses the Internet to transfer records because of its speed, availability, and…

Although the general automation process can be applied to most libraries, small libraries and media centers require a customized approach. Using a systematic approach, this guide covers each step and aspect of automation in a small library setting, and combines the principles of automation with field- tested activities. After discussing needs…

This study was implemented to assess the state of computer technology in the Tri-County area; to determine the status of computer usage; and to provide a frame of reference for the broad technological status for comparison among schools. The population of the study, consisting of 91 elementary schools, 30 middle/junior high schools, and 25…

The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) is a response to the need of users to be able to identify, locate, and access or acquire publicly available federal information resources. GILS uses ANSI/NISO Z39.50, the American National Standard for information retrieval, and other relevant standards to support the deployment of agency-based,…

This paper examines three distinct features of an educational methodology course which combines social studies and science methods. Sixteen students were enrolled in this methodology class during the spring semester of 1994. The first feature involved the use of video. Students at Urbana University in Urbana, Ohio videotaped science experiments…

This paper discusses the visual organizers and graphic interfaces used to manage and report the findings from a 10-month ethnographic study of student participation and interaction in computer mediated communication (CMC) activities within the classrooms of both a freshman writing class and a plant science lab. The study focuses on social…

The knowledge development concept (KDC) described in this report is designed to prepare the public to take full advantage of the National Information Infrastructure. Implementation of KDC will redirect the efforts of the education industry from stressing information technology as tools and skills to the use of information technology for educating…

This report describes in detail the DELTA (Developing European Learning through Technological Advance) 1990 program, which was designed to address issues related to the use of new emerging technologies in the areas of information technology, telecommunications, and broadcasting, for learning. Six chapters cover the following topics: (1)…

This paper suggests that the Internet has great potential for educating and informing those who use it--but only if they have access to educational content that informs them in a way that meets their needs. Many community-based groups, nonprofit agencies, and institutions have volunteered to give all children and families, especially those who…

Two focus groups were held (fall 1996 semester) with selected faculty from the University of North Texas (UNT), College of Arts and Sciences to explore faculty perceptions of the Libraries' value to teaching and research and to learn more about what would allow faculty to make greater use of the UNT Libraries. The following major themes emerged…

During the Spring 1997 semester, students at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona were surveyed on their use of dial-up access to electronic databases provided by libraries. In addition, the community college and public libraries in Maricopa County were surveyed to determine which electronic databases they provide by dial-up access.…