Examines the term interactivity as it is used in educational computing, and suggests that by applying deconstructive criticism new perspectives may be gained. Discusses learner control, non-linearity, and flexibility, and concludes that interactivity is not a conceptual unity. (LRW)

Discusses the difficult choices facing campus officials as Microsoft pressures colleges to sign lease agreements for desktop software rather than continue to buy licenses; the new leasing option saves money in the short term but might limit choices later. (EV)

Describes how at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first top-level research institution to mandate laptop computers, professors are still seeking a role for them in class. The requirement for laptops has yielded savings for the institution, but educational gains are evolving and hard to measure. (EV)

Digital texts are not new. In 1991, a videodisc-based program called Windows on Science became the first state-adopted electronic textbook in the United States. It was an interactive, multimedia-based program that enhanced the classroom learning experience with video and audio. Unfortunately, technology changed rapidly and videodisc players went…

Technology is integral to carrying out many types of business transactions and has become entwined in the very fabric of everyday life. In the educational environmentparticularly higher educationtechnology is underutilised as a pedagogical tool and in many cases remains largely untapped. Winona State University and its laptop programme learned…

The Boxer Project conducted the research that led to the synthetic review "Issues in Component Computing." This brief essay provides a platform from which to develop our general perspective on educational computing and how it relates to components. The two most important lines of our thinking are (1) the goal to open technology's creative…

This study was an exploratory of the Landes initiative to supply all pupils and teachers with portable computers and Internet at school. These surveys involved 817 pupils and parents and produced a response rate of 98% for pupils from the first survey at the beginning of the year and 798 pupils at the end of the year. The approach, which consists…

The importance of updating students with new digital technologies, communicate and apply high quality of thinking is a tough goal that every teacher has to achieve. The benefits of new educational technologies and elements of understanding the framework to promote deeper learning among students are described.

This study tested the effectiveness of 2 dissemination methods for the Positively Aging teaching materials. In San Antonio, Texas, 4 middle schools participated in a 3-year controlled trial of dissemination via distance electronic support alone (control) compared to distance electronic support plus in-school support from study staff…

This article shares examples of how technology has been integrated into the curriculum. The impact of technology has personalized and differentiated instruction. This document provides some suggestions for others and concludes with possibilities for the future. At University Primary School, the use of technology as Mindtools has been a…

This article is based on a research project called "Information and communications technology (ICT) resources in school organizational and symbolic technology: a case-study" which was carried out in a primary school in Barcelona, Spain. The research looked at various interactions that took place between the computer as a teaching tool,…

Maddux, Johnson, and Willis mentioned in 1992 some "yet to be developed types" that "have the potential to be Type II software if they are used in such a way that the user is given the ability to learn in new and better ways." The authors of this paper will frame the discussion of learning management systems (LMS) around the concept of Type I and…

This article provides a description of an affordable, smart classroom built for the Technology Department at Appalachian State university. The system consists of three basic components: a home theater combo, a tablet PC, and a digital projector, costing a total of $7,300, or $8,800 if a podium, screen, and projector mount are purchased. The…

Much of the learning in programming jobs comes not through the directions of managers or coworkers, but from hours of research and reading. As such, the job of a technology instructor is not simply to "shovel out" knowledge. Rather, technology instructors must inspire students to seek out information on their own. This article presents some ideas…

The main argument being presented in this paper is that instructional designers and educational researchers need to shift their attention from performance to interest. Educational digital games have to aim at building lasting interest in real world applications. The main hypothesis advocated in this paper is that the use of rewards in educational…