Asks whether the computer is another channel of communication, if its interactive qualities make it an information source, or if it is an undefined hybrid. Concludes that computers are neither the medium nor the source but will in the future provide the possibility of a sophisticated interaction between human intelligence and artificial…

Reviews research on interactive computer learning. Examines the extent to which learner-computer interaction and learner-learner interaction can interfere with or support one another. Finds that viewing collaborative learning as joint negotiation of a common problem helps to define optimal characteristics of educational software. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 22 pairs of third-grade students and 22 pairs of seventh-grade students who worked on a variety of computer-based tasks. Finds that older students were more likely to focus on internal pattern construction than remaining oriented toward external characteristics of the patterns. (CFR)

Explores the changes wrought in subject discipline classroom cultures by the introduction of computers. Discovered different adaptations and approaches among the subject discipline cultures. Art, technology, and family studies adjusted easier than social studies. Social studies teachers often felt computer instruction stole time away from content…

Reports on a study of 12 U.S. and Russian elementary students working with a mathematics computer software program. Finds that students working together learned the program's concepts faster. Discusses implications of the findings and the significance of sociohistorical frameworks on cognitive processes. (CFR)

The introductory section of this guide highlights the progress being made with educational technology and investments in technology by business/industry, innovations by a high school in Greenbrier (Arkansas), actions educators will need to take and challenges that will need to be addressed if technology is to be used successfully in education, and…