Based on the premise that computer networks are changing the way people think and interact, this Digest discusses some features of electronic discourse as a relatively new form of discourse and examines the current research on computer mediated communication text. The Digest suggests further research on how other features of electronic discourse…

This digest describes the three most prominent approaches to essay scoring by computer: (1) Project Essay Grade (PEG), introduced by E. Page in 1966; (2) Intelligent Essay Assessor (IEA), introduced for essay grading in 1997 by T. Landauer and P. Foltz; and (3) e-rater, used by the Educational Testing Service and developed by J. Burstein. PEG…

This digest focuses on the advantages of distance learning (DL) in teacher preparation, explaining that teacher candidates need to be ready to embrace rapidly changing technologies throughout their careers. Teacher education programs can extend the traditional uses of DL by bringing campus-based courses into school-based classrooms, expanding…

Distance education is an alternative method for delivering academic course work to students unable to attend traditional campus-based classes. This Digest presents information on the many forms of distance education and keys to successful teaching with distance education. Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is…

Often colleges and universities that are just beginning to include technical communication in their curricula do so using faculty trained in traditional English doctorate programs. This digest examines several areas of concern for such institutions and discusses: (1) characteristics of technical communication; (2) issues in teaching technical…

Vocational educators are using the Internet in various ways. The director and associate professor of vocational-technical education at Dakota State University uses the Internet primarily for electronic mail. Students in a secondary vocational teacher's international trade and marketing class have participated in real-time conferences with schools…

Students often see revision not as an opportunity to develop and improve a piece of writing but as an indication that they have failed to do it right the first time. To them, revision means correction. To correct this assumption, teachers' comments on papers should focus on more than mechanics. Teachers would do well to comment on the paper's…

This digest provides a sample of the best current Gopher and World Wide Web (WWW) resources devoted to urban and minority education, and provides Gopher addresses whenever possible in addition to Uniform Resource Locator addresses. Sites that have been developed specifically to offer resources and support to urban educators include: (1) UEweb, a…

This digest outlines salient characteristics of teacher-led research and its benefits to teachers and students. A discussion of selected resources for teacher researchers, which are available through various components of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), follows the overview. Effective teacher research is an empowering…

This digest contains four sections that discuss the following broad principles that offer a framework to teachers for thinking about how technology can support their instruction: (1) learning occurs in context, including ways that technology can facilitate learning by providing real world contexts that engage learners in solving complex problems,…

Formerly reserved for use by scientists, researchers, and computer buffs, computer networks now have capabilities that make them extremely useful to science teachers and their classes. This digest is designed to provide educators with some basic background on computer communications and to provide a few examples of computer networks that are…

This digest examines how technology can support multicultural education. Multicultural education represents an approach to education and the teaching-learning process that is grounded in the democratic ideals of justice and equality. Five critical dimensions of multicultural education are: content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice…

While the overall effect of the impact of technology on health, physical education, recreation, and dance education (HPERD) in the areas of research, classroom, teaching, and distance education is not yet fully assessable, the presence of technology in so many different aspects of the profession makes it important to more clearly recognize and…

This digest reviews the current state of teacher preparation for using educational technology to improve student performance and achievement, describing promising initiatives for improving teachers' technology training. Though most teachers have some familiarity with computers, many do not incorporate computer skills into classroom instruction.…

MOO stands for "Multi-user domain, Object-Oriented." Early multi-user domains, or "MUDs," began as net-based dungeons-and-dragons type games, but MOOs have evolved from these origins to become some of cyberspace's most fascinating and engaging online communities. MOOs are social environments in a text-based virtual reality…