Research findings on computer use in college courses are reviewed. Faculty who have utilized computers in their courses report that computers increase student engagement, add realism to instruction, promote skill mastery and understanding of basic principles, augment laboratory experiences, and encourage inferential thinking. Five case-study…

A review of 287 references describing computer applications with deaf children found 74 percent concerned academic applications, 7 percent were psychological investigations, and 19 percent were about general education. Analysis of the academic instruction references found only 9 percent reported efficacy data with degree of computer-assisted…

Question and answer column about the CD ROM medium discusses: (1) optical storage devices available; (2) language teaching applications; (3) types of courseware available; (4) costs to hook up a CD ROM drive as a peripheral to an existing system; (5) how to go about developing and mastering a disk; and (6) mastering and replication costs.…

Word processing in Portuguese on the IBM Personal Computer requires software capable of displaying, on the monitor and printouts, the special characters accessible through IBM's extended ACSII set. Among software packages which can do this are: "Alexander,""MultiMate,""Nota Bene,""Volkswriter Deluxe," and…

The Internet has become an indispensable medium of the 21st century. Millions of people are using the Internet for exchanging information, surfing for information on virtually any topic, communicating all over the world, participating in discussion groups, shopping, traveling, and many other online activities. The World Wide Web is constantly…

Limited studies on social presence in online learning do not lend themselves to understanding its effects on adult learning. Research indicates a heightened need for examining the relationship between social presence and perceived learning and satisfaction as well as retention in online courses. Incorporating social presence into online courses…

Recent technological advances now make possible the full integration of sound in instructional software. Sounds may gain and focus learner attention, reduce distracting stimuli, and make learning more engaging. In addition, they may help learners condense, elaborate upon, and organize details, highlighting interconnections among new pieces of…

This literature review examines the research on the effectiveness of strategies to increase access to technology in different U.S. communities. Issues include not only how different groups and communities access hardware, but also how they organize and interpret activities and social interactions around technology, their own perceived control over…

The Internet is a growing source of information for persons worldwide, but for many people with disabilities the Internet can be a confusing jumble of images, frames, scripts, and colors that make little sense. Although learning how to make Web pages accessible to all takes some effort, it is effort well spent for one very good reason:…

The four 2004 Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) case studies were developed by the Consortium for School Networking, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the cooperation of the case study school districts. These case studies are presented in the same format as the 2003 studies, but also have a focus on additional technologies…

This introduction to a series of articles on the use of technology with students who have learning disabilities stresses the importance of both the technology itself and its application; the need to match tools, problems, and implementation; and trends in the adoption of new technologies. (DB)

Reviews the international research evidence on the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICT) are used in both formal and informal pre-school settings. Addresses the debate over the value and desirability of young children using computers and computational toys; relationship to the media environment; literacies involved; and…

Wireless networks allow students to access technology when and where they need it. Describes a wireless network at a Florida magnet high school, methods of training teachers to use the new technology in their classrooms, and problem solving. A sidebar lists wireless resources. (MLF)

Describes the changes resulting from the Texas A&M Journalism Department's switch to Macintosh-equipped writing labs, serving beginning and advanced writing classes, and classes in graphics and design. Discusses factors involved in choosing a microcomputer system for use in a journalism department. (SR)

Defines and evaluates the capabilities of computer mediated communication (CMC). Current literature concerned with the use of CMC in instruction is reviewed, and a research proposal is presented for studying CMC uses in speech communication instruction. (JKP)