This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e-mentoring--which is commonly practiced over long distances--could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger-scale and more coordinated approach to…

Selection is the key to learning from the huge amount of information on the Internet. Describes how teachers can use a school Intranet or website to organize resources and direct students to the best interactive and educationally appropriate pages. (Author/MM)

Examines the types of history software has been produced in Europe. Questions the quality of the programs and how far the didactic theory of computer assisted learning in history has advanced. Concludes with an appendix of over 100 commerically available pieces of history software. (BSR)

Outlines the approaches to "computer composition" and questions the efficacy of such models. Argues that in order to come to terms with the great revolutionary "beyond" posited by some theorists, the computer must be first of all conceptualized as transformative. (HB)

Considers educational applications of local area computer networks and discusses industry standards for design established by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). A futuristic view of a learning laboratory using a local area network is presented. (Author/LRW)

Object-oriented instructional design (OOID) offers the promise of universal access to online instructional materials, increased productivity among trainers and educators, and solutions for individualizing learning. However, it is unclear whether it can fulfill these promises to the degree many envision. As with every new instructional technology,…

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.…

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)

Outlines the services that telecommunications technology can provide for historical research. Examines online research procedures. Reviews Scholar Net, a new telecommunications network designed specifically for the humanities and social sciences. (BSR)

Discusses issues in gifted education in the context of the coming turn of the century. These include: (1) mentoring (with emphasis on problem solving and cooperation between mentor and child); (2) results of ongoing brain research comparing gifted and regular students; and (3) the increasing importance of technology and computers in education of…

This discussion of educational applications of user interfaces covers the benefits of adopting database techniques in organizing multimedia materials; the evolution of user interface technology, including teletype interfaces, analogic overlay graphics, window interfaces, and adaptive systems; application design problems, including the…

The controversy surrounding the use of facilitated communication with individuals having autism is addressed and the inconsistent results obtained are explained by a collaborative view of communication which stresses the role of situational variables. A research plan for studying the phenomena associated with instances of apparently successful…

Literacy is both special and individual, and literacy programs should provide for both needs and interests of all students. Some students learn to read through phonological skills. Some are influenced greatly by their parents and their interest in literature. Of the 30 people interviewed in a random survey of students and personnel in a university…

Although computers have been used in education for 20 years in the United States and Europe, they have not been widely used in the less developed countries of the world because the initial investment and operational costs of computers have been too high. Should advances in hardware technology continue to reduce such costs, some educational…

Writing instructors teaching in computer classrooms recognize that the goals and content of these writing courses have changed since precomputer days. While the emphasis is still on writing, skills related to producing texts in electronic environment are also being taught. Technology is changing the nature of writing instruction, the writing…