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…

In December 2007, the XO laptop was launched in Uruguay. The XO laptop is an inexpensive computer created by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation, which the founders hope will advance education in the developing world. In the frenzy to light up children's faces with the glow of an LCD, it is the librarians and teachers and their role in…

In this article, the author discusses on the emphasis of how 1:1 computing program transforms classroom and education experience for students. Moreover, the author stresses that with this type of program, they have created vision where the culture, curriculum, and chores were designed to meet the needs of the digital age students in terms of rigor…

Visitors to the Peck School this year would see a very different scene than two years ago. The school has expanded its laptop program to include younger students, begun construction on two new buildings, and revamped the daily schedule. Laptops are moving into the lower grades, with younger students at a ratio of two students per computer and…

Educators feel pressured to buy the latest computer hardware and software but often do not consider its long-term purpose. A recent federal telecommunications law provides discounts on technology but requires long-range technology use plans. (JOW)

Addresses two questions: (1) Can computers be used effectively to teach young children? (2) Should computers be used to teach young children? Directions for future research are suggested. (RH)

This article discusses the technology immersion in the Minnetonka, Minn., School District. Imagine walking into a classroom where the teacher uses his finger on a giant touch screen to maneuver website data or diagram a sentence. Imagine every student in the class--even the one who hasn't spoken all semester--holding a response device to give the…

One salient factor of increasing interest in distance education is advancement in information and communications technologies (ICTs). In particular, digital and networked technologies have had a wide range of effects on the educational materials, practices, and institutions involved in education, notably by improving time-and cost-efficient…

Educators must adapt the way they think about change if they and their students are to see the benefits of instructional technology. This new paradigm is called systemic change, and combines general systems theory and what has traditionally been called diffusion of innovations. This paper explores some of the lessons it holds for integration of…

Introduces computerized tailoring and provides a brief overview of its elements and applications as well as of the papers of this issue. The articles describe the application of behavioral change theories to this new approach, advantages of computer-tailored intervention over more general mass media approaches, their effectiveness and future…

Although a vibrant literature on the social justice advantages of writing service-learning programs has existed for many years, the focus has tended to be on specific projects and courses, often accompanied by an understandable suspicion that entrenched institutions like universities have interests inimical to radical social change. As a result,…

In this article, the author reports on how several models are meeting the challenges of time, technology, and motivation. Some of the models discussed are videoconferencing models, the Anytime, Anywhere learning initiatives, and Educational Impact, a larger-scale provider of professional development resources that addresses this challenge by…

Computers can enhance the efficiency of adult education programs in developing nations through systems analysis, computer-managed instruction, and computer literacy as a tool for economic development. Obstacles include the high rate of illiteracy, costs of technology, lack of trained staff, lack of maintenance, and inadequacies in the…

Presents the results of two surveys conducted to evaluate distance education courses offered at a community college: one of students who enrolled in, but did not complete, a distance education course; and one of the faculty and administrators involved in telecourse planning and delivery. Describes how the results were used to improve the programs.…

Editor-in-chief James Morrison talks with organic education proponent Hugh Osborn at the 2005 World Future Society conference. The current school system in America is inflexible and not conducive to technological innovation; a complete reform of American education, Osborn feels, is required. Osborn calls for a move to organic education, a…