The Internet's effects are spreading. Schools are purchasing computer programs, assisted by state, federal, and corporate grants. K-12 schools spent nearly $7 billion on instructional technology in 2000. The digital divide is narrowing; Generation I kids have greater computer access at home and at school. In a sidebar, Sandra Feldman urges…

This paper provides case studies that report on an ethnographic action research study to investigate the potential of the combination of wireless networking and portable computing at a primary school in Australia. Discusses student research projects, personal Web pages, making digital movies, student evaluations, and results of student interviews.…

Describes benefits of programs where schools provide laptop computers for each student. Topics include results of studies that show positive learning outcomes; funding options; implementation; protecting the equipment; resources for learning about laptop programs; staff training and support; and future possibilities, including the implications of…

The introduction of inter-school electronic networks has added a new dimension to education in Canada that has many implications for students who attend schools in rural communities. Collaborative internet-based teaching and learning and the creation of virtual classes within regional intranets now complement traditional on-site instruction in…

In Iowa, the practice of two-way interactive full motion video instruction is embodied in the use of the Iowa Communication Network (ICN). To facilitate innovative practices in distance education, the preservice component of the Iowa Distance Education Alliance's (IDEA) Teacher Education Alliance provided support for pilot projects which had the…

This paper reports on student reaction to the use of computer programs in political science courses during 1991-1995 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The courses were junior-senior level courses, except for the honors section. Three types of software were used: (1) simulations; (2) Internet materials; and (3) data processing software…

Many educational institutions have a substantial personal computer (PC) network that can be adapted to provide digital video on demand, as well as PCs that can be used as video on demand clients. To gain insight into the issues involved in using this technology in an educational environment that relies heavily on video, a simple, low cost video on…

SchoolNet is a state-funded partnership that will facilitate the installation of computer and communications networking technology in public schools and classrooms across Ohio and coordinate its use. SchoolNet seeks to provide Ohio students with expanded course offerings; more individualized educational opportunities; interactive learning…

The University of Central Florida (UCF) has formally recognized distributed learning as a strategic direction to increase access to educational opportunities for students within its service area and beyond. The University has chosen to employ asynchronous learning networks (ALN) as a primary approach to address the challenges of a rapidly-growing…

This paper presents a CD-ROM computer tutorial titled "Higher Mathematics," that contains 17 educational mathematical programs and is intended for use in Russian university engineering education. The first section introduces the courseware climate in Russia and outlines problems with commercially available universal mathematical…

This paper reviews evaluation reports on the use of integrated learning systems (ILSs) in elementary and middle schools throughout the United States in light of the following questions: Do these systems work? Do students make more progress using an ILS than learning in "traditional" ways? Could the cost of software and equipment be…

The New York State Technology Network Ties (TNT) systems is a statewide telecommunications network which consists of computers, telephone lines, and telecommunications hardware and software. This network links school districts, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), libraries, other educational institutions, and the State Education…

The Policy Board of the Teacher Education and Computer Center (TEC Center) for San Diego/Imperial Counties of California requested researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), to produce a background paper on the effective local classroom uses of microcomputers. Exemplary site studies of two elementary, two junior high, and two…

The instructional media created by microcomputers interconnected by modems to form long-distance networks present some powerful new opportunities for education. While other uses of computers in education have been built on conventional instructional models of classroom interaction, instructional electronic networks facilitate a wider use of…

This second volume of a two-volume report is based on the experiences of teachers who participated in a project at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) which assessed the effectiveness of a Virtual Classroom (VC), in which students and teachers communicate through a computer-mediated system called the Electronic Information Exchange…