Outlines some of the developments in the use of information technology in education from the BBC Model A computer to CD-ROM and the Internet. Some examples of use are touched upon as are possibilities for the future. Emphasizes the effects of these examples on teaching and learning. (Author/ASK)

Discusses issues related to Internet access in Head Start classrooms. Advocates development of an Internet Acceptable Use Policy for the classroom. Discusses the use of Internet filtering software and child-safe search engines for the classroom and at home. (KB)

Presents ways of using different software for visualizing sampling distributions from a variety of background distributions. Random numbers are used to produce samples of given size and the mean of each is calculated. The mean and standard deviation of these means are calculated, a grouped frequency table is produced, and a histogram is generated.…

Discusses the use of the Excel computer program to develop and distribute simple models that provide a clear visual representation of a chosen probability distribution's properties to students. (ASK)

Introduces some alternatives for preparing and viewing computer aided design (CAD) graphics for Internet output on a budget, without the fear of copyright infringement, and without having to go back to college to learn a complex graphic application. (Author/YDS)

Focuses on two teachers who had made no use of DERIVE with their classes but who agreed to make regular use of DERIVE with one of their classes over the course of one year. Presents teachers' accounts of what they did. Discusses time issues in using DERIVE, the use of materials, pressures on teachers that influence their use of DERIVE, and the…

Notes that understanding what "free software" means and its implications for access and use of new technologies is an important component of the new literacies. Concludes that if free speech and free press are essential to the development of a general literacy, then free software can promote the development of computer literacy. (SG)

Discusses whether schools should somehow filter the information available to students via the Internet. Highlights include censorship versus an individual's right to information; fear for children's safety as motivation; filtering legislation; deciding what to block; rating Internet sites; filtering options for schools; and recommendations. (LRW)

Describes how San Diego State University created a collaborative, objective, and quantitative metric, or rubric, to support its decision-making process regarding a Web portal. Discusses how the rubric was used to score different portal software systems during demonstrations and as a checklist and inventory to describe potential options. (EV)

Presents an analytic framework to describe and analyze students' answers to proof problems. Employs the framework to investigate ways in which dynamic geometry software can be used to improve students' understanding of the nature of mathematical proof and improve their proof skills. (Author/MM)

Explores how the alliance between Microsoft and Blackboard, a company whose software helps colleges put their courses on the Internet, is making some college officials wonder what the deal means for their operating systems and budgets, and for higher education in general. (EV)

Investigates methods for classifying problem solving strategies of high school students who studied infectious and non-infectious diseases by using a software system that can generate a picture of students' strategies in solving problems. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

This article reports on the design, implementation, and usage of the CourseMarker (formerly known as CourseMaster) courseware Computer Based Assessment (CBA) system at the University of Nottingham. Students use CourseMarker to solve (programming) exercises and to submit their solutions. CourseMarker returns immediate results and feedback to the…

Libraries are all about facilitating the intersection of people and information. According to this author, many librarians, however, still teach information literacy in the same way that their older colleagues taught bibliographic instruction. Teaching, despite technology and educational research, has still focused on the lecture. Librarians are…

The notion of collaborating to create open source applications for higher education is rapidly gaining momentum. From course management systems to ERP financial systems, higher education institutions are working together to explore whether they can in fact build a better mousetrap. As Lois Brooks, of Stanford University, recently observed, the…