This newsletter contains nine articles covering the topic of technology and adult learning and exploring what has been achieved in the six years since the Office of Technology Assessment conducted a study on adult literacy and new technologies. Included are (1): "Technology and Adult Learning: A Collection of Current Perspectives" (Office of…

A survey of the New York Department of Correctional Services Vocational Education Program was conducted in 53 correctional facilities throughout the state, with a questionnaire measuring perceptions of staff and inmates about the effectiveness of the program in the areas of work skills, technical skills, and student personal attributes relating to…

This digest discusses how selected researchers are informing practice in four key areas relating to the participation of students with disabilities in standards-based mathematics curriculum. The first area focuses on enhancing students' understanding of mathematics and emphasizes the need to make math meaningful for students with disabilities. The…

This paper describes the rationale and development of a teacher-made software program, instructional design features of the program, and student reaction to the program. The software was created for one student with moderate mental retardation to enable him to practice reading, writing, and reciting personal information. The program, "Your…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether exposure to multimedia and presentation software on laptop computers influenced student achievement in a secondary level anatomy and physiology science course. Group A used laptop computers with A.D.A.M. (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine) multimedia software and PowerPoint…

The benefits of high-level mathematics packages such as Matlab include both a computer algebra system and the ability to provide students with concrete visual examples. This paper discusses how both capabilities of Matlab were used in a multivariate calculus class. Graphical user interfaces which display three-dimensional surfaces, contour plots,…

Japanese education, including preservice teacher education, is incorporating instructional technology as an effective, systematic way to enhance planning, teaching, and learning. Japanese researchers developed a framework for using instructional technology to develop lesson plans for autonomous learning. Preservice teachers in Japan tend to hold…

This document is comprised of the six issues of volume 19 of "First Teacher," a periodical providing helpful activity ideas and information on child development for early childhood teachers and caregivers. The major topics for each themed issue are as follows: (1) Exploring Letters and Numbers, including flannel board activities, and number rhymes…

Demonstrates the use of technology to enhance the appreciation of applications involving abstract algebra. The symbolic manipulator Maple can perform computations required for a linear cryptosystem. One major benefit of this process is that students can encipher and decipher messages using a linear cryptosystem without becoming confused and…

Provides an overview of the Quebec National Library (Bibliotheque Nationale du Quebec, or BNQ) Web site. Highlights include issues related to content, design, and technology; IRIS, the BNQ online public access catalog; development of the multimedia catalog; software; digitization of documents; links to bibliographic records; and future…

Advice is offered on making the college or university fact book readable and appealing. Issues discussed include: choice of hardware and software for desktop publishing, balance, layout, use of graphics, typefaces and styles, text alignment, and format. Lists of resources, associations, seminars, and publications that may be useful are appended.…

Suggests that traditional remedial teaching methods such as drill and practice activities are not challenging, and that incorporating alternative teaching strategies such as critical dialogue and higher order thinking skills (HOTS) into the classroom fosters self-esteem, creates enthusiasm for learning, raises test scores, and alters brain…

Describes how computer software captures and makes available for auditory observation and learning the variety of sound shapes that words take on in fast speech. A case study illustrates a teaching procedure that can aid learners' perception and comprehension of fast speech in a foreign language and calls for electronic publication of standard…

Focuses on the efficacy of computer use for learning Kanji characters and improving Japanese vocabulary levels, with reference to software designed to improve Kanji learning in a self-access learning mode. Findings reveal that all the students in an Australian university using the computer to learn Kanji increased their grades and that those most…

Examines gender differences in computer use, citing male- oriented software as a possible reason girls are turned off, and highlights traditionally feminine and gender-neutral games. Describes ways of encouraging females: all-female computer and math classes, pairing students, mentoring, integrating technology into content areas, early…