In October 2012, Microsoft will release the commercial version of its next operating system, presently called "Windows 8." This version represents a significant departure from the past. Microsoft wants this operating system to meet user needs regardless of physical platform (e.g., desktop, notebook, tablet, mobile phone). As part of this mission,…

Prepared by the manager of a virtual reality (VR) laboratory at North Carolina's Haywood Community College, the three papers collected in this document are designed to help instructors incorporate VR into their classes. The first paper reviews the characteristics of VR, defining it as a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional…

This guide provides the layperson with a concise overview of factors to consider when making plans to outfit elementary and secondary schools with technology inexpensively. The guide draws on the knowledge of consultants, architects, electronics engineers, and the experiences of educators who have been involved in the process of designing schools…

This report proposes a strategy of putting networked computing devices into the hands of all students at institutions of higher education. It outlines the rationale for such a strategy, the options for financing, the required institutional support structure needed, and various implementation approaches. The report concludes that the resultant…

This paper identifies an emerging capability in technology and considers relevant applications through school-site administration that could release teachers' creative human potential in ways beneficial to students. The paper examines the use of multimedia authoring tools in relation to curriculum development and enhancement, instructional…

Describes the effectiveness of censoring software, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program, virtual book reports, technology uses in language-arts instruction, the latest school-technology information, and strategies for dealing with kids who send threats on the Internet. (LMI)

This final report describes activities and findings of a project which examined computer-automated scheduling in institutions for higher education and secondary schools and selected two sources for scheduling systems products which it recommends to institutions in the member states of the Midwestern Higher Education Commission and members of the…

Contains articles on software products targeted at girls, the use of technology for the transformation of schooling, and tips on teaming up with software developers. Regular features include dispatches from the school-technology frontier, information about school boards' uses of "groupware," a review of software reading programs, and Internet…

This report examines the effects of technological change on Arizona's Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and assesses changes and progress made since the publication of MCCCD's Master Plan for Instructional Computing in 1986. The first section views constant change in computer technology as a running stream and examines the need…

This report summarizes 219 educational technology research reviews and reports from 1990-1997, from both published and unpublished sources. The report provides software developers and publishers with research that will enable them to improve educational technology. It can also help educators make effective decisions as they attempt to incorporate…

The article addresses advances in speech and language assessment through the use of technology. Discussed are the large amounts of accurate diagnostic information that software can generate and the use of microcomputers in data interpretation. Categories of assessment software (phonological analysis and language sample analysis) are considered and…

This book was written to help classroom teachers, lay persons, and school personnel understand the role of microcomputers in education. It has been especially designed for undergraduate and graduate technology-based education programs. Specific education examples and applications are provided throughout the book and exercises have been designed…