Describes the European Information Market Observatory and its purpose of gathering and providing knowledge about the European electronic information services market. Topics include the supply and use of electronic information services, size of the market, structure and policy of market operators, and recent developments in new electronic…

Discusses development of digital optical discs and considers both positive and negative features of CD-ROM for information services. Topics discussed include microcomputer-based databases; cost effectiveness; online searching by users; new user populations; the status of information specialists; lack of standards; and future possibilities. (Five…

Reviews five CD-ROM products: (1) "Our Earth," part of the National Geographic Wonders of Learning series; (2) "New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia"; (3) "The Lost Tribe," a simulation game where players lead a prehistoric people to a new homeland; (4) "PilgrimQuest," a simulation game recreating the settlement of Massachusetts in the 1620s; and…

Discussion of CD-ROM and DVD (Digital Video Disk)-ROM covers CD-ROM software pricing and industry changes; CD-ROM drives; CD-recordable formats; DVD formats, hardware, and software; recordable DVD; and future issues, including standards, Windows 98, the DVD market, and compatibility. A sidebar lists Web sites with information on CD-ROM and…

The Department of Media and Communications of the Pestalozzianum Zurich (Switzerland) develops materials for media education. This article describes a book on visual competence, a CD-ROM investigating the production and distribution of newspapers, an eight-part TV series on contributions to media education, and a multimedia package about a…

Describes a project developed at the University of North Florida that used CD-ROM technology for preservice teachers to develop their professional portfolios. Highlights include use of the portfolios by students as a record of developmental progress, use by faculty to determine areas of strengths and weaknesses, and evaluation methods. (LRW)

Describes a study that assessed cognitive style of 11-year-old pupils from a British primary school through use of the Cognitive Styles Analysis using CD-ROM multimedia packages. Style and aspects of learning performance are considered; gender differences and style are discussed; and further research is suggested. (LRW)

Considers ways in which library services can be more proactive in today's networked-computer environment. Discusses how to find and use patterns of behavior, such as borrowing behavior and profiles of patrons' interests; making a CD-ROM with information describing the library's services and products; and reviving telephone reference. (LRW)

This theme issue on anomalies includes Web sites, CD-ROMs and software, videos, books, and additional resources for elementary and junior high school students. Pertinent activities are suggested, and sidebars discuss UFOs, animal anomalies, and anomalies from nature; and resources covering unexplained phenonmenas like crop circles, Easter Island,…

Observations, interviews, and a survey were used to study the staff of an educational-technology center which has been producing educational software (CDs) for about five years. Results showed that educators generally approached electronic curriculum development in terms of either programming processes or curricular concepts. Differences between…

This article provides information on resources for teaching Deaf students in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. Specific focus is on captioning, textbooks, CDs, and resources for preparing teachers. (Author/VWL)

Tests use of CD-ROM storybook programs' effects on preschool children's emergent literacy--73 Head Start four-year-olds, divided into experimental, control, and well-read-to control groups used CD-ROM programs for eight weeks. Indicates CD-ROM storybook programs may have a significant effect on emergent reading skills of children not well-read-to…

A digital portfolio is a purposeful collection of work, captured by electronic means, that serves as an exhibit of individual efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas. The CD-ROM format provides an ideal medium for storing and displaying electronic portfolios. Items included document what an individual knows, how knowledge was…

Digital Video Disc (DVD), now known as digital versatile disc, is a high-capacity storage medium. This article examines and evaluates DVD-Video, for storing digitized movies, and DVD-ROM for storing computer-readable text, graphics, audio, and video files. Describes and reviews selected DVD-Video and DVD-ROM titles and discusses potential hardware…

CD-ROMs (compact disc read-only memory) are useful in teaching health education, though there are very few available. The paper describes CD-ROM use in classrooms, examining enhanced individual learning experiences and focusing on CD-ROM use in health education. It also offers a listing of health-related CD-ROMs that are currently available. (SM)