It is no coincidence that many of the "Grand Challenges for Engineering" (National Academy of Engineering, 2007-2010)--such as carbon sequestration--address environmental problems that were precipitated by human inventiveness and engineering achievements. Although people recognize their dependence upon environmental processes to provide…

Some schools, districts, and states are tackling the cost of hardware and network products by using E-rate money, which is tied to the number of students eligible for the school-lunch program, requires attention to several forms and deadlines, and makes filtering mandatory. Forming consortia with other districts to allow bulk purchasing is another…

Discusses how to choose from the available interactive graphic-design possibilities for the World Wide Web. Compatibility and appropriateness are discussed; and DHTML (Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language), Java, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), plug-ins, ActiveX, and Push and channel technologies are described. (LRW)

Accelerating innovation to drive economic growth is the foremost goal for technology-based economic development organizations today. Realizing this goal through programmes is challenged by limited and outdated operating models. The authors outline their 21st Century Innovation Intermediary model, which pairs commercialization with regional…

As certain areas of practice in higher education shift online, the work of learners and teachers increasingly takes place within the domain of the image. The "digital turn" we are experiencing, both in higher education and in the wider culture, accompanies an "iconic turn" in which the logic of the image as it emerges on our screens has a growing…

Information technology (IT) professionals face markedly different kinds of challenges in developing countries from the ones in developed countries. Based on the research literature and our fourteen years of fieldwork in Iringa, Tanzania, we have identified eight groups of technical characteristics of IT work that significantly affect the work of…

The Human Function Model, as described in the University of Kentucky Assistive Technology Project, places assistive technology in its proper perspective, as an external support that can enhance an individual's ability to function within the environment. The National Assistive Technology Research Institute groups assistive technology and related…

The increasing amount of new scientific information made available by computers and the Internet is demonstrated by the growing number of available health sciences journals. Medical students, nursing students, those in other health science disciplines, and clinicians need to make information more manageable and accessible, especially at the point…

This paper considers educational technology in the light of both rationalist and existentialist theory, arguing that the predominance of rationalism in educational technology may be a dangerous tendency. Existentialist theory is first considered as a way--albeit with limitations--to begin examining educational technology from an ethical…

Recently, the popular press has pointed to increasing evidence of misuse and abuse of emerging technologies in U.S. schools. Some examples include using Web sites to intimidate or threaten students, downloading music illegally from the Internet, plagiarizing information using the Internet, using cellular phones during class time, and playing games…

Developmentally Appropriate Technology in Early Childhood (DATEC) aims to identify the most appropriate applications of Information and Communication Technology to support the development of children under eight years of age. Botswana has a unique spread of population density and deep-rooted socio-cultural values. There is a need to address the…

A sustainable global future requires (1) rediscovery of spiritual values; (2) sustainable agriculture; (3) energy conservation and solar conversion; (4) recycling economy; (5) economic democracy; (6) stabilizing population; and (4) trade, aid, and investment in support of self-reliance. (SK)

Examines digital imaging and preservation (i.e., activities associated with maintaining library, archival, or museum materials for use, either in original physical form or in some other format); discusses problems and underlying causes associated with incorporating digital imaging as a preservation methodology; and lists questions to answer before…

Examines implications of new Web-based technologies for the practice of work-based learning. Highlights include the nature of work-based learning, new technology, a model for a World Wide Web-based learning resource, providing links to learning resources, access to appropriate technology, and cost constraints. (LRW)

New information technologies help one to aggregate information in mesmerizing ways, but interpersonal relationships and conversation are necessary to teach a child how to interpret and order that information within a social context. Computers and the Internet are just tools; they must not become the medium of education and thereby rob us of time…