Describes new federal programs designed to support access to educational technology for all children. Programs relate to: school and library access; community access; distance learning; professional development; capacity building; innovation; research; and technical assistance. The programs tend to focus on teachers and involve cooperation between…

Examines the role that public libraries can play in the Australian government's objective of developing a network literate society. Highlights include an historical perspective; national infrastructures and government agendas; social equity; equitable access and user fees; Internet-related roles and service directions; and implications for further…

States that many of the accommodations typically made for students with disabilities can benefit all students--most, for example, can benefit from extended time or alternative test formats. Asserts that Universal Instructional Design (UID) can be applied to all students, as it takes into consideration the differences in learning styles of both…

Identifies public library policies, programs, services, or practices that have ruined customer relations and offers suggestions on how they could have been avoided. Highlights include automated telephone answering systems; staff monitoring of computer use; self-service equipment, particularly photocopiers; release forms; staff parking; loan…

Although most college faculty are aware of the problems that students encounter when conducting research using the Internet, fewer recognize why their students lack success when using the electronic databases and indexes to which the institution's library subscribes. In this article, I point to teachers' assumptions about their students' "computer…

There's no such thing as a school or library with too many computers. We're still nowhere near the one-student, one-computer ratio that's ideal for our schools and libraries, especially those in neighborhoods where most students don't have home computers. That's why Computers for Schools (www.pcsforschools.org) is such a great idea. The nonprofit…

This article reports on issues relevant for teachers and instructional designers anticipating using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education, particularly those wishing to adopt a flexible learning approach aimed at improving the quality of the student experience. The data that are reported on span more than five…

What the author has learned from this experience is to allow time for the unexpected when dealing with technology. She has further learned that one needs a strong technological support system in the school to ensure that access can be restored. The physical setting for online learning is important, as well. Students need to have a place where they…

This study explored college students' perceptions regarding their use of search engines. The main objective was to determine how frequently students used various search engines, whether advanced search features were used, and how many search engines were used. Various factors that might influence student responses were examined. Results showed…

Four fifth-grade classrooms embarked on a modified ubiquitous computing initiative in the fall of 2003. Two 15-computer wireless laptop carts were shared among the four classrooms in an effort to integrate technology across the curriculum and affect change in student learning and teacher pedagogy. This initiative--in contrast to other one-to-one…

During the past 10 years, the level of technology in schools has increased with tremendous speed. Accessible through that medium is a body of information that will double in 6 years and quadruple in 12. Before teachers have mastered one type of technology, school administrators are stacking old computers in workrooms or behind stage curtains. Just…

As use of the Internet continues to expand, the width of the digital divide between the "haves" and the "have nots" will expand as well. Caught in the forefront of the "have nots" are those living within a region of the south known as the Black Belt. This area contains the greatest levels of poor, uneducated, and…

In this article, the authors attempt to discern the characteristic features of social inequality that are manifested with respect to the access that students from the different social strata have to the new information technologies. They analyze the characteristics of the use of the new information technologies by eleventh-grade students and…

This article features the popular social-networking site MySpace.com and describes how the News Corp., new owner of MySpace.com, is proposing safety enhancements for users between the ages of 14 and 16, to make their profiles available only to their circle of friends. It also shares some strategies that have enabled districts to minimize some of…

The "TIMSS 2011 International Results in Mathematics" summarizes fourth and eighth grade student achievement in each of the 63 countries and 14 benchmarking entities which participated in TIMSS 2011. The report includes trends in mathematics achievement over time for participants in the previous TIMSS 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007…