Discusses the results of focus groups and surveys that asked teenagers their opinions of libraries and library services. Highlights include access to technology; customer service for students; library space for teens; books and materials; rules, regulations, and hours; jobs and service opportunities; and marketing toward teens. (LRW)

Discusses the future of social studies education in the electronic age of knowledge and distributed intelligence, focusing on: technology as teacher (the Internet as educator and Internet research); technological realities (computer availability, computer adequacy, Internet access, and software); the teacher (teacher training and support staff);…

Analyzes national survey data on children's differential access to computers at home and school, noting varying conditions that affect how children experience computers. In 1998, over 75 percent of children had access to computers at school, though computer experiences differed by socioeconomic status. Poorer students had significantly less access…

Proposes that asynchronous communication via email, course Web pages, and the Internet can be adapted to meet the seven principles of effective teaching as well as enhance student outcomes. Considers problems associated with asynchronous learning, including access to computers; and presents strategies for overcoming problems through course design…

Discussion of inequality in access to computer technology focuses on gender differences in attitudes toward using computers in libraries, based on experiences at the University High School, a laboratory school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Topics addressed include female role models and local support groups. (Contains four…

Delaware became the first state in the United States to provide high-speed network access to every school and have network access in every public school classroom. This article illustrates how Delaware leaped from being technology poor in education to building a solid foundation for growth in educational technology. Critical issues and…

Describes the benefits of providing laptop computers to elementary teachers. Analysis revealed two broad categories of beneficial uses of laptops: individual use benefits and group use benefits, and findings indicated that access to laptops at school and at home positively affected the teachers' technology use. (AEF)

This article aims to provide a baseline for future studies on the provision and support for the use of digital or electronic information services (EIS) in further education. The analysis presented is based on a multi-level model of access, which encompasses access to and availability of information and communication technology (ICT) resources,…

This paper explores young people's access to and use of computers in the home and at school. Drawing on a questionnaire survey, conducted in 2001 and 2003 with over 1800 children in the South-West of England, on group interviews in school with over 190 children and with visits to 11 families, the paper discusses: (1) children's current use of…

Nearly all US schools are now connected to the Internet. However, slow connectivity is creating bottlenecks in schools, frustrating students and leaving them disarmed in the battle to stay competitive in the 21st century. Slow connectivity is imperiling the quality of U.S. K-12 education, while the rest of the world sets the pace technologically.…

The best evidence of the concern over the digital divide was the speed with which the federal government interceded to help close it. A program offering generous subsidies to schools and libraries for the purchase of Internet technology was made part of the massive overhaul of the Telecommunications Act in 1996. The subsidies were apportioned on a…

Community colleges face a variety of challenges as they seek to expand innovative and effective uses of technology. This chapter discusses questions that must be answered as colleges move into the next phase of distance education.

Research has found that computer attitudes not only play an influential role in determining the extent to which students accept the computer as a learning tool but also future behaviours towards the computer such as using it for further study and vocational purposes. A sample of 183 post-secondary students was assessed for their computer attitudes…

The so-called "digital divide" problem, significant disparities in access to technology between the affluent and impoverished, is a global phenomenon that is most serious in the poorest parts of the world. The millions who struggle daily for enough food, clothing, housing, and transportation, are unable to afford the hardware, software and service…

The survey was conducted in the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Nigeria with a view to identifying the rate and purpose of Internet use by students in other to be well positioned to provide effective Internet services to them. Questionnaire was randomly distributed to 1200 students in their hostels out of which 67.66% was returned.…