This report provides an update about innovative uses of information and communication technology (ICT) for distance education and training in South Asia. Particular focus is given to ICT initiatives in India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, at university level, and in non-formal interventions. Lessons learned from these countries are of value to any…

An interpretive paradigm was used to distill four themes from interviews with six nursing students about information and communications technology. Themes were initial intimidation in learning computers, lack of time and motivation to learn, the crucial nature of computer ownership to facilitate experimentation, and limited access to computers in…

Responses from 56 of 107 Louisiana secondary marketing teachers indicated that, according to the Technology Integration Model, most were active in exploring technology uses in education and adapting it for instruction, moderate at the advanced integration level, and not active in experimentation. They identified minor barriers to technology…

Contends that teacher educators play a crucial role in preparing preservice and inservice teachers to teach literacy to students from a range of backgrounds. Discusses diversity issues in literacies, such as equal access to technology. Provides three examples which reflect different levels of connection between teachers' understandings of…

Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics Fast Response Survey System, discusses the correlation of instructional use of the Internet with availability of classroom-level access to the Internet and teacher training and support for use of the Internet. Findings emphasize the importance of classroom-level access and teacher…

Socioeconomic and racial inequities exist in access to technology and computer ownership. Historical review of interest groups influencing education--humanists, developmentalists, social efficiency experts, and social reconstructionists--suggests that technology alone cannot solve important questions of power and privilege that must be addressed.…

Compares the digital divide debate to debates over access to cable in the 1960s-1970s and demonstrates how access to technology is constructed as a social problem. Concludes that the current debate is different because it accepts the premise of technological determinism and assumes that closing the gap will mitigate broader social inequities.…

Adult literacy learners face uses of funding, access and lack of expertise and time related to technology use. Issues for literacy programs include funding, access, staff development, assessment, and maintenance. Technology can individualize literacy learning, allow privacy and asynchronous participation, and provide immediate feedback. (Contains…

Personal digital assistants (PDAs, also known as handheld or palmtop computers) are, in this author's opinion, the next great step in educational technology. The educational community has spent countless hours and dollars on providing desktop or laptop computer access to PK-16 students. Most students now have some experience with the Internet,…

In this article, the author believes that computers for young children are often reductive and limiting, rather than expanding their three dimensional sensory, interpersonal, and cognitive experience. Among other points, she discusses the after effects of children's early exposure to technological materials. Moreover, she opines that teachers need…

A new study shows that students aged 6 to 17 who have access to the Interact at home are growing afore and more dissatisfied with the access to the Net available to them at school. Grunwald Associates, a California market research firm, released the results of their survey, "Children, Families and the Internet," on December 4. Seventy-six percent…

Using computer technology to support authentic learning activities produces effective learning environments when two situations occur-the teacher understands how technology tools can be used in delivering instruction and the students have access to the tools anywhere and anytime. The use of handheld computers in classrooms hints at the possibility…

In the third wave of computing, people will interact with multiple computers in multiple ways in every setting. The value of ubiquitous computing is enhanced and reinforced by another trend: the transition to a Web 2.0 world. In a Web 2.0 world, applications and data reside on the Web itself. Schools are not yet approaching a ratio of one…

The term "digital divide" emerged in the mid-1990s (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004) to describe "the gap between those who have "ever" and those who have "never" used a computer or the Internet" (p. 1). In time, this term has evolved, and become even more relevant, as more school sites, libraries, and public places gain access to the Internet. The…

This work presents a review of the development and application of computers. It traces the highlights of emergent computing technologies shaping our world. Recent trends in hardware and software deployment are chronicled as well as their impact on various segments of the society. The expectations for the future are also discussed along with…