This paper reports on a study undertaken to analyse learner participation in an online teaching-learning environment in the distance education program of the University of the West Indies. In outlining the context of the study, special emphasis was placed on the role of the course coordinator and the site-based technician in facilitating…

The digital divide is leaving millions disenfranchised from the opportunity to use technology to change their lives and to participate fully in democracy, in their own communities, and in today's job market.

This qualitative study compared the availability of, access to, and use of new technologies in a group of low- and high-socioeconomic status (SES) California high schools. Although student-computer ratios in the schools were similar, the social contexts of computer use differed, with low-SES schools affected by uneven human support networks,…

As the number of computers accessible to students and teachers has increased, there has been a growing emphasis on integrating technology across the curriculum. Even though schools increasingly invest in new technologies, the actual use of computers in classrooms remains limited. This paper examines a model developed to guide the implementation of…

A Mixed-Methods Study was conducted of 47 teachers of the deaf in seven urban and suburban programs around the country as they participated in an online training program. The goal of the training program was to encourage the teachers to integrate technology into their teaching of children who were deaf or hard of hearing. In their evaluation of…

Micro and small enterprises comprise approximately 60-70% of enterprises in South and Central America. Most of these enterprises, particularly micro enterprises, are managed and owned by women. These women for the most part lack both skills and training in the use of computers and the Internet, and access to the use of information and…

Faced with the problems of access, distance and low population density, the provision of quality services to rural areas is inherently difficult. Although the role of market towns in alleviating problems in the provision of rural services has been given little consideration within the academic literature, they are currently being targeted by UK…

This article discusses the future of America's education system. In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education's report A Nation at Risk raised questions about whether America's education system was endangering America's competitive future. This prompted a wave of reforms in education, including a stronger focus on the effective use…

Discusses public libraries' role and value in the age of digital technologies. Reassessments of their role due to technological development and widespread public use of the Internet are analysed. Central challenges of the digital society, including an increased digital divide and a weakening of local community identity, have resulted in lower…

Purpose: To evaluate a remote learning initiative involving filming live lectures and disseminating these via digital interactive television (DiTV), satellite to PC terminals and VHS cassette. This was accompanied by online learning materials. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews were used for the aspects of the study reported in this…

Sir John Daniel and Paul West explore the difficulties inherent in bringing postsecondary education to developing countries. While current research points to online education as the best financial alternative for these impoverished countries, cross-border educational solutions are largely unavailable, making local solutions a necessity. Daniel and…

Today's incoming freshmen, born in 1988, have never known a time when the Internet and personal computers were not ubiquitous. They expect "what I want, when I need it, wherever I happen to be, on whatever workstation I have available." Many industries already meet this demand--entertainment (legal or pirated), cable TV, digital video recorders,…

Drawing upon a year of ethnographic research with the Los Angeles public school system, this article follows the translation and negotiation of several key technology grants and their policies. It argues that as a global trend, myths of technological neutrality and transparency merely cloud the panoply of negotiations taking place in public…

Finding ways to bring effective computer-based behavioral interventions to those with limited access to technology is a continuing challenge for health educators. Computer kiosks placed in community settings may help reach such populations. The "Reflections of You" kiosk generates individually tailored magazines on breast cancer and…

In many analyses of children's "emergent literacy" (Clay, 1966) practices, there is little acknowledgement of children's engagement in techno-literacy practices. This article discusses findings from a survey undertaken in a working-class community in the north of England which aimed to identify the "emergent techno-literacy"…