Examines equipment and training necessary to integrate computer databases into the elementary social studies classroom. Develops a basic plan for teaching about geographic regions that uses seven class sessions for computer database introduction. Finds teacher preparation is critical for student success. Concludes that students gained experience…

To remain competitive in world markets, the United States must boost the skills of its work force. Two attractive school-to-work approaches are apprenticeships (based on European examples) and high school academies promoting specialization in financial services and other fields. A sidebar discusses the growing momentum for building state workplace…

Reports an ethnographic research project involving fourth graders and the use of computers. Examines the social context of computer use; the way students relate to computers; and what students learn by interacting with computers. Finds that students can experience powerful emotional reactions to events resulting from their interactions with…

Analysis of questionnaires/focus-group-interviews with students 16-19 years old to examine the nature and extent of students' domestic use of computers and the relationship with their use of information technology (IT) in schools/colleges. Suggest students with home computers have more positive attitudes toward computers but make little use of…

Examines the problems that four international graduate students of various linguistic and cultural backgrounds encountered in the process of adapting to the requirements of discipline-specific written discourses during their first year of studies in the United States. Suggests that international students need assistance to adjust more easily to…

Results of a survey of 611 undergraduate students at a large northeastern university on their knowledge, attitudes, and usage of computer-mediated communication indicated there are many who are still unfamiliar with major components of computers and the Internet. Many subjects chose to visit controversial Web sites; deception is common when…

Presents information about current workplace-literacy demands as modern jobs are influenced by technology and organizational change, noting what these demands look like in the new workplace and examining how prepared American adults are to meet these new technological literacy demands and what resources are available to prepare children and adults…

Investigates differences between Whites and African Americans in the United States with respect to computer access and Web use, in order to examine whether observed race differences in access/use can be accounted for by differences in income and education, how access affects use, and when race matters in access. (AEF)

Examines some reasons why not all students are afforded equal opportunities to acquire technology skills. Identifies three main impediments to technological equalization: gender bias, geographic and socio-economic biases, and racial bias. Attempts to show how these biases work to prevent students from receiving equal opportunities to master…

Expands on an interview with a practicing teacher to examine the criteria used to decide how to incorporate computers into the preschool curriculum. Identifies and explores four areas of concern: equipment requirements; learning how to use the computer; learning how to manage the computer center; and choosing software. (DLH)

Outlines the goals of the revised National Policy on Education, which seeks to prepare Botswana, South Africa for the transition to an industrial economy driven by information technology. Discusses information handling skills; a 10-year basic education program; and governmental support. (AEF)

The Computer Use Scale (CUS) measures how people use computers across four dimensions: Enthusiasm, Entertainment, Efficiency, and Communication. The scale was found to be reliable and was able to detect differences among various classes of users. Applications of the scale to computer training, software design, and job placement are discussed.…

Integrating computers into teachers' work can be achieved with laptops. This article describes how the Southwest Allen County (Fort Wayne, Indiana) Schools provided laptops for teachers, administrators, and students and increased teacher use of technology, improved student access to computers, and gave students a tool for research in the field.…

Describes how teachers learned to use a graphics program in the context of Bloom's taxonomy. Instruction occurred in four stages (rote learning of tool use; understanding and application to individual assignments; application and analysis of graphic suitability with clip art; and a culminating group project requiring analysis, synthesis, and…

Presents a general model for introducing preservice teachers to instructional technology; a key premise of this model is a view of technology as an evolving complex system. Reviews the properties of complex systems and introduces a method of instruction based on the concept of iterative exploratory practice. Discusses examples of student work in…