This issue brief discusses the barriers to technological access for students with disabilities. Challenges for bridging the digital divide are discussed and the following recommendations are provided: (1) stakeholders should have access to training so they can design and select accessible facilities, utilize computers and software, purchase…

A growing concern in teacher education programs is technology training. Research confirms that training positively affects perservice teachers' attitudes and technology proficiency. However, little is known about the kinds of factors that may predict preservice teachers' integration of technology into their own instruction. The goal of this study…

This report and executive summary examines the current situation of gender and information technology (IT) in developing nations. The first section describes women as users of IT, producers of IT, and IT decision makers. The second section notes obstacles to women's access (literacy and education, language, time, cost, geographic location, social…

An evaluation was conducted of the Instructional Technology Assistance Project. Its goals were to promote learning in technologically enhanced classrooms; support adult education (AE) teachers in developing skills and confidence in integrating technology into instruction; and identify exemplary practices in technology enhanced AE. Data sources…

This book provides information to help teachers use the Internet in the classroom. Tips from 28 educators note potential pitfalls and offer many perspectives on teaching with the Internet. The educators present their own classroom materials, lesson plans, Web sites, and words of wisdom. Interviews with renowned experts in the field address key…

Technology has been making rapid strides since its inception in the school curriculum. In 1970, four kinds of software were available for use in reading instruction, although they were criticized for deficiencies. Throughout the 1980s, the number of schools having computers and sufficient software increased. Advantages in using computers in…

In school districts throughout the country, computer literacy is considered a top educational goal, however, too few administrators, teachers, and parents understand what the term really means. The computer plays two roles in schools: information resource--as a complement to books, magazines, video, and other media; and self-contained teaching…

This paper describes the experiences of a non-technologically oriented composition instructor who began a writing course that incorporated online computer technology. Following the Northridge (California) earthquake in 1994, the administration at California State University Northridge (CSUN) recognized the importance of creating electronic…

This document resulted from a project undertaken to develop a set of program-specific and occupationally relevant performance (learning) objectives for the Ontario Basic Skills/Formation de Base de l'Ontario (OBS/FBO) program. It describes project activities, including a literature review in three related areas: understanding what literacy means,…

The policies and practices of higher education are influenced by social, economic, and technological changes currently occurring in postindustrial information societies. Competition in the globalized marketplace of mass tertiary education is transforming traditional curricula and their pedagogies. New communications and information technologies…

The full impact of the current information technology and networking revolution remains unknown, but the experiences of organizations and individuals who are using the tools and resources offered by information technology suggest that it may change our social fabric. Some of the current and emerging trends in information technology include: the…

This paper applies Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT) principles to a 19th century Portuguese novel ("Cousin Basilio" by Eca de Queiros) that is available on the World Wide Web. An undergraduate Portuguese literature Web course that studied the novel is also described. Students' reactions to this distance learning course were analyzed by…

A problem facing many supervisors and administrators in K-12 and higher education is how to effectively integrate technology into the instructional proram. Professional development plays a key role in providing training and support required to develop the instructional technology (IT) skills necessary to have a positive effect on instruction. This…

This is the fourth paper published by The Centre for Literacy in its Working Papers in Literacy series, which present new perspectives on literacy-related issues relevant to researchers, to practitioners, and to policy-makers. This paper was written in 1998 as an advisory document to the UK Qualifications and Curriculum Agency (QCA) which manages…

Following a summary of different ways in which the Pennsylvania Department of Education is using computer technology to improve education, describes (1) three electronic mail pilot projects; (2) a resource center and data base for school improvement; (3) a computer literacy course; and (4) management training programs. (DC)