Over 400 e-learning grant applications from Australian primary schools were analysed to determine the nature of the proposed ICT based projects in literacy and numeracy. Three key dimensions emerged from the teacher descriptions: ICT infrastructure, motivation and ICT use, and pedagogy and innovation. The three dimensions, and the interactions…

This theme issue includes four articles on the effective use of computers and electronic technology in education, and on equitable access to educational technologies for Hispanics and other minority groups. "Teachers and Instructional Technology: Wise or Foolish Choices" (Laura Chris Green) describes three unproductive roles for computer…

This videotape provides an overview of the materials and services available in a typical library. Designed to interest elementary and middle school children in exploring the library, the video features a young host who tells children about the Dewey Decimal system and goes behind the scenes to see how a library works. The library does not only…

This report examines the technology gap in low-income communities, assesses the barriers that are slowing the spread of new technologies to the underserved, and describes some of the most promising efforts to produce a more equitable distribution. Chapter 1 of the report discusses what is known about the extent of the technology gap and its…

This practicum was designed to provide elementary students from low-socioeconomic school communities equitable opportunities to use notebook computer technology in the communication process. A multi-dimensional staff development program was designed and conducted to integrate computer technology in the classroom. Students and their families were…

According to the National Child Care Survey, approximately seven million children are spending some amount of time each day in self-care (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). When adolescents are included in these figures, some evidence suggests the number of youth without care after school approaches 15 million (White House, 1998). The large number of…

The "digital divide" refers to inequitable access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) between wealthy and poor countries and between privileged and underprivileged social groups within all countries. This presentation outlines global parameters of the digital divide, discusses the use of ICTs in education in…

In fiscal year 2001, the Appalachian Regional Commission invested $63.6 million in 469 economic and human development (nonhighway) projects and $389.6 million in highway projects in Appalachia. The Commission launched a new initiative to promote the development of telecommunications infrastructure, especially in distressed counties. The Commission…

This document reports on the history of the California Community Colleges High Tech Centers for the Disabled between the years 1983-1992. Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) asked, in 1983, what role computers play in the lives of students with disabilities. This question set in motion a chain of events that resulted in creation of the program, which…

The revised Arkansas Educational Technology Plan, of the year 2000, is an updated and more detailed plan that is necessary for providing specific help to all levels of the state educational system. The primary focus of the plan is to enhance instruction for higher student achievement through technology and provide a framework to allow this to…

Emerging research suggests that providing personal computers to students, in combination with a constructivist teaching approach, holds promise for significant gains in student achievement. As we begin a process of using one-on-one learning with laptop computers in a large urban district, it is important to share information concerning the design,…

This publication summarizes the lessons learned during 2002 in a collaborative project that had two central goals: (1) to assess the current thinking on sustainability and outlays for educational technology (edtech) investments by using as national case studies the cities of Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee; and (2) to highlight critical issues…

In spring 2001, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges passed a resolution whose aim is to narrow the digital divide among California community college students. The digital divide is defined as the disparity between those who have access to technology and those who do not. The resolution suggests two questions: (1) How has…

Often funding agencies and donor governments face the question of whether should they support information and communication (ICT) technologies activities in their development projects. Should the money be invested in computers and communication devices or will it be better spent on food, shelter, health, and education? The choice need not be…

This brief paper considers ways in which people with sensory impairments can benefit from the assistive technology available with computers. Assistive technology practitioners are urged not to focus on the disability, but on the individual's abilities and the tasks to be performed. Explanations of the major sensory disability areas precedes…