Parents can help children become computer literate at school and at home by helping schools fund computer purchases; ensuring computer integration into the curriculum; making teacher training a priority; introducing computers at an early age; keeping their computer anxiety to themselves; not letting children get hooked on games; and subscribing to…

When 90 physicians were surveyed, half received instructions for responding via electronic mail (8 responses) and half were told to reply by mail (6 responses). Limited response suggests unwillingness or uncertainty about using technology. A computer network must be viewed as faster, more efficient, and less costly for it to be used. (SK)

Of 184 nurse educators surveyed, 50% reported that students performed well on 21 of 60 computer literacy skills. Only 3 of 60 were being integrated into teaching practice. Faculty competence in performing these skills was correlated with their integration into teaching. (SK)

Advocates creating a business-communication course that combines writing instruction with computer instruction. Discusses contemporary students (their abilities, attitudes, and approaches to learning), pedagogy, course content, and institutional support systems. (SR)

A majority of 166 secondary Louisiana business teachers surveyed felt their skills were inadequate in productivity software and information technology. They rely on self-directed learning and literature for professional development. Inservice training did not seem to improve their skills. (SK)

Regression analysis of data from 144 students in business communication found that the freshman writing prerequisite improved course performance, whereas the computer literacy prerequisite did not. Those who completed a lower-level accounting course that was not required earned better grades in business communication. (SK)

When researchers installed a computer in a poor neighborhood in India and left it unattended, area children without computer experience taught themselves many popular programs and used the Internet. The experiment showed that practice, experimentation, and easy access can provide a foundation for more formal computer training. (JOW)

Feedback from 30 of 65 physicians who participated in a computer workshop indicated that 8 had bought new hardware/software and 17 increased their use of computers, especially for Internet information retrieval and electronic mail. Those who had not increased use cited lack of time or lack of belief in their usefulness. (SK)

The school, community, and university partnership called the Anaheim (California) City School District Technology Literacy Challenge grant has helped teachers develop a deep understanding of technology. Teachers receive salary advances for purchasing technology for home use and attend workshops and seminars to learn how to use it. (MLH)

College students (n=164) who received multimedia instruction were compared with 231 controls. Higher levels of both existing self-efficacy about multimedia use and self-efficacy developed through training were significantly related to perceptions that multimedia instruction is more effective. (SK)

Executives (n=63) and office-systems educators (n=88) recommended for workers the following categories of computer end-user skills: hardware, operating systems, word processing, spreadsheets, database, desktop publishing, and presentation. (SK)

Three elementary educators present computer tools to help teachers get the school year off to a good start. They include Quick Study Reference Charts, which are laminated cards that describe useful features of over 100 computer tools; user-friendly software for designing badges on the computer; and an affordable plug-and-play scanner. (SM)

A Web site used to teach business students to use the Internet for marketing research was evaluated by 54 students. They thought its information content was useful but wanted it to be easier to use. Educators should identify students' level of Internet literacy and develop online materials accordingly. (SK)

Over 50% of faculty teaching undergraduate agriculture courses (n=58) required use of word processing, Internet, and electronic mail; less than 50% required spreadsheets, databases, graphics, or specialized software. They planned to maintain or increase required computer tasks in their courses. (SK)

Workers who use computers on the job receive higher wages, reflecting both computer-specific and broader skills. This accounts for a small portion of the metro-nonmetro wage gap. The payoff for using a computer on the job is higher for college graduates and more-experienced workers than their counterparts and is higher for rural than urban…