Data from various national farm surveys suggest that computers on farms are used predominantly for bookkeeping and financial analysis. Computers are not fully exploited to integrate information from diverse aspects of farm operations and therefore, may not help users develop the "systems skills" important in off-farm employment. Implications for…

Suggests that gender gaps that once existed with regard to computer access, use, and perceived expertise are narrowing significantly. Findings are based on survey data from 512 middle school students in three areas: self-perception of computer skills and their acquisition; exposure to technology at home and at school; and media style and content…

Argues that a strong sense of technical necessity informs the design of the computer-literacy curriculum. As a result, instruction in this area is inadequate at best and dehumanizing at worst. Contains 32 references. (DDR)

There is a trend for girls to lose interest in mathematics, science and technology. Teachers must help reverse this trend. Suggestions to help reverse the trend include creating a girls only computer club; mentoring girls early; challenging gender stereotypes; demanding gender-fair materials; offering multiple ways to respond; enlisting parents as…

Examines how institutions must help students develop skills they will need in the early part of the 21st century to get the attention of employers and find good jobs. Discusses economic change and the new worker, and preparing students to use technologies for their personal/professional survival in the knowledge economy. (AEF)

The current study describes an authentic learning experience designed to develop technology and science process skills through a carefully scaffolded curriculum using mealworms as a content focus. An individual mentor assigned to each 4th and 5th grade girl participating in the program delivered the curriculum. Results indicate mastery of science…

In 1999, funding from a federal technology innovation challenge grant and the state of Maryland enabled the creation of the Maryland Technology Academy (MTA). The MTA is a collaboration of Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, and the Maryland State Department of Education formed with the goal of developing a network of knowledgeable and…

Technology is a tool that has the potential to empower educational leaders at all levels--whether they are superintendents, principals, teachers, board members or state officials--as well as to redefine what education means in the 21st century. Technology provides more accurate information and advanced communication capabilities. Technology can be…

This study investigated the effects of interaction devices on the Internet performance of novice older users, and ways to provide appropriate voice assistance to enhance browsing and searching performance of such users. Three experiments were designed and conducted to test three hypotheses. The results indicated that touch screen and handwriting…

We live at a time when the Internet is used increasingly for communication, for information, and for the exchange of goods and services. Questions arise about how people with learning disabilities make use of this new technology. In this article, Bjorn Harrysson, with two of his colleagues, A. Svensk and G. I. Johansson, from the Department of…

The faces of immigrant children who had come through Ellis Island with their parents in search of better futures stare out at me from a set of black and white photographs near my desk. The children, frozen in time, are lined up for blocks, waiting for the doors of a public library to open. Access to information was their pathway to a future of…

This article describes an ongoing situated professional development program in which teachers bring their intact classes for an extended stay in a ubiquitous computing environment equipped with a variety of state-of-the-art computing devices. The experience is unique in that it not only situates teacher learning about technology integration in…

Using survey data, the authors examined the relationship between intensity (as opposed to duration) of a technology-focused professional development program and specific participant characteristics in predicting successful outcomes. The four participant characteristics chosen were: teachers' feelings of preparedness to support student technology…

A syllabus analysis instrument was developed to assist program evaluators, administrators and faculty in the identification of skills that students use as they complete their college coursework. While this instrument can be tailored for use with a variety of learning domains, we used it to assess students' use of and exposure to computer…

There is growing evidence of the wider benefits of learning on non-accredited courses. However, there appears to be a problem on how these benefits can be measured. The Learning and Skills Council consultation "Measuring Success in the Learning and Skills Sector" (2003) confirms that no national measures exist for recognising achievements in…