Social scientists, who frequently complain that the federal government spends too little on them, are passing up what scholars in the physical and natural sciences see as the government's best give-aways: free access to supercomputers. Some social scientists say the supercomputers are difficult to use; others find desktop computers provide…

Telematics in the form of text-based, computer-mediated communications can support teaching and learning and can help the formation and cohesion of communities of learners. This paper examines the development of a "critical community of learners" through this medium, based on experiences with students studying the Open University (OU)…

Considers questions posed by students during e-mail tutorials to elicit information from guest lecturers and the use of that information by students in their essays. Findings indicate: tutees tend to pose questions to elicit information or clarification rather than to elicit opinions of the guest lecturer; and two-thirds of tutees' essays cited…

Examines the computer-related attitudes and attainments of 48 primary (6-11 years) school-aged children. Results show boys hold more favorable attitudes towards computers than girls. Boys hold more positive attitudes and achieve higher levels of computer-related attainment than girls. (Author/AEF)

Considers whether cultivation of true collaborative learning is a realistic ambition with very young children; analysis of the social dynamic suggests that it is well within the reach of children as a form of social exchange. Argues that the new technology offers a potential for supporting the development of collaborative learning in early…

Continues a discussion of the three chief information stations in a videoconference class. Describes the instructor camera at information station #2, an intermediary station between the three stations, and the student camera at station #1, the information station for interactive student participation. (AEF)

Describes selected commercial and academic Web sites providing interactive services (Amazon; Jones Library, Amherst, MA; Pine Crest Lower School, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Barnes & Noble; Cal State's Information Literacy Tutorials; PBS's techknow site; K.I.D.S. Report), and argues that libraries that stop at links and policy statements miss…

This article discusses how laptop computers can be used in gifted education to create learner-centered environments, promote independent inquiry, stimulate creativity, risk taking, and development of passions, encourage complexity of ideas and higher level thinking, offer a variety of grouping options, and provide for flexibility and mobility.…

Describes the development of a Web-based software tool, the Technology Competencies Database, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign that will enable faculty to effectively collaborate in providing technology experiences to preservice teacher education students. Discusses the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)…

Asserts that with the growth of the Internet, e-mail, synchronous chat, and videoconferencing, students in rural (and urban) areas have virtually endless access to culture and language from their school or home. Describes the utilization of technology as a means of cultural exchange between Southwest Virginia Community College and the University…

Considers theory, standards, guidelines, and rationale for technology in the preschool environment. Examines practices of 12 diverse preschool sites and derives 4 models that enable early learners to engage and experience technology within a developmentally appropriate learning environment. Focuses on technology-infused preschool models for…

Describes how one fourth-grade teacher developed a Web site to build online research skills. The Day I Was Born helps students find interesting details about what was occurring in the world on their birth day. Suitable for grades 4 and up, it provides links to such sources as the New York Times Learning Network and History Channel On-Line. (SM)

Suggests that despite the Internet offering a world of information, students still need a broad storehouse of knowledge. Teachers must define the knowledge that students need and help them master it. If teachers convey general knowledge to students in a coherent, effective way, and encourage them to read widely, students will have the tools they…

This article describes an educational project using videoconferencing computer technology and Internet access with students with deafness in Canadian schools. An outline of an educational lesson and student benefits using videoconferencing to support the instructional objectives is provided. A variety of methods of communicating using computer…

Discussion of digital technology in the context of higher education planning considers how these technologies change teaching; the digital divide; the costs of information technology; hard wiring the campus; material consequences of information technology; digitally enabled crimes and misdemeanors; and libraries and scholarly publishing. Concludes…