Engaging the digital natives isn't as daunting as one thinks. This article describes how three classrooms do it. One of these is in Brevard Public Schools in Viera, Florida. Pete Episcopo, the digital-media artist of the school, wanted to share his love of all things digital and teach essential 21st-century skills so students could be better…

The present article scrutinizes the manner with which a group of three postsecondary students (in Quebec, Canada) describe the social actors concerned by the controversy surrounding cellular telephones. The study was conducted on the basis of an ethnographic approach. Participant observation was performed by the researcher for 3 hours during each…

Purpose: This study aims to explore the simultaneous impact of employees participation in non-technical training, technical training, and coaching on subsequent job performance, job involvement, and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: The present study was based on a sample of German call center employees and on a longitudinal,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the quality of jobs in call centres by focusing on the opportunities for promotion in this sector. More specifically, the research questions focus on discovering whether promotion is common practise in the call centre sector and on identifying the factors that affect this.…

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. A truly global business, Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia…

Purpose: Mobile technologies offer the opportunity to embed learning in a natural environment. The objective of the study is to examine how the usage of mobile phones for m-learning differs between heavy and light mobile phone users. Heavy mobile phone users are hypothesized to have access to/subscribe to one type of mobile content than light…

This article describes two emerging technologies--Skype and podcasting. Both Skype and podcasting can be considered "disruptive technologies" in that they allow for new and different ways of doing familiar tasks, and in the process, may threaten traditional industries. Skype, the "people's telephone," is a free, Internet-based alternative to…

A positive relationship has been found between access to telecommunications capabilities and improved economic development. However, the deployment of systems that deliver toll-free Internet access favors urban regions. This research examines Internet service providers' (ISP) operations in rural portions of Texas, Iowa, Louisiana, and West…

This white paper informs Californians of the implications of the possible merger of Pacific Telesis and Southwestern Bell Corporation, under consideration by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The decision will determine the future direction and character of telecommunications in California. Only a small number of Californians are…

In 1997, Maine's local telephone companies have been required to provide free Internet access to all public schools, which will help to eliminate cost as a prohibitive factor in bringing the Internet to schools. The inservice training and support, however, must be supplied by individual school districts. This study provides an overview of how the…

Describes educators' fear that a government proposal to help accommodate new Web-surfing cell phones and other hand-held devices could end up displacing instructional-television operations. The proposal could also undermine partnerships that educational broadcasters have begun negotiating with companies to create new speedy Internet services. (EV)

This document provides the text of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, legislation enacted "to promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services for American telecommunications consumers and encourage the rapid deployment of new telecommunications technologies." The legislation contains measures…

The goal of Section 254 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is the "equality of affordable, comparably priced access to telecommunication services by schools, libraries, and hospitals regardless of geographic location." The purposes of this study were to provide decision support information to the Joint Board and Federal Communications…

Franchise fees are a tax imposed on a private entity to compensate a municipality for use of a public property for private gain. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 grants municipalities the right to assess a 5% franchise fee to both cable companies and competitors of cable companies, such as operators of open video systems. The Minnesota State…

Describes how the use of an effective, representative advisory committee in a suburban setting in the State of Washington helped a vocational-technical school purchase a 200-line telephone system. Emphasis is on how advisory committees can point vocational educators to new and exciting areas of vocational skill needs. (SH)