Suggests that "digital differences" is a more appropriate view of the situation facing educators than the concept of the "digital divide." Introduces five principles providing direction for the design and development of technology-enhanced educational activities appropriate to the diversity of students-with-computer-access: parsimony,…

Examines popular approaches to performance and organizational improvement to see what flaws they contain and how continued practice will impede progress. Discusses benchmarking; quality management/continuous improvement; needs assessment; training; downsizing; reengineering; system(s) approach; and strategic planning. Describes the Organizational…

Guidelines are provided for educators to use in exploring the feasibility of technology-oriented tools in teaching and learning based on social-cultural underpinnings, using activity theory as a framework for analysis. This research and development framework is intended to provide a concrete basis for understanding the impact of technology tools…

AIMS, the Assessment and Instructional Management System is a computer-based rating and documentation system designed to include students with disabilities in educational accountability systems. Describes AIMS, illustrates some of the components of the system, and highlights teacher training efforts. Two tables present the AIMS rating rubric and…

Discusses the features of virtual textbooks and characteristics that Web-based systems offer. Describes the four stages in developing virtual textbooks: design, development, delivery, and maintenance. Examines the five considerations that should be addressed when developing a virtual textbook in Web systems: pedagogy, instructional structure,…

This letter to the editor favorably comments on an article by Jerry Willis and Kristen Wright, "A General Set of Procedures for Constructivist Instructional Design: The New R2D2 Model" ("Educational Technology, March-April 2000). The writer notes that though the article's purpose is to describe an alternative to the conventional ISD model, it also…

Focuses on various technological tools that support online learning: e-mail (voice mail); online discussion groups; online resources; CD-ROM; online courseware; asynchronous communication; synchronous communication; and World Wide Web. Analyzes the attributes of online delivery systems, addressing interactivity and feedback; media features;…

Presents guidelines for aspiring authors in the field of educational technology, concentrating on journal articles. Considers reasons for publishing, and discusses some of the most popular types of articles appearing in educational technology journals. Provides hints for creating publishable articles. Information on leading educational technology…

Instructional syntax analysis is one approach to evaluating how a technology-based training course will interact with the learner. By plotting fluctuations in engagement and feedback levels over time, general level of interactivity in a course can be analyzed. Basic principles of instructional syntax analysis are described, with an example of how…

Examines the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of online education based on a review of the literature. Discusses the three major variables contributing to success in online learning--instructional design, social matters, and students' personal factors; findings of case studies analyzing cost-effectiveness; and factors affecting…

Focuses on the use of e-mail games for learning. Discusses terminology; reasons for using virtual games; promoting person-to-person interaction online; how to play an e-mail game, including three examples of specific games; player reactions; design components; the functions for facilitating an e-mail game; and the game as an excuse for debriefing.…

Presents experience-based pedagogical designs, both first-person and third-person experiences, which make the most of information and communication technology. Highlights include goal-based learning; Web-based role-play simulation; rule-based computer simulations; case studies; distributed problem-based learning; critical incident…

Discusses task analysis as a step in instructional development and presents an alternative method for instructional applications called Knowledge Analysis of Tasks (KAT). Results of KAT are used to produce a model of tasks in terms of Task Knowledge Structures (TKS), which represent the knowledge people possess about tasks they perform.…

This paper reports a study on anxiety in Chinese undergraduate non-English majors at three different proficiency levels. By way of survey, observations, reflective journals and interviews, the study revealed that (1) a considerable number of students at each level felt anxious when speaking English in class, (2) the more proficient students tended…

The aim of this study is to reveal the differences in the process of learning reading strategies by EFL learners whose English proficiency levels differ. For this purpose, portfolios made by 10 Japanese female college students learning English (five in the higher proficiency group and the other five in the lower) were analyzed. The results found…