Reviews three studies that focus on teaching skills needed for successful distance learning instruction. Highlights include competencies for distance education professionals; what the most important teaching behaviors for distance instructors are; and student observations of distance education instructors. (LRW)

Presents evaluations of three video-based distance education programs--Star Schools, the governor of Wyoming's pilot distance learning project, and the Ohio SchoolNet Telecommunity. Discusses some common findings and implications for the future of video-based distance learning, including what can be done to make distance education courses more…

Discusses results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which examined the use of educational technology. Topics include validity and interpretation of results; and what needs to change about how technology is used in education, including adding technology…

Examines studies that compare the effects on achievement and attitude of students in distance learning and face-to-face courses. Indicates that important considerations for establishing a distance-learning experience include technical issues, student attitudes, and research that compares distance learning with traditional formats. (AEF)

Discusses visual literacy and its impact on school performance. Topics include rising scores on intelligence tests; the importance of visual literacy skills for university students; and implications for school practices related to technology, including teaching methods, teacher training, and equity issues. (LRW)

Summarizes the "Big Six" information literacy skills and examines some of the research on the problems involved in information literacy for both teachers and students. Implications of these studies and guidelines for student use of the Internet are discussed. (PEN)

Introduced to aid writing, word processing can cause unexpected problems for those who use it. Describes four studies in which raters gave word-processed essays consistently lower scores than handwritten essays. Reasons for the discrepancies were higher expectations for typed essays, ease of spotting text errors in typed text, and more difficulty…

Reviews four studies that capture the present and potential impact of videoconferencing and outlines what needs to be done before videoconferencing is commonly used in education. Discusses instructional effectiveness, cost, factors that affect its success, and videoconferencing compared to other forms of communications. (Author/LRW)

Examines the impact of technology on educational effectiveness in the United States as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Presents five items from NAEP and TIMSS tests that may favor students with technology experience. Concludes that further…

Discusses the changing focus of instructional technology research and how it is affected by the constructivist/objectivist debate. Reviews studies in elementary and secondary classrooms that address constructivist questions, and examines problems with these studies. Notes there may be a movement toward a merging of philosophies and a trend toward…

Discusses various popular definitions of educational restructuring and the different roles that technology plays in each theory. Annotated citations to pertinent literature are given for each definition, including restructuring as reform; as revolution; and as reinvention. (Author/LRW)