On May 7, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Universal Service Order outlining a plan to guarantee that all eligible schools, libraries, and rural health care providers have affordable connections to the Internet. By making $2.5 billion available annually, this program will provide discounts (commonly known as the E-rate)…

In the information age of instant access to libraries, databases, information centers, organizations, government agencies, and self-appointed experts worldwide, it is hard to decide where to turn for accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information about mathematics education. This digest provides an annotated listing of World Wide Web resources and…

In response to the educational trend of using online resources, this digest provides a list of 19 selected online resources most likely to help educators plan and design their curricula. Preparation of the digest began with a retrospective view of language arts-related questions received over the last 5 years by the reference staff of the ERIC…

This digest examines the current status of outside attempts to censor literature in the school library. The digest (1) reports on several court cases which came about because literary works were removed from school libraries; (2) discusses the censors and their opponents; and (3) reviews some guidelines for new teachers who might be presented with…

Drawing from a bibliographic survey of statistical data on two-year colleges, this digest indicates what kinds of data are available, what data are not readily accessible, and the limitations that affect the available information on two-year college finances, curriculum, students, and personnel. The digest recognizes the availability of data on…

To assist educators in effectively teaching the works of such a critical author as William Shakespeare, this Digest identifies and describes some of the most significant and useful online resources. The digest notes that the sites were chosen on the basis of their technical excellence, purpose, content, authorship, and general usefulness for…

Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources. This digest defines the information literate person and describes the evolution of the concept. Information literacy is examined in the context of existing practice; and the impact of technology on the storage and dissemination of data,…

This digest provides background information and sources that help in understanding the concept of educational technology. Specific answers are provided to the following 12 questions: (1) What is educational technology? (2) What are the roots of educational technology? (3) What is a good source of research findings? (4) What do educational…

The purpose of this digest is to provide background information and sources that help to understand the concept of educational technology and to serve as a pathfinder to relevant and timely publications that view the field from a variety of perspectives. The following frequently asked questions are addressed: (1) What is educational technology?…

In the information age of instant access to libraries, databases, information centers, organizations, government agencies, and self-appointed experts worldwide, it is hard to decide where to turn for accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information about environmental education. This digest provides an annotated listing of World Wide Web resources…

Currently, the World Wide Web contains an estimated 7.4 million sites (OCLC, 2001). Yet even the most experienced searcher, using the most robust search engines, can access only about 16% of these pages (Dahn, 2001). The other 84% of the publicly available information on the Web is referred to as the "hidden,""invisible," or…

Intended for administrators and policy makers as well as teachers, this digest identifies for prospective purchasers various sources that offer reviews of educational computer software for English and the language arts. Following an introduction, the first section of the digest discusses content-specific as well as general educational computing…

This digest begins with a brief description and review of the development of optical disks. Optical disk formats are then described by capability: Read Only Memory (ROM), Write Once, Read Many (WORM), Interactive (I), and Erasable (E); forms of information (audio, text or data, video or graphics, or a combination); and disk size (most often 12 or…

The Internet is an important resource for K-12 global education teachers. Developments over the past two decades have increased the media exposure of nations and interactions among them in politics, trade, education, science, medicine, entertainment, and athletics. Good global education curriculum encourages understanding of cultural differences…

Although there are many content-rich resource sites for elementary and middle school students on the World Wide Web, finding such sites can often be difficult. This ERIC Digest describes K-8 curriculum related Web sites that will be of interest to students, teachers, parents, and librarians. The following types of sites are listed: collections of…