The title of this article is a common phrase in tech support, according to the author, who, for several years, was the person on the other side of the phone asking that question. Technology support blends technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, a load of Zen-like patience, and the ability to juggle multiple demands at the same time, a list of…

Elementary students find themselves engaged and learning at a digital writing camp. The authors find that such elementary students usually have limited access to technology at home and school, and posit that teachers should do all they can to give them more access to and experience in digital composing. Students were motivated and learned to use…

Passage of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in 2000 established requirements for public libraries and schools to adopt Internet filters on their computers in order to receive federal funding. That has firmly, if unintentionally, established the World Wide Web as a no man's land in public education, where few are allowed to tread…

In 1983, when "A Nation at Risk" appeared, it offered recommendations in the areas of content, standards and expectations, time, teaching, and leadership and fiscal support. The growing use of technology was addressed briefly in the section dealing with "indicators of risk," which listed examples of deficiencies in education as compared to the…

This article provides 12 tips for teachers to help make online teaching successful. Included are suggestions with examples, a scoring rubric for assessing student responses in threaded discussions, and examples of student comments. (Contains 1 figure.)

Over the past decade, at both the university and high school levels, chemistry instructors have become keenly aware of an increasing number of students who are proving to be unable to solve complex problems. Today's students have grown up with technology, and most would prefer to do their homework using a digital tool rather than pencil and paper.…

Education's greatest threat is the death of dialectics. In Malaysia, government censorship thwarts debate; in America, corporate brainwashing achieves the same result. Consumers have embraced computer technology with too little public discourse. Infatuation with television (screen shadows) distracts people from the puppet master's motives and…

In Canada, both provincial and federal governments embraced educational techno-positivism with enthusiasm. However, a few critics pointed out that most of the enthusiasm for technology in the classroom came from dubious sources, including corporations that were (and still are) in pursuit of the almost unmeasurable revenue stream generated by…

Technology is no "silver bullet" for transforming education. Observations in nine technology-using schools suggest that for technology to serve reform purposes, it must be tied to a coherent, schoolwide instructional agenda. Reform-minded schools should articulate their mission and restructure activities around student needs and…

Since the 1960s, difficulty of developing a technology of instruction in public schools has proved insurmountable; results have been spotty, machines have come and gone, and classroom practices remain largely unchanged. Public clamor for reform has provided neither direction nor purpose. Technology will ultimately prevail; the problem is educating…

Efforts to replace teachers with technology have uniformly failed. Machines are only tools. Good classroom tools extend the teacher's power to create a rich learning environment. If the teacher perceives the tool as master or misconstrues its use, its potential will never be realized. Strategies for computer use must focus on purpose and derive…

Reviews articles on educational technology appearing in this "Kappan" issue. Describes a National School Board's Association report calling for strong educational leadership. Mentions a Utah case study and articles discussing school restructuring, combining technologies in the classroom, the value of small changes, the need for teacher…

Agrees with Callister and Dunne's observations concerning computers and teacher disempowerment. However, computers can become electronic doorways allowing people easy access to whatever they want to do. Rather than criticize teachers' attempts to use technology, we must help teachers learn by providing them with computers and training. Only then…

As educators introduce new technology into a district, school, or classroom, it is important to take advantage of children's natural ability, enthusiasm, and willingness to master new skills. Certain activities such as journal writing, picture-digitizing projects, and designated student experts help place the power of technology squarely in…

Inspired by Lewis Perelman's vision, this article summarizes needed transformative changes, such as preparing teachers for new technologies, committing additional human and financial resources, educating the public, establishing a business/education partnership, restructuring the curriculum, obtaining federal assistance, and evaluating what works…