General Sessions

General sessions at the Families, Technology, and Education Conference were devoted to broad issues related to technology use in the lives of families. Each of these presentations points to a cluster of issues in the use of technology in the education and development of children. More...

• Reaching the President’s Technology Literacy Challenge: What’s Next?
  Linda G. Roberts
  (HTML | PDF)
• Equity and Young Children as Learners
  Barbara Bowman
  (HTML | PDF)
• Families, Education, and the Technological Age
  Scott W. Somerville
  (HTML | PDF)
• People Make Dreams Come True, and Technology Expands the Possibilities: An Educational Journey across the United States
  Mark, Betsy, Donald, Kelly, & Stacy Blondin
  (HTML | PDF)

Applications

In contrast to the general sessions, individual presentations in this strand focused on specific instances of how technology has been used in programs that serve parents, children, and teachers. In most cases, the presenters discussed both the successes and drawbacks of these applications of technology. More...

• Learn and Live: A Documentary Film from The George Lucas Educational Foundation
  Patty Burness
  (HTML | PDF)
• Making the MOST of Out-of-School Time: Technology’s Role in Collaboration
  Lillian Coltin & Kate McGuire
  (HTML | PDF)
• Child Care Consumer Education on the Internet
  Anne Goldstein
  (HTML | PDF)
• "But How Do We Use It?": Discovering Hidden Barriers and Unanticipated Successes in Integrating Computers in a Preschool Curriculum
  Melissa Groves, Michele Jarnigan, & Kendra Eller
  (HTML | PDF)
• Making Connections: Helping a School, Its Families, and the Community Adapt to Technological Change
  Walid Elkhoury & Dana McDermott Murphy
  (HTML | PDF)
• MIKSIKE: An Interdisciplinary Study Program for Elementary Schools and Home Schooling Integrated with Web Technology
  Mihkel Pilv
  (HTML | PDF)
• Military Teens On The Move: An Internet Resource for Military Youth Facing Relocation
  Mareena McKinley Wright, Rebecca Schaffer, Kathleen Coolbaugh,
  Gary Bowen, & Gina Wiley
  (HTML | PDF)
• Teachers! Parents! Beware of RSI
  Sandra Ubelacker
  (HTML | PDF)
• ERIC/CASS Virtual Libraries: Online Resources for Parents, Teachers, and Counselors
  Garry R. Walz & Jeanne C. Bleuer
  (HTML | PDF)

Equity

How do we achieve equity in family access to computing technology? Given the concern that computer use further separates the "haves" and "have nots," many community-based programs are working to increase Internet and computer access among underserved children and families. The parents attending the FTE conference were unanimous in their concern about equity and their hope that technology can be accessible to all families and all schools. The papers in this section address a variety of equity concerns. More...

• Dual-Use Technology: A Total Community Resource
  Edward J. Degnan & John W. Jacobs
  (HTML | PDF)
• The Internet as an Instructional Tool in Family Literacy Programs
  Susan Imel & Judy Wagner
  (HTML | PDF)
• Families, Equity, and Technology: "The 81 Percent Solution" Revisited
  Ken Komoski
  (HTML | PDF)
• AskERIC Responds to Parents’ Information Needs Using Technology
  Ron Banks & Anne S. Robertson
  (HTML | PDF)
• NeighborhoodLink: A Community Network for Cleveland’s Inner City
  Mary Ellen Simon
  (HTML | PDF)
• Buying into the Computer Age: A Look at Hispanic Families
  Anthony Wilhelm
  (HTML | PDF)

Exceptionality

Whether gifted or differently-abled, children and families with special needs and abilities are finding that the new technologies offer great potential for improving family life and educational opportunities. More...

• College Planning for Gifted Students
  Sandra L. Berger
  (HTML | PDF)
• Comprehensive Monitoring of a Student’s Activities
  Donald F. Rubovits & Jay F. Mulberry
  (HTML | PDF)

Internet

One of the key questions that we wanted to explore at the Families, Technology, and Education Conference was whether (and how) the Internet’s impact on children and family life differed fundamentally from the impact of television. The papers included here again illustrate the variety of applications that are relevant to families and the many issues and opportunities that the Internet poses for families. More...

• High-Tech Home Schooling
  Scott W. Somerville
  (HTML | PDF)
• Families, Geographical Separation, and the Internet: A Theoretical Prospectus
  J. Michael Jaffe & Amy Aidman
  (HTML | PDF)
• Early Adolescent Social Networks and Computer Use
  Myron Orleans & Margaret C. Laney
  (HTML | PDF)
• Using Internet Resources to Strengthen Community Programs and Collaborations for Children, Youth, and Families At Risk
  Josephine A. Swanson, June P. Mead, & Heidi L. Haugen
  (HTML | PDF)
• Moral Development in the Information Age
  Nancy Willard
  (HTML | PDF)

Links

Barriers to parent involvement in education can be reduced, and parent–teacher communication enhanced, by exploiting new communications technologies in telephone systems and on the Internet. More...

• Applications of Technology to Linking Schools, Families, and Students
  Jerold P. Bauch
  (HTML | PDF)
• The Family–School Connection and Technology
  Jay Blanchard
  (HTML | PDF)
• Connecting Families through Innovative Technology in an Early Childhood Gifted Program
  Sharon Kristovich, Nancy B. Hertzog, & Marjorie Klein
  (HTML | PDF)
• Using Technology to Link Families and Schools to Research-Based Information
  David Osher & Stephanie Snow
  (HTML | PDF)
• Using Technology to Develop Programs of School, Family, and Community Partnerships
  Beth S. Simon, Karen Clark Salinas, Joyce L. Epstein, & Mavis G. Sanders
  (HTML | PDF)

Background Information

• Contributors’ Biographies
• National Parent Information Network (NPIN)
• Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) & the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE)

The Families, Technology, & Education Conference was sponsored by the National Parent Information Network and the ERIC Clearinghouse System

This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. DERR93002007.   The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of (OERI) or the Department of Education.

About this publication...

This publication was prepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education.