Long distance, or wide area, computer networking can change teaching and learning dramatically. Teachers and students with access to a computer, a modem, and phone lines are freed from the physical limits of a school building and time schedules. They can communicate with peers and gain access to electronic resources, making individualized instruction and personal inquiry the norm. Network users can undertake three primary activities: electronic mail, computer conferencing, and accessing information from remote sources. Electronic mail enables teachers and learners to exchange information locally and worldwide. Network communication also makes it easy for groups of people to work cooperatively and share information without having to be in close physical proximity. Examples of information from remote sources available to students include research data and services related to drug and alcohol abuse from California's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Net, text of Supreme Court decisions, information on space flights and space science, and the full text of selected books through Project Gutenberg. User manuals, classes, and general reference works can help users master the basics of networking, including how to operate the computer, modem, and telecommunications software; how to connect to and communicate with a computer already linked to the network; and how to use the network to communicate with others. Finding a network with which to connect is not always easy. Options include local bulletin board systems, college and university systems, statewide and regional systems, school computer facilities, and commercial vendors. Brief descriptions and contact information for six network resources are included. (Contains 10 references.) (KRN)