As educational and research needs have changed, libraries have changed as well. They must meet ever-increasing demand for access to online media, subscriptions to archives, video, audio, and other content. The way a user/patron accesses this information has also changed. Gone are the days of a few hardwired desktops or computer carts. While…

As an extension of Dewey's progressive philosophy, whole language is a model that can encompass the tensions between humanities and technology. Computers and whole language together can create new learning environments that will prepare students for life in the "knowledge society." (SK)

Explores possible uses of electronic mail in three areas of the academic setting: instruction, research, and administration. Electronic mail is defined, the components needed to get started with electronic mail are discussed, and uses and benefits of electronic mail in diverse educational environments are suggested. (12 references) (DB)

As communities develop in cyberspace, distance education facilitators should recognize that, although community cannot be mandated, there are ways to foster a sense of community in distance learning environments: focus on human interaction, learning partnership, regular and consistent feedback, and course-based listservs. (SK)

Suggests that teaching online can be advantageous to a teacher with a physical disability. Notes that the teacher's written voice may have more authority than the physical voice without the interference of students' perceptions of the teacher's physical body. Shows that both teachers and students can benefit from the freedom from concern about…

Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs), are text-based virtual reality environments in which participants separated by great physical distances can communicate and collaborate in programming. Most MUDs started out as adventure games but are quickly being adapted for more "serious" endeavors. This paper presents a case study of the experiences of a…

Distance learning networks make training and advanced education possible when time and budgetary constraints make face-to-face training difficult. To make distance learning work, instructors and providers must harness the potential of synchronous and asynchronous communication technologies to create powerful, learner-centered networks. Support…

This report begins by discussing the implications of a constructivist epistemology for instructional design and development, as well as drawbacks of the content database in instruction, the lack of special tools to help the learner actively construct knowledge, and emphasis on learning environments based on individual learning. The whole learning…

Learning Network Design (LND) is a socially oriented methodology for construction of cooperative distance learning environments. The paper advances a social constructivist approach to learning in which learning and teaching are seen as a process of active communication, interpretation, and negotiation; offers a view of information technology as a…

The use of computers in English departments, especially in composition classes, has become a primary site of contention between those who find technology liberating and those who find only new configurations of the same old hierarchies. Much of the excitement stems from a perceived connection between new classroom technologies and current theories…

Discusses the integration of technology into the curriculum and how to design an interactive technological learning environment based on the concept of scientific sense-making. Highlights include the importance of sense-making in science education and an experiment on curriculum design for a fifth- to sixth-grade unit on seasonal change. (Contains…

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is focusing on interactive and multimedia technologies, within the framework of a virtual commons, to promote the study of people, their environments, and their resources. (AEF)

Presents results from elementary school classroom uses of the Computer Supported Integrated Learning Environments (CSILE) software that stores student productions, including text and graphics, in one database to which all users have simultaneous access. Educational uses, effects, and outcomes of CSILE are described; and knowledge construction is…

The population explosion and developments in information technology have created a powerful need for technological advancement on a global scale. Such advancement must come through education, and such education, given the size and breadth of the need, is best realized through multimedia instruction and distance education. Communications…

Pedagogy embodies the beliefs one holds about students, about the various attributes of media technologies, and about the essential qualities of the content at hand. Teachers make decisions based on the interactions of these beliefs. Therefore, it is imperative to begin the process of designing and contemplating instruction with a consideration of…