It has been over a decade since the computer moved from being primarily a computational and record keeping device to its present state as a communications hub. Some, including this author, have called the application of computing technology to classroom instruction revolutionary. Is this claim justified? More importantly, how will social…

At each Association for Business Communication (ABC) conference the authors have attended in the past 2 to 3 years, the many presentations focusing on social networking, blogs, wikis, and various Web 2.0 technologies have captured their attention. They welcome the wonderful, new communication tools that increasingly allow people to communicate and…

Newsletters, websites, local access television and community newspapers serve as the typical media superintendents use to get the word out to parents and public. One might logically ask, "Isn't that enough to deal with?" School superintendents with so much to communicate need to move beyond a reliance on the traditional media outlets. These no…

Academic institutions mediate online literacy practices in meaningful and significant ways. This essay explores the nature of that mediational process, using a visual-spatial method to map out and conceptualize dynamics and structures that have a bearing on the work of composition. A key argument is that composition teachers are intellectually…

Discusses five steps in creating a Web page: (1) preparing; (2) "prewriting" the pages; (3) drafting; (4) editing; and (5) publishing. Notes that Web pages entertain and persuade their audiences while providing valuable information on programs. (VWC)

Explains how to enhance an existing World Wide Web page. Discusses adding buttons and image maps, multimedia and animation, frames, counters, and forms. Contends that Webpages are more powerful than e-mail, and that a good page provides valuable opportunities for sharing information. Contains 23 references. (VWC)

In today's knowledge economy, the role of higher education is being redefined--not simply tweaked and fine-tuned but, rather, fundamentally redefined. The author contends that there are at least two ways to frame this future for higher education. The first is to view it as a perfect storm, born from the convergence of numerous disruptive forces.…

Calls for better research on how information technologies alter graduate education. Proposes questions: (1) "Are our graduate programs preparing students for new media literacies?"; (2) "How can information technology tools facilitate research and writing processes?"; (3) "What training do students need?"; (4)…

Defines desktop publishing, describes microcomputer developments and software tools that make it possible, and discusses its use as an instructional tool to improve writing skills. Reasons why students' work should be published, examples of what to publish, and types of software and hardware to facilitate publishing are reviewed. (MBR)

Maintains that an article in this issue of the "Journal of Geography" was the first one submitted entirely by electronic means. Asserts that the use of electronic mail improved communication effectiveness between the author and the editor. Encourages everyone who has access to electronic mail to use it for communications with the journal. (CFR)

The textbook industry seems to reflect the larger fragmentation of communication channels. When communication, then called speech, was emerging after World War II as a discipline, the instructor ordered Monroe's "Principles and Types of Speech" or one of its lesser competitors. The choices were limited. With the availability of new…

eBooks are textual documents that have been converted and "published" in an electronic format and are displayed on eBook readers, devices, or computers using eBook software programs. This new form of book is a relatively recent addition to book styles and offers students, teachers, and schools an additional tool for the teaching of reading and the…

This paper discusses the teaching benefits of World Wide Web publishing by individual instructors. Community colleges are actively involved in the national push towards distance learning. Many faculty members at community colleges publish course materials on the Web as part of both distance and traditional courses. As a result, a new rhetorical…

Examines how new educational technologies can invigorate existing educational communities, facilitate the creation of new educational communities, and interfere with the formation of desired types of educational communities. Focuses on e-mail, listservs and newsgroups, electronic publication, and the World Wide Web, and discusses issues of equity.…

Examines the ways that hypertext technology is changing the understanding and teaching of literature. Hypertext routinely provides links from the literary text to critical commentary, graphic material, and biographical information. Includes a brief example of hypertext experimental fiction. (MJP)