The use of mobile technology can help extend children's learning spaces and enrich the learning experiences in their everyday lives where they move from one context to another, switching locations, social groups, technologies, and topics. When students have ubiquitous access to mobile devices with full connectivity, the in-situ use of the mobile…

In this article, the authors argue that online learning conversations need to go beyond the common "information exchange" to a deeper level of interaction in order to help learners build situated knowledge that is useful in their local contexts. The article begins by looking at the commonly-used framework of a Community of Practice (CoP) and, in…

Discusses synchronous communication in learning via the World Wide Web and considers arguments for advantages of asynchronous approaches. Describes a synchronous Web-based professional development program for mathematics teachers in North Carolina and discusses the nature of online communication. (LRW)

Provides a structural definition of interactivity in instruction, with the goal of describing and delimiting a broad and general process. Examines the four major attributes to the concept of interactivity, and defines four additional variables that arise through the structural study of interaction. Outlines five common patterns that deal with…

Discusses current trends in Internet usage (hypertext, delivery of multimedia, true interactivity) and proposes the PREDICTION (PREsentation, Dynamic Interaction, and Communication) model which formalizes the Internet's dynamic capabilities which should be exploited if its potential as educational technology is to be realized. (PEN)

Discussion of distance education for higher education and the use of interactive computer-mediated communication systems focuses on the results of a survey of faculty and administrators that examined motivating factors for participation in distance education and inhibiting factors, including technical support, faculty workload, and concerns about…

Discusses three electronic conferencing tools that apprentice novice learners and encourage them to interact and grapple with alternative perspectives. Technical details of each tool are described, along with 1 instance where all 3 technologies were united, resulting in a highly interactive conversation shared by over 30 people at 4 different…

Presents 4 guiding concepts--organization, communication, collaboration, and enculturation--and 10 related principles for supporting instructors as they develop online courses. The principles are described using examples from the authors' experience as faculty development specialists. Principles focus on technical, pedagogical, and production…

Considers the impact of mobile wireless technologies on Web-based Instruction and Training (WBI/T). Discusses the relevant technological infrastructure issues, content design and development issues, and differing modes of communication as they pertain to mobile wireless WBI/T, followed by a scenario of one possible WBI/T application. (Contains 12…

Discussion of computer-mediated communication in education focuses on online collaboration. Highlights include characteristics of a collaborative group, including participation, interaction, and interdependence; collaborative situations; non-collaborative groups, including cooperation without collaboration; factors that promote or inhibit…

Describes how multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) is used in preservice teacher education programs in Singapore to enhance the professional development of student teachers by allowing them to share ideas, experiences, and teaching resources in real time with an audience wider than the schools in which they teach. Summative evaluations…

Defines social and instructional interaction and outlines key elements influencing the design of adaptive computer-mediated learning. Discusses options for the design of interactivity: Web-based, groupware, programming tools, and hybrid course design programs; proposes a graphical model for choosing design tools balancing interactivity and…

Examines integrating computer mediated communication (CMC) in graduate education and describes the use of CMC to promote experiential learning in an educational-technology course, highlighting approach and objectives, curriculum changes, design of virtual space, instructional method, and results. Suggests further implementations. (PEN)

Focuses on various technological tools that support online learning: e-mail (voice mail); online discussion groups; online resources; CD-ROM; online courseware; asynchronous communication; synchronous communication; and World Wide Web. Analyzes the attributes of online delivery systems, addressing interactivity and feedback; media features;…

Discusses the concept of a Virtual Company--a collaborative, distributed learning environment built on the notions of competence-based, constructivist, open learning, and distance education. It features an authentic, role-playing game that is strongly modeled upon the functional structures of real-life companies. Outlines the set-up of a Virtual…