Today's literature is filled with new paradigms for learning, specifically in relation to the increasing adoption of computer-mediated techniques for interactive learning. In many cases, learning may now be enhanced through the experience of a shared online environment for critical discussion, knowledge building, and the establishment of…

This second edition of the "Parent's Guide to the Internet" is intended to help parents--regardless of their level of technological know-how--make use of the online world as an important educational tool. This booklet provides parents with basic information about how to use the computer to find information and communicate with others. It describes…

Distance education is moving toward more interactive environments. Studies of student satisfaction with distance education suggest that the level of interaction in the class is related to perceptions of satisfaction regardless of the instructional medium. This paper reports findings from a study of four graduate research and evaluation courses at…

This qualitative study examined the structure and interaction in an online course from the meaning-perspectives of the actors involved. Participants were a teacher and teaching assistant who taught a graduate course in distance education at Arizona State University, delivered through a computer conferencing system. Data collected included…

Lists seven characteristics of online instruction, and discusses related questions. Topics include costs, increased usage of educational technology, access to information/communication for isolated groups, the present text-based system and technological change, the pattern of hypertext, effectiveness of online instruction, and the student/teacher…

Examines the techniques used in teaching an abnormal psychology class in a multimedia environment with two computers and a variety of audiovisual equipment. Students respond anonymously to various questions via keypads mounted on their desks, then immediately view and discuss summaries of their responses. (MJP)

Identifies and outlines key considerations that should influence the selection of instructional technology. Provides specific questions to ask about hardware, multimedia use, computer assisted instruction, and the Internet. Considers specific applications (and limitations) of these technologies with regard to specific social studies standards and…

This article presents a model for conceptualising learner involvement in online environments. It takes as its starting point the emerging approach to service-user engagement in public-sector change in the United Kingdom. This is focused upon civic inclusion and empowered decision making. In turn this personalisation is related to issues…

Students entering Steve Speier's Spanish class pull their personal laptops from their packs and begin preparing for the lesson. Some review Speier's board notes containing a combination of typed phrases and dozens of handdrawn vocabulary words saved as PDF files from his interactive white board Notebook program. Others don headphones and listen to…

Previous reports in this series (#32 and 36) have discussed online software features of value to disabled learners in distance education. The current report evaluates four specific assistive software products with useful features for visually and hearing impaired learners: "ATutor", "ACollab", "Natural Voice", and "Just Vanilla". The evaluative…

This paper draws on experiences with teaching on online course in digital library issues. The course is offered as part of an MLIS programme. The paper explores student reactions to the online learning environment, which has been delivered using the commercial products WebCT and Blackboard. Student reactions to the use of synchronous and…

Computer mediated communication (CMC) tends to erase power structures because such communication somehow undermines or escapes discursive limits. Online discussions seem to promote rhetorical experimentation on the part of the participants. Finding a way to explain disparities between electronic discussion and oral discussion has proven difficult.…

This paper introduces a new application called multimedia annotation, currently being developed in the European Union-funded project DIANE. A system for instant multimedia authoring, with special features for supporting the creation of multimedia documents in a distributed working environment such as distance education, is described. The system…

The growth of e-learning and distance education today creates an increasingly pressing need for research and writing on the pedagogy of e-learning. Teams are, or should be, an integral component of e-learning. "Teaching and Learning with Virtual Teams" develops this concept by investigating many issues around teams in the virtual and hybrid…

This paper proposes a Virtual Teacher Training Center (VTTC) as an effective and efficient short-term solution that can become an integral part of a long-term solution to a crisis in career and technical education (CTE) teacher availability. An introduction discusses the challenge and describes the VTTC's two major foundations, which are the…