Describes how an online conference was used in a graduate poetry class with students not accustomed to using technology in their coursework. Suggests that it extended the depth and quality of discussion, opening up new areas of discourse; and that students went beyond assigned topics to create and engage in their own discourse enriched by their…

Focuses on the development of libraries and other information institutions in a new network space created by flows of data. Discusses the active user; the need for integration; rising level of infrastructure; shared activity; new divisions of labor; managing data flows; and rights and sale. (AEF)

The wireless bandwagon is rolling across Mississippi, picking up a fresh load of converts and turning calamity into opportunity. Traditional wired school networks, many of which unraveled during Hurricane Katrina, are giving way to advanced wireless mesh networks that frequently include voice-over-IP (VoIP) capabilities. Vendor funding is helping…

This article explores the potential and limitations of international educational collaboration using the concept of "connection", a term with different meanings that are sometimes conflated to produce unrealistic expectations of computer-mediated communication (CMC). The authors explore the use on the Internet of the "only connect" quote from…

Each new media revolution forces adjustments for both the producers of messages and the receivers of those messages. Integral to the communication process is an understanding of what it means to be literate in an eclectic communication environment and of how the new media may enhance or impede literacy. An important premise for this discussion is…

Distance education may have a greater impact on the nature of higher education than any innovation since the invention of the printing press. In "virtual classrooms," students and faculty do not have to meet at the same time, collaborative learning is facilitated, and the specialized communication provided by computers can sometimes be…

This paper describes an experience with using the internet for collaborative peer consultation on a problem that arose with an ex-client. It illustrates the utility of professional electronic mail lists in providing timely information about how to proceed with relatively rarely encountered clinical situations. A professional therapist posted a…

SchoolNet is a state-funded partnership that will facilitate the installation of computer and communications networking technology in public schools and classrooms across Ohio and coordinate its use. SchoolNet seeks to provide Ohio students with expanded course offerings; more individualized educational opportunities; interactive learning…

This roundtable report draws on recent developments and trade press articles to show the trends and drivers that are redefining the fundamental conditions and relationships of markets, organizations, and social relationships. The report is divided into four main sections. In the first, "The New Competitive Landscape" brought on by networked…

This paper proposes a user-centered framework for intranet design that is based on an understanding of people, their typical problems, information behaviors, and situated contexts. It is argued that by adopting such an approach, intranets can be designed which facilitate organizational information access and use. The first section of the paper…

This paper outlines a qualitative research investigation of intranets and their capacity to facilitate organizational knowledge work. The study calls for an alternate view to intranet systems development and evaluation, one that tempers a predominant focus on information content and technology concerns with an awareness of the information needs,…

Examines the benefits of the Internet in education. Identifies the differences between telematics in education and network-based education. Discusses the value of computer networks in three teaching contexts: (1) for communication and navigation through distributed information; (2) in support of educational activities that can be conducted with or…

Presents seven guidelines for launching a company intranet: (1) don't promise what can't be delivered; (2) be clear about who owns what; (3) be demand-led; (4) invest time in practical demonstrations; (5) avoid jargon; (6) have adequate resources to support colleagues; and (7) make intranet benefits relevant to colleagues. (AEF)

Taken together, the articles in this special issue contribute to the collective sense of recent progress in research on networked learning in higher education. In combination, they help explain some of the key relationships between teachers' and learners' intentions and experiences, the affordances of text-based communications technologies and…

Reports part of a wider study aimed to develop a theoretical understanding of learning in networked courses, where the subject matter is directly related to participants' practical experience. Proposes a taxonomy as a tool for analyzing the learning potential. A phenomenographic perspective on learning underpins the study. (AEF)