Describes how the University of the South Pacific has created a satellite-based computer network aimed at greatly expanding its offerings to students on remote islands. (EV)

The digital materials that faculty produce for their classrooms often are saved only to storage devices that might become obsolete in a few years. Without an institutional effort to provide access systems, storage, and services for their digital media, are campuses in danger of creating "Disposable Scholarship"? In this article, the author…

Networked multimedia is described as a tool for collaborative learning, focusing on learning through discussion. It is proposed that multimedia may be used to structure and enhance communication, thereby promoting learning. The background and application of collaborative learning is outlined. Several dimensions of media which influence the…

Discusses rules of etiquette for communicating via computer networks, including conversing as politely as you would face-to-face; ethical behavior; becoming familiar with the domain that you are in; rules for discussion groups; quality of writing; sharing appropriate knowledge; and respecting individuals' privacy. (LRW)

Integrated services digital network (ISDN) is a dial-up digital transmission service supporting transmission of audio, video, and text data over standard copper telephone wires or fiber optic cables. Advantages of ISDN over analog transmission include the ability of one phone line to support up to three simultaneous, separate conversations (phone,…

Presents 20 networking etiquette guidelines taken from electronic and print sources. Highlights include focusing on one subject, condensing messages, editing quotes, spelling and grammar, typography, mistakes, acronyms, humor, researching discussion groups, intellectual property and copyright, manners, ethics, and damage. (AEF)

Explains the passing of the information age and discusses its successor and the paradigm for the immediate future; i.e., the communication age. The importance of the communication age to elementary and secondary education is outlined, and the emerging wide-bandwidth Internet technology is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Presents insights into the state of networking of the near future. Discusses the promotion of virtual reality in every-day society; the unlimited bandwidth of optical networking; and terrestrial wireless links tethered to optical tools. (AEF)

Describes Multiple-User Dungeons (MUDs), multiple-user computer programs that allow participants to interact with others in "real time" exchanges. Discusses their potential in the writing classroom and beyond, and notes their potential for faculty development activities. Offers a list of Internet resources, some actual MUD addresses, and other…

Moving corporate systems onto an intranet will increase the data traffic within the corporate network, which necessitates a high-quality management process to the intranet. Discusses costs and benefits of adopting an intranet, tool availability and selection criteria, and management issues for developing an intranet. (Author/AEF)

Introductory exploration of two usenet newsgroups focused on political discussions. The goal is to answer questions regarding issues such as who is participating in these online discussions and whether the online groups resemble more traditional discussion networks. (Author)

In this article, the author looks to the past for trends in hardware, software, networking, and education and attempt to extrapolate where they are going and what their broad implications might be. However, there are many different ways that trends can be interpreted, and it is easy to pick trends that support one's thesis and ignore ones that…

USENET is a system of special interest discussion groups called newsgroups, to which readers can send or post messages which are then distributed to other computers in the network. A common network is the Internet, but other networks may carry USENET as well. There are thousands of newsgroups, with a wide range of conversations on topics such as…

Based on the premise that computer networks are changing the way people think and interact, this Digest discusses some features of electronic discourse as a relatively new form of discourse and examines the current research on computer mediated communication text. The Digest suggests further research on how other features of electronic discourse…

This paper addresses problems and issues that arise in electronic communications, and offers guidelines and etiquette. Topics covered include: (1) drafting an electronic message, including width of messages, abbreviations and smileys, salutation, name, author address, and responding to a message; (2) "Webtiquette" (i.e., guidelines for…