Discussion of the Florida Learning Support Systems, being developed by schools and businesses to better utilize information technology in education, focuses on use of the Internet as background communication, or communication between applications running on different computers without human intervention to develop new kinds of instructional and…

The Consortium Interactive Research on Collaborative Learning Environments (CIRCLE) project was designed to develop a model of four-way collaborative distance learning that places relatively small demands on university technological resources. Results of trials indicated that interaction over high bandwidth video channels worked well with little…

Discusses how the use of a newsgroup with elementary preservice teachers enabled discussion on classroom management, course-related, and controversial issues. Using this electronic format, students also supported each other through decision-making processes and stressful situations. The electronic discussion group became a forum where students…

Evaluates use of BSCW (a groupware system) shared workspaces in higher education by means of a comparison of seven courses in which this environment was used. Identifies different functions for which the BSCW environment has been used and discusses the relative success of these functions across the cases. (AEF)

Provides a list of a variety of World Wide Websites that attempt to pull together and organize the myriad of possibilities of avenues into the Internet, such as search engines, spiders, search tools, robots, portals, hierarchical menus, resource sites, megasites, catalogues, indexes, directories of links or specialized guides, subject guides or…

This study of the online communications of 10 teams of SMEs (subject-matter experts), classroom teachers, and K-12 students focused on the functions, frequency and flow of e-mail messages exchanged in the context of curriculum-based projects. Eight tables and figures present findings. Contains 35 references. (AEF)

Describes the electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) program at the University of Virginia (UVA). The system is designed to be easy and self-explanatory. Submission instructions guide the student step-by-step. Screen messages, such as errors, are generated automatically when appropriate, while email messages, regarding the status of the…

Asserts that, regardless of college size and budget, an Internet presence is attainable and will help increase the quantity and quality of communication between students, staff and faculty. Adds that this elevated level of interaction should result in time savings, increased registrations, higher retention, and happier students. (NB)

Lists 13 different Internet search engines that might be of interest to educators, including: AOL Search, Alta Vista, Google, Lycos, Northern Light, and Yahoo. Gives a brief description of each search engine's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses and includes Web addresses of U.S. government offices, including the U.S. Department of Education.…

Three-dimensional virtual worlds are an emerging medium currently being used in both traditional classrooms and for distance education. Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds are a combination of desk-top interactive Virtual Reality within a chat environment. This analysis provides an overview of Active Worlds Educational Universe and Adobe…

In a large online course, students were divided into 18 asynchronous online discussion groups with different gender mixes. The number and cognitive content of student messages were analysed. Females wrote more messages than males with no difference in the cognitive quality of message content. In mixed groups, females wrote fewer messages than in…

This case study looks at teacher candidates who were enrolled in a content-area literacy course and used online technologies and literacy strategies to promote meaningful learning among students at a remote elementary school some 45 miles away from the university campus. As they worked under the guidance of a classroom teacher, a professor and a…

Student services Web sites need to be student-centered, convenient, and efficient in order to address the complex needs of both distance and campus-based students. (Contains 1 figure and 12 online resources.)

The authors of this article provide a forum using Louis Owens's novel "Wolfsong" as a collaborative reading project which aims to gain experience teaching Native American literatures and to explore the effect of bringing an author directly into the classroom discussion. The following sections reflect the structure of the project: (1) Reflective…

The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law with an aggressive goal of improving the academic performance of all students and eliminating the achievement gap between different races and classes. NCLB also required the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to make recommendations for a National Education Technology Plan, which was released in…