Many libraries are or soon will be offering Wi-Fi, also known as wireless networks. The largest perceived barriers to providing this service are concerns about security. The prime rule when deploying Wi-Fi is segregation, having a clear separation between a public wireless network and the rest of the library?s network. A number of devices can be…

Loss of funding for NSFNet and the likelihood of deregulation may lead to endusers paying for operation of the national telecommunications infrastructure and decreased levels of service. Sources for additional funding include increased fees to information providers/third-party access resellers; increased fees to user institutions; and grant or…

Introduces briefly some of the more common Internet information management tools, including Archie, Gopher, Veronica and Jughead, Wide Area Information Service (WAIS), and World-Wide Web. (SR)

Discusses government information on the Internet. Provides a broad list of collections of government information available on the Internet. (SR)

Many suggestions by two researchers at Rand Corporation, who published a paper on etiquette for news networks, have been incorporated into bulletin-board conventions, but with new users coming online all the time socialization is slow. Some suggestions for e-mail users are provided. (MLW)

Describes the National Institute for Literacy's Literacy Information and Communication System as a national electronic network for literacy providers that focuses on comprehensiveness, ease of access, consistent format, and availability of support services for the state literacy resource centers whose home pages are linked. Seven websites are…

Discusses the conceptual roots of computer-mediated collaboration in real-time networks and the software environments that currently support these networks. Examines the informal and formal electronic-mail networks in the United Kingdom. Speculates on future developments for this emerging technology. (JJK)

Advocates the use of wide-area networking systems (WANS) by English departments to bring the whole world's public discourse into classrooms. Maintains English departments need people who speak the language of networking technology to understand how it can support or defeat pedagogical goals, and to garner computing resources. Offers a brief…

Discusses librarians and electronic mail, use of Listservs by librarians, libraries on the Internet, redefining online public catalogs, searching databases on the Internet, finding a personal librarian in hyperspace, and the future of libraries on the Internet. (SR)

Starting in the late 1960s, data networks were created to connect supercomputers and, later, other intelligent devices. A revolution in communications was in the making. By the late 1970s, computing and communications technologies were leading us from a world of local markets trading in capital goods to one of global markets trading in capital…

A study to test whether or not a computer network can be used to ease the isolation of housebound AIDS patients and help them get advice and make decisions about their health care is described. The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health. (MLW)

Discusses making community networking a reality for all citizens, noting ways to reduce the digital divide that segments computer use along socioeconomic lines. Lists 4 insights that may help in the design and implementation of community services devoted to computer access and training. Notes a website on community networking, and recent…

This paper discusses the Modern School Movement (MSM), founded in 1924 by French educator Celestin Freinet (1896-1966) and widely-known throughout Europe yet largely unknown to English-speaking educators. The paper focuses on the MSM as the largest student writing network ever to have employed educational technologies as a central aspect of its…

This document consists of the first four issues of a newsletter entitled "Edutopia." The name Edutopia signifies a version of what a technology-enriched educational system of the future would look like. The newsletter is intended to facilitate the integration of interactive multimedia and telecommunications technologies with teaching and…

Argues that networked classrooms offer a number of opportunities for effective writing instruction. Argues that shared discourse in the networked-computer classroom has three levels forming a continuum of interactivity: students sending messages "at,""to," and "between" each other. Offers classroom examples of each level of discourse. (SR)