Being literate in the 21st century means being able to function in and leverage the potential of collaborative, transparent online groups and networks. Before educators can help their students make the most of this powerful potential, they need to understand that the willingness to share one's work--and to some extent one's personal life--fosters…

Classroom network requires every student to think actively, which enhances student participation in mathematics and science. Classroom-specific networks use software designed to enhance communication between teacher and students.

A Carnegie Mellon University study examined Pittsburgh Public Schools' use of computer networks. Classroom activities included sending work to another party, collaborating on group projects, and exploiting the Internet's remote data sources and processing capabilities. Teachers' computer usage is discussed, along with implementation advice and…

Profiles computer usage at Tapawarea Area School, a small, rural, pre-K-12 school in New Zealand. A guided tour finds 14-year olds writing stories at individual terminals, several students participating in distance learning, older students teaching younger ones in forms 6 and 7, and a social studies class communicating with another school. (MLH)

A Nebraska consultant/former teacher explains his role in developing Internet accounts for teachers while working on a wetlands distance-learning project and an arts-education consortium. He explains ARTnet and other Internet services, including Telnet, FTP (file transfer protocol), the Gopher retrieval system, NetNews, and Listservs. Sidebars…

Of 1,700 homeless in Orange County, Florida, 40 percent are families. In 1988, a coalition of 34 agencies formed to address this challenge. A school district task force composed of community members, university student tutors, and key players from transportation services, pupil assignment, health services, Chapter 1, extended day, exceptional…

Network-based learning, unlike word processing or programming, does not require numerous computers and unlimited connection time. It can motivate students to become involved in a wide range of learning activities. Implementation barriers include infrastructure and access, the telecommunications-curriculum gap, and insufficient support and…

According to futurist/educational technology expert Chris Dede, new technologies will revolutionize education only when used to support new models of teaching and learning. Grafting technological solutions onto antiquated structures and learning approaches is misguided. Sidebars explain schools' technology access problems and review Clifford…

The Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico is connecting its 14 high schools to Internet. Three UNAM institutions designed a foreign-languages instruction model based on international cultural and scientific exchanges via computer networks. Mexican students studying English are interacting with English-speaking people, solving real problems, and…

Southeastern New Hampshire schoolchildren are involved in three network science projects for grades 2-8: Batnet, Birdnet, and Treenet. The listserv projects were developed by a group of teachers interested in using the computer-Internet connection to enrich and extend the science learning. Network science makes topics more real, lends immediacy to…

Two experts, Crawford Kilian and Clifford Stoll, disagree about the Internet's proper role in education. Kilian believes teachers must steer students through information "white water" to utilize the net more productively. Stoll thinks Internet will do little to resolve kids' reading deficiencies, restore music and art programs, or…

Toronto is creating a miniature knowledge-building society, using Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) software. Part of the Canada-wide TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence, CSILE links diverse participants, including schoolchildren and parents; teacher education and medical students; museum, engineering, science…

In 1994, the Glenview (Illinois) Public Schools created three technology-rich educational environments (TREEs) that use alternative teaching and learning methods through networked communication technologies. Each setting consists of three teachers and about 75 heterogeneously grouped students (ages 9-12) who work collaboratively to solve problems…

Although the Cold War has ended, the need for students to improve their intercultural awareness and understanding of international problems (hunger, environmental degradation, and increasing population) has grown stronger. I*Earn, a global network, allows K-12 students to work on joint social and environmental projects that can greatly improve…

Many South Chicago schools are successfully using older technologies, including photomechanical language-lab consoles, revamped and networked PCs, and "ancient" software packages rivaling today's expensive, repackaged products. Re-use is cost-effective. Schools should differentiate among computers' capabilities. Despite big industry's…