With the advance in information and communication technologies, computer-mediated communication--more specifically computer conferencing systems (CCS)--has captured the interest of educators as an ideal tool to create a learning environment featuring active, participative, and reflective learning. Educators are increasingly adapting the features…

Interactive videoconferencing (IVC) consists of live, synchronous audio and video communication via a computer or digital phone network among sites in different physical locations. Many productive but not always obvious benefits, such as increased learning opportunities, student motivation, and instructor-student communication, are possible…

It was the perfect Halloween project. Each class would construct a three-dimensional "monster" out of common classroom materials (construction paper, cardboard boxes, tape, markers, glue, string, etc.), then write down instructions for building the monster and send them off to another class in the district, or in some other district, or even some…

Discusses use of computer conferencing in history instruction at Rochester, New York Institute of Technology. Describes how students hand in papers and communicate with their blind professor using personal computers and modems to send and receive electronic mail on the mainframe. Examines student reactions to project and evaluates program in terms…

New technologies offer educators a lower cost, easier to access opportunity to use distance learning. The Internet, which has had a wide impact on education, has only recently become widely available and is much easier to navigate than in past years. Educational benefits for students using the Internet include learning materials posted on Internet…

Computer conferencing is a promising technology for use in adult education because it eliminates time and geography as barriers to learning for adults. A growing body of evidence indicates that the technology is a suitable means for delivering instruction, although a number of questions remain as to the optimum circumstances for its use. For…

One of the major goals of mathematics education reform efforts is for students to become more confident in their abilities. This paper suggests that computer conferencing provides a way to change classroom practice so that students can work together in a self-paced manner that builds self-esteem and confidence in mathematics. A pedagogical…

Analyzes the experiences and experiments of the Open University (OU), United Kingdom, in the use of computer conferencing over 10 years. Provides a framework for considering educational uses of the medium and describes several innovative applications. Highlights the main issues involved in implementing this technology. (Author)

Despite improvements in educational indicators, such as enrolment, significant challenges remain with regard to the delivery of quality education in developing countries, particularly in rural and remote regions. In the attempt to find viable solutions to these challenges, much hope has been placed in new information and communication technologies…

Describes computer-assisted activities used in the University of Michigan's teacher education program (computer conferencing and an interactive educational software package). The article discusses what the applications convey about the teaching and learning process, what they communicate about teacher knowledge, and what kind of educational future…

Describes examples of videoconferencing usage in higher education: project management, dissemination, lecture courses, keynote lectures, small groups, orals and interviews. Gives an account of staff and student experiences in each example, in the context of a collaborative project. Presents evaluation results, leading to a generally favorable…

A study investigated whether computer conferencing would encourage critical reflection in prospective teachers. A computer conference helped students examine their taken-for-granted assumptions, the validity in differing perspectives, and consequences of choice making. Findings suggest that computer conferencing can help students reach this goal,…

Computer conferencing can aid in conflict resolution by developing discourse skills. This article examines conflict resolution and computer conferencing as a channel for discourse and describes three computer conferences involving secondary school students, teacher education students, and teachers in Northern Ireland, Europe, and the United…

The Virtual Classroom(TM) is a teaching and learning environment constructed in software, which supports collaborative learning among students who participate at times and places of their choosing. While students may access only the record of their activities, the instructor can review the activities status of any student, require that activities…

A recent master's level course in the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations at Illinois State University pushed the envelope on using instructional Internet technologies. This course utilized several in-person sessions (both on- and off-campus), e-mail, and a dedicated World Wide Web site. The majority of classes were held over…