East Carolina University recently hosted the first Virtual Worlds in Education Conference, a meeting held entirely in Second Life. The conference provided 135 faculty and administrators from around the world the ability to communicate and share their experiences on teaching, learning, and technology support in an online, multi-user virtual…

Synchronous audiographic conferencing (SAC) refers to a combination of technologies for real-time communication and interaction using multiple media and modes. With an increasing institutional uptake of SAC, users require an understanding of the complex interrelations of multiple media in learning scenarios in order to support pedagogic-driven…

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…

Provides a rationale for computer-mediated conferencing in higher education and a model for using "Participate" software. Considers limitations affecting facilitators and future issues in the use of conferencing. (SK)

So far classroom use of the Internet has been limited to asynchronous communication, but virtual conferencing will allow real-time connections between teachers and classrooms separated by continents. This article describes virtual conferencing applications: Chat, audio- and videoconferencing, electronic white boards, application sharing, and file…

Describes a vision of a distance learning environment, and emphasizes the use of computers for active communication, participation, and collaboration of instructors and students. Identifies educational activities and matches them with corresponding systems capabilities. (14 references) (Author/DGM)

Explores ideas on how technology can enhance instruction, and explains how these ideas apply to the developmental student. Discusses new materials, technologies, and applications in developmental education and reviews what already exists. Includes information on telecourses, interactive TV courses, video conferencing, Internet support, Web…

Examines the problems and promise of incorporating computer-assisted communications (CAC) into distance education programs. Discusses advantages gained by widely-scattered students using CAC for individual or group conferences. States that CAC can encourage training approaches in which the learning process is sustained by the dynamic of the social…

Presents the development and application of a new content analysis scheme that focuses on evaluating videoconferencing to support remote tutoring of small groups. Despite an element of subjectivity, the proposed scheme is thought to provide a useful tool capable of identifying the educational impact of variations within a videoconference learning…

As higher education institutions move into forms of distance learning enabled by technologies such as video conferencing and the Internet, the ownership of course materials becomes an issue. Who owns these materials, the school or the individual? This paper describes the issue, covers two different views on ownership (i.e., comparing online course…

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…

Video conferencing for use in education has included the development of expensive yet sophisticated technology capable of delivering quality instruction to multiple sites. Limitations arise from using a closed network; factors such as cost to establish and operate the network with video compression or satellite technology can potentially affect…

This article describes an educational project using videoconferencing computer technology and Internet access with students with deafness in Canadian schools. An outline of an educational lesson and student benefits using videoconferencing to support the instructional objectives is provided. A variety of methods of communicating using computer…

Successful learning in a discursive interaction demands that participants be able to follow the interaction from its beginning to its end; instruction on Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs) poses challenges because, unlike in face-to-face interaction, not all messages are serial. This paper offers strategies and techniques to help ALN teachers…