Describes Internet Relay Chats (IRCs), electronic conversations over the Internet that allow multiple users to write messages, and their applications to educational settings such as teacher collaboration and conversations between classes. Explains hardware and software requirements, IRC organization into nets and channels, and benefits and…

Describes initial investigations into the problems encountered when college students undertake online group projects and introduces a method for designing intelligent software agents capable of recognizing and alleviating problems concerned with the maintenance roles of group project work. Discusses computer mediated communication and user…

An electronic survey of 200 distance education students and data from phone calls to the course coordinator found that online environments enhanced knowledge acquisition, confidence in subject and technology use, and communication skills. Conditions that maximize learning included practical content of online discussions, supportive environment on…

Examines the formation of group norms in computer-mediated communication (CMC) among students who used e-mail as part of a course. Shows that norms prescribing a particular use of technology are socially constructed over time at the level of locally defined groups, and also shows that the influence of these norms is limited to the boundaries of…

Reviews the literature on technology-based groups and presents the results of a survey of group practitioners which focused on their experiences with telephone and computer groups and other factors. Results show that this technology increased accessibility, convenience, and anonymity. Discusses implications of using telephones and computers for…

Describes the University of Texas at Austin's undergraduate writing center and its in-progress "virtual writing center." Discusses the problems and pitfalls of writing online, such as online identity and how face to face conversation turns are arranged. Compares the advent of computer technology with the ancient Hittites' beginnings in…

Presents insights into the state of networking of the near future. Discusses the promotion of virtual reality in every-day society; the unlimited bandwidth of optical networking; and terrestrial wireless links tethered to optical tools. (AEF)

Describes Multiple-User Dungeons (MUDs), multiple-user computer programs that allow participants to interact with others in "real time" exchanges. Discusses their potential in the writing classroom and beyond, and notes their potential for faculty development activities. Offers a list of Internet resources, some actual MUD addresses, and other…

Moving corporate systems onto an intranet will increase the data traffic within the corporate network, which necessitates a high-quality management process to the intranet. Discusses costs and benefits of adopting an intranet, tool availability and selection criteria, and management issues for developing an intranet. (Author/AEF)

Positions the telephone as a vibrant, innovative medium for therapeutic work. Defines computer-mediated therapy and explores issues confronting its development. Concludes that active collaboration between therapists, social scientists, and computer scientists is needed to develop therapy-specific computer applications to mediate in…

Addresses the relationship between intimacy and communication that is based on computer technology. Discusses definitions of intimacy and the nature of intimate conversations that use computers as a communications medium. Explores implications for counseling. (MKA)

Explores possible uses of the Internet in family therapy. Explores the possible negative aspects of this approach and presents a case study of a family that benefited from exposure to Internet resources. Discusses ethical considerations in working within communication media and draws parallels between writing therapy and the Internet. (MKA)

Discusses current trends in Internet usage (hypertext, delivery of multimedia, true interactivity) and proposes the PREDICTION (PREsentation, Dynamic Interaction, and Communication) model which formalizes the Internet's dynamic capabilities which should be exploited if its potential as educational technology is to be realized. (PEN)

New computer-mediated communications are examined in a graduate course in the Department of Workforce Education and Development at Southern Illinois University. Use of prerequisite skills testing and integration of desktop videoconferencing technology provide students with the ability to interact in the distance environment. The feasibility and…

Explores possibilities for the study of divergent aspects of discursive practices by focusing on the notion of voice and considers implications for second language writing research and instruction. Examines recent critiques of the notion of voice that emphasize its strong association with the ideology of individualism. Presents evidence of voice…