George Mason University provides online courses for educators. One course encourages teachers to master the Internet as a tool and resource for classroom instruction. This paper describes course configuration and development based on feedback from teachers in Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Germany. Pilot course results indicate that…

Presents results of a survey showing increased use of the Internet by language professionals (e.g., language teachers, translators, interpreters). Results of the survey show a qualitative improvement in the Internet for information retrieval, teaching, and idea exchange. If K-12 foreign-language teachers receive appropriate equipment and training,…

Presents a personal overview regarding education and training in general, and effective continuing professional development in particular, in the next millennium. Topics include change; learning processes; types of learning, including open, flexible, independent, group, collaborative, and cooperative; lifelong learning; continuing vocational…

Describes research that was part of the European Community's "Socrates Mailbox" project that investigated changes in learning produced by the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) in primary and secondary schools. Effects of e-mail, the Internet, the World Wide Web, and teleconferencing on both pupils and…

Four short articles provide teaching tips for the English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language classroom, including the use of Moos, a video jigsaw, practicing oral language skills with interviews and student-read dictations, an ask the expert activity which builds learner confidence in speaking in front of groups of people. (Author/VWL)

Describes and discusses "The Fifth Dimension," a distributed literacy consortium of after-school enrichment programs that involve cooperation between local community organizations affiliated with colleges and universities, in which children engage in activities using a variety of multimedia equipment and software. Notes the program is a useful…

Biologists at Center for Biological Research found ways to improve their scientific writing without benefit of an English-language program. By tapping Internet biology forums for comprehensible input, and using computer-assisted retention strategy to profit from error correction, writing improved. Scientific dialog on Internet has helped group…

A person-centered instructional design model was developed for virtual, Web-based environments, based on the work of Carl Rogers. This model attempts to address several issues raised in the literature. A person-centered instructional model is described and contrasted with instructionalist and constructivist approaches. Theoretical and practical…

Describes one school's approach to working with families to increase communication between school and home using available technologies. Discusses note writing versus e-mail; telephone versus speakerphone; traditional versus alternative assessments and parent-teacher conferences; and features of a Web site that allows families to access…

Results of this study indicate that enhancing motivation-building and personal-investment content in teacher communications with students increases at-risk student engagement in Web-based courses. Advantages of motivation-building enhancements over personal-investment enhancements and the importance of teacher interaction with at-risk students in…

Introduction: Although research in continuing medical education (CME) demonstrates positive outcomes of on-line CME programs, the effectiveness of and learners' satisfaction with interpersonal interaction in on-line CME are lower. Defined as faculty-learner or learner-learner interpersonal interaction, this study explores physicians' perceptions…

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is everywhere. The technology lets users make and receive phone calls over the Internet, transporting voice traffic alongside data traffic such as instant messages (IMs) and e-mail. While the number of consumer customers using VoIP increases every week, the technology is finding its way into K-12 education as…

Changing technologies give students new ways to stay connected, be entertained, and interact with their institution. Student affairs practitioners must find ways to use these emerging technologies to further their educational goals and purposes.

This study explored what factors influenced learner participation in two sections of a graduate online course at a Midwestern university. Findings indicated that online learner participation and patterns of participation are influenced by the following factors: technology and interface characteristics, content area experience, student roles and…

There is a growing demand for advice about effective, time efficient ways of using ICT to support student learning in higher education. This paper uses one such area of activity--networked learning--as a context in which to outline a novel approach to educational design. The paper makes two main contributions. It provides a high level view of the…