Examines the "reality behind the hype" surrounding the Internet. Discusses its early development; growth and present state; and key applications, including e-mail, voice/video telephony, integrated messaging, electronic commerce, the World Wide Web, and Web commerce, Intranet, Extranet; education and training; security; ownership; and…

Psychology students at the University of Southampton use "skywriting," an e-mail based discussion medium involving tutors and students and focusing on issues arising from course content. This article discusses student participation in skywriting; examines effects of gender, computer attitudes, and computer experience; compares student…

An analysis of 79 K-12 Internet projects revealed seven common activities: pre-project activities; gathering information; sharing and communicating; data integration; constructing products; evaluating products; and demonstrating/teaching. Discussion includes learning models scaffolded and project difficulties/successes. (AEF)

Examines critical issues in distance education. Discusses three stages in the retraining of students; retraining of faculty, including establishing and maintaining effective interaction, motivating students, adapting the syllabus, and using technology to teach; and redesign of course content. (AEF)

Focuses on a Web-based version of a national survey for the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) of public library involvement with the Internet. Describes the procedures used to develop the Web-based questionnaire, identifies issues concerning Web-based research, and presents recommendations for the future…

Discusses the distance education program at the College of Library and Information Science of the University of South Carolina. Highlights include program development and concerns; university support; site visits; objectives; library resources; socialization and computer-mediated communication; program extension; hazards and changes; and…

Discussion of the shift from traditional classrooms to Web-based training and distance education focuses on strategies that instructors can use to transition into various distance-based settings. Highlights include shifting instructor roles; technology issues; online course development; course dynamics and interaction; communication;…

Examines educational technology applications in Taiwan. Highlights include historical background; learning technology integration; computer availability; teacher training; student and teacher attitudes; computer-mediated communication and collaboration; curriculum planning; distance education; and an educational technology model that includes…

Gopher and other early implementations of the virtual library are being superseded by the World Wide Web concept of "the global village library." Public libraries are implementing institutional Web pages, patron access to Internetwide e-mail, interagency programs, and Web training. Legislative issues and implications for the future are…

Discusses social and cultural challenges that Internet technology raises. Highlights include preserving the freedom in cyberspace, the information distribution scheme of the Internet, two-way interactivity, search engines as marketing tools, the insecurity of cyberspace, online safety rules for children, educating children to "walk…

Explores techniques for creating cohesive active learning communities in which information can be linked to real-world experiences. Discusses four types of interactions that take place in distance learning environments: learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-interface. Offers strategies for overcoming common barriers to…

Identifies basic concepts of a networked digital library and the effects on traditional information service and formats. Describes selected projects in information automation and delivery. Highlights research projects at six universities concerned with digitizing information to be made available via communication networks. Discusses the role of…

Presents a brief introduction and overview to the World Wide Web. Includes Charles S. White's, "Where on the Web? Some Useful Sites for Social Studies Disciplines," Gene Cowan's, "How the Internet Works"( a colorful two-page poster), and "Internet Q and A" (four frequently asked questions). (MJP)

Identifies Internet sites and connects them to specific standards and performance expectations of the National Council for the Social Studies. Standards listed include Time, Continuity, and Change; People, Places and Environments; Individual Development and Identity; Global Connections; and Civic Ideals and Practices. Includes suggestions for…

Investigated Israeli Jewish and Arab fifth- and sixth-grade student perceptions of and attitudes to writing in three learning environments: cooperative learning, computer-mediated communication (CMC), and a combination of the two. Concludes that the power of peer interaction in cooperative learning with CMC was greater than each learning…