It is ironic that we have coined a phrase "wilderness" to describe a natural state devoid of people, but we have no word to describe a natural state that includes people. A new word, "natominess", is offered that incorporates the notion of balance between humans and nature on a global scale. (TD)

Discusses modern educational technology, including postmodernism; deconstruction; the Shannon-Weaver Model for telecommunication apparatus and the epistemology of educational technology; the systems approach; and possible demands of postmodern educational technology, including technoscience, instructional design issues, and cultural aspects.…

Compares community substance abuse programs that have worked with some that have not by applying principles from complex systems theory and ideas from learning communities. (JOW)

Discusses ethical concerns of information science professionals from two viewpoints: concerns of practitioners and the information industry, including a prototype for ethical contexts and principles for ethical actions; and concerns of theoreticians and researchers, including system principles and ideological, political, and social frameworks.…

Wimbiscus enhances Rummler and Brache's model for improving organizational performance by defining nine performance variables and integrating the model with scholars' views of three human resource development elements: organizations, process, and job/performer. Brache and Rummler respond to parts of Wimbiscus' critique. (SK)

Derived from a committee report prepared for the American Mental Health Counselor's Association, a new definition of professional counseling is presented. Generated from a developmental lifespan foundation, special attention is given to multicultural issues, a broad array of services, and a network approach to service delivery. Implications of…

All nations face similar choices related to the cost, scale, quality, relevance, access, and flexibility of their learning systems. Adaptive learning systems are learner centered, change focused, value based, technologically mediated, and built on open systems principles. Adaptive learning systems have the capacity to empower the learning…

Two major historiographic issues in technology education history are the importance of social context and the choice between narrative and systems approaches. (SK)

Advocates using systems theory and systems models for ethical decision making in public relations. Demonstrates how to apply systems theory (with its ability to delineate a complex process and wed it to a model of organizational decision making) to analyzing the ethical dimensions inherent in the public relations process. (SR)

Understanding organizations as learning organisms requires a higher level of analysis, including a systems approach and biological, cybernetic, dialectical, and chaos analysis. (SK)

This article develops a framework for a common definition of system and system change drawing heavily from current understandings within chaos theory, quantum physics, and self-ordering systems. The framework is discussed in the context of TRACES, the national technical assistance agency for students with deaf blindness, and service delivery…

Discussion of the development of instructional materials focuses on project management for developing materials for distance education. Various planning strategies are discussed, organizational settings and their effects on planning are described, the development of a project plan is discussed, and a phase network as a management tool is…

A realistic production schedule helps deliver college publications on time. This requires team effort and a spirit of cooperation, specific task scheduling, using tickler systems to keep staff on track, not allowing procrastination, and setting aside planning time. (MSE)

Presents results of study of effectiveness of family systems approaches to resolve school behavior problems used at school attendance and review board (SARB), referred to as mini-SARB because team meeting takes place at school level. Includes background and demographic data and description of mini-SARB process (beliefs/assumptions, team roles,…

This interview with a founding partner of a consulting firm specializing in product and process innovation discusses the need for American businesses to rethink their one-shot approach to innovation and implement instead a systems approach to supporting and managing innovation. A strong collaborative effort that reaches throughout the organization…