Technologies such as telecommunications, the Internet, and computer conferencing and collaboration bring students, teachers, and the community together and enhance the learning environment. Internet and computer-conferencing software (via electronic mail, Web sites, and discussion forums) allows teachers to counsel students individually, deliver…

Discusses the concept of the intranet, comparing and contrasting it with groupware, and presents an argument for its value based on technical and information management considerations. Presents an intranet development project for an academic organization and describes a portable, user-centered and team-based methodology for the design and…

Reviews the current state of "one-stop shopping" for telecom services. Discusses regulatory obstacles; administrative problems with single billing; and resistance of telecom providers to change. Concludes that the leading one-stop shopping providers will be individual carriers who offer cost savings. (AEF)

Toronto is creating a miniature knowledge-building society, using Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) software. Part of the Canada-wide TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence, CSILE links diverse participants, including schoolchildren and parents; teacher education and medical students; museum, engineering, science…

In 1994, the Glenview (Illinois) Public Schools created three technology-rich educational environments (TREEs) that use alternative teaching and learning methods through networked communication technologies. Each setting consists of three teachers and about 75 heterogeneously grouped students (ages 9-12) who work collaboratively to solve problems…

Consultants can help a school district's technology dreams become realities. Or they can turn those dreams into nightmares. Technology consultants are providing services in several areas including technical assistance and staff training. A sidebar offers tips for finding a consultant and steps districts should follow to make the most of what they…

Describes a study assessing the effects of technology on the production of college newspapers and assembling an overview of technology use at campus newspapers nationwide. Provides findings related to college journalism program enrollment, newspaper formats employed, funding, computer hardware, production methods, future plans, and innovative…

Describes how the structure of hypermedia systems can be represented by a simple matrix which is the basis for applying standard techniques of network analysis, and demonstrates the potential influence of these techniques on learning processes or outcomes. Also discusses theoretical and practical implications for future hypermedia research. (AEF)

Presents a computational framework for modeling cognitive development that provides a language paradigm with which to compare and contrast different facets of children's knowledge. Describes the generative connectionist algorithm "cascade-correlation," the successful use of the algorithm to model cognitive development in various…

Presents an annotated list of several World Wide Web search engines, including Yahoo, Infoseek, Alta Vista, Magellan, Lycos, Webcrawler, Excite, Deja News, and the LISZT Directory of discussion groups. Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are included. Discussion assesses performance and describes rules and syntax for refining or limiting a search.…

Reports on the early stages of a project at the U.S. Air Force Academy, in which the instructional applications of a networked classroom laboratory, an intranet, and the Internet are explored as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of groupware and computer networks as instructional environments. Presents the results of the first pilot tests.…

Describes "Self-Serve Reserve", an electronic application developed at the library of Norwich University (Vermont) to handle reserve reading and be easy to use, reduce or eliminate the need for paper copies, deliver imaged documents, require modest start-up costs, and be scalable from a stand-alone workstation to network access.…

Describes a tool called the Electronic Issue Forum which was designed to give college students experience in writing both persuasive and balanced papers in a way that supports distance learning. The role-playing nature of the forum is explained, and grading criteria and other student needs are considered. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the networking of educational services for schools, homes, and communities. Highlights include equal access; the development of digital technologies; visions for electronic information services; the public sector; the private sector; creating learning communities; and future possibilities, including funding strategies. (LRW)

This special section explains the latest developments in networking technologies, profiles school districts benefiting from successful implementations, and reviews new products for building networks. Highlights include ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), cable modems, networking switches, Internet screening software, file servers, network management…