SchoolNet is a state-funded partnership that will facilitate the installation of computer and communications networking technology in public schools and classrooms across Ohio and coordinate its use. SchoolNet seeks to provide Ohio students with expanded course offerings; more individualized educational opportunities; interactive learning…

This book, which began as a teacher research project, goes inside the Anne Frank Conference, an online literary exchange among middle school students, to examine how the conference experience has fundamentally changed who the students are as writers. The book provides background by discussing the implementation of the Bread Loaf Rural Teachers…

Multiple-user domains--the most common names are MUDs (Multiple-User Domain), MOOs (Multiple user domain, Object Oriented), and MUSHes (Multiple User Shared Hallucination)--can be effectively used for teaching. While each may be slightly different, they are all interactive internet sights with real time connections and exchanges. Often described…

This report describes 2-year outcomes of the Iowa Distance Education Alliance (IDEA), a partnership involving educational institutions across Iowa that received funding from the federal Star Schools Program to demonstrate the use of the Iowa Communication Network's (ICN's) fiber-optic technology for K-12 instruction. First-year project activities…

The Telecommunications Foundation of Africa (TFA) was created in 1992 out of a conviction that insufficient telecommunications in Africa are an impediment to economic growth, and that more resources could be mobilized to strengthen this sector. This volume was made by TFA for readers both inside and outside of Africa and the telecommunications…

Noting a recent trend in scholarship of using narratives to warn teachers of the possible dangers of un-theorized and uncritical utilization of technology in the writing classroom, this paper offers a story that does not involve students, anonymous messages, or private files that inadvertently become public, but instead concerns a series of…

This article addresses issues related to one particular type of electronic messaging, namely e-mail. E-mail appears to serve two primary purposes in the world and society. First, it is used as a form of communication that allows individuals, no matter where they are located, to communicate with each other on a regular basis at a low cost. Second,…

Emphasizing the need for and offering new instructional strategies for the English classroom, this book demonstrates not only that teachers can do something about the effect of technology in the English classroom, but that they must. The book shows how electronic communication can, at every educational level, foster a natural collaboration between…

Deakin Australia, the commercial arm of Deakin University, has included computer-mediated communication (CMC) as an element of the professional development program produced in conjunction with the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants (ASCPA). The CPA program is delivered by distance education to candidates seeking professional…

The present paper defines the key words of "Distance Teaching" (DT), "Distance Education" (DE), and "Open (Distance) Learning" (ODL) to be followed by the exploration of the "Instructional Design" (ID) concept, its principles and process and the operational steps to emphasize on the ever missing issue of the…

As increasing numbers of undergraduate students in higher education are engaging in online group discussions as part of their course work, there is a need to gain insights into the nature of the experience of learning in this new context. Previous studies have reported benefits for students who engaged in online discussions, but few describe these…

The Internet provides opportunities for students in developing countries to interact both with a wide variety of educational resources and with distant students and teachers. For a decade the authors have researched the essential elements to ensure success when technology is introduced in classrooms. Therefore this article focuses on developing…

The effectiveness of blended learning is dependent upon the combination of learning activities, complemented by information communication technologies and the availability of opportunities for face-to-face communication. This paper proposes a filtering approach to assist lecturers in combining learning activities within a blended learning…

The term distance education is commonly used to describe courses in which nearly all the interaction between the teacher and student takes place electronically. Electronic communication may take the form of audio, video, e-mail, chat, teleconferencing, and, increasingly, the Internet. Distance education courses range from short term training…

Blogging is a widely used means of communication for millions of Internet users around the world. Blogs, which are Web sites or Weblogs where entries may be posted on a regular basis, frequently serve as online diaries or commentaries and may include text, images, and links to other sources. Diaries are no longer kept under lock and key. Today's…