Describes the conceptual foundations for the Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM) metadata framework including adoption of the Dublin Core Element Set as its base referent, and extension of that set to meet the needs of the domain. Discusses selection and structuring of the units of description. Examines metadata generation, the association of…

Examines differences between the formal features of commercial versus noncommercial Web sites, and the relationship between Web page complexity and amount of traffic a site receives. Findings indicate that, although most pages in this stage of the Web's development remain technologically simple and noninteractive, there are significant…

Survey responses of 166 administrators and 300 teachers in Alberta schools indicate that most respondents were motivated by personal interest to learn to use the Internet and learned by trial and error. Administrators were more positive than were teachers about the adequacy of school support for Internet use. Administrator and teacher uses of the…

Reviews Internet technological capabilities for counseling and assesses the application of HIV/AIDS related counseling on the Internet. Interviews with health professionals reveal four major themes: counselor client relationship, target population, ethics, and operation. Major concerns include the lack of visual and verbal cues during interaction,…

Public education should no longer reflect agricultural or industrial era learning modes. Third-millennium administrators must recognize certain societal trends: the "net generation" of students, predominance of technology, electronic schools, the information deluge and the democratization of information, the age of convenience and…

Describes different Internet resource sites for instructional design and human performance technology maintained by various groups including: professional organizations, United States government agencies, educational institutions, publishers and booksellers, and miscellaneous groups. (AEF)

Presents findings from a study of how knowledge workers use the Web to seek external information as part of their daily work. Participants were 34 users from seven companies. Findings suggest that a behavioral framework that relates motivation and moves may be helpful in analysing patterns of Web-based information seeking. (AEF)

Responds to the article, "Separating Wheat from Chaff: Why Dirty Pictures are not the Real Dilemma in Using the Internet to Teach Social Studies." Maintains that creating a safe Internet environment is the responsibility of the adults not students and developing student skills in evaluating and validating information is not the answer. (CMK)

A study of learning environments involved 20 elementary and middle school teachers enrolled as students in a graduate program in science education. Connecting Communities of Learners (CCL), the predominant means of engaging the curriculum, is described with examples of how different functions are used to facilitate students' interactions, reading…

Examines the social character of anonymous online communication and the ways that anonymous communication has played important roles for professionals such as journalists and the police. Explains some of the new technological supports for anonymous communication on the Internet. Discusses some of the nuances behind the controversies and policy…

Presents seven types of identity knowledge. Identifies major rationales and contexts for anonymity and identifiability and suggests a principle which holds that those who use pseudonyms on the Internet in personal communications are obliged to indicate they are doing so. Suggests 13 procedural questions to guide the development and assessment of…

Results of a national survey on public library outlet Internet connectivity reveal disparities in connectivity, public access provision, and speed of public access Internet services. Disparities have implications for future connectivity policy development like erate, state librarybased connectivity programs, and libraryinitiated connectivity…

Reports on some of the new ways public library sites are presenting themselves to their patrons and to the broader World Wide Web audience. Discusses library virtual tours; calendar display; audio-visual materials; resource listings; book clubs; money-raising activities; fugitive fact files; hot item advisors; periodicals; FAQs (frequently asked…

Describes "QUEST", an Internet resource developed by The British Natural History Museum to stimulate young children's interest in science. (Author)

Describes the six model lessons created to coincide with the online collections of the Library of Congress that focuses on utilizing technology and primary sources; two of the lessons are for teacher use, while the other four are self-contained lessons. Discusses the basic design principles and constraints for the lessons. (CMK)