Builds on the results of earlier research that investigated principles that facilitate higher levels of learning in Internet-based distance learning university courses. Explores how these can be applied to Internet-based distance learning environments, using results of questionnaires from experts and scholars that considered complex abstracted…

Discusses concepts of mediation and focuses on the importance of implementing comprehensive virtual learning environments. Topics include education and technology as they relate to cultural change, social institutions, the Internet and computer-mediated communication, software design and human-computer interaction, the use of MOOs, and language.…

Describes an education initiative developed by a company in Malaysia, the KDU, to implement a student-centered, teacher-facilitated, educational technology-enabled and knowledge-based learning environment. Explains the KDU e-Community Network that enables passive, interactive, collaborative, and constructivist learning for a variety of…

Reviews recent data on computing and information literacy research skills of new college students and describes results from an Internet skills proficiency test administered to freshmen during a summer orientation at Ohio State University. Considers technological preparedness in regard to race, class, gender, and academic background. (Author/LRW)

Discusses online faculty development programs at Valencia Community College, Florida, and the Art Institute of Dallas. Describes the programs as utilizing software that offers active learning techniques embedded within a scenario that unfolds over time. Adds that the programs address issues such as faculty time constraints and assessments of…

Discussion of the role of school libraries focuses on a study in England that monitored secondary school students completing a resource-based learning project. Compared students' use of the school library at four different schools with their use of other information resources, including public libraries and the Internet. (Author/LRW)

Responses from 130 of 156 technology education students indicated that 93% found the Internet an important research tool but 70% used it primarily for e-mail; only 14 had formal Internet training; 78% were unaware of the need to document Internet information sources; 74.2% believed this is public information; most said instructors did not teach…

Discussion of current issues in early childhood education focuses on developmentally appropriate uses of computer-based materials and techniques. Highlights include research on appropriate practice; computers and cognitive development; rationale for using technology; the computing environment; and an annotated bibliography of pertinent Internet…

Describes an inquiry investigation to enable students to understand water cohesion, surface tension, and heating curves for water. The investigation includes several activities organized in a three-phase learning cycle: (1) exploration; (2) concept invention; and (3) concept application. (DDR)

Suggests that libraries are doing children a disservice by not providing them with a reviewed/evaluated version of the Web. Discusses children's use of the library; the nature of information on the World Wide Web; and children's information seeking skills. Describes a simple method that can be used to protect children while still protecting adult…

Users of telecommunications networks are concerned about privacy, and desire anonymous access, while some organizations are concerned about how this anonymous access might be abused. Proposes a solution for revocable anonymous access to the Internet. Presents some legal background and motivation for such a solution. Indicates some difficulties and…

Wireless networks allow students to access technology when and where they need it. Describes a wireless network at a Florida magnet high school, methods of training teachers to use the new technology in their classrooms, and problem solving. A sidebar lists wireless resources. (MLF)

Describes the four largest sources of publicly available resources, illustrated with a pie chart: government documents, books, periodicals, and the Internet, with the Internet being the smallest of the four. Adds to this the unpublished information inside individual minds. Discusses how to steer students away from using only the Internet in…

Outlines several major ethical and social concerns that face an institution in attempting to integrate "cyberspace" into its academic arena. Focuses on American universities, though the issues are relevant for all levels of education in all geographic areas. Discusses major ethical dilemmas that academic use of cyberspace may present. Identifies…

Acceptable-use policies help ensure appropriate Internet access in a New York State school district. The district's four elementary schools and one each junior high and high school are relying on a two-pronged strategy. A policy version for staff, and one for students and parents, couples tight supervision with a carefully crafted acceptable-use…