The Intercampus Interactive Telecommunications System (IITS) is a network for linking classes among three branches of the University of Alabama. This user's guide provides information for the teacher who is conducting classes through the communications link, together with guidelines and suggestions for planning use of the equipment, creating…

North Dakota is one of the first states to create a statewide system--the Interactive Video Network (IVN)--that allows multiple video conferencing between two or more sites. In 1990-91, IVN connected 10 campuses and the State Capitol. IVN's purpose is to deliver quality postsecondary programs to students who would not otherwise have access to…

Three phases of any change effort include initiation, implementation, and continuation. This seventh guidebook in a series of nine video conferences addresses later stages of implementation and continuation (initiation and early stages of implementation are discussed in the sixth guidebook.) In the guidebook are definitions of the three phases of…

Changes in education have direct implications for the role and responsibility of professional development. This eighth guidebook in a series of nine video conferences examines the meaning of professional development in light of recent educational innovations. Included are an outline of new priorities and expanded functions of professional…

The implications of restructuring proposals for at risk students are examined in this ninth guidebook in a series of nine video conferences on school restructuring. Contents include a description of four approaches for the identification of at risk students: predictive, descriptive, unilateral, and school factors; a discussion of the relationship…

Ways in which schools and communities collaborate to create a learning community are described in this fifth guidebook in a series of nine video conferences on school restructuring. Extended school and community roles include enrichment of the learning environment, coordination of a learning support network, and expansion of the community of…

The development of interactive television instruction for distant learners involves nine sequential steps such as gaining attention, eliciting performance, and enhancing retention and transfer. Visual materials should be used to maintain interest and illustrate key concepts and relationships, and appropriate interactive techniques should be used…

A redefinition of the concept of learning necessitates the development of a "thinking curriculum." Second in a series of nine video conferences, this guidebook describes components of a thinking curriculum, which is characterized by a dual agenda of content and process. Contents of the guidebook include pre- and post-conference…

Based on the concept of telecommunications as an effective means for creating a forum on school restructuring, the first video conference in a series of nine focuses on recent research on learning and describes the characteristics of successful learners from three perspectives: cognitive, philosophical, and multicultural. Provided in this…

Based on the assumption that changes in the educational experience require changes in the evaluation of student learning, this fourth guidebook in a series of nine video conferences on school restructuring presents information on the evolution of student assessment. Four shifts in educational assessment are identified: from testing to multiple…

The understanding and management of the changes called for by fundamental restructuring are discussed in this sixth guidebook in a series of nine video conferences on school restructuring. Offered are a summary of school improvement over the last 30 years, a systems framework for individual and team changes, and strategies for organizational…

In the midst of an information explosion, it is increasingly important for educators and students to learn how to effectively use new technologies. Technologies impacting education are examined, including school LANs (Local Area Networks), the Internet, and multimedia, and the best use of these technologies in an educational setting is…

The extension of the new thinking curriculum into the classroom suggests that the redefinition of learning requires a collaborative classroom. Provided in this third guidebook in a series of nine video conferences is an elaboration on the definition of classroom collaboration, a description of classroom characteristics and student and teacheer…

This book offers an updated look at the technologies affecting education--including the World Wide Web, wireless local area networks (LANs), multimedia, and videoconferencing--and demonstrates how those technologies can best be used in an educational setting. For each type of technology, the book assesses advantages and disadvantages, educational…