In recent years, the view that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is vital in K-12 education has become widespread. ICT use in schools has increased and various professional bodies have set ICT standards for students and teachers. Schools of education are under pressure to produce teachers who are able to effectively integrate…

This paper makes basic assumptions regarding the development of an intranet architecture that will actively promote the cognitive apprenticeship of a new community of learners. The authors consider the intranet as a dynamic and virtual environment in which individuals may communicate, share resources, and reciprocally generate and organize…

The rapid growth of e-business and e-commerce has made server-side programming an increasingly important topic in information systems (IS) and computer science (CS) curricula. This article presents an overview of the major features of several popular server-side programming technologies and discusses the factors that influence the selection of…

In this paper we report the results of our on-going activities regarding the use of smart phones and mobile services in university classrooms. The purpose of these trials was to explore and identify which content and services could be delivered to the smart phones in order to support learning and communication in the context of university studies.…

In our recent research we have explored possibilities to scaffold collaborative learning in higher education with wireless networks and mobile tools. The pedagogical ideas are grounded on concepts of collaborative learning, including the socially shared origin of cognition, as well as self-regulated learning theory. This paper presents our three…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the design of a context-aware service for synchronous support in web-based educational systems. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed service supports synchronous interaction among tutors and students, based on their current context, thus increasing the communication channels, the reasoning and…

This paper describes the planning and implementation of a school-wide home page at California Lutheran University (CLU) (Thousand Oaks, California). A working team created a balanced web site which represents all areas of the CLU community. The Internet Task Force implemented general computing policies, standardized University home page design,…

New information technology is rapidly becoming part of the localized education process, while offering the tools and the infrastructure for the establishment of a distance education process. At Rhodes University (South Africa), an Interactive Remote Tutorial System (IRTS) was built to support distance education. IRTS will be used as an…

This paper describes an Interactive Shared Journal System (ISJS) that provides access, support, and sharing for the processes of learning to become a teacher. This system is a component of the undergraduate teacher education program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. ISJS is a flexible system for the development and support of learning…

The use of intelligent software agents within computer mediated learning environments has become an important focus of research and development in both AI and educational contexts. Some of the roles envisaged and implemented for these electronic entities involve direct interactions with students, participating in the "social" dimension of the…

This paper describes the implementation of data conferencing to provide visual stimuli to students in the Homebound Program, a college degree program designed to accommodate students who are unable to come to campus for classes. The data conference system, a simpler, more cost effective alternative to video conferencing, transmits still images as…

This guide summarizes lessons learned from the author's experience of organizing and moderating five non-pedagogical online conferences that use World Wide Web-based conferencing software, whether synchronous or asynchronous. Seven sections cover the following topics: (1) the pros and cons of online conferencing; (2) setting objectives; (3)…

Focuses on software for distance education. Discusses the cost of course development and highlights three classes of distance education tools: communication tools, course development tools, and digital imaging and video production software. Presents three scenarios that reflect the most likely approaches to course development and presentation.…

Research in human-computer interaction is evolving a user-centered methodology for system design and instruction that focuses on integrating affective and cognitive user variables to increase productivity, creativity, and human growth. Discussion includes the survey approach, the experimental-ethnographic approach; theory-building; and the future…

Asynchronous web-based learning environments are not usually as interactive or adaptive compared to traditional classrooms. The use of synchronous communication tools may be a solution to recreating the link between students and professors. However, synchronous collaborative learning environments are often restricted to a set of communication…