Explores challenges that the design and realization of Web-based collaborative learning activities present for authors, tutors, and students, and suggests how quality can be assured. Describes a pilot study at a German vocational institution in a business English class that used a chat tool as computer mediated communication. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the lecturer's role as facilitator in a higher education online unit using computer mediated communication that was designed for science and mathematics teachers who were geographically and socially isolated. The goal was to create a networked community of learners that encouraged peer learning and focused on reflective thinking, based…

Describes learning experiences of three students enrolled in a training company's Web-based course on network administration that included a variety of online technologies, including a live virtual classroom, coaches, chat, and bulletin boards, to try and develop an online learning community. Concludes that learners must be taught how to form…

Explores the social dimensions of online learning, including ways in which learners interact and communicate with other learners and tutors using electronic communication networks based on experiences in a Masters program in Scotland. Concludes that the social context of online learning is qualitatively different from face-to-face learning and…

Describes a repeat-measure study that provided data regarding learning styles based on social interaction and perceptions of a scientific collaboratory system from 40 university science students working face-to-face and remotely. Results showed students with strong competitive learning style preference had slightly more positive perceptions of the…

Set within the context of New Zealand's national curriculum and culture, a case study describes how a small rural school developed a curriculum designed to preserve the values of its community. Computer-mediated communication, community classes, and projects such as a time capsule were the means that imparted community values and community…

Examines task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among intermediate learners of English. Explores whether learners engage in negotiated interaction when they encounter new lexical items, whether task type has an effect on the amount of negotiation that transpires, and how this CMC negotiation compares to that noted in the…

The Distributed Storage Infrastructure (DSI) project, a cooperative effort of the University of Tennessee and University of North Carolina, is an example of the Internet 2 (I2) efforts to enable remote collaboration among the research and educational communities. It extends the domain of a distributed high-speed computing environment to enable…

Asynchronous computer-mediated discussions supplemented instruction in mathematics for 10 inservice elementary teachers. Analysis of online discourse revealed three issues: exploration of math phobia; equity in math teaching, including special needs and gender issues; and use of instructional technology. Participants were able to reflect on…

Reports on a case study at an organization that created MADIC, an innovative approach to developing mobile applications developed by third party independent developer. Presents MMO2's, a conceptual wireless reference model used to define the various system constituents required to create effective mobile applications. (Author/AEF)

Discusses various types of information that can be retrieved from the Web via search engines. Highlights include Web pages; time frames, including historical coverage and currentness; text pages in formats other than HTML; directory sites; news articles; discussion groups; images; and audio and video. (LRW)

Discusses three electronic conferencing tools that apprentice novice learners and encourage them to interact and grapple with alternative perspectives. Technical details of each tool are described, along with 1 instance where all 3 technologies were united, resulting in a highly interactive conversation shared by over 30 people at 4 different…

Highlights the equality that computers bring to children with hearing impairments and the different ways computers can be used. The ability of the computer to facilitate communication (regardless of hearing ability), provide informational materials, and operate as a TTY (the phone-teletype device for the deaf), TTY answering machine, and fax…

Discusses some of the technological difficulties associated with the use of English or other European languages on the Internet, and uses Japanese computing as an example. Examines the linguistic culture of the language with attention to English, how technology limits/expands communication, and the role of languages in the computer domain.…

Highlights developments at the Center for Distance Learning at the State University of New York's Empire State College. Describes two types of instructional applications: (1) the textbook, course guide and tutor as the primary mode of instruction, with a technological tool/activity as an additional assignment; and (2) the textbook and course guide…