Educators involved in the delivery of distance education would do well to heed the following rules regarding the use of learning technologies: know yourself and how you create and manage a personal presence; aim for a mix of learning technologies and strive for integration without duplication; realize that each learning technology has its own inherent biases in how it conveys information and supports interaction; and rely on common sense when deciding when (and how much) to use learning technologies. When selecting learning technologies, educators must also consider various teaching and institutional issues, including the following: the kinds of learners that will be using the learning technologies; the relative storage and interactivity capacities of different media and their strengths and weakness in specific situations; ways learning technologies promote/block self-competence and connection; and the amount of time that can be devoted to online teaching. Learning technologies should possess the following characteristics: flexibility; engaging interface; minimum effort for maximum return; capacity for self-correction; some toleration of errors; fast feedback on another's actions; evidence of best operational capacity; ease of interaction; unobtrusive operational software; and adaption to various contexts. (The paper contains 10 references and a list of computer technology design faults.) (MN)