Recently the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has modified its Student Instructional Report II (SIR II) for use in online distance education courses. The SIR II is a second-generation survey based on more than thirty years of experience with student evaluations (Centra, 1998; Centra and Gaubatz, n.d.). The e-SIR II is based on the highly…

Most professionals interested in the use of technology in education understand the importance of an e-learning course site, whether the course is taught totally online or in a hybrid environment where the instructor has some face-to-face contact with students. However, many instructors have not thoroughly considered the importance of posting…

This paper reports on a study of computer-mediated communication within the context of a distance MA in TEFL programme which used an e-mail discussion list and then a discussion board. The study focused on the computer/Internet access and skills of the target population and their CMC needs and wants. Data were collected from 63 questionnaires and…

Case studies of email and video conferencing projects between partners in educational institutions in England and France are presented as a means of identifying the key issues that lead to the success of such activities. The writers, all of whom have a long history of being involved in such projects with schoolchildren and teachers, then consider…

This article, using data from a year-long study of writing processes in an institutional context, looks at the demands made on writers in workplace environments as they make requests of their colleagues. Building on Brown and Levinson's politeness theory, the study takes a view of context as being a key factor in framing requests, in addition…

This paper outlines the use of computer resources to conduct a literature search. While the phrase "computer archives" can refer to all computerized materials, for this discussion it is limited to textual information available online. Both commercial online services and organizations on the Internet offer files to search and download. In addition,…

This book offers practical advice to teachers who wish to use classroom computers to harness the potential of telecommunications as a learning tool. Chapter 1 describes the Kids On-Line project, in which they established electronic mail interactions between a classroom in California and a classroom in Kentucky, as well as a list of key…

Originally begun as a government-sponsored project for scientists, engineers, and military personnel to exchange information with great speed and efficiency, the Internet has become a virtual community, an online culture arisen from the depths of computerized networking and communication. This paper presents positive and negative aspects of the…

Despite enormous growth of the Internet and its proliferation of tools, resources, and on-line communities, the connection between local learning environments and virtual learning environments remains tenuous. This paper examines this relationship, based upon a case study of an academic unit at the University of Colorado at Denver. Drawing on…

A course entitled "Communicating through Multimedia" was designed as a capstone experience for upperclassmen. It was a team-taught interdisciplinary course in the application of multimedia technology. Students in the course came from three disciplines--speech communication, mass communication, and management information systems. The…

The National School Boards Association (NSBA), the National School Boards Foundation, NSBA's Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education, and Apple Computer, Inc., launched "The School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit" at NSBA's 1996 annual conference and exposition in Orlando, Florida. This handbook summarizes the communication technologies…

This paper describes a survey to determine the impact on teaching and learning in education by teachers, library media specialists, and students participating in Bell Atlantic's "World School" Internet program in West Virginia schools. Teachers, library media specialists, and students with K-12 Access e-mail accounts participated in this…

This directory lists over 80 national organizations that provide information, services, and/or referrals to individuals in the disability field, including parents, special educators and general educators, early interventionists, administrators, related services personnel, persons with disabilities, and others. Addresses, telephone and fax numbers,…

This paper discusses the learning issues involved when setting computer literacy objectives for graduate students in education. Stated and evaluated here are simple computer use assignments representing an approach to literacy which is teacher-centered, minimally integrated with subject matter content, and having low cognitive-level task demands.…

A Local Area Network (LAN) allows computing equipment to share information from any device on a network with other devices on the same network. Uses for LANs in schools include sharing printers and programs, centralized file sharing, access to library databases and catalog, cost-effective connection to external networks, electronic mail, school…