Online Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 8, March 1992
I, Dubious: TAY2-2/M7, DTN 227-3709 25-Mar-1992 0849
........... ........... THE
........... . ........... ONLINE CHRONICLE
.......... . . . ........... OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
.......... . . ........... AND COMMUNICATION
........... . ...........
........... ........... March 1992
............ ............
In the industrial age, we go to school. In the information age,
school can come to us. This is the message implicit in the media
and movement of distance education.
Volume #4, Issue #8
March 1992
Editor:
Jason Ohler......................Educational Technology Program Director
University of Alaska Southeast
11120 Glacier Highway
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 907-789-4538
BITNET USERID: JFJBO@ALASKA
Technical Coordinator
Paul J. Coffin............................................716 Taschereau
Ste. Therese, Quebec
J7E 4E1
Phone: 514-430-0995
========================================================================
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1. A Follow Up On "An Italian Experiment on Distance Learning"
by Emilia Carolei, Frida Morelli and Daniele C. Struppa
2. A View of Distance Education in Slovenia
By Tomaz Borstnar, ID= Tomaz.B...@IJS.AC.MAIL.YU
3. Using Global Education Networks: Topics From the Internet
by Sally Laughon, ID= lau...@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu and
Stan Kulikowski II, ID= stan...@UWF.bitnet
4. Project IDEA- Creating a Distance Education System in Russia
by Vladimir Kashitcin, ID= vlad...@guriev.public.su
5. Public Broadcasting Encourages Individual and Community Involvement in
Social Issues, by Randy Bretz, ID= ASAT001@UNLVM
6. Overview of Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
by Brewster Kahle, Brew...@Think.com
7. EASI (Equal Access to Software for Instruction) Does It-
Computer Access for the Disabled
by Norman Coombs, ID= NRC...@ritvax.isc.rit.ed
8. An Overview of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
by Mike Godwin, ID= god...@eff.org
9. Global Peace Gaming Edition
by Anton Ljutic, ID= An...@carleton.ca
10. Announcements and Requests
a. New Listserv- New Distance Education Listserv on BITNET Based in
Chile
Contact: Prof. Jorge Urbina Fuentes, ID= UNI...@USACHVM1.BITNET
b. New Electronic Journal- Announcing an Electronic Journal about
Electronic Journalism
Contact: Ted Jennings, ID= ejou...@albnyvms.bitnet
c. Conference- Teleteaching Conference in Trondheim, Norway
Contact: tele...@avh.unit.no
d. Conference- International Distance Education and International
Business Conference, in Las Vegas
Contact: Morton Cotlar, ID= mor...@UHUNIX.BITNET
e. Conference- East-West Conference on Emerging Computer Technologies
in Education, in Moscow
Contact: east...@plb.icsti.su
f. Conference- Literature, Computers and Writing, at NYIT
Contact: Robert Royar, ID= R0MILL01@ULKYVX
g. Conference- Communication for a New World, in Brazil
Contact: Howard Frederick, hfred...@igc.org
h. Looking for- Distance Delivered Masters Degree
Contact: JS...@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
i. Looking for- Information about Apprenticeship Models in Distance
Education
Contact: Jorge Urbina, UNIDIS@USACHVM1
j. Looking for- Information about Native North Americans Use of
Distance Education and Computers in Education
Contact: Claudine VanEvery, ID=CVANEVERY@UTOROISE
k. Looking for- Travelling from Saudi Arabia, Looking for Training
Programs
Contact: A. Sayegh, ID= F60...@SAKSU00.BITNET
11. DISTANCE EDitorial- Online Proxemics- Using the Theories of Edward T.
Hall to Understand Behavior in Online Space
12. About the Chronicle
ARTICLES
========
1. A Follow Up On "An Italian Experiment on Distance Learning"
by Emilia Carolei, Frida Morelli and Daniele C. Struppa
In January 1991, In this same Journal, we published [3] a short description
of an innovative experiment that was being carried out in Southern Italy in
the field of Distance and Multimedia Education training. Such an
experiment could be considered as the culminating point of a cultural
operation initiated almost ten years ago in Italy, whose theoretical bases
were laid in a work edited by Lata and Keegan [2]. In [3] we described how
CUD (the Consorzio per l'Universita' a Distanza) had designed a graduate
course aimed at the creation of about 20 new Engineers for the use of
Communication in Training ("Ingegneri per la Comunicazione Formativa"). In
this last year we have received quite a few requests of more information on
this program; it seems therefore of some interest to provide a follow-up
report of the project. Our present analysis is based on our continuous
interaction with the two groups of students who have been participating in
this experiment.
Let us recall that the first batch of 17 students began the course in
April 1990, and will finish by next May, when a final six-month
specializing period will begin. This period will be mostly in the form of
a stage at international research institutions or companies working in
relevant fields. The second batch, on the other hand, consist of 20
students who began the course in July 1991, and is currently in its first
year. Throughout the program, instruction has focused on the practical
aspects of the engineering process of multimedia and distance products.
The students have been instructed on a great variety of subjects (computer
science, psychology, communication, teaching methodologies, courseware and
curricula designing, English). Most important, though, the students have
been faced with specific problems and have been challenged to come up with
innovative solutions. So far, we can safely claim that the results have
been quite satisfactory. One of the aims of the program was also to create
a comprehensive "Educational Package" to be made available to different
customers and adapted to their diverse needs. Some interest in purchasing
the package has already been expressed by many companies operating in the
multimedia area, and by many partners in CUD, while the CAM, at
George Mason University, is exploring the possibility of creating a
"distance education" version of this same course, through the use of e-mail
(see [1], for a preliminary attempt). The package includes a series of
textbooks, which have been written to complement in-class instruction, and
which will form quite a large body of material on the topics.
The main problem we have faced during the erogation of the first course
was that, at the beginning, the students had not a complete understanding
of their function within the project itself and our institution later on.
This, however, can be partly attributed to the fact that the notion of the
"Engineer for the use of Communication in Training" is a new one, and no
preconceived scheme was available to the students to help them in
identifying themselves. We believe that the creation of such a mental
scheme is one of the main successes of the course, and its value has been
evident during the erogation of the second version of the course, where
this identification problem has been completely overcome. The nature of
this journal does not allow us to provide more numerical details on the
course (student breakdown according to ages, backgrounds, etc.), but a
larger version of this paper exists in electronic form and can be requested
to the second author.
REFERENCES
[1] M.DeBlasi, A.Gentile, D.C.Struppa and S.Zoltek, An On-line course on
Computer Architecture, to appear in Proceedings ICCAL'92.
[2] D.Keegan and F.Lata, L'Universita' a Distanza. Riflessioni e Proposte
per un Nuovo Modello di Universita'. Seconda Edizione, Franco Angeli
Editore, Milano, 1986.
[3] D.C.Struppa and J.Turtora, An Italian Experiment in the teaching of
distance learning, On Line Journal of Distance Learning, January 1991.
Emilia Carolei, Responsabile Formazione CUD, Via Marconi 32, 87030 Rende
(CS) Frida Morelli, ID= FMOR...@GMUVAX.GMU.EDU, and Daniele Struppa,
Department of English and Center for the Applications of Mathematics,
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, ID= DSTR...@GMUVAX.GMU.EDU
========
2. A View of Distance Education in Slovenia
By Tomaz Borstnar, ID= Tomaz.B...@IJS.AC.MAIL.YU
Editor's note: Not long ago, I met Tomaz online. Soon after, the topic
turned to distance education. I was curious about his perception of
distance education and telecommunications in his country and asked him to
talk about it. This was his response:
Distance education in Slovenia? Good question. Not so long ago television
w/or radio was the only way to learn more. We have two TV houses -
national TV Slovenia (2 channels) and KANAL A(1 channel). KANAL A is our
first private owned TV house, which is also very young (less than a year!).
The problem was our previous socialistic constitution didn't permit private
TV/radio stations and much more. Even today KANAL A has problems with
national TV, because they're used to having a monopoly in our country. But
this is a temporary problem and I'm optimistic. Both TV houses have
education programs (approx. 4-5 hours per day and more on weekend days).
Satellite television is also becoming widespread.We watch foreign TV
channels regularly like Austrian channel 1 and 2, MTV, RTL, SAT1, Sky
Channel, Super Channel.
We have quite a big computer network called SLON, which is (currently)
based on DECnet, because we have a lot of DEC's machines (VAXes). In 1992
our network will become part of Internet. Some of our machines are already
on Internet and some are also in BITNET like node OLIMP (yuzgrb51.bitnet).
This network is used mostly for academic research network, although it is
not completely- we can't yet afford to have two separate networks. It is
very hard to get an account on any network machine, unless you are in
university, or belong to some kind of institute or company. I got my
account on Jozef Stefan Institute (IJS), although I don't regularly work
there. To get an account on the university system (there are two branches-
one in Ljubljana and other in Maribor), you must get an approval of a
professor. Our network has installed NOTES (the VAX on-line conferencing
system) which we use a LOT! We have 100+ different conferences about
various fields of life - from computer specific like UNIX and SYSTEM to
more everyday theme like CAT LOVERS, MOUNTAINS, SPEAKER'S CORNER, ...
Everybody is free to participate in conferences. We are also connected to
foreign networks with X.25 and leased lines, so we can communicate with the
world. Our network is quite good (no big complaints), although it should
be more publicly available.
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) are also very common distance education tools
in our country. More and more people buy modems with their computers to
call our BBS systems and other services, like Videotex and libraries, to
search databases. We have 13+ BBS systems working between 6 and 24 hours
per day. We have two major BBS networks: KUBnet and ADRIAnet. KUBnet is
younger network(6 months), which has nodes mostly in Slovenia and Croatia.
We have 20+ conferences netwide ranging from computer specific to culture,
music, jokes, etc. ADRIAnet is the oldest network (1989-1990) with nodes
in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. The Slovenian part of ADRIAnet became a
FIDONET member few months ago. ADRIAnet has 100+ conferences, which are
very specific. There are several conferences dealing with PCs. Access to
conferences is free, except for FIDO conferences. You can learn a lot from
reading messages in BBS conferences. The unwritten rule is: If you know
something that is interesting to others, don't keep it for yourself!
A lot of people regularly read foreign newspapers and magazines. You can
buy the latest magazines like Time or Newsweek in every good shop!
I think we were lucky to be "neighbours" of non-socialistic countries like
Austria and Italy, because we were always closer to western style of life
in almost very aspect.
Please contact me if you want to know more.
Tomaz Borstnar
Jozef Stefan Institute (IJS)
ID= Tomaz.B...@IJS.AC.MAIL.YU
========
3. Using Global Education Networks: Topics From the Internet
by Sally Laughon, ID= lau...@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu and
Stan Kulikowski II, ID= stan...@UWF.bitnet
The Internet is the largest global computer network, serving as a pathway
for over 5,000 subnetworks encompassing the entire planet. It links more
than 300,000 computers and allows millions of users to send and receive
data. Its daily traffic exceeds the daily output of all printing
publishers combined. The Internet was founded in 1987 when it predecessor,
Arpanet, gridlocked from information overflow. Even though Internet data
capacity is 3 times that of Arpanet, it will soon suffer the same fate if
new network facilities are not constructed. Last year, the United States
Congress considered funding for a National Research and Education Network
(NREN). NREN will be a new network backbone capable of handling 2000 times
the data load currently on Internet. NREN is expected to handle
information needs into the year 2000. The formation of these networks from
Arpanet to NREN will be the greatest channels of information ever
constructed.
Electronic networks are as revolutionary as Johannes Gutenberg's
invention of movable type 500 years ago. As the printing press improved
transfer of information over handwriting, the implications included common
access to daily news, education available for everyone, and even the world-
wide rise of population-based governments. The growth of the global
networks exceeds the improvements of printing press, radio, and television,
since all of these media developed a central professional agency to process
data before distribution. On the other hand, an ordinary home computer
with a modem and access to a telephone line can tie into the global
networks and become a distribution point for vast quantities of
information.
For several years now, small groups of educators, teachers, and students
have been using these channels to explore the exciting possibilities of
global data exchange on a daily intimate basis. Telecommunications afford
the opportunity to skip across international boundaries and remind us of
our cultural inheritance unencumbered by personal, judgmental quirks.
Computer networks provide an extraordinary opportunity for students.
Information and messages sent electronically are immediate, unpredictable,
personal and engaging. Students are fascinated by how quickly people
respond to electronic mail: write today ... a reply from Australia or
Central Europe arrives tomorrow.
In this laboratory presentation, we shall review and demonstrate how the
cyberspace is being used for educational purposes. Sample material from
international networking in educational topics has been collected and we
will provide examples of student and teacher communications and educational
technology.
Activities engendered by the networks span the curriculum from A to Z,
art to zoology. Many begin online projects with simple pen-pal exchanges.
As students from across the world explore their similarities and
differences, common interests spark electronic connections. As notes are
exchanged, tangential learning benefits both parties. Pen pal exchanges
encourage frequent, relaxed and informal writing. Content and meaning are
more important than correct syntax and structure. Indeed, important
lessons in native language idioms and common expressions are clearly
demonstrated as people write in a second language.
After personal, electronic mail exchanges, coordinated group curriculum
activities evolve: sharing school newspaper articles, collaborating on book
reviews, exchanging poetry and short stories, writing about each schools'
uniqueness. Exchanges between schools move into history and social studies
as students discuss the facts and geography of their locales; share
information about the difference between weather and seasons in the
Northern and Southern hemispheres; chat about cherished holiday traditions
in each country. AT&T provides guided curriculum projects in Learning
Circles of schools subscribing to the service. The National Geographic
Society provides a well known collaborative project where school children
gather ground and rain water for acidity analysis, and pool their data in a
collective data base. Another effective project involved a computer
simulation of an imaginary global conflict. An international discussion
group, KIDS-92, encourages students to answer questions such as " Who am I
and what can I do to improve the future of the world?" This electronic
group (physically based in North Dakota, USA, and coordinated from Norway)
is for students ages 10 to 15 and has over 30 countries represented. Math
and science classes benefit from international connections, too. In math
classes, students print a math challenge and write it on a corner of a
blackboard. Solutions may require a formula, systematic combinations,
trial and error, sketching the problem or "Just thinking about it," as one
teenager explained. This problem solving activity encourages divergent
thinking and reinforces the concept that there may be many valid solutions
to a dilemma. Science enthusiasts track earthquake data from daily reports
from SEI...@bingvbm.cc.binghamton.edu. As world maps are marked with
earthquake locations, students realize that what lies beneath an ocean on a
map is indeed "terra-firma." As the school year progresses, students
recognize patterns; faults in the crust slowly emerge across the map as
more pins are positioned.
Foreign language classes find new energy when writing to fellow students
across the world. When students have an audience for their writing, more
care is taken to write with precision and nuance of meaning. Moreover,
tangential learning occurs when writing in a second language. The
recipients learn quickly the abundance of eccentricities of the native
tongue, often misunderstood by beginning language students. A genuine
concern for helping each other ensues as students become more familiar with
each other after each electronic exchange.
Beyond these direct applications for students, there are many
discussions and reader lists formed for the use of network users. KIDSNET
@vms.cis.pitt.edu (from Pennsylvania, USA) was formed to discuss issues
related to elementary and secondary education on the Internet. Besides an
adult-level discussion, there are pen pal introduction services for
students. On the other hand, EDT...@ohstvma.bitnet (based at Ohio State
and moderated from Michigan State) provides discussion of educational
technology. ACS...@wuvmd.bitnet (at Washington University) focuses on use
of academic software. JAD...@alaska.bitnet publishes an electronic Journal
of Distance Education, about curriculum delivery into remote areas
by telecommunications. JTI...@psuvm.bitnet (Pennsylvania again) recently
formed Japanese Teachers of Instructional Technology to promote network
protocols for global transmission of text in kanji characters among other
issues. EDPO...@asuacad.bitnet (Arizona State University) is concerned
with educational policy analysis.
These are just a brief sampling of groups that communicate daily about
educational concerns on the networks. By the time this document is
printed, the cyberspace will have changed... many groups will conclude
their topics and reside only in data archives, while others begin
discussing new issues. The Internet is an electronic frontier. Many of
the basic services are just now coagulating, often discovered by message
probing into new places and listening to the traffic flow. There are
thousands of discussion groups on the networks. Attempts have been made to
establish a central directory. That task is difficult since information is
obsolete almost immediately. Archive sites try to catch important portions
of the data flow. Public domain repositories offer more software than can
be systematically sampled and cataloged by personal effort. These are some
of the challenges which face networkers while the global data channels are
growing larger than any previous information system.
Sally Laughon, NorthCross School, 4254 Colonial Avenue
Roanoke, Virginia 24014, ID= lau...@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu
Stan Kulikowski II, The University of West Florida, ERDC
Pensacola, Florida 32514, ID= stan...@UWF.bitnet
========
4. Project IDEA- Creating a Distance Education System in Russia
by Vladimir Kashitcin, ID= vlad...@guriev.public.su
I am Vladimir Kashitcin, an Senior Reader of Moscow Institute of Electronic
Machinery (MIEM) and an Expert of Ministry of Science, Higher Education and
Technology Policy of Russia. I am in the beginning stages of a research
project to help create a viable system of distance education in Russia
which is called Project Idea. The project is described below. Any input
you have is welcome.
----------------------------The Project IDEA----------------------------
The project will be international, serve American students regardless
of institutional affiliation, and provide students from the Russian
Federation with access to institutions throughout the entire United States
and other countries.
It would be Russian-American with a name such as the International
Distance Education Association (IDEA).
1. BASIC TASKS
The project would have the following basic tasks:
a) Provision of information to students from Russia and the USA
regarding opportunities for distance education and research in the other
countries;
b) Advising students in the Russian Federation who wish to enter
distance degree programs in the United States.
c) Providing the possibilities of distance education (MS,BS and other
degrees) for gifted students.
d) Running national competitions for opportunities for study and
research abroad;
e) Assistance to American students studying or carrying out research
in the Russian Federation;
f) Assistance, where appropriate, in educational and research reforms
(Continuous education for engineers for example).
2. REALIZATION
To realize first stage of the project I can organize the Coordination
Center in Moscow with Internet address. This Center can communicate with
some Center of Distance Education in USA or other countries and exchange
programs, curriculums, seminar materials, etc. to provide the process of
Distance Education of Russian students.
The Center will be connected by e-mail with already created regional
Centers of New Informational Technologies. There are up to 50 such CNITs,
based on institutions and Universities which can directly communicate with
the students of these institutions.
2. ORGANIZATION
There is at present no organization in United States nor in the
Russian Federation that assists students without regard to institutional
affiliation. This is unfortunate for the development of Russian science
and education itself because gifted students who do not happen to be
affiliated with a particular ministry or institution are artificially
limited in their opportunities for research abroad. It is unfortunate for
the development of world science as well, since foreign scholars have
difficulty obtaining affiliation with institutions in the Russian
Federation that are outside the particular ministry responsible for their
programs.
I envision this new organization as an independent association or
institute, possibly under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Science,
Higher Education, and Technology Policy of Russia; and the higher
educational institutions of the USA (generally speaking I don't know which
ones). It would be basically Russian-American with a name such as the
International Distance Education Association (IDEA).
3. PARTICIPATION
Participating from the United States would be nationwide organizations
like:
- Global University in USA (GU/USA)
- The Institute of International Education
- The American Council of Learned Societies and the Social Science
Research Council
- The National Science Foundation
- The National Academy of Sciences
- perhaps, the American Council of Teachers of Russian, ... or Councils.
- International Center for Distance Learning (UK).
Eventually the organization could include other countries, if desired.
4. FUNDING
Ruble funding would come from the sponsoring Russian organizations,
the RSFSR budget (it's rather difficult for the moment), funds and other
sources, including private individuals.
Dollar funding would come from the sponsoring American organizations,
foundations, and other sources.
(Ideally the proposed organization would have office and other space
in Moscow with affiliate offices in major cities of the Urals, Siberia, the
Far East, and elsewhere in the Russian Federation using the base of Centers
of New Informational Technologies which are already created. There are up
to 50 such CNITs, based on institutions and Universities. An office (or
offices) in the United States is also highly desirable.)
* I mean that such projects will not need much funding, because the
beginning infrastructure for information exchange is ready, in USA BITNET
and other 'nets and in Russia - RELCOM, part of Internet.
Also, I am looking for the following:
(1) I would like to know something about possibility of contacts with
the Benjamin Franklin Fellowships for graduate study in the United States
that the United States Congress has now established for citizens of the
Russian Federation.
(2) It's interesting to try find the possibilities of investment by
the international or private Foundations,- like Hitachi Foundation in
Washington, D.C. for their cross-cultural study with American and Soviet
counterparts. So, I need the contacts !!!
(3) I'd think to contact Dr. Murray Turoff of the New Jersey
Institute of Technology (originator of computer conferencing
technology).
(4) If needed, the project can be discussed officially with Dr. Marat
Alikovich Guriev, Deputy Chairman of the Ministry of Science, Higher
Education and Technology Policy of Russia.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Vladimir Kashitcin, Expert
Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Technology Policy of Russia
vlad...@guriev.public.su
========
5. Public Broadcasting Encourages Individual and Community Involvement in
Social Issues, contact Randy Bretz, ID= ASAT001@UNLVM
Public Broadcasting Encourages Individual and
Community Involvement in Social Issues
By Roselle Kovitz, Public TV Outreach Alliance
and Sallie Bodie, National Public Radio
For those who think public broadcasting's raison d'etre is simply quality
programming, there are a whole host of other educational services public
broadcasters offer that you may want to know about. One is community
outreach. Public television, and more recently, public radio professionals
have endeavored to raise awareness of important social issues, encourage
broad-based discussion and community participation through broadcast and
closed circuit programming, complementary print materials, computer
services, activities, events and partnerships with
educators and local service providers.
Public television began outreach activities more than a decade ago.
Early campaigns focussed on such topics as alcohol and drug abuse and
venereal disease. Hotlines and the dissemination of print materials
provided viewers with answers to their questions and directed them to
helpful resources. Broadcast television was the primary technology used
for those early campaigns.
In recent years, public radio and television stations have become
quite sophisticated in the area of outreach, assessing community needs,
plugging into national campaigns where appropriate and/or developing local
campaigns to serve their markets. Videoconferencing, closed circuit
presentations and computer conferencing are now included as part of
stations' outreach repertoire.
In 1986, the Public Television Outreach Alliance, a consortium of five
public television stations and networks, funded by the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting, was developed and kicked off Project Literacy U.S.
(PLUS), the first of many national outreach efforts packaged for local
stations and promoted nationally. Other project topics have included:
youth- at-risk, workplace literacy, child care, AIDS, mentoring,
environmental issues and children, youth and families.
National Public Radio began its foray into outreach in 1990 with the
Specials Projects. "The Class of 2000: The Prejudice Puzzle" kicked off
the first of two week-long series in the fall of 1990, which combined
reports on NPR's newsmagazines with a national outreach effort by public
radio stations to schools, community groups and young listeners. The
second series, "The Class of 2000: Family Stories" aired in the spring of
1991 and featured the perspectives of young people regarding a wide array
of family issues. In September 1991, the third series, "The Great Divide:
Affirmative Action in America" aired. It focussed on affirmative action
and the controversies, dilemmas and questions raised over the last twenty
years. Plans are underway for 1992 projects on education and health
issues. In addition, the PTOA and NPR are collaborating on a national
outreach campaign for the 1992 elections.
Both NPR and the PTOA develop complementary materials for each of the
on-air campaigns. NPR published a teacher's guide for each of the Specials
Projects including synopses of each news report, related discussion
questions, classroom activities and resource lists of books and
periodicals. A handbook for small businesses and community organizations
outlining strategies for effective management of a culturally diverse
workforce was developed and distributed for the affirmative action series.
The PTOA develops camera ready print pieces including brochures, flyers,
questionnaires, children's activity sheet and "A Parent's Guide to Public
Television" for reproduction and distribution by local stations.
The following examples will give you an idea of the types of outreach
campaigns stations have developed in conjunction with or in addition to the
national campaigns:
. Georgia Public Television has an ongoing statewide outreach
campaign entitled "Together We Can Help" which has focussed
on AIDS, the elderly, the environment and families. Joining
with Peach State Public Radio, the two are offering an
online resource service for their current project on
families, in addition to programming and print materials.
The online service includes: a directory of topic-related
publications; a list of GPTV and/or public TV programs
available for purchase; a directory of related resource
organizations; and an open discussion center on topics
related to family issues.
. ALL-STARS, a joint WSIU/Carbondale, Illinois public radio
and television family literacy campaign, focuses on the
development of language skills in a creative context and
experiential learning, using television, print and radio as
springboards for library work and individually motivated
reading exploring learning options in the local communities.
. KPBS-TV/FM, San Diego is partnering with the Anti-Defamation
League in an 18-month outreach project to combat ethnic
bigotry. Plans for "A World of Difference" include study
guides and audio-visual materials for in-school programs,
radio and television programming and community outreach
efforts. Programming and activities will feature
documentation of the heritage of and prejudices toward a
variety of ethnic groups in the San Diego area.
For more information, contact Roselle Kovitz, Public Television Outreach
Alliance, 402/472-3611 or Sallie Bodie, National Public Radio, 202/822-
2844, ID= ASA...@UNLVM.UNL.EDU.
========
6. Overview of Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
by Brewster Kahle, Brew...@Think.com
Brewster Kahle Thinking Machines Corporation
Brew...@Think.com 1010 El Camino Real
Project Leader Menlo Park, CA 94025
Wide Area Information Servers 415-329-9300x228
Overview of Wide Area Information Servers
Brewster Kahle
December 1991
The Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS) system is an electronic publishing
system that helps end-users find unstructured information located on remote
machines. It is composed of user interfaces, available for most machines,
and server software. Started by Thinking Machines, this system is becoming
a standard for information distribution in the internet environment. Since
many components are available for free, please try the system!
What does WAIS do?
Users on different platforms can access personal, company, and
published information from one interface. The information can be anything:
text, pictures, voice, or formatted documents. Since a single
computer-to-computer protocol is used, information can be stored anywhere
on different types of machines. Anyone can use this system since it uses
natural language questions to find relevant documents. Relevant documents
can be fed back to a server to refine the search. This avoids complicated
query languages and vendor specific systems. Successful searches can be
automatically run to alert the user when new information becomes available.
How does WAIS work?
The servers take a users question and do their best to find
relevant documents. The servers, at this point, do not "understand" the
users English language question, rather they try to find documents that
contain those words and phrases and ranks then based on heuristics. The
user interfaces (clients) talk to the servers using an extension to a
standard protocol Z39.50. Using a public standard allows vendors to
compete with each other, while bypassing the usual proprietary protocol
period that slows development. Thinking Machines is giving away an
implementation of this standard to help vendors develop clients and
servers.
What WAIS servers exist?
Even though the system is very new, there are already over 100
servers on the internet. Over 5000 people have used WAIS in 20 countries.
* Thinking Machines operates a Connection Machine on the internet for
free use. The databases it supports are some patents, a collection of
molecular biology abstracts, a cookbook, and the CIA World Factbook.
* MIT supports a poetry server with a great deal of classical and modern
poetry. Cosmic is serving descriptions of government software packages.
The Library of Congress has plans to make their catalogue available on the
protocol.
* Weather maps and forecasts are made available by Thinking Machines as a
repackaging of existing information.
* The "directory of servers" facility is operated by Thinking Machines so
that new servers can be easily registered as either for-pay or for-free
servers and users can find out about these services.
* Dow Jones is putting a server on their own DowVision network. This
server contains the Wall Street Journal, Barons, and 450 magazines.
This will be a for-pay server.
How can I find out more about WAIS?
* You can try a simple interface by Telnet to quake.think.com login wais.
* FTP the free software from think.com in the /wais directory.
* FTP a bibliography:
/pub/wais/wais-discussion/bibliogr...@quake.think.com
* Contact Barbara Lincoln for more information, or Brewster Kahle the
project leader.
* Subscribe to a monthly biweekly mailing list on electronic publishing
issues, and new releases; to subscribe send and email note to
wais-discus...@think.com.
Barbara Lincoln (bar...@think.com) for WAIS information requests.
Brewster Kahle Thinking Machines Corporation
Brew...@Think.com 1010 El Camino Real
Project Leader Menlo Park, CA 94025
Wide Area Information Servers 415-329-9300
=========
7. EASI (Equal Access to Software for Instruction) Does It-
Computer Access for the Disabled
by Norman Coombs, ID= NRC...@ritvax.isc.rit.ed
Project EASI, Equal Access to Software for Instruction, is dedicated
to providing information and awareness about the computer access needs of
people with disabilities. EASI is a part of EDUCOM's Educational Uses of
Information (EUIT) Program, Project EASI Provides information and guidance
on campus applications of adaptive computer technology that are available
for people with disabilities. Although EASI has a focus on higher
education, its information is relevant to public schools and the business
world. EASI's membership includes both professionals and disabled users
from throughout the United States, Canada, and other countries.
Distance education is increasingly utilizing computer
telecommunications. EASI can help such distance education programs
mainstream students with disabilities into their programs. The opportunity
to participate in online education can be useful and empowering to the
handicapped. Traditional print delivery of distance learning often
prevented the print handicapped from such courses, but electronic access to
documents provides new opportunities for their inclusion. New federal
legislation also mandates that schools and businesses seriously attempt to
meet the needs of this segment of society as well.
EASI has developed a multi-unit workshop package designed to offer
strategies for developing and enhancing adaptive computer technology
services on college and university campuses. The Seminar Series can be
presented in increments that last from one hour to two days, depending on
what information is of interest to a particular campus. Presently there
are eight modules available on adaptive computing topics such as:
-demographics of disabilities in the United States
-disability-related legislation
-computer access strategies
-adaptive computer applications as compensatory tools
-how to set up an effective computer lab
-designing practical service delivery systems
-how to plan for and implement an adaptive computer
technology program
-educational and employment transitions.
EASI wants to help schools to better meet the needs of disabled
students and staff. It is also eager to have new members join its ranks.
If you have questions or want to volunteer, you can contact EASI by email
on bitnet at easi@educom and on internet at ea...@educom.edu.
=========
8. An Overview of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
by Mike Godwin, ID= god...@eff.org
Note: Originally appeared in The Quill- reprinted with author's permission
Imagine for a moment: You invoke the command at your computer
keyboard, and after a short pause you hear a dialtone and a rapid series of
tones coming from your modem. One or two rings later and the modem on the
other end responds with high-pitched squeal. Your modem answers back with
a similar squeal. The login message prompts you for your name and
password, and soon you're connected.
But connected to what? It may be a hobbyist's bulletin-board system,
a university's mainframe computer, or a commercial information service.
But no matter what you're connected to, it's likely that you'll be spending
at least part of your time online on the newest frontier for the exercise
of First Amendment freedoms: the electronic frontier. Coming to grips with
this frontier--and the stories and issues that it will generate--will be a
major challenge for this generation of journalists.
But is this electronic frontier really a new frontier? After all,
most professional journalists would be less than amazed the assertion that
computer technology and the First Amendment are intimately linked. All
urban newspapers, and an ever-increasing number of rural ones, rely on
computers for word-processing and typesetting. Computers also mediate the
transmission of wire-service stories to subscribing newspapers. Broadcast
journalism has long relied on computers as well, for gathering news, for
presenting it graphically, and for transmitting it by satellite. These
trends have only accelerated in the last 15 years as the personal-computer
industry has made this technology more and more affordable.
But the true First Amendment significance of the spread of computer
technology has only just begun to register among journalists and
nonjournalists alike. For all the influence of automation in the newsroom,
many journalists (even broadcast journalists) still think primarily of
words printed on paper when they hear the term "freedom of the press."
This is a mistake. Increasingly, Americans will be getting their
information from computer-based communications--electronic bulletin boards,
conferencing services, and networks--that differ significantly from both
traditional print media and broadcast journalism. (For lack of a better
term, let's call these collectively "online communications.") And because
Americans will rely more and more on this third source of information, it
is vital that we all work to ensure that First Amendment protections
protect this new medium.
Freedom of the Press and the Computer Publisher
Of course, fighting for recognition of First Amendment protections
for online communications may be an uphill battle--First Amendment
arguments are not as popular as they used to be. Sure, journalism and
journalists were held in high regard after the reporting of the Watergate
scandal, but it's clear that this high-water mark has yet to be reached
again. When I was a working journalist in the '80s I was constantly
reminded by sources of the common assumption that a newspaper or magazine
article wouldn't get things right, or would distort the facts to reflect a
particular bias. More recently, opinion polls showed the public to be
unsympathetic to media complaints about press-pool reporting in Saudi
Arabia. The major newspapers, magazines, and television networks--often
just components of still larger corporate organizations--are increasingly
regarded by the man in the street as just another special interest.
Invoking the First Amendment looks like special pleading.
Compare the media today with the printers and publishers in
18th-century America. John Peter Zenger put his own freedom on the line
for what he published. His plight was one his fellow Americans could
identify with. Do the heads of Time Warner or CBS or Gannett have the same
concerns as Zenger? Face the same risks? And does the average American
today have the same opportunity to be a publisher--to be heard--that Zenger
had?
Not too long ago, the answer was no. We are all familiar with A.J.
Liebling's famous observation: "Freedom of the press belongs to those who
own one." And it was because those who "owned one" were increasingly large,
inaccessible corporate entities that legal scholar Jerome Barron began
arguing in the late 1960s that there was--or ought to be--an "emerging
First Amendment right." This right was the right of the public to have
access to media. The problem was that most people don't own a newspaper
or radio station. To contribute to public debate, they may write a letter
to the editor, or take part in a demonstration, or solicit signatures on a
door-to-door petition drive. But the chances of their being heard are
miniscule compared to those of John Chancellor or Abe Rosenthal or Michael
Kinsley.
The world of computer communications, however, has turned out to be
the great equalizer. Suddenly, everyone can become her own publisher,
reporter, or editorialist. What's more, she has as good a chance of being
heard as anyone else in the electronic community. The new computer-based
forums for debate and information exchange are witnessing perhaps the
greatest exercise of First Amendment freedoms this country has ever seen.
What's Different about the Electronic Frontier?
To recognize the First Amendment significance of this new medium we
must first understand it. How does it work? How does it differ from the
print and broadcast paradigms with which we are already familiar?
The easiest case to understand is the electronic bulletin-board
system (BBS). The operator of a BBS typically dedicates a computer and one
or more phone lines at his home or business for the use of a "virtual
community" of users. Each user calls up the BBS and leaves public messages
that can be read by all other users or private mail that can be read by a
particular user or both. BBSs become forums--digital public houses, salons,
and Hyde Park corners--for their users, and users with similar interests
can associate with one another without being hindered by the accidents of
geography.
A step up from the BBS in complexity is the conferencing system or
information service. Like BBSs, these systems are typically based on a
single computer or set of computers located in a particular geographic
area. They differ in capacity: they have the capability of serving dozens,
or hundreds, of users at the same time. Compuserve of Columbus, Ohio, and
the WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link) of Sausalito, California are two of
the better-known examples of such systems. Each is home to a lively set of
communities of users located all across the country. Compuserve maintains a
proprietary network (also used by the WELL) that enables users to dial in
without racking up immense long-distance charges. Other services, such as
Prodigy, maintain their own proprietary networks.
Still further up the scale in complexity is the distributed network,
which is not located in a particular geographic area but is maintained and
supported on a large number of computers located all over the country (or
all over the world). The best-known example of a distributed network is the
Internet, which directly connects thousands of computers at universities,
government entities, and commercial and noncommercial organizations around
the world with one another. Hundreds of other computers gain access to
Internet-connected systems via dialup telephone lines. Together, this vast
system of interconnected computers is often called "the Net," and its
public conferencing system ("Usenet") and electronic-mail services have
enabled hundreds of "virtual communities" of like-minded individuals to
spring up. The immediacy of electronic mail and Usenet has already led to
their supplanting of scientific journals as the major communicators of
scientific discovery and research.
Computer networks have abolished the limits of geography for those
who use them. In the next generation, expect to see a national public
network system--the infrastructure on which private companies will build a
range of information services and forums for expression and association.
What all these systems, from the smallest single-line BBS to the
Internet, have in common is their reliance on text. This is an especially
interesting development, since it has been argued that the power of visual
media will continue to undermine the influence of the printed word. It's
useful to note, however, that this July marks both the 10th anniversary of
MTV and the 10th anniversary of the IBM personal computer. Even as cable
television watchers have grown increasingly accustomed to fast, slick, and
thrilling visual images, the burgeoning population of computer users have
grown more adept at writing effectively to each other. The world of the
networks is a true democracy: your influence is measured not by wealth or
position, but by how well you write and reason.
This reliance on the printed word is, of course, something that the
computer-based services share with traditional print media. But they differ
from print media--and from broadcast media--in two very important ways.
First, the means of communication are cheap enough for almost everyone to
gain access: a desktop computer and a modem can be purchased now for a few
hundred dollars (still another way in which the new medium is democratic).
The second difference follows from the first: while traditional print
and broadcast media rely on a "one-to-many" model, computer-based
communications of the new sort are "many-to-many." A newspaper is a typical
"one-to-many" system: information gathering and reporting is supervised by
hierarchy of editors and other management personnel who control the flow of
copy and make numerous editorial judgments about what information to
include or discard. Information tends to go in one direction only: from the
editors to the readers.
Computer information services, in contrast, are "many-to-many"
systems--in general, they rely on little or no hierarchical editing
function. Instead, these services are a colloquy of different voices with
different styles, with information flowing in multiple directions at once.
The "filtering" function performed by newspaper editors is left to the
readers, who are also contributors. The very distinction between reader
and "reporter" is blurred.
This may sound like anarchy, but in practice it's more like a town-
hall meeting, albeit one in which everyone has a chance to speak, no one is
shouted down, and one has time to develop and explain one's ideas. Some
systems, like Compuserve, rely on moderators to keep conferences on track,
but their role is less that of the editor, who may make line-by-line
changes of a writer's copy, than that of a discussion leader. At their
best, these online conferences manifest a give-and-take that surpasses
even that of face-to-face discussions. When we're face-to-face, the
intimacy of physical proximity tends to be offset by inevitable starts,
stops, and hesitations of oral conversation. Online, we each have the
chance to write paragraphs rather than sentences--to develop arguments
rather than interject comments.
The new medium also differs from broadcast media. It's a matter of
current Constitutional law that FCC regulation of broadcasting is
appropriate because of the purported "scarcity" of broadcast frequencies
(NBC v. United States, 1943, and Red Lion Broadcasting v. FCC, 1969) and
the "uniquely pervasive" nature of the broadcast medium (FCC v. Pacifica
Foundation, 1978). But computer-based communication neither relies on
"scarce" resources nor is so "pervasive" as to intrude upon the
sensibilities of an unwary reader the way a broadcast might.
What Will the Issues Be?
We can learn an important lesson from the history of broadcast
regulation: namely, that legislatures and the courts are reluctant to
recognize in a new medium the same kind of protections they unhesitatingly
grant to the traditional media with which they are already familiar.
Nevertheless, there are strong arguments that online communications deserve
such protections.
After all, the Supreme Court has given a fairly broad definition of
the "the press" for the purposes of interpreting the First Amendment's
Press Clause. The Court has held that "[t]he liberty of the press is not
confined to newspapers and periodicals. It necessarily embraces pamphlets
and leaflets.... The press in its historic connotation comprehends every
sort of publication which affords a vehicle of information and opinion"
(Lovell v. City of Griffin, 1938). Freedom of the press, says the Court,
includes "the right of the lonely pamphleteer who uses carbon paper or a
mimeograph as much as of the large metropolitan publisher who utilizes the
latest photocomposition methods" (Branzburg v. Hayes, 1972).
Surely online communications are numbered among "every sort of
publication which affords a vehicle of information and opinion." And the
main difference between computer users and "the lonely pamphleteer" is that
technology has made the former a lot less lonely.
Increasingly you'll be hearing stories about "regular folks" (as
distinct from dedicated computer hobbyists) who use online communications
as an integral part of their daily activities. Citizens' groups will rely
on electronic forums to organize events, develop policies, and conduct
meetings. Law enforcement, computer users, and the courts will grapple
with the issues raised when the same computer that holds evidence subject
to an authorized search or seizure is also a forum for First Amendment-
protected expression and association.
And what happens to publishers' liability for defamation or obscenity
on a system in which such material can be posted and read by others long
before the system operators have any chance to review it? Not only aren't
there easy answers to these questions, but not everyone has recognized that
the questions are there!
There are, of course, hundreds of thousands of Americans who are
already beginning the hard work of settling this frontier, investing tens
of hours in learning arcane computer operating-system commands and
telecommunication tricks, followed by hundreds of hours online. These
people will be our first resources when we begin to figure out what kinds
of online communities can function, and what kinds of laws and institutions
we need to accommodate them. And, as journalists begin to recognize more
and more the significance of events out on the electronic frontier, these
people will be our guides in the new territory, pointing the way to the new
social forms of the 21st century.
Mike Godwin is the staff counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
(EFF). The EFF was established to help "civilize the electronic frontier"
to make the new computer media truly useful and beneficial to everyone
rather than only to an elite, and to ensure that the new media are
protected by our society's highest traditions of the free and open flow of
information and communication.
Mike Godwin, EFF Staff Counsel, 617-864-1550, ID= god...@eff.org
Write to EFF, 155 Second Street, Cambridge, MA 02141 or call 617-864-0665.
========
9. Global Peace Gaming Edition
by Anton Ljutic, ID= An...@carleton.ca
Anton Ljutic Phone: 514-672-7360 ext. 280
Champlain College Fax: 514-672-9299
900 Riverside Internet: An...@vax2.concordia.ca
St. Lambert, Quebec J4P 3P2 An...@carleton.ca
Canada SprintM: ALJUTIC/ASSOCIATES.TNET
________
\_______\ __ _____ /\ _____
// \/ /\_\ ____ /\____\ / /\ /\____\
// ____ / / / /\____\ \/___\ / /_\\ \/___\
//___\____\ / / /__ / / / ____/ / / /___\\ ____ / /
//________\/ \/_/___\ \/____/ \____\/ \/ \\ \____\/
__ __ _____ __ __ ______
/\_\ /\_\ \_____\ \_\ \_\ /\_____\
/ / /\/ / / //_ // / // / \/___\
/ / / \\/ / //___\ // /_ _ // / ___ / /
\/_/ \/_/ //____ // //\\/\\// / \____\/
//______\ \_/__//_//__/
GLOBAL PEACE GAMING EDITION
****************************************************************
GN/GPG/Vol. I, No.1
An Electronic Bulletin
of
GLOSAS/USA and Simulation in the Service of Society
****************************************************************
Dear Readers of GLOSAS News:
As you might know, GLOSAS/USA stands for GLObal Systems Analysis and
Simulation Association in the U.S.A. A division of GLOSAS/USA is concerned
with global education. It is known as Global (electronic) University in
the U.S.A., or GU/USA. Consequently, the subjects of peace gaming and
simulation as well as global (electronic) education are of equal concern to
this bulletin. However, they may not be of equal interest to our readers.
This is why we wish to announce that we will divide our GLOSAS News into
two sections: Global Education Edition and Global Peace Gaming Edition.
The Global Education Edition will continue appearing as <GN/GE/X:y> on
your Subject: lines. The Global Peace Gaming Edition will be clearly
marked as <GN/GPG/X:y>. This will give you the control over which bulletin
you wish to read and the flexibility to change your mind.
The Global Peace Gaming Edition will be mostly based on 'Simulation in
the Service of Society' (S3) which appears as the special section of
'Simulation', the monthly journal of the Society of Computer Simulation.
Following is an excerpt from the S3 section of the January, 1992 issue of
'Simulation'. The enclosed article promotes modeling, gaming and
simulation in the interest of environmental protection and will be of
interest to many of our readers.
We wish to thank the editors of S3 for their willingness to share
their articles with us. We intend to carry them for as long as you, our
readers, raise NO objections to their distribution by this means.
To unsubscribe from GN/GPG, please contact me or send the message
UNSUBSCRIBE GLOSAS-L to:
List...@vm1.mcgill.ca
I hope that you may find this electronic version of S3 (E-S3), as
informative and interesting as I have.
I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that GN/GE/II:1
will be appearing shortly. Please send articles, letters, comments,
questions or requests to me.
If you would like to see a sample issue of our electronic magazine, "E-
S3", covering selected topics about computer modeling and simulation,
please contact me.
Thank you.
Anton
---------------------------------------------------------------
Anton Ljutic Phone: 514-672-7360 ext. 280
Champlain College Fax: 514-672-9299
900 Riverside Internet: An...@vax2.concordia.ca
St. Lambert, Quebec J4P 3P2 An...@carleton.ca
Canada SprintM: ALJUTIC/ASSOCIATES.TNET
-----------------------------------------------------------------
10. Announcements and Requests
==========================
10a. New Listserv- Distance Education Listserv on BITNET Based in Chile
EDISTA on LIST...@USACHVM1.BITNET Distance Education
The University Distance Program (UNIDIS) at the University of
Santiago (Chile), has started a discussion list to serve as a forum
on distance education, EDI...@USACHVM1.BITNET
New research findings, UNIDIS activities and announcements, and
discussions on distance education will be the main topics of the
list.
To sign up on the list, send a mail message with the content of the
message in the form of:
SUBSCRIBE EDISTA "your_full_name"
To the following Bitnet address:
LISTSERV at USACHVM1.BITNET
To send Contribution to the list via mail, use the following bitnet
address:
EDI...@USACHVM1.BITNET
These contributions will then be sent to everyone on the list.
To sign off of the list, send a message in the form of:
SIGNOFF EDISTA
to:
LIST...@USACHVM1.BITNET
U N I D I S TEL. OFICINA : +56 +2 6813125
(UNIVERSIDAD A DISTANCIA) FAX : +56 +2 6811422
TELEX : 441674 USACH CZ
PROF. JORGE URBINA FUENTES E-MAIL : UNI...@USACHVM1.BITNET
VICERRECTORIA DE DOCENCIA Y EXTENSION
UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE CHILE
========
10b. New Electronic Journal- Announcing an Electronic Journal about
Electronic Journalism,
Contact: Ted Jennings, Editor, Department of English, University at
Albany/SUNY, ID= ejou...@albnyvms.bitnet
_EJournal_ is a peer-reviewed, all-electronic, network distributed,
serial publication.
We are particularly interested in theory and practice surrounding the
creation, transmission, storage, interpretation, alteration and
replication of electronic "text," broadly defined.
We are also interested in the social, psychological, literary, economic,
pedagogical, philosophical and other ramifications of computer-mediated
networks.
Our review process is anonymous, all-electronic, and consensual.
We prefer brief, authentic, lively essays to exhaustive technical
reports.
Single-essay issues appear as often as submissions are affirmatively
reviewed; there were four (free) distributions to subscribers in 1991.
There are two dozen consulting editors, in several disciplines, who
review submissions. Members of _EJournal_'s advisory board are:
Stevan Harnad, Princeton University
Dick Lanham, University of California at Los Angeles
Ann Okerson, Association of Research Libraries
Joe Raben, City University of New York
Bob Scholes, Brown University
Harry Whitaker, University of Quebec at Montreal
To subscribe to _EJournal_, send a mail message to list...@albnyvm1.bitnet
containing as its only line the command:
subscribe ejrnl your_first_name your_last_name
Information about getting back issues will accompany the "Welcome"
message sent to people who subscribe.
Please send submissions for editorial consideration to our "office" at:
ejou...@albnyvms.bitnet
Ted Jennings, Editor, Department of English, University at Albany/SUNY
========
10c. Conference- Teleteaching Conference in Trondheim, Norway
Contact: tele...@avh.unit.no
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
Teleteaching 93
E-mail: tele...@avh.unit.no
International Conference and Exhibition
Trondheim, Norway
August 20 - 25 1993
Learning and working independent of time and distance
Welcome to Teleteaching 93, in Trondheim, Norway
August 20 - 25, 1993
Teleteaching 93
The main theme of Teleteaching 93 is the development and application of
telecommunication techniques to enhance human knowledge and skills. The
areas of application include education at primary, secondary and university
levels, as well as training in various situations, particularly the
workplace. The conference will be a forum for educators, politicians,
managers of human resources and experts in the many technical fields of
teleteaching.
What technology can do now and what it promises for the future are two
aspects to consider. Experts are welcome to discuss the development of all
techniques used in teleteaching, particularly purpose-built equipment,
software, transmission and management systems. Educators will discuss how
they have implemented new techniques, both successfully and unsuccessfully,
in order to meet the learning needs of society. We hope that the
discussions between politicians, managers, educators and technical experts
will help to reduce the gap between teaching and learning requirements on
the one hand and technical solutions on the other.
Technology is a tool to assist in the development of society. What are our
goals and visions for the next century? The technology to be used will
depend on the social and technical infrastructure in society. At
Teleteaching 93 we will discuss the consequences of implementing various
techniques in society at different economic, technological and social levels.
THE SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE
The participants at Teleteaching 93 will:
- present the current state of the development in telecommunications
used in education, training and distance working
- demonstrate successful applications from different institutions and
countries
- debate the impact upon society of the new technologies
- inform about initiatives, plans, support, regulations etc. by inter-
national organizations, governments and regional authorities
- define the subject of teleteaching as one of the most important in
education and training
- debate the potential of distance working
- discuss what is needed and what is possible.
PARTICIPANTS
We welcome participants and contributors from:
- Industry and business:
* Management
* Education and training
* Research and development
* Multi-national companies as well as small and medium size
enterprises
- Educational sector
* Primary school to university
* Distance education
* Open learning
- Public sector
* Decisionmakers
* Politicians
* Administrators
THE TECHNOLOGY
The following areas will be analysed:
- Radio and TV broadcasting
The use of broadcast learning materials, combined with books and special
printed materials is well established. The support of a tutorial network
and distance learning centres is essential. We want to discuss the
production and use of sound, picture and data for broadcasting. New forms
of communication such as satellites will also be looked into.
- Telecommunication
Telecommunications enable two or more persons to communicate together
simultaneously. The communication may be sound, picture or databased. The
different types of communication may be used either separately or in
combinations. User hardware may be computers, telephones or multi-media
workstations or other networks. The same tutorial support might be given
as that provided for broadcasting. Participants may discuss the
communication, production and use of sound, pictures and data.
- Storage and Searching
Databases may consist of text, graphics, sound, pictures and video which
may be used on local workstations. Data communications make it possible
to search for information in databases all over the world, and also to
gain access to documents in libraries. Topics for discussion include the
use of local and remote databases.
- The local workstation
The user's local workstation makes it possible to communicate with people
worldwide and to search for information from local and remote sources. The
local workstation and its potential for communication and the use of
multi-media software locally are important here.
- Software and learning materials
Users of telecommunication facilities in distance learning are supported by
various types of software (tools, generators, authoring systems,
multi-media software etc.). The conference will be an opportunity to share
information about courseware and production tools. We want to discuss both
the production and the use of software.
- Pedagogical methods
New learning and teaching methods are neccessary to take advantage of the
new opportunities. New forms of assessment material and new tutorial
methods will also be required.
EXHIBITION
An exhibition will be held in connection with the conference. Suppliers of
equipment, software and other services will be invited to attend the
conference to inform the delegates of possible solutions to their
problems.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Demonstrations and presentations of interesting projects will take place
during the conference. Some have already been selected, but please contact
the organizers if you would like to present your project.
THE HISTORY OF THE CONFERENCE
A special working group on distance learning, WG3.6 was established in 1985
by the IFIP TC3 and the first Teleteaching conference was organized in
1986 in Budapest; the second, Teleteaching 90, was held in Sydney together
with the WCCE'90 (World Conference on Computers in Education, Sydney,
Australia, July 1990). Both conferences were part of the work of IFIP's
Technical Committee on Education (TC3). A special working group on
distance learning was established in 1985. Teleteaching 93 in Norway will
be the third conference in a young but rapidly expanding and highly
important area.
VENUE
NORWAY: Due to the long distances and scattered population in Norway,
distance education and teleteaching are important to the infrastructure
and merits the high priority it is given at all levels. The headquarters
of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) is located in
Oslo. Challenges facing the communication sector include bringing
television to the Arctic and expanding communications in areas populated by
the Sami minority and in communities situated along our rugged and deep
fjords. Meeting these challenges has moved Norwegian Telecom to the
forefront of technology.
Come and enjoy the Norwegian scenery, it's an experience to remember. We
will be offering tours to the fjords, glaciers and land of the midnight
sun.
TRONDHEIM: Trondheim is a technology and telecommunications center.
- It is also a center employing 4000 people at the University of Trondheim.
The Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) and the Foundation for
Scientific and Industrial Research at NTH (SINTEF), are major institutions.
Telecommunications is one of the areas of expertise.
- Educational institutions in the city are actively involved in developing
educational methods based on new technology, at primary, secondary and
university levels.
Being a technological center in Northern Europe, Trondheim is an
experienced host of international conferences. Teleteaching 93 will be
held at the campus of NTH within walking distance of the city center.
Trondheim offers a great variety of accommodations, from student hostels to
first class international hotels. Nestled in a fertile valley, Trondheim
is one of Norway's major cities, but at the same time it has a cosy small-
town feel to it. In 1997 the city will celebrate its 1000-year
anniversary. Walking its streets is an encounter with history in pleasant
surroundings.
ORGANIZING THE CONFERENCE
IFIP: International Federation for Information Processing
Technical Committee 3: Education
Chairman: Peter Bollerslev, Denmark)
International Programme Committee:
- Jan WIBE, Norway - chairman
- Gyozo KOVACS, Hungary - vice-chairman
- Gordon DAVIES, United Kingdom - managing editor
- Robert M. AIKEN, USA
- Monique GRANDBASTIEN, France
- Raymond MOREL, Switzerland
- Iam CHAYA-NGAM, Thailand
- Brian SAMWAYS, United Kingdom - editor
- Erling SCHMIDT, Denmark
- Antonio VAQUERO, Spain
- Martial VIVET, France
Norwegian Advisory Committee:
- Gunnar GREPPERUD
- Tore R. JOERGENSEN
- Torstein REKKEDAL
- Tove KRISTIANSEN
- Morten SOEBY
Norwegian Steering Committee:
- Arvid STAUPE, chairman
- Asbjoern ROLSTADAAS
- Arne SOLEM
- Jan BREDEVEIEN
- Per BEGBY
- Jan WIBE
Organizing committee:
- Jan BREDEVEIEN, chairman
- Bjoern W. AMUNDSEN
- Kjell Atle HALVORSEN
- Aud LAMVIK
- Knut LINDELIEN
- Morten Flate PAULSEN
- Trond SINGSAAS
- Ove STROEM
- Jan WAGNILDHAUG
- Jon WALSTAD
- Arne OEDEGERD
- Stein K. OEIE
Conference Secretariat:
Teleteaching 93
Norwegian Computer Society
POB. 6714 Rodeloekka
N-0503 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47 2 370213
Fax: +47 2 354669
Email: tele...@avh.unit.no
KEY DATES:
January/February 1992: Call for Papers and posters
October 10, 1992: Deadline for submission of full papers
I AM INTERESTED IN:
(put a cross in appropriate case):
receiving the final call for papers
submitting a paper
presenting a poster
participating in a teleteaching project before the conference
taking part in the exhibition
other interest (please specify)
Name:
Institution/School/Company:
Address:
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
Please mail the coupon to:
Teleteaching 93
Norwegian Computer Society
POB. 6714 Rodelxkka
0503 Oslo
Norway*
========
10d. Conference- International Distance Education and International
Business Conference, in Las Vegas
Contact: Morton Cotlar, ID= mor...@UHUNIX.BITNET
Aloha,
Perhaps you are interested in joining a symposium at the annual
meeting, in August 1992, of the Academy of Management at Las Vegas.
The topic will be:
International Distance Education on International Business Issues.
If you are interested, please reply to:
mor...@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu
or
mor...@uhunix.bitnet
By January 6, 1992 a definitive proposal shall go forth to the
program planners. Thus, a quick response is needed from anyone
who wishes to suggest a topic for inclusion in the symposium.
Some of the major topics to be included are: the applicability
of FTP for delivery of multi-media tutorials, the benefits of
course interaction via video-phone among people who have never
met face-to-face, etc.
========
10e. Conference- East-West Conference on Emerging Computer Technologies in
Education, in Moscow
Contact: east...@plb.icsti.su
East-West Conference
on Emerging Computer Technologies in Education
April 6-9, 1992
(originally April 14-17, 1992)
Moscow, USSR
FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS AND CALL FOR POSTERS
==========================================
The aims of the East-West Conference on Emerging Computer Technologies in
Education are to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas between Eastern
and Western scientists and to present to the Soviet educational community
the current state-of-the-art on the theory and practice of using emerging
computer-based technology in education. The Technical Programme will
include paper presentations, invited talks, posters, tutorials and
demonstrations. An exhibition of software products is also anticipated.
The Conference is organised and sponsored by: Association for the
Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), International Centre for
Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI), and Soviet Association
for Artificial Intelligence (SAAI). The Conference will take place in
the ICSTI Building in Moscow.
Topics of Interest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The conference is designed to cover the following subfields of
advanced research in the field of computers and education:
- Artificial Intelligence and Education
- Educational Multi-Media and Hyper-Media
- Learning Environments, Microworlds and Simulation
We invite submission of original research/development papers or review
papers on topics in these subfields. We also invite tutorial papers on
topics pertaining to the conference.
Submission of Papers and Posters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Submissions can be either research/development, review, or tutorial
paper abstracts or research/development poster abstracts. Authors are
requested to submit an extended English abstract (about 500 words) in
electronic format (by E-mail or ordinary mail on DOS or UNIX "tar"
diskette) to the Conference Secretary.
Each submission should contain the type of submission, the title, the
name(s) of the author(s), complete address(es), electronic address(es),
keywords and one or more of the conference subjects followed by the "500
words" abstract.
All submissions will be reviewed by the international program
committee. Acceptance/rejection of paper submissions will be notified by
January 15. Acceptance/rejection of poster submissions will be notified by
February 10. Poster abstracts submitted before 10th January, 1992 will be
considered in preference to late proposals.
The authors of accepted paper submissions will receive instructions
concerning the style of presentation of their text (about 5000 words) for
publication in the proceedings. The proceedings as well as the abstracts
of accepted posters will be distributed at the conference. The best papers
will be invited to be published in the Journal of Artificial Intelligence
in Education and the Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia,
published by AACE, and Simulation & Gaming: An International Journal,
published by Sage Publications.
Accepted papers are presented in a 20-60 minute lecture-style format.
Poster presenters are provided with poster space and are required to be
available at their poster during designed time (about 2 hours). The
authors of the accepted submissions are welcome also to prepare a video or
computer demonstration related with the topic of presentation.
Important Dates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paper Submissions Deadline: December 1, 1991
Poster Submissions Deadline: January 15, 1992
Paper Submissions Acceptance Notification: January 15, 1992
Poster Submissions Acceptance Notification: February 15, 1992
Receipt of Camera-Ready Papers: February 24, 1992
(originally March 1, 1992)
Program Committee Chair
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dmitry Pospelov (SAAI, USSR)
Organizing Committee Chair
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alexander Butrimenko (ICSTI, USSR)
Program Committee:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KSR Anjaneyulu (India)
David McArthur (USA)
Philip Barker (England)
Ehud Bar-On (Israel)
Ben du Boulay (England)
Peter Brusilovsky (Russia)
Sergey Christochevsky (Russia)
David Crookall (USA)
Alexey Dovgyallo (Ukraine)
Marc Eisenstadt (England)
Monique Grandbastien (France)
Jim Greer (Canada)
Roger Hartley (England)
Stephen Heppel (England)
Marlene Jones (Canada)
Greg Kearsley (USA)
Riichiro Mizoguchi (Japan)
Claus Moebus (Germany)
Leonard Rastrigin (Latvia)
Brian Reiser (USA)
Luigi Sarti (Italy)
Julita Vassileva (Bulgaria)
Boris Velichkovsky (Russia)
Radboud Winkels (The Netherlands)
Beverly Woolf (USA)
Conference Secretary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Brusilovsky (Russia, USSR)
Conference Secretary addresses:
Dr. Peter Brusilovsky
East-West Conference on Emerging Computer Technologies in Education
International Centre for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI)
Kuusinen str. 21b, Moscow 125252, USSR
E-mail: east...@plb.icsti.su or eastwest%plb.ic...@ussr.eu.net
Telex: 411925 MCNTI
FAX: +7 095 943 0089
______________________________________________________________________
Feedback message. Please, fill in and return.
I am interested in: (please check)
Further information on East-West Conference ___
Attending ___
Submitting a paper ___
Submitting a poster ___
Organizing a demonstration ___
Exhibiting ___
My areas of interests are
Artificial Intelligence and Education ___
Educational Multi-Media and Hyper-Media ___
Learning Environments, Microworlds and Simulation ___
______________________________________________________________________
From: % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %
% David Crookall % Editor: Simulation & Gaming: An International %
% MA-TESOL Prgrm % Journal (Sage); Dir: Project IDEALS (FIPSE, DoE) %
% English/Morgan, Univ of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0244, USA. %
% 205-348-9494 -9173 (w), 205-752-0690 (h), (44) 305-889-352 (UK) %
% crookall @ ua1vm.bitnet, ua1vm.ua.edu, igc.org fax: 205-348-5298 %
% For Pr.IDEALS: Chet Farmer, Frannie Goubet, Catherine Screiber-Jones %
% ------------- cfarmer1 @ fgoubet3 @ cschreib @ ua1vm.bitnet %
% % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %
============
10f. Conference- Literature, Computers and Writing Conference, at NYIT
Contact: Robert Royar, ID= R0MILL01@ULKYVX"
LITERATURE, COMPUTERS AND WRITING
Forging Connections In The High School
And College English Classroom
April 3, 1992
The fifth-annual Computers and English Conference
for high school and college teachers of writing
Sponsored by the Program in English
New York Institute of Technology
and
The Assembly on Computers in English (ACE) an NCTE Assembly
The 1992 conference on Literature, Computers and Writing explores the
shared challenges facing high school and college teachers of English in
the electronic classroom. There are two primary themes:
o how computers and specifically networks can be used to ally high
school and college teachers of English, and
o how computers are stimulating new ways of thinking about
communication, critical literacy, and writing.
The conference features panel discussions led by high school and college
teachers offering insight and pedagogical techniques for the English
classroom as well as access to and training in electronic messaging via
NYIT's computer system.
Conference Setting
The NYIT conference's morning sessions will be held at the beautiful de
Seversky Conference Center, a Georgian mansion next to the college's Old
Westbury campus. Included in the conference's price are a pre-conference
and post-conference account on NYIT's networked computer system, coffee
breaks, and a gourmet, buffet luncheon prepared by the professional de
Seversky staff. Afternoon sessions will convene on the campus of the
college at Harry Schure Hall, which offers computerized classrooms. The
quiet Long Island setting is less than one hour from both the LaGuardia and
Islip airports and just minutes from two Long Island Railroad stations.
Contact the English Department (see registration form) for information
about housing.
NYIT CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
De Seversky Conference Center
8:30 Coffee and Danish
Keynote Address
9:00 Keynote Address (Ballroom) by Dr. Fred Kemp, Texas Technological
University, "Changing Teaching, Changing Writing"
Morning Sessions (running concurrently)
10:30 Developing Electronic Communities (Ballroom)
Linda Myers, Lehigh University, "Electronic Conferencing:
Bridging Communities"
Barbara Hall and Sandra Walsh, Port Jefferson High School,
"Assessing The Impact Of Teleconferencing Upon The Writing
Process"
10:30 New Ways Of Seeing Text (Library)
Bonnie Duncan, Millersville University, "On-line Publication And
The Collaborative Potential in Medieval Scholarship"
Steven Hale, DeKalb College, "All The News: Teaching Writing
With USENET"
Lunch
11:45 Lunch in the Dining Room of the de Seversky Conference Center
Harry Schure Hall
Afternoon Sessions (running concurrently)
1:15 An On-Line School-College Project (Distance Learning Center)
Marilyn Jody, Western Carolina University, and Marianne
Saccardi, Fairfield-Westchester Reading Project, "Among School
Children and Authors: Project Bookread"
1:15 Long-Distance Learning: East Meets West, North Meets South
(Macintosh Linked Classroom)
Jim Greenlaw, University of British Columbia, "Pacific Rim
E-Mail and Multicultural Literature"
Mark Harris, Jackson Community College, and Jeff Hooks, St.
Petersburg Junior College, "Using Interchange: The
Long-Distance Literary Classroom"
1:15 Software That Works With Writers (IBM Linked Classroom)
Franklin Cacciutto, East Meadow High School, "The Computer And
Lyric Form"
David Sewell, University of Rochester, "TACTfully Reading: Text
Analysis Tools For Literature And Writing Classes"
2:30 Coffee/Soft Drinks (Harry Schure Lobby)
2:45 Overview and open discussion of the day's topics led by Dr. Fred
Kemp
---------------------------- cut -- here ---------------------------------
Registration for NYIT's Computers and Writing Conference (April 3, 1992)
Mail completed form with remittance ($35.00 for matriculated graduate
students, $50.00 all others or $65.00 at the door) to
English Department
New York Institute of Technology
Old Westbury, NY 11568
(516) 686-7557
Make checks payable to English Department, NYIT
Name: _____________________________________________________________
School: _____________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________________________
Registration packets will be mailed to verified registrants before March 15
for submission to proceedings of 9th International Conference on Technology
and Education; Paris, France; 16-20 Mar 1992; sponsored by UNESCO.
=========
10g. Conference- Communication for a New World Conference, in Brazil
Contact: Howard Frederick, hfred...@igc.org
Cambio*Conferencia AIERI
Referente a mi pedido de distribuir el anuncio sobre la conferencia de la
AIERI/IAMCR, por favor note el error de la fecha: 1992 en vez de 1991!
ASOCIACION INTERNACIONAL PARA LA INVESTIGACION
DE LA COMUNICACION (IAMCR/AIERI)
"Comunicacio'n para un Nuevo Mundo"
16 a 21 de Agosto de 1992, Guaruja', Sao^ Paulo, Brasil
Le agradezco mucho
Howard Frederick
===========
10h. Looking for- Distance Delivered Masters Degree
Contact: JS...@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
I'm sure this is not the first time this question has been posted but here
it goes once again- Is there a listing of institutions that offer Masters
programs through Distance Education? I am aware of Nova and a few others
but I would like to know what options are available. Thanks in advance!
===========
10i. Looking for- Information about Apprenticeship Models in Distance
Education
Contact: Jorge Urbina, UNIDIS@USACHVM1
Hola:
ESTOY REALIZANDO UNA COLECCION DE MODELOS DE APRENDIZAJE Y
DE ENSENANZA A DISTANCIA. TENGO CATALOGADOS LOS MODELOS DE AUSUBEL,
Gagne, Comunicacion estructural, Rothkopf y Skinner, los cuales por
SU ESTRUCTURA SE PUEDEN USAR EN EL PROCESO DE EDUCACION A DISTANCIA.
OTROS MODELOS PUEDEN ADAPTARSE, COMO LOS DE ROGER Y BRUNER, ESTOS
PUEDEN SER UTILIZADOS EN CURSOS A DISTANCIA.
No tengo informacion sobre los modelos racionales de Snook y de Nuthall.
Alguno de los integrantes de la lista foro "Educacion a Distancia"
(EDISTA@USACHVM1 ) o de los integrantes de los JOURNAL conoce donde puedo
encontrar informacion sobre los modelos racionales O SOBRE OTROS MODELOS
QUE SE USEN EN EL PROCESO DE ENSENANZA A DISTANCIA?
Muchas gracias
Jorge Urbina
==================================================================
I'm putting together a collection of apprenticeship models used in teaching
at a distance. I have catalogued the models of Ausubel, Gagne, structural
communication, Rothkopf and Skinner, and those which by its structure can
be used in the process of education at a distance. Other models can be
adjusted, such as those of Roger, Bruner, to be used in distance delivered
courses. I don't have information on the rational models of Snook or
Nuthall.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows where I can find
information on the rational models or on other models that are used in the
process of teaching at a distance.
Thank you very much
Jorge Urbina
==================================================================
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
# #
# U N I D I S TEL. OFICINA : +56 +2 6813125 #
# (UNIVERSIDAD A DISTANCIA) FAX : +56 +2 6811422 #
# TELEX : 441674 USACH CZ #
# PROF. JORGE URBINA FUENTES E-MAIL : UNI...@USACHVM1.BITNET #
# VICERRECTORIA DE DOCENCIA Y EXTENSION #
# UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE CHILE #
=====================================================================
=========
10j. Looking for- Information about Native North Americans Use of Distance
Education and Computers in Education
Contact: Claudine VanEvery, ID=CVANEVERY@UTOROISE
Greetings:
My name is Claudine VanEvery and I am doing doctoral work at OISE (Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education) at the University of Toronto.
I am native Canadian Iroquois from the Six Nations Reserve in southern
Ontario, Canada. My background is a Bachelor's degree in Native Studies
from Trent University, Bachelor of Education from Queen's University and a
Master of Education in Curriculum (second language acquisition) from OISE.
For the past five years I have been a language consultant but am now back
in the classroom teaching Language Arts and grade 7 science.
I also teach in a native Classroom Assistant Program at Nipissing
University in the summer.
I am interested in distance education and how computers are used in the
area. I am also interested in investigating the extent to which native
communities are using distance education and computers.
Claudine VanEvery
BITNET: cvan...@utoroise.bitnet
========
10k. Looking for- Travelling from Saudi Arabia, Looking for Training
Programs
Contact: A. Sayegh, ID= F60...@SAKSU00.BITNET
Dear Readers:
I would like to undergo a 35-day training programme on the following
topics, and I would appreciate it very much if you could tell if such a
programme is offered by your institution or another institution you could
recommend:
Local Area Networks
Data Center Personnel Supervision
Microcomputer Management and Support
Training Trainers
Budgeting and Finance
Technical Writing
Preferred location is in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Please let me know if
there are other places to post this request.
Sincerely,
A. Sayegh, ID= F60...@SAKSU00.BITNET
P.O. Box 25716
Riyadh, Postal Code 11476
Saudi Arabia
=== END OF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REQUESTS ===
11. DISTANCE EDitorial- Online Proxemics- Using the Theories of Edward T.
Hall to Understand Behavior in Online Space
Note: Recently I had the opportunity to write about what I call "online
proxemics"- how people use online space as a variable in communication. As
my theoretical basis I used the work of Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist
who was the first to formalize the theory of modern proxemics and to also
propose the theory of High Context/Low Context culture, an important aspect
of proxemics. What appears below are some excerpts from my report. Feel
free to request the entire essay.
...HIGH CONTEXT vs. LOW CONTEXT- High context vs. low context refers to the
degree of information contained, or implicit, in the context, vs. how much
is gleaned from explicit action or information. Context and information
are inverse proportion. Where a context is lacking, information must be
supplied to make up for it, and vice versa.
High context (HC) societies are those for whom a great deal of the
meaning of communication resides in the context or assumptions of
communication rather than in the deliberate transmission of information
(Hall, 1974, p.18). Japanese, and Native American cultures are high
context in this sense. Low context (LC) societies are just the opposite.
Overt written or spoken information or activity is needed in order to bring
full meaning to a situation. What Hall calls AE (American-European)
culture is low context because its social norms are always evolving and
diverging. The effect is that most of the elements of Hall's cultural
inventory are being continually redefined. The more a society changes
(disturbing the context of action and information), the more people require
explicit information to provide meaning to experience and to avoid social
chaos.
.....Some of Hall's most elaborate research in the area of (High
Context/Low Context) HC/LC communication was conducted in the area of
proxemics. Using detailed analyses of people's space, he tried to
establish CIM (Context-information-meaning) ratios. His research is
particularly significant given the fact that much of communication research
up to that point had concentrated on the "easier" kind of communication,
the explicit, much more observable low context communication rather than
the often high context communication associated with of physical space
(Hall, 1974, p.21).
In Hidden Dimension, Hall suggests a few organizing models to help
understand the HC/LC implications of space. I am concerned here with two
of them: micro-cultural space used and communication distance. Micro-
cultural proxemics has three aspects: fixed-feature, semi-fixed feature,
and informal (Hall, 1969, p.101). These are the same aspects which
dominate a checksheet of questions for the proxemic researcher called
"Contrasting Cultural Analysis of Micro-space Checksheet" (Hall, 1974,
p.34) While the specifics of the checksheet are very specific to physical
space, the three divisions function extremely well as an organizing model
for the understanding of virtual space.
Communication distance refers to four different kinds of distance
employed in communication, each of which is highly contextual: intimate,
private, social, and public. To the online uninitiated, the utility of
proxemics in the study of the online world in which physical space is such
an elusive component may not be immediately apparent. Yet, Hall's approach
to culture as communication and space perception make it a natural. Space
and distance in the virtual space of computer conferencing system fall into
very similar categories. A table relating these concepts in actual and
virtual space follows:
Actual Space- places Virtual Space- conferences
-----------------------------------------------------
Arrangement 1. fixed 1. externally defined,
hierarchically led
2. semi-fixed 2. externally defined, user-led
3. informal 3. intrinsically defined, user-led
Distance 1. intimate 1. electronic mail (or private
messaging on a conferencing
system)
2. private 2. private conferencing
3. social 3. public conferences
4. public 4. read only conferences
Each of these is examined in turn.
Arrangement
1) Fixed space corresponds with conferences that are extrinsically
defined and leader-oriented, or, hierarchical. Fixed physical spaces are
those with high expectations of behavior, like a church. Because of the
lack of physical fixtures online, computer conferences are inherently more
malleable but achieve fixed natures through behavioral expectation and
conference leadership. "Fixed" conferences include those which are created
for a very specific purpose and heavily monitored or directed to enforce
content and process, such as conferences used to support specific tasks or
classes.
2) Semi-fixed space corresponds to those conferences extrinsically
defined yet intrinsically user-directed. Hall's example of semi-fixed
space is that of movable furniture in a fixed room (ibid, p.108), allowing
inhabitants to re-arrange or personalize the space they inhabit but only to
a degree. A classroom may be "fixed" for the purpose of a history class.
Yet, the difference in social dynamics in a classroom with desks arranged
in a circle rather than in rows is well known to many teachers. Similarly,
computer conferences created for a specific purpose, such as to discuss
etymology (a very active conference on our PortaCom system at the
University of Alaska) but in which participants are peer-related and
encouraged to take the lead in pursuing the etymology of a particular word,
are semi-fixed. There is more tolerance of tangents and more latitude in
how the conference proceeds. Content is fixed but roles and process are
fluid.
3) Informal space corresponds to "open" conferences and to a certain
extent private conference mail. Thus, many of the overt rules that guide
other conferences in terms of content and roles are fluid. Most
conferencing systems support an "open" conference in which just about any
topic is permissible and in which people change roles freely. On PortaCom,
this conference is called Open Forum, and is very open in terms of process
and content.
The degree to which an online space is fixed can be viewed as a
continuum, from completely fixed to completely fluid, in three respects:
roles, content and process. Often how fixed a virtual space is usually
depends greatly on the kind of leadership that is involved or, to put it in
more anthropological terms, how strictly defined the roles of the
participants are. Considering spatial/social arrangements provides useful
perspective when trying to understand how a particular conference behaves.
It helps reveal the overall parameters which define the bounds of
permissible and/or expected behaviors. Without such parameters,
understanding conference activity becomes largely a matter of subjective,
psychological assessment.
Distance
1) Intimate distance corresponds to personal electronic mail.
Electronic mail usually but not necessarily occurs between two people, as
opposed to conference communication which is seen by everyone within a
conference. The similarities between it and Hall's concept of intimate
distance are 1) the presence of another is impossible to ignore, 2) the
expectation of response to an overture is very great, and 3) the assumption
of privacy is often assumed (ibid, p.118).
2) Personal distance corresponds to private conferences which are
conferences only open to specific people, but within which communication is
public. The similarities are 1) the creation of boundaries between inside
and outside people/groups, and 2) the maintenance of enough space among
participants for non-contact purposes, that is, for the articulation of non-
intimate roles (ibid, p.122).
3) Social distance- public conferences which are open to everyone and
within which all communication is public. The similarities are 1) it is
used for casual or impersonal gatherings, 2) there is little distinction
between outsiders and insiders, 3) it is considered socially acceptable not
to partake in the group activity (ibid, p.124).
4) Public distance corresponds to read-only conferences, in which
only a person or small group of people are allowed to post notices while
everyone else, usually the vast majority of the membership, can only read
what is posted. The similarities are 1) the predominance of an "us vs.
them" dynamic", with the speakers (or conference managers) assuming roles
of actors and the rest assuming the role of audience, 2) both can consist
of more formal or purposefully more dramatic speech, and 3) the expectation
of response is almost non-existent.
Each of these concerns a fairly universal behavior which means
different things in different culture. In cultural terms, there are norms
and customs that vary from culture to culture that determine behaviors like
who can be "intimate" with whom, who observes a private vs. a social
distance with whom, and so on.
The use of "online proxemics" as a tool for understanding virtual
community space use opens up interesting lines of research. How do we
translate our context-assumptions in physical communities to virtual
communities? Will Japanese, for example, gravitate more toward fixed-space
conferences because they offer a more high context virtual space? Will (or
do) members of the AE tradition opt for more informal online space because
of their low context cultural backgrounds? How do spatial arrangements
which articulate the roles and habit actually materialize online? For
instance, according to Samovar, Chinese tend to sit side by side, rather
than across from each other as we do in the AE tradition (Samovar, p.29).
And how will contextual differences in distance be transferred to virtual
communication? Will the same kinds of communication reserved for intimate,
private, social, and public distance be preserved online? What will
members of a typically high context culture feel is appropriate to discuss
in a public conference? In larger terms, does our cultural contexting
follow us from environment to environment as Hall suggests:
HC (High Context) people can be creative within their system but have
to move to the bottom of the context scale when dealing with
anything, new, whereas LC (Low Context) people can be quite creative
and innovative when dealing with anything new but have trouble being
anything but pedestrian when working within the bounds of old systems.
(Hall, 1976, p.111)
Or, as many have suggested, is democracy and an end to hierarchy an
inevitability of the medium? Some research suggests that at least with
regard to AE culture, roles are starting to shift, causing people from
within a hierarchy to communicate on more of a peer-oriented basis
(McCreary, p.104). With increased globalization inevitable, and CMC
contact among different cultures on the rise, how the virtual architecture
effects traditional social arrangements of different HC/LC cultures
promises to be a fertile area of online research.
=========
Footnotes
Hall, Edward. (1984). The Dance of Life. New York: Doubleday.
Hall, Edward. (1974). Handbook of Proxemics. Washington, D.C.: Society for
the Anthropology of Visual Communication.
Hall, Edward. (1987). Hidden Differences. New York: Doubleday.
Hall, Edward. (1969). The Hidden Dimension. New York: Doubleday.
Hall, Edward. (1959). The Silent Language. New York: Doubleday, 1959.
Hall, Edward. (1976). Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Press.
McCreary, Elaine. (1989). "CMC and Organizational Culture," from Mason&Kaye, ed
. (1989). Mindweave, Oxford: Pergamon.
========
12. About the Chronicle, from the editor.
WHAT IS THE ONLINE CHRONICLE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION?
[What follows is an excerpt from the first issue of the Chronicle, then the
Online Journal of Distance Education and Communication.]
THE MEDIUM
==========> We want short contributions, 4 screens maximum. Rather than
trying to compete with a paper-based magazine which does a much better job of
presenting long articles, we want contributions that present overview
information. Based upon information gleaned in contributions, readers can
directly contact the author for more details.
THE MESSAGE
===========> The issues that the Chronicle is concerned with fall into
four basic content areas:
Content Area #1- *** Distance Education ***
The Chronicle is interested in distance education as the organized method
of reaching geographically disadvantaged learners, whether K-12, post
secondary, or general enrichment students. Areas of interest include:
* delivery technologies,
* pedagogy,
* cross cultural issues implicit in wide area education
delivery,
* distance education projects that you are involved with,
* announcements, workshops, or programs of study,
* anything else regarding the theory and practice of
distance education.
Content Area #2- *** Distance Communications ***
The Chronicle recognizes that education encompasses a broad area of
experience and that distance education includes distance communications that
fall outside the domain of formal learning. The Chronicle welcomes
contributions that deal with serving people at a distance who aren't
necessarily associated with a learning institution. The Chronicle welcomes
information about, for examples:
* public radio and television efforts to promote cultural
awareness,
* governmental efforts to inform a distant public about social
issues,
* or the many training programs run by private business to
upgrade employee skills.
Content Area #3- *** Telecommunications in Education ***
Once the distance education infrastructure is solidly in place, local
learners will want to tap into it, because they simply prefer learning in a
decentralized setting or because they want to expand their learning
opportunities and resources beyond those immediately available to them. This
phenomenon, which we call 'bringing distance education home,' will grow in the
coming years and we look forward to hearing from people about
telecommunications in education, as a tool or a content area.
Content Area #4- *** Cross Cultural Communication Efforts, Particularly
Between the US and the USSR ***
The Chronicle is interested in projects concerned with overcoming cultural
barriers through the use of electronic communication. The Chronicle
particularly looks forward to contributions concerning:
* efforts to improve electronic communication between the USSR
and the US
* international electronic conferences
* cultural domination through the inappropriate use of media
* the use of telecommunications to promote understanding of the
human condition
* * * * * * * * * *
To subscribe to The Online Chronicle of Distance Education and Communication,
send the following command to LISTSERV@UWAVM :
SUB DISTED your_full_name
All contributions should be sent to JADIST@ALASKA
Any other questions about DISTED can be sent to: Jason B. Ohler, Editor
JFJBO@ALASKA
or
Paul J. Coffin
JSPJC@ALASKA
Disclaimer: The above were the opinions of the individual contributors
and in no way reflect the views of the University of Alaska.
* * * * * * * * * ** *
** End of the Online Chronicle of Distance Education & Communication **
William Dubie
du...@tnpubs.enet.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation,
Littleton, Mass.
Standard disclaimer: These views don't necessarily
reflect those of Digital Equipment Corporation.