patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) (11/21/88)
............ ...........
........... .......... THE
........... . .......... ONLINE JOURNAL
.......... . . . .......... OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
.......... . . .......... AND COMMUNICATION
........... . ..........
........... .......... October 1988
............ ...........
Status: O
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 #2, Issue #1
Date: October 1988
Editor: Jason Ohler
Educational Technology Program Director
University of Alaska Southeast
11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-789-4417
BITNET USERID: JFJBO@ALASKA
[**-->see 88-89 address below<--**]
Technical Coordinator: Paul J. Coffin
Box 34166
Juneau, Alaska 99803 907-780-6211
BITNET USERID: JXPJC@ALASKA
WELCOME TO THE ONLINE JOURNAL
OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION
FROM THE EDITOR:
---> Welcome back to another season of the Online Journal. WE ARE
ALWAYS INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTIONS. Please keep them brief, a
few screens maximum. I look forward to hearing from you.
---> The advantage of the electronic journal is that you, the
reader, can contact the authors directly via BITNET. Please
feel free to do so.
---> NEW ADDRESS-->Normally I am at the address above. But during
the 88-89 school year I am in Vancouver, BC. at: 1190 W 12th,
#9,Vancouver, BC Canada V6H 1L6. Phone:604-732-9452.
However, I will still use my BITNET address JFJBO@ALASKA
This issue at a glance:
**ITEM #1: THE TRAVELLING PC Bus- Educators in Lapland Bring
Computers to Remote Areas by Mika Petasnoro and
Eero Pekkarinen, BITNET ID:EPEKKARINEN@FINOUC
**ITEM #2: THE ELECTRONIC FIELD TRIP- Online Archaeology by Henk
Sligte (BITNET ID: A717SLIG@HASARA11) and Aad
Nienhuis, University of Amsterdam
**ITEM #3: PETITION for the Establishment of An ICCE Special
Interest Group For Classroom Uses of
Telecommunications, by Chris Clark,
BITNET ID: GCC1@PSUVM
**ITEM #4: TOWARDS A DISTANCE EDUCATION BIBLIOGRAPHY- A source list
from Barry Sponder
**ITEM #5 A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION by the editor
**ITEM #6: THE VIDEO BOOTH- Making Video Production Easier for
Technophobes
**ITEM #7 Announcing INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS
IN EDUCATION in Israel
**ITEM #8: DISTANCE EDitorial: Beyond Electronic Mail- Some Facts
About FAX
**ITEM #9: APPENDIX: ABOUT THE ONLINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION
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... ITEM #1
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THE PC BUS- The PC Lab that Travels Lapland
By
Mika Petasnoro, the teacher of PC-Bus
Institute of Business and Data Processing in Tornio,
Finland
LT-instituutti, Tornio PL6 SF95401 Tornio,Finland
tel. +358 698 432393
And
Eero Pekkarinen, ADP chief, Institute of Business and Data
Processing in Tornio,
LT-instituutti, Tornio
PL6 SF95401 Tornio, Finland
tel. +358 698 432380 fax +358 698 40091
BITNET ID:EPEKKARINEN@FINOUC
In Finland's small and remote villages we are faced with a
number of different problems connected with the advancement of ADP
(Automatic Data Processing- the equivalent of Electronic Data
Processing in the US- the authors use ADP and EDP interchangeably),
particularly the lack of programmes, equipment, and staff training.
It was evident from the start that limited resources and great
demand would necessitate a creative solution to these problems.
Thus, the PC Bus (as in motor vehicle) was born. The PC Bus
carries out its work circulating around the remote villages in
Lapland, offering standard basic courses in computing as well as
courses tailored for special purposes. The first PC Bus experiments
were started in Finland in spring 1986 using a bus equipped with 8
microcomputers. The teacher also works as a bus driver. The bus has
been used only for carrying equipment; training does not take place
in the bus. The equipment is carried to a suitable classroom, e.g.
to a school building, hotel or a municipal office where training
sessions are held.
We have had students from every social and age group. The
youngest participant in the elementary course was 14, the oldest was
64. The courses have usually been open, available to anyone who
wanted to take them. In addition, there have been courses for
special target groups, such as farmers, industrial clerical
employees and people working for accountant firms.
In the beginning we arranged basic courses on ADP but the PC
Bus proved to be practical also for arranging special courses in the
evenings after the work day. The applicants, mostly students
interested in basic courses, didn't have any earlier experience in
the field of ADP. The course schedules consisted of the most common
applications such as spreadsheet computation, word processing,
different kinds of accounting programmes, book-keeping etc. The
purpose of the basic courses for the time being was to provide
knowledge on the use of computers that could be applied to work, to
lessen fears and prejudices towards high technology and to equalize
computing training opportunities for distant learners. Feedback from
students indicate that these objectives have been met. All in all,
students have been very satisfied with the courses.
Future Plans:
So far we have mainly trained people in EDP, but in the future we are planning
to establish a mobile tele-cottage, sort of a mobile EDP-center for visiting
villages, which will be set up to initiate and develop leisure time activities
among young people in villages and rural areas, especially in the electronic
data processing field. To facilitate this, we plan to set up clubs and to
carry out campaigns with a special stress on EDP. Additionally we will
continue to train people in EDP and develop our training programs.
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WORKSHOP ON TELEMATICS IN EDUCATION
Innovation in Education Using Electronic Field Trips
Henk Sligte
University of Amsterdam
Support, Survival and Cultures
O.O.C.
Grote Bickersstraat 72
1013 KS Amsterdam
BITNET ID: A717SLIG@HASARA11
and
Aad Nienhuis
University of Amsterdam
Centre for Educational Research
S.C.O.
Grote Bickersstraat 72
1013 KS Amsterdam
Reported by the editor.
Henk Sligte and Aad Nienhausand were convinced of two things: 1) that
traditional teaching methods were not always the best approach to
educating today's youth, and 2) that the computer's potential as a
learning tool was not being realized. Taken together, the attempt by
most computer using educators to try to use the computer as a tool to
support traditional teaching environments wasn't working. "Looking at
the use of information and communication technology within
education," they said, "we often see attempts to fit in applications
within the framework of these protective environments." What his
team wanted was a new approach that honored the new capabilities that
computers and telematics offered.
The term for the kind of telematic projects they developed was 'the
electronic field trip using a classroom-teleport.' This term was
developed by Richard Civille of Quest Telematics, Washington, D.C.,
and elaborated by Kathleen Forsythe of Snowflake Communications Ltd,
Victoria, B.C., Canada. In close cooperation with Snowflake the first
Dutch-Canadian Electronic Fieldtrip was organized. The theme of the
electronic fieldtrip carried out in the first half of 1988 was
Community Archaeology. Groups of pupils between 14-17 years old from
the Augustinus College in Amsterdam, the Tahltan School in Telegraph
Creek (in the northern part of British Columbia, Canada), and the
Matthew McNair school in a suburb of Vancouver (BC, Canada)
investigated their own environments and shared the results with the
pupils of the other participating schools via computers which
communicated via satellite.
Conversations emanating from the exchange of information led both to
a more extensive comprehension of subject matter and to the bridging
of intercultural and contextual differences. In a very direct way
pupils learned quite a lot about the actual living conditions of
their colleagues from the other side of the world.
Not only did the approach to the use of technology differ in this
project, but the roles of the teacher and students were redefined as
well. "Classrooms are interconnected using computer and
telecommunications to other sites. Preparation takes place in pupil
task-groups. In this picture it is difficult to identify the teacher.
S/he is moving through the educational environment, while the
traditional role has been changed towards intermediator in
interaction, living data base, and facilitator of resources, like
books, encyclopedia, institutions, resource people, etc. Within the
framework of the curriculum the dynamics of connectivity provide an
alternative control structure, which permits an open flow of
information."
Sligte and Nienhuis feel that telematics will occupy a growing
position "as intermediary technology for human interaction." They
caution against being swept away with the technology and urge anyone
wanting to experiment with telematics to focus on the human bonding
that the technology supports. "In establishing infrastructures,"
they report, "it is of the utmost importance that the structure is
considered as a support basis by users themselves...Human Resource
Development should be seen as complementary to technological
advance, and in the case of relative inexperienced actors, the major
angle to the innovation of existing or the design of new social
support systems."
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PETITION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN
ICCE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
FOR CLASSROOM USES OF TELECOMMUNICATION
By Chris Clark, BITNET ID:GCC1@PSUVM
The International Council for Computers in Education (ICCE) is
working to form a Special Interest Group for instructional uses of
telecommunication. The purposes of the group would include
dissemination of information about current projects, activities,
hardware and software.
In the short term, the group has been asked to help rate the entries
in Computer Learning Month's two telecommunications activities, a
lesson plan and a student project. ICCE has a process for
recognizing SIG's, including three main steps:
1. gather 150 signatures on a petition. As of today, I have a
little more than half the required number. I have included a blank
copy of the petition, and urge you to copy it and give it to friends
interested in classroom telecommunications. If half of you get two
responses each, we will have enough names.
2. write up a list of goals. On the petition is a space for
listing projects or goals you'd like to see the group pursue. I
have taken the suggestions I have received to date and formulated a
draft of the goal list. I have included it for your responses.
3. propose a slate of officers. The petition asked people
interested in serving as officers or newsletter editor to send a
resume. I have received no less than ten resumes, and am working on
contacting those people.
After all of the requirements have been met, the ICCE Board must
approve the SIG, and I have been assured that this is "pre-
ordained". If, as I hope, everything can be accomplished soon, I
would like to call the first face-to-face meeting of the group at
the annual conference of the New York State Association for
Computers and Technologies in Education in Rye, New York (just north
of New York City) on November 20, 1988. I would be happy to
entertain any suggestions or receive any comments you would like to
make on the information in this message or the attachments. Thanks
again for your interest.
Please print off the petition, fill it out and MAIL it in.
[Sorry, we need signatures, so electronic submissions won't do]
================================================================
SIG/Tel -- Projects, Goals and Areas of Interest -- DRAFT ONLY!!
Special Interest Group on Telecommunications in the Classroom
(SIG/Tel)
International Council on Computers in Education (ICCE)
I. Projects for SIG/Tel -- DRAFT ONLY!!
A. Provide info on how to start a Bulletin Board
System
B. Share case histories of BBSs
C. Disseminate list educational BBSs
D. Write a curriculum plan for using BBS
E. Share applications of TC in various curriculum
areas
F. Provide info on TC in the library
G. Assist "Computer Learning Month" in judging
TC lesson plan
TC dream project
H. Provide software comparisons and/or info
communication software
BBS software
simulations
I. Provide hardware comparisons and/or info
J. Provide information on unusual uses of TC in
education
K. Publish a manual for teachers using TC
L. Help institute ICCE BBS with international access
for students and teachers
II. Goals -- DRAFT ONLY!!
A. Encourage appropriate use of TC
share time saving shortcuts
provide info on legal issues
B. Encourage research in educational TC
evaluation criteria
analyze current projects
effectiveness of TC in the curriculum
C. Collect and disseminate information on TC
available services
lesson ideas/plans
projects
hardware and software
D. Develop communication links
classroom-to-classroom for students
international connections/global village
professional sharing for teachers
III. Areas of Telecommunication (TC) -- DRAFT ONLY!!
A. Electronic Messaging
B. Conferences/Bulletins/Interest Groups
C. Live Text Conferencing
D. On-Line Databases
E. Information Services
F. New Developments
G. Software and Hardware
H. Special Projects
I. Distance Learning
--------------------c-u-t--h-e-r-e----------------------------------
PETITION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN
ICCE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
FOR CLASSROOM USES OF TELECOMMUNICATION
Name ________________________________________________
Position ____________________________________________
Employer ____________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________
________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________ [ ] work [ ] home
CompuServe ID#: ___________________
AppleLink Address: ________________
Source ID: ________________________
GENIE ID: _________________________
BITNET: ___________________________
Other (explain): __________________
[ ] ICCE member (subscribe to *The Computing Teacher*)
[ ] Interested in writing for the newsletter
[ ] Interested in serving as an officer**
[ ] Interested in serving as editor of the newsletter**
**attach a resume or letter if you'd like to
be an officer or newsletter editor.
Signature: ________________________
Please list any goals or projects you'd like SIGTel to undertake:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Return this form to:
Chris Clark
553 Cricklewood Drive
State College, PA 16803
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TOWARDS A DISTANCE EDUCATION BIBLIOGRAPHY
By the editor
Those of us in the field of distance education know what a find it
is to come across a good bibliography . Therefore, the Online
Journal hereby asks readers with shareable bibliographies to submit
them so that they can be rebroadcast here. Don't worry about
whether or not entries in your bibliographies duplicate those you
may see in the Journal. At some point, I will coordinate them and
present a master list.
I will accept bibliographies "as is" (don't worry about format), but
do ask that you include a short description of why the bibliography
was put together. The objective behind the creation of the source
list will help readers gain a better understanding of its theme.
I begin this effort with a bibliography presented to me by Barry
Sponder, a doctoral student who is finishing a thesis on distance
education from the students' perspective. Of his thesis he writes:
"My final project is a qualitative program evaluation of the
distance education effort in southwestern Alaska. I used
Lincolmn/Guba (85) as a model for evaluation and monitored one
class,interviewed students and other students from different classes
to generate categories of information, concerns, etc. Last chapter
can be taken independently as a handbook for delivering distance
education to our area (chapter 5 recommendations). Cross cultural
issues,autonomy,institutional support, are addressed. Designing
instruction based on current principles of instructional design
(Reigeluth 83, 87) is an important component."
It might also be informative to know that Barry sent me this
bibliography in my response to a request for materials on the
history of distance education.
SPONDER'S BIBLIOGRAPHY From: Barry Sponder, BITNET ID:LFBMS@ALASKA
======================= If you can't contact him at this ID,contact
the editor.
Anwyl, J. and Bowden, J. (1986). Attitudes of australian university
and college academics to some access and equity issues,
including distance education. Distance Education. 7 (1), 106-
128.
Baath, J. (1984). Research on completion and discontinuation in
distance education. Epistolodidaktika, 1 (2), 31-43.
Barnhardt, C. (1984). Let Your Fingers Do the Talking: Commuter
Communication in an Alaskan Rural School. (ERIC document
ED242.242.) Washington D.C.: National Institute of Education.
Becker, A.D. (1978) Teleconferencing: A survey and evaluation.
Journal of Communication, Summer .120-124.
Burnham, B.R., and Seamons, R.A., 1987) Exploring the landscape of
electronic distance education. Life Long Learning an Omnibus of
Research and Practice 11 (2), 8-11
Carey, J.L., and Moss, M.L. (1985). The discussion of new
telecommunications technologies. Telecommunications Policy.
pp. 145-158.
Coldeway, D.O. (1982). Recent research in distance learning. In
Daniel, J.S., Stroud, M.A., and Thompson, J.R. (eds.) Learning at a
Distance: A World Perspective. pp. 90-93. Edmonton: Athabasca
University.
DiSilvestro, F. R. and Markowitz, H. Jr. (1982). Contracts and
completion rates in correspondence study. Journal of Educational
Research. Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 218-221.
Eiserman, W. D., and Williams, D.D. (1986). Current practices and
research on the use of distance education in elementary and
secondary schools. Provo, Ut.; BYU. Unpublished paper.
Erdos, R. F. (1967). Teaching by Correspondence. UNESCO Source
Book. London: Longman.
Farngoli, A. R., (1984). The LearnAlaska Network: An Educational
Telecommunications System. Anchorage: Alaska State Senate
Community and Regional Affairs.
Feasley, C.E. (1982). Distance Education. (ERIC document
#239.594). Oklahoma State University.
Fowler, G.D. and Wackerbarth, M.E. (1980). Audio teleconferencing
versus face-to-face conferencing; A synthesis of the literature.
The Western Journal of Speech Communication. Vol. 44, 236-252.
Hammond, S., and Williams, E. (1981). A brief review of the work of
the communications study group. Meet-Me seminar on
teleconferencing. Madison: Center for Interactive Programs.
Cited in Rothe, J.P. , Audio teleconferencing and distance
education:towards a conceptual synthesis. Distance Education.
Vol, 6, no. 2, p. 199.
Harrington, H. (1977). New Opportunities: Off-campus credits. In
Harrington (ed.), The Future of Adult Education. San Francisco:
Josey-Bass.
Hiltz, S.R., and Turoff, M. (1978) The Network Nation. Reading,
Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Holmberg, B.A. (1982). Recent research into distance education.
(ERIC document #235781) The Hague.
Holmberg, B. (1967). Correspondence Education: A survey of
applications, methods and problems. Malmo: Hermods.
Hudson,H.E., and Boyd, C.H. (1984) Distance Learning: A review for
educators. (ERIC document #246 872). Austin: Southwest
Education Development Lab.
Keegan, D. (1986). The Foundations of Distance Education. London:
Mugridge, I., and Kaufman, D., eds. (1986) Distance Education In
Canada. London: Croom Helm
Nelson, P. (1985). The Effects of Field Independent-Dependent
Cognitive Style on Achievement in a Telecourse (unpublished
doctoral dissertation) Brigham Young University.
Nofsinger, J.S. (1920). Correspondence Schools, Lyceums,
Chautauqua. New York: Macmillan.
Rau, P.V., and Hicks, B.L. (1972). Telephone-based instructional
systems. Audiovisual Instruction. April, 1972. pp. 18-22
Schramm, W. (1973). Big media, little media. Beverly Hills, Ca.:
Sage. THIS IS A KEY BOOK.
Seamons, R. A. (1987). Instructional Presentation and Student
Satisfaction With Electronic Distance Education Methods.
(unpublished doctoral dissertation) Logan: Utah State University.
Stewart, D., Keegan, D., and Holmberg, B., (1983). Distance
Education:International Perspectives. London: Croom Helm.
Wedemeyer, C.A. (1981). Learning at the Back Door: Reflections on
Non-Traditional Learning in the Lifespan. Madison, Wi.: The
University of Wisconsin Press.
Wedemeyer, C.A. ed. (1965). Problems in learning by
correspondence. In The Brandenburg Memorial Essays on
Correspondence Education. pp. 46-54. Madison: University of
Wisconsin.
Wilkinson, G.L. (1980). Media Research in Instruction: 60 years of
Research. Washington, D. C.: Association for Educational
Communications and Technology.
Willen, B. (1981). Distance Education at Swedish Universities.
Stockholm: Almqvist and Wiksell.
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LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
The editor is looking for references in this area. Of particular
interest is the how the development of distance education reflected
the social and political climate of its day.
Send responses to JFJBO@ALASKA. Thanks in advance for your help.
Should you be in a similar position of trying to establish a
literature base for researching an area of distance education or
communication, feel free to use the Journal as a forum to appeal to
readers for help.
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... ITEM #6
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THE VIDEO BOOTH
A Low Tech, Low Cost Alternative to Producing Video for
Correspondence Study
By the editor, reporting on the work of Centralized Correspondence
Study (CCS) teachers at the Dept. of Education, Alaska.
Play word association with just about any correspondence teacher,
and more often than not the word 'video' will elicit phrases like
'too expensive,' 'time consuming,' and 'very complicated.'
Producers of educational video will tell you that finished video
costs $3000/minute, that a half hour video will take anywhere from
weeks to months to produce, and requires the expertise of directors,
producers, professional actors, writers and technicians.
Yet, despite this, it seemed such a shame to Alaska Correspondence
Teachers not to take advantage of the fact that the vast number of
people they served, many of whom lived in remote areas, owned VCRs.
Perseverance and creativity prevailed. A few years ago CCS
converted a storage room into The Video Booth, a production space
capable of being run by one person who acted as teacher, camera
person, and producer. An 8 foot by 10 foot room was retrofitted
with lights, a camera, lavaliere mike, monitor, a supply of tapes,
and small presentation area which had chart pak and markers, and
blackboard and chalk. In-service training was given on how to
operate the booth, and on one of the walls is a step-by-step process
as a reminder. The components of the booth were relatively fixed
(lights, camera, monitor) so that teachers had to spend a minimum
amount of time setting up, and so that the teaching environment was
consistent from session to session.
The video booth made it possible for one person to produce a video
for students very inexpensively, in a relatively short amount of
time, and without a lot of stress. The quality of the videos can't
compete with the $3000/minute variety, but most students are very
pleased with this addition to correspondence material. Videos are
used to deliver actual coursework (such as lectures and
demonstrations), as a kind of electronic letter (answering students'
questions and clarifying points in lessons), and for training. For
example, when we distributed laptops and printers to correspondence
students to be used in an electronic mail project, we included a
video of myself and a colleague unpacking, setting up, and using the
equipment. Over ninety per-cent of those who received the video
were extremely appreciative of the fact that they didn't have to
wade through manuals. Many said they felt that they could not have
set up the equipment without it.
Not all the technophobes were won over. Some would still like to
see a full time position staffed to run the video booth and help
make productions easier and more professional.
But in the meantime, teachers who never produced videos before are
augmenting their largely print-based courses with extremely useful,
well received videos at minimal cost. I believe an apt phrase here
is "small is beautiful."
For more information, contact the editor or Dawn Middleton, Distance
Education Coordinator, State of Alaska. BITNET ID: JTDEM@ALASKA
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... ITEM #7
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INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS
IN EDUCATION
[Relayed to the editor by Barbara Kurshan, Janus Learning Center.]
The Symposium is being held in Jerusalem, Israel, August 21-24,
1989. Quoting from the literature:
This will be a gathering of Teachers, Administrators, and
Researchers who wish to exchange ideas and experiences on
the use of Telecommunications in Education. Part of the
meeting will involve presentations of reports describing
implementation strategies and evaluations of completed
and on-going projects. In addition, the meeting will
focus on Teacher and Project-leader working sessions, in
which participants will generate plans for
telecommunications usage in their own work places. The
presentation of papers will be integrated with panel
discussions, demonstrations, and poster sessions...the
theme of this symposium- LEARNERS AND THE GLOBAL
VILLAGE.
For more information contact Benjamin Feinstein at FEIN@HUJIARGI
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... ITEM #8 DISTANCE EDitorial
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SOME FACTS ABOUT FAX
AS WELL AS
THOUGHTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE DISTANCE COMPOSITION INSTRUCTION
USING FAX TECHNOLOGY
By the editor
ASSUMPTION: The reader has a rough idea of what electronic mail, FAX
machines, and correspondence/distance education are.
I have helped plan, implement, and maintain the gradual inclusion of
information technology in many sectors of Alaska's educational
community. Of the many projects I have been involved with, the
addition of electronic mail to correspondence education has produced
the most dramatic results.
The distances in Alaska (3 time zones in some cases) and terrain are
so extreme, that regular mail service can be very time consuming and
on-site visitations prohibitively expensive. Although audio
conferencing and phone support meet some needs, they cannot maintain
a consistent flow of communication between student and teacher. In
an attempt to remedy the situation, last year Centralized
Correspondence Study (which serves K-12) experimented with the use of
electronic mail by distributing laptop computers to students, and
training students (using video cassettes (see the article VIDEO BOOTH
above) and correspondence teachers to use the university's electronic
mail system. The result was a communication system which made
teacher<->student correspondence, which was sporadic at best, a
daily possibility. Thus, turn around time for homework or between
students' questions and teachers' answers was greatly reduced and the
educational flow was greatly enhanced.
At my university, reception to the use of electronic mail has not
been as enthusiastic. Technophobia accounts for some of this. But
upon investigating faculty reluctance, one criticism of electronic
mail emerged repeatedly: the teacher cannot add hand written comments
to student papers. Writing in margins, crossing out words, drawing
arrows is still a very effective way for teachers to interact
directly with student work. Electronic mail forced teachers to write
ABOUT the problems in a student paper, instead of ON TOP of them. At
the university level this is crucial as 'the paper' is the basis of
almost all humanities courses. This limitation of electronic mail
frustrates some K-12 correspondence teachers as well. The fact is
that while electronic mail can do a great deal to overcome the
barriers of time and space which separate teachers from remote
students, it is not very flexible in terms of the kind of
information that can be conveyed. FAX technology provides a possible
solution to this problem. When I proposed the system described below
to electronic mail critics, most agreed that it at least seemed to
address the problem and would be worth trying.
Although this editorial only addresses the problem of hand written
comments on papers, the FAX machine is an enormously versatile
machine. A basic rule of thumb is that anything that can be
photocopied can be FAXed. As a matter of fact, FAXing can be thought
of as photocopying at a distance. Thus hand writing, pictures,
diagrams, artistic renderings, complex mathematical or scientific
formulae that are difficult to word process, and, to a certain
extent, photographs are all prime candidates for being transmitted
via FAX.
A LITTLE ABOUT FAX MACHINES There are two kinds of FAX machines
that concern me in this editorial: those which have scanner/printer
assemblies and transmitters, and those which have only transmitters
and essentially function as modems. The scanner/printer assembly is
the part which actually takes a picture of a document and produces a
paper reproduction of the image (much like a photo copier), while
the transmitter sends the image over a phone line to another FAX. Two
send/receive scenarios are possible.
Scenario 1. Both student and teacher have FAXes with
scanners/printers and transmitters. The student prepares an
assignment using word processing software on a microcomputer, prints
it out on the printer, and then FAXes the printout to the teacher's
FAX machine. The teacher adds written comments to the student's
work, and then FAXes it back.
Scenario 2. Only the teacher has a FAX with both the scanner/printer
and the transmitter, while the student has just the transmitter type,
usually in the form of a modem-like device. The student prepares the
assignment and then, skipping the print out stage, sends it directly
from microcomputer (through a FAX with only transmission
capabilities) to the teacher's FAX where it is committed to paper
fore the first time. When the assignment is FAXed back by the
teacher, it arrives as a computer file which must be called up with
software in the student's computer and printed out on the printer.
The student's hardware needs are cheaper (no scanner, thus a cheaper
FAX machine), but this arrangement limits the kinds of transmittable
info the student can send to computer files. Another disadvantage
is the fact that there are the additional compatibility problems in
trying to hook a FAX directly to a computer. In Scenario I, the FAX
had only to deal with paper input. Money willing, Scenario I is much
preferable.
Note: A FAX plugs into a standard phone jack, the same found in any
business or home.
PRIMARY DELIVERY SYSTEM
STUDENT
prepares <-----> FAXes document <--> teacher receives
essay on to teacher FAXED document,
microcomputer / | marks document, and
| OR | returns to student
| / | via FAX
prints essay |
on printer <--------> |
THE PROCESS, SIMPLIFIED:
Student prepares paper, then either prints it out and FAXES
to teacher OR sends directly from computer as a file to
teacher's FAX machine which commits it to paper.
Teacher reads and makes notes on student paper, FAXES it
back, and student receives it as either a FAX hardcopy or a
computer file which must then be printed out.
Of course this is not a stand alone system. Support is offered in
many ways, through electronic mail, audio conferencing,
audio,video cassettes, printed materials, on-site visits if/when
possible, phone supports, diskettes and whatever else is practical
for the delivery team. How the primary and secondary systems
interact might be the subject of another DISTANCE EDitorial.
The point is this. The above diagram is 'textized' from a picture-
based diagram I developed on the Mac. It is not nearly as clear as
the original diagram. How much clearer it would be if I had FAXed to
you the original rather than converted it to ASCII characters. We
are rapidly entering the age when a fourth 'R' is unavoidable:
dRawing, or gRaphic manipulation. Students are already communicating
with pictures. It is now up to us to develop the administrative,
pedagogical, and technical infrastructure to support it.
Comments are welcome.
.....
...
...
... ITEM #9: APPENDIX- ABOUT THE JOURNAL by the editor
.....
WHAT IS THE ONLINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND COMMUNICATION?
[What follows is an excerpt from the first issue of the Journal.
Feel free to send suggestions to the editor.]
This first issue will be primarily concerned with the Journal
itself. Once we provide an idea of the Journal's identity and
direction, we hope you will contribute to this rapidly growing
field of 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 Journal is concerned with fall into
four basic content areas:
Content Area #1- *** Distance Education ***
The Journal 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 and workshops, or programs of study,
* anything else regarding the theory and practice of
distance education.
Content Area #2- *** Distance Communications ***
The Journal 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 Journal welcomes contributions that deal with serving people
at a distance who aren't necessarily associated with a learning
institution. The Journal 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 Journal is interested in projects concerned with
overcoming cultural barriers through the use of electronic
communication. The Journal 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 Journal 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
JXPJC@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 Journal of Distance Education &
Communication *****
Patt Haring {sun!hoptoad,cmcl2!phri}!dasys1!patth
-or- uunet!dasys1!patth
-or- patth@ccnysci.BITNET
Big Electric Cat Public Access Unix (212) 879-9031 - System Operator