Teaching online is a unique experience in a unique medium. Many of the skills and attributes of effective instruction in a classroom translate well to effective instruction online. At the risk of sounding fairly absurd - teaching online is very much like, and very much unlike, classroom teaching.
elearnspace. everything elearning.
Recently, a WebCT user wrote to the WebCT Users List to ask for tips/tricks/best practices on using the chat tool in WebCT. Ken Masters of the University of Cape Town sent an excellent response and has kindly allowed us to re-print his tips and tricks in our newsletter.
It is always nice to have a few tips.
Human Factors International--10 Web design tips
News websites have been with us for about a decade, and editors and designers still struggle with many unanswered questions: Is homepage layout effective? ... What effect do blurbs on the homepage have compared to headlines? ... When is multimedia appropriate? ... Are ads placed where they will be seen by the audience?
Eyetrack III - What You Most Need to Know
I sit here with my cyber glasses on looking at Distance Education.
Is it a chance for us to make education better?
Is it a chance for us to just repeat the things we have already done?
Does the almighty dollar dictate the answers to these question?
Are we fooling ourselves into thinking it is so new and different?
Is it just us repeating the right and wrongs of the last couple hundred years of education?
Holy crow lots of questions, my cyber glasses are fogging up.
I shall clean them and try to explain what these questions mean as seen through these slightly tinted fogged-up cyber glasses.
I find it interesting that people tend to compare the success of a Distance Education programs by how close it mirrors the F2F model used in High Schools or University. This just means the faults and successes of said models are now done at a distance. Perhaps distance education should reinvent the wheel? The standard F2F university lecture model of education was not the most compatible approach for my maturity, learning style or attention span. So, a distance education model that matched the University PowerPoint lecture model, I would consider to be a weak system and by no means a successful one for me. For hundreds of years this cost effective cookie cutter approach to education has been attracting a single type of person who represent a narrow part of society. The rest of society has not been welcome in the ivory towers because the teaching approach did not meet their learning style. Many have expressed the opinion that everyone can succeed at university, they just need to learn the system. They have to adapt to the university method of teaching, would it not be cool if a university tried to adapt to its clients. If it offered variety and allowed the consumers of education to choose the approach that best match them. Distance education programs have the chance to attract a totally different type of student, yet most universities by mirror their f2f approach are just giving the present university type student another albeit a different option. Would it not be neat if the option widened the range of students it attracted. If it offered variety and attracted those from society who would not excel at the F2F University model?
My cyber glasses have cleared, my thoughts have not.
The last couple of entries are old articles, but they still apply today.
After years of research, McCabe has concluded that there are more cheaters on college campuses than ever before -- and fewer people who care, including professors and administrators
The Daily Cougar--Today's News
'Everyone's doing it,' from grade school to graduate school
A survey was submitted to faculty, teaching assistants and student as part of a larger study on undergraduate cheating in an introduction to computing course at Georgia Tech. The goal of this survey was to emulate earier work done at M.I.T. and determine whether these groups held similar beliefs about what actions constitute cheating.
A previous report in this series discussed the classification of online course delivery systems according to the Advanced Distributed Learning Partnerships (ADL), and the international standards accepted by the ADL. The standardisation of courseware in this manner is necessary for the development of inter-institutional course sharing and quality control. The present report gives further definitions of the criteria applied by international standards organisations, and lists the principal specifications/ standards bodies now in operation.
IRRODL: XI: International E-learning Specifications
At conferences and in planning meetings, people concerned with education, training and performance improvement are talking about learning objects. What are they? What do learning objects promise your organization? And are they delivering on their promises?
Learning Solutions - Learning Objects: Behind the Buzz
Creating quality learning objects demands a team approach coupled with instructional design and planning. Contact us today to learn more about designing and developing learning objects for your e-learning environment.
AliveTek, Inc. [Learning Objects]
Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology special issue on learning objects.
This article discusses the topic of learning objects in three parts. First, it identifies a need for learning objects and describes their essential components based on this need. Second, drawing on concepts from recent developments in computer science, it describes learning objects from a theoretical perspective. Finally, it describes learning objects in practice, first as they are created or generated by content authors, and second, as they are displayed or used by students and other client groups.
IRRODL: Learning Objects:
Resources For Distance Education Worldwide
This is the online version of The Instructional Use of Learning Objects, a new book that tries to go beyond the technological hype and connect learning objects to instruction and learning. You can read the full text of the book here for free.
The Instructional Use of Learning Objects -- Online Version
At ASTD 2004, I had a chance meeting with Michael Allen, CEO of Allen Interactions. For those of you not familiar with his work (and I can't imagine there are too many of you folks out there), Allen has been at the heart of the multimedia industry for more than 25 years, and was a principal designer of Control Data Corporation's PLATO® computer-based education system and the principal architect of Authorware®. He is the founder and former chairman of Authorware, which merged with Macromind/Paracomp to form Macromedia.
LC Interviews Dr. Michael Allen
With the advent of pervasive systems, computers are becoming a larger part of our social lives than ever before. Depending on the design of these systems, they may either promote or inhibit social relationships. We consider four kinds of social relationships: a relationship with the system, system-mediated collaborative relationships, relationships with a community, and interpersonal relationships among co-located persons. In laboratory studies, the design of pervasive computers is shown to affect responses to social partners. We propose a model of how pervasive systems can influence human behavior, social attributions, and interaction outcomes. We also discuss some implications for system design.
At what cost pervasive? A social computing view of mobile computing systems
I have decided to once again place upon my eyes my cyber glasses and express my opinion about communication tools. Here goes:
I am a fan of chat and other synchronous group communication tools; however I do find them to be very limiting in an educational setting. For communication and group building they are some of the best way to communicate. The popularity of MSN and ICQ will attest to that. I think they have their place but after teaching high school for twenty year I feel for the student who has thirty others looking at him/her when put on the spot with a question. A discussion board allows them the time to research and formulate their thoughts while many synchronous (F2F class room) communication settings do not. I think lurking is a pretty good indication of students desire to be part of a community but not their willingness to participate. Try to run a chat without any marks assigned and you will be amazed at the number of lurkers who will attend. The same happens in many F2F classrooms, the majority of the chat happens between a select few while the rest lurk. What I like about discussion boards is that when they are sophisticated enough, an instructor can compile a student's responses and use them as an indication of a student's knowledge of the subject. In a sense, use it as an assessment tool. In the purest form education is not done for marks it is done by an individual for intrinsic reasons. If we can ever get formal education to the stage where it is flexible enough that students want to partake in it for personal reasons, we will have a system which meets student's personal educational goals without the instructor even knowing what they are. Too often assessment tools are used to test the instructor's ideas of what is important for a student to know, rather than allowing the student to choose their education goals and fulfill them.
The information age contains too much information for instructors to choose a small portion of it and test the student's knowledge of it. It would be much more exciting to recognize that the abundance of information is at the student's finger tips and now we need to design a method of allowing the student to choose what they are interested in. Let them formulate their own personal question and then solve them. Instructors follow, assist, guide and get out of their way.
Getting out of the way is a difficult action for the instructors of old who are use to being the "Sage on the Stage
The following four resources were on the reading list for a course on Instructional Design and Program Evaluation that I am taking at Athabasca University. They make for a good read. Thanks to Rick Kenny for the list and for his guidance during the course.
This term denotes a process, the product of which is to be the individual. It might be easier to think about phenomena of De-individualization first in oder to find the concept of an emerging individual with all the traits to be thought about.
We can witness such phenomena of de-individualization e.g. in the field of the military - where the number of the unit etc. and then the "individual number" is printed in metal to easier identify a corpse after casualties. Such numbers we also know of big systems like social security systems, telephone or fax numbers and the like.
No topic raises more contentious debate among educators than the role of interaction as a crucial component of the education process. This debate is fueled by surface problems of definition and vested interests of professional educators but is more deeply marked by epistemological assumptions relative to the role of humans and human interaction in education and learning. Daniel and Marquis (1979) seminal article challenged distance educators to get the mixture right between independent study and interactive learning strategies and activities. They quite rightly pointed out that these two primary forms of education have differing economic, pedagogical and social characteristics and that we are unlikely to find a "perfect" mix that meets all learner and institutional needs across all curriculum and content. Nonetheless hard decisions have to be made.
NCODE - Flexible Learning Australasia is the peak Australian organisation for institutions engaged in or interested in open, distance and flexible education.
The current study evaluated the relationship of the LSI learning types, of 66 employees selected for a federal Public Service executive development program, with supervisors' ratings of observed on-the-job learning behaviours and global evaluations of learning potential.
The Learning Style Inventory: Convergent validity Study in an Applied Career Setting
Changes to copyright law recommended by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage would seriously hinder the use of the Internet for teaching and learning purposes, warn six national education groups representing the K-12 and postsecondary sectors.
AUCC media release: Copyright proposal threatens future Internet use in classrooms
Peridot, developed by UK intern students at IBM, scans company weblinks and replaces outdated information with other relevant documents and links.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Web tool may banish broken links
If you're still pointing and clicking with the factory-issued mouse that came with your computer -- or, heaven forbid, if you're still using your laptop's barbaric touch pad -- it's time to upgrade.
Yahoo! News - Review: New Computer Mice Cutting Edge
It's not unusual for teachers and students to use an online environment like a chat room to meet. But Delwiche and a few other college professors are taking advantage of Second Life's fully three-dimensional virtual world and are the first to teach classes in a world where the students can fly, change body types at will and build fantastical structures that can float in the sky.
Wired News: Campus Life Comes to Second Life
Drop that Lonely Planet guide! For a true indie tour of the Big Apple, grab your cell phone and follow the yellow arrows now littering the city.
Online journals, or weblogs, have put together a series of developments which suggest that the search engine is developing new web tools.
A US newspaper has also reported that Google has poached former Microsoft workers who created early versions of the Internet Explorer browser.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Rumours surround Google browser
So you live in Canada, eh? Oh, you don't -- but you're nonetheless looking for a coffee joint with Internet access that's open right now in Toronto? Well, lucky you -- we just launched Google Local Canada.
A 16-year-old girl from Idaho who police credit with speaking up and preventing a teenager from carrying out violent threats against his Detroit-area high school learned about the importance of detecting and reporting internet threats from her father, who heads the cyber crime unit for the Washington State University police.
A good list of resources that will assist most teachers in their course development.
techLEARNING.com | Technology & Learning - The Resource for Education Technology Leaders
Get the photo quality you want by making changes to a whole image or to some of its parts.
techLEARNING.com | Technology & Learning - The Resource for Education Technology Leaders
Welcome! The Learning Web, part of the USGS Website, is dedicated to k-12 education and lifelong learning. Explore things on, in, around, and about the Earth, such as land, water, plant, animals and maps.
The prevalence of online distance education courses requires university faculty to face new challenges and make new decisions in the areas of course management and design, delivery method, student communication media, creation of an engaging learning environment, assessment , and use of new technologies. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if university faculty in the University of North Carolina System are receiving sufficient training and support in developing an online distance education curriculum. There was also an interest in the types and amount of training the faculty received at various institutions as well as their attitudes toward developing curriculum for online learning. An online survey was employed to solicit data from faculty of the schools and departments of education (SCDEs) within the University of North Carolina System who have previously taught online courses. The survey addressed the experience of respondents, types of on and off-campus training offered, topics offered in training, relevancy of offerings, whether or not training was required prior to course delivery, and requested ideas for staff development that were desired but unavailable. The majority of respondents indicated that there was sufficient training for faculty to support the change to online learning. Respondents also indicated that most training was offered on-campus, was predominately related to pedagogical and technical areas, was viewed as relevant and accessible, and participation was voluntary or not required. Faculty attitudes, according to results, were overall positive about the quality and quantity of training for course development and maintenance for online learning environments.
Prepared to Teach Online? Perspectives of Faculty in the University of North Carolina System
E-learning products of the future will operate in a world that is interconnected through information and communication technology (ICT) that will be used by all teachers, trainers and managers, not just IT 'geeks'.
Australian Flexible Learning Framework -
About two years back, I asked a friend if his institution was doing any eLearning. He said, "Oh, yes, we have an LMS and we are doing all sorts of eLearning stuff."
I said, "Having an LMS does not necessarily mean that you are creating meaningful eLearning." He asked, "Meaningful eLearning-what do you mean?"
A computer chat program called Alice has won a prestigious prize for human-like conversation for the third time.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Alice chatbot wins for third time
European plane maker Airbus SAS has successfully completed the first in-flight trial of mobile phones and infrastructure equipment based on Global System for Mobile Communications technology, the company says.
Advertisement
The trial, which took place aboard an Airbus A320 flight-test plane, culminated a two-year European Commission-supported research project aimed at testing wireless technology for in-flight mobile phone and computing services.
PCWorld.com - Mobile Phones Cleared for Takeoff
LOS ANGELES -- Back to school for many kids means "back to internet access" in classes where the best of filtering software is not foolproof, particularly against seemingly harmless websites used for invasive marketing.
Wired News: Back to School and Gaming Kids
No textbooks? No problem. A revolutionary new high school outside Tucson, Ariz., plans to do away with the bulky, hardcover tomes in favor of laptop computers, making it one of the first schools in the nation to abandon the use of traditional textbooks for the educational value of the internet.
I get lots of questions from people who are being run ragged by pop-ups. Or something has hijacked their home page. Or their search engine has been changed in their browser.
Komando.com, Website for The Kim Komando Radio Show®, Tip of the Day
Are you curious about your new next door neighbor? Wondering what kind of information others can find out about you? You'd be surprised at the kind of information available. This week's Internet Pick of the Week is all about privacy (or lack thereof).
Komando.com, Website for The Kim Komando Radio Show®, Kool sites
I am still receiving many questions about the Service Pack 2 update to Windows XP. Many of these questions already have been addressed, so rather than repeat myself, I have established this FAQ. I'll update it as more information becomes available
Komando.com, Website for The Kim Komando Radio Show®, Tip of the Day
With a point and a click of her computer mouse, Hudson High School senior Roxanne Mutti hands in a poetry assignment to a teacher 3,000 miles away, then scrolls through messages from 19 classmates at schools that span four time zones.
Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / More students log on to learn
This introductory-level presentation demonstrates how to evaluate the materials and teaching in online courses. Topics covered include similarities with evaluation of on-ground teaching, factors unique to online courses, technological considerations, helping administrators unfamiliar with online courses, and national standards, rubrics, and benchmarks.
Best Practices for Administrative Evaluation of Online Faculty
This paper argues that pedagogical improvement can be successfully achieved by using technology. The use of WebCT-based instruction in an Economics undergraduate distance-learning programme is one vivid demonstration of the potential for using technology in instruction. Here, a satellite Economics course is taught using the WebCT as a complementary teaching instrument. This paper shows that using WebCT strongly contributed to the effectiveness of distance learning by improving the quality of students' comprehension in areas of critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making ability, aptitude for detail, written communication, knowledge of information, and ability to organise and analyse.
Student Feedback on Distance Learning with the Use of WebCT (CHEER v16 2004)
An example of an online course survey.OL Summer 04
An example of an online survey
This paper will discuss the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a graduate level course aimed at teaching the concepts and principles underlying Web-Based Instruction (WBI). The overall course goal was to provide an introduction to the principles of WBI and its role in creating learning environments that utilize the attributes and resources of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Particular emphasis was placed on pedagogical, technological, organizational, institutional, and ethical issues related to the design, development, and delivery of WBI.
A course evaluation survey...neat to see another's approach to this challenge.
Survey
HERE'S YOUR CHANCE
TO
IMPROVE COURSE QUALITY!
I would like to set up our evaluation of courses on-line. Can I do it
on webCT? Here's the considerations in setting up the evaluation:
1. we are evaluating many courses
2. some courses are on-line others are in-class
3. the evaluations must go to the college, NOT to the instructor
4. we would like WebCT to compile all the responses
Any ideas? Which tool should I use? Could I set up a separate WebCT
site for this purpose? Would the students need new passwords, etc.?
These web pages were initially created in 1996 for a presentation on Web Based Instruction for professors and instructors at the University of Manitoba.
UMinfo - Web Tools : Evaluation main
EDUCAUSE REVIEW | July/August 2004, Volume 39, Number 4
Blended learning is a hybrid of classroom and online learning that includes some of the conveniences of online courses without the complete loss of face-to-face contact. The present study used a causal-comparative design to examine the relationship of sense of community between traditional classroom, blended, and fully online higher education learning environments. Evidence is provided to suggest that blended courses produce a stronger sense of community among students than either traditional or fully online courses.
Most of us were educated to believe that there is one "correct" (and fairly formal) version of English grammar and punctuation, and any deviation from that is mere sloppiness.
Contentious » Grammar and Punctuation for the Web
Establishing trust among members of a virtual team is a prerequisite for being able to work as a team. Coworkers can help build trusting relationships in several ways: clearly communicating the value each brings to the team, demonstrating commitment to meet team expectations and being thorough enough to catch and fix the problems that will inevitably pop up from time to time
IBM Trust-building for a virtual team - Executive technology report
The Teacher2Teacher service grew out of the Ask Dr. Math service at the Math Forum in March of 1998. Teacher2Teacher can be characterized as a peer-mentored question-and-answer service. We focus on answering questions from teachers and parents about math teaching and math learning.
Math Forum: Teacher2Teacher (T2T)
Creating a child-centered culture and environment is the main guiding principle of the Florida Virtual School. It is within this special "virtual" world that students have the resources to embrace a different style of learning, free from the conditions of a traditional school. It does not replace it but offers another style in which students learn and meet their individuality. Connecting with such students on line is a multi-faceted endeavor. Our model for best practices is designated by excellent communication skills that involve the entire student as a person and acknowledging who they are.
Techlearning > > Best Practices for Connecting with Students Online > September 1, 2004
Matt Giardina is enrolled in a Web design course at St. Joseph's Central High School. He's never met his teacher and it's doubtful that he'll ever meet his classmates. They live in Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and eastern Massachusetts.
Berkshire Eagle Online - Headlines
Cheating and increasing class sizes in Information Systems courses have forced us to reconsider our approach to assessment. Online assessment was introduced in our department in a pilot form in 1996 through an in-house developed package, SOAP (Student Online Assessment Program) and has evolved over subsequent years. This paper examines our explorations into WebCT and compares its Quiz tool with the facilities (potentially) offered by developing an in-house assessment package. We examine the differences between the two examples of learning and teaching technology mainly from a teacher's perspective but include some illuminating examples of feedback from our students. We conclude with some suggestions of factors that govern the successful use of online assessment in Information Systems courses.
WebCT and Online Assessment: The best thing since SOAP?
I came across this interesting web site while reading through an assignment given to a grade 7/8 class. The students were asked to find a user friendly, interesting, educational and useful web site. They then went through the site and listed why I should add their chosen site to our student web site list
This site is great for student, teachers and parents.
Here is a small exerpt from the page:
Math and Reading Help for Kids is a directory of hundreds of original articles, tips, and resources centered on the topic of children's learning. Although the articles in this site are primarily written to help parents make informed decisions about their child's education, there is also a comprehensive Just for Kids section containing dozens of articles written for a younger audience.
http://math-and-reading-help-for-kids.org/index.html
Some game developers are trying to get players to expand their horizons by reflecting on news events in computer games.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Games blur news and entertainment
I think it would be very cool to work towards a working robot. Frustrating but cool.
The New York Times They're Robots? Those Beasts!
Cybercrime is one of the major challenges facing modern society. The Council of Europe believes the Convention is an ideal way for governments to anticipate problems and resolve them, working together to create security for the citizens of Europe and beyond.
The game industry can be forgiven for originally doubting the prospects for "The Sims."
Controlling 'The Sims' | Newsmakers | CNET News.com
The New York Times > Technology > Amazon to Take Searches on Web to a New Depth
Anyone who has cursed when their flashlight goes dead may have something new to beam about -- a flashlight that accepts batteries of different sizes. Flashlight Takes Batteries of Any Size
Parents across Devon are being offered the chance to apply for a secondary school place for their children online for the first time.
BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Online applications for schools
This guide contains everything you need to run lessons on chat safety for 8-10 and 11-16 year olds, in two separate Teachers Packs. The lessons have been created by teachers and Internet safety experts.
BBC - ChatGuide - Teacher's Guide - Teachers Pack
Attempts to fight spam by identifying e-mails have hit problems over Microsoft's involvement in the process
BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft's spam plan rejected
Welcome to Young Scot's new multi-cultural/anti-racism site. The reason we have introduced this new site is to let you know about the One Scotland. Many Cultures Campaign organised by the Scottish Executive to tackle and stamp out racism in Scotland and to celebrate Scotland's multi-cultural society.
This time saver free key stoke program is so useful at this busy time of year.
Open programs and files with a few strokes on the keyboard. HotKeyz allows you to add parameter controls, such as launching your e-mail program and automatically composing a new e-mail. Shortcuts are created by using the Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Start keys with another key.
Skynergy - HotKeyz
Abracadabra! With this magic word you can amaze all your friends! You can find a whole bunch of magic tricks
Funology.com -- Abracadabra -- Magic tricks
Ever wonder what makes a disc bad? Here's why they vary in quality, and why you should worry about the discs you've entrusted with your data.
PCWorld.com - Burning Questions: When Good Discs Go Bad
Could this be so....get the paddles....clear...bam...there is a heart rate.
Floppy has not flatlined, an era has not ended...Praise those Matsushita engineers.
PCWorld.com - Will the Floppy Disk Find New Life?
I will not like to see the day when the 3 1/2 inch floppy disk is no more. It will end an era, it will make it harder to know who the nerds are...it was easy when the person has a floppy in his shirt pocket. Now, what will be the tell tale signs???
PCWorld.com - What Has Your Floppy Drive Done for You Lately?
The use and integration of technology and media into teaching and learning in higher education has renewed an emphasis on the importance of instructional design - that is, the theory and practice of paying particular attention to the presentation and organization of material so that students might best learn.
One of the goals of many knowledge management (KM) projects is to 'support and/or increase knowledge sharing'. While on the surface this is both a sensible and desirable goal, in practice it is often ineffective.
'Knowledge sharing' should be avoided
The Australian Flexible Learning Framework is a five year national program to create and share knowledge about flexible learning and to support its take-up in vocational education and training.
Australian Flexible Learning Framework
Abstract Given the drive in higher education institutions to employ web-based learning (WBL) technologies in their curricula, this article sets out to address the question of how staff experience the incorporation of such technologies into their educational practice.
The study focuses on an initiative involving four institutions in South and West England that aimed to encourage the strategic development of WBL resources in health and welfare professional education programmes.
Higher Education: Higher Education Staff Experiences Of Using Web-based Learning Technologies
This is a reprint of an article by Harry and Rosemary Wong. Contains valuable information about the seven things students want to know when they first meet their teacher.
First Day of School
This is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word searches, crossword and math puzzles using your word lists. Choose from 11 different types of puzzles and follow step-by-step instructions for adding in your content. You can also save time by using one of their ready-made vocabulary word lists.
DiscoverySchool's Puzzlemaker allows kids to make crossword puzzles online.
Thanks to Judy Byers for bringing this site to our attention in the OLC 2004-2005 newsletter-Issue 1
Check out the free tools and resources for your classroom. This site offers online activities, "Writing with Writers" workshops, lesson plans, teaching strategies and teaching themes & holidays ideas.
Teacher Site on Scholastic.com
As the smoke clears and we examine the landscape, the picture from a user's perspective looks bright. While there was plenty of turmoil and contention in the year (spam disputes, e-mail bombs, censorship battles, outages, etc), the internet grew in leaps and bounds and was greatly enriched in technology and content.
Many of us are so caught up in the Net-- pulled along by the currents of its evolution and technology-- that we fail to realize how far we've come. Three years ago I was dialing in to a shell account, and Unix was still a required skill. At the time we gave readers tips about Z-modem transfers, writing Archie strings, and choosing between nn, rn, trn and tin newsreaders.
The above two paragraphs were taken from an "Internet World" magazine that I had laying around since December 1996. This "from the editor" article could be re-run in any magazine today and the only aspects of it that might be dated would to be the dailing into and a few other statements other than those it still rings fairly true.
I write this commentary because I can remember teaching my grade 7 computer class on Vic 20s. We wrote code to make our names scroll down the screen and were amazed at how exciting this was both for myself as well as my students. Now, I run a cyber school, education via the web a long way from the Vic 20 cassette tape back up system. I am sitting here typing this up while watching my baby drink his bottle on a laptop machine that most likely has more computing power than the machines that were used to put a man on the moon. Yet, I still complain about how slow it is, yet I am still, so caught up in technology that I have problems thinking back to the time I wrote an essay using a bic. I wonder how my child will look back on the laptop I am using when he is half my age. Will he laugh, the same as I do about the Vic 20 or marvel at just how far we've come. Will he look back at these comments and be shocked at how the internet is still plagued with the same short comings and how the article written by Michael Neubarth in 1996 still describes the internet world.
My brother often states: "Ya know this Internet thing just may not be a phase, it might stick around a few years." So far it is still pulling us along by the currents of its evolution and technology as it did in 1996, will it still ten years from now...time will tell.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
As seen through the new parent cyber glasses.
This is a great site if you need help with citing and referencing both print and online material. This site will actually prepare the reference for you so that you can copy and paste directly into your document.
http://www.noodletools.com/noodlebib/starter.php