NEW LAW DIRECTS SCHOOLS TO INSTALL INTERNET FILTERING DEVICES - President Clinton in December signed into law the fiscal 2001 appropriations law for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. The law includes provisions that affect schools and libraries that receive federal money for Internet connections. Although Clinton signed the new law, he had some reservations about the appropriations bill because of a proposal that requires schools and libraries to install filtering technology to block student access to pornography. Clinton did not think the filtering requirement was worth blocking the $450 billion appropriations bill, although free-speech advocates are expected to challenge the new law in court. Under the proposal, schools and libraries must devise Internet safety policies that include the use of filtering software. April 16 is the tentative deadline for drawing up the Internet safety policies, and failure to do so could result in schools' loss of federal money for technology spending. (Education Week, 10 Jan 01 - Edupage 01 Jan 01)

US WEB-BASED EDUCATION COMMISSION RELEASES ITS REPORT - The 16 member Web-based Education Commission CLICK: http://www.hpcnet.org/cgi-bin/global/a_bus_card.cgi?SiteID=154797 established by US President Bill Clinton in 1999 has filed its report. The committee set out to investigate the Internet's effect on and possibilities for education at all levels and to advise on related policy. The report, entitled "The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice," is available free of charge at CLICK: http://interact.hpcnet.org/webcommission/index.htm.

Key recommendations of the report include:
* ensuring equitable access to technology and education for all learners and potential learners
* providing education, training and support for educators
* supporting research on web-based education
* creating digital content
* updating regulatory structures for education
* ensuring privacy and protection for online learners
* securing funding
(NETWORKING ISSN 1206-9450, vol. 5, no 1, 10 Jan 01)

eMAIL, A VIRTUAL CLASS RING - Some colleges are offering lifelong free eMail accounts to alumni as a way of maintaining ties with graduates. Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY allows students to maintain their eMail accounts after they graduate, while Berklee College of Music in Boston provides free accounts with the word "alumni" added to the address. Emory University also adds "alumni" to the address, because some graduates wanted to ensure that employers and others would not view them as students. Emory's alumni eMail accounts automatically forward messages to an account of the graduate's choice. (New York Times Education Life, 7 January 2001 - Edupage 8 Jan 01)

COLLEGES DISAGREE ABOUT COMPUTING COSTS AND BENEFITS - Educators from 100 colleges met at Seton Hall University for the fourth annual Ubiquitous Computing Conference. Officials at Wake Forest University, where a mandatory laptop policy has been in effect for four years, say the policy has improved communication between students/students and students/professors. Some, less enamored by the laptop policy argued that such a policy creates unrealistic expectations among both students and faculty. Faculty also said laptops forced them to spend extra time in Web course development. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 9 Jan 01)