UPFRONT - Technology Accessibility for Instructors
FOCUS - "Involving the Deaf Community in Distance Teaching and Learning" by Simone Conceição-Runlee and Rosemary Lehman
UW NEWS - The WI Distance Learning Conference Call for Proposals, Ninth Annual GWETC Call for Presentations, The Alliance of Four, Chris Olgren Cited in Training Issue, TTT
LINES - January News Highlights
ED - New Law Instructs Schools to Install Internet Filtering Services, US Web-Based Education Commission Releases Its Report, eMail a Virtual Class Ring, Colleges Disagree About Computer Costs and Benefits
BIZ/GOV/ED - Library Group Fights Mandatory Filtering Law, Top Analysts Forecast a Slow Year for Online Schools But a Surge for Corporate E-Learning, Cisco to Train in India
TECH/TOOLS - Deep Filter Bots, MindLeaders' Specialized Software, Adaptive Technology
FUNDS - US Dept of Ed Technology Budget Grows to $2.8 Billion
READS/RESOURCES - Distance Education Startup Guides for Practitioners, New Latin American Resources, Accessibility Resources, FunBrain's Quiz Lab
ISSUES/CHALLENGES - Youth and Ergonomics
ETC - HTML Gives Way to XML, Six Common Web Site Mistakes
NEW ON THE LIST - Welcome to New Subscribers
POSITIONS - UW-Green Bay, Purdue University, University of Ottawa FYI - Institutes, Conferences, Events
ENDNOTE - The Smaller It Gets, The Faster It Gets... ___________________________________________________________________________
FEBRUARY DESIEN ISSUE FOCUS - "The Ever Changing Nature of Copyright and Fair Use: Where Are We Today?" by Lisa Livingston, UW-Madison ___________________________________________________________________________
UPFRONT - As technology continues to advance, mandates for increased accessibility and appropriate instructional design for people with disabilities are being brought to our attention (the 1990 ADA Act, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 in the Telecommunications Act and the Workforce Reinvestment Act.) Accessibility and appropriate instructional design involve not only learners, but instructors as well. One project that is addressing needs in this area is a collaborative project to involve deaf instructors in distance teaching and learning.

The project, "Involving the Deaf Community in Distance Teaching and Learning," is being coordinated by Simone Conceição-Runlee of UW-Milwaukee with the assistance of Instructional Communications Systems (ICS), University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX). This three-phase project will: 1) train deaf instructors in the spring of 2001 to adapt the traditional American Sign Language (ASL) classroom course for teaching via the component technologies of videoconferencing and Blackboard, 2) implement, monitor, and assess the course when it is taught between UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison during the summer, and 3) analyze findings and offer implications for practice. Simone Conceição-Runlee of UW-Milwaukee and discuss the project in this month's FOCUS article below. (Rosemary Lehman, DESIEN)

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FOCUS
Involving the Deaf Community in Distance Teaching and Learning by Simone Conceição-Runlee, School of Education, UW-Milwaukee Rosemary Lehman, Instructional Communications Systems, UW-Extension

More than 43,000,000 Americans have one or more physical or cognitive disabilities, a number that is increasing each year. Historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate individuals with disabilities, and, despite some improvements, such forms of discrimination against individuals with disabilities continue to be a serious and pervasive problem, persisting in many areas.

In July of 1990, The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George Bush. This Act provides a clear and comprehensive national mandate to provide consistent and enforceable standards to address any type of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Later Acts, the Telecommunications Act, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, and the Workforce Reinvestment Act, are more recent mandates that address technology accessibility and instructional design, requiring systems to be designed with accessibility built-in, where possible, for instructors and learners.

A unique project coordinated by UW-Milwaukee addresses the need of accessibility for deaf instructors. This project will train these instructors to adapt their traditional American Sign Language (ASL) classroom course to the component environments of videoconferencing and Blackboard. The project will take place in three phases: 1) instructor training, 2) ASL class implementation and evaluation, and 3) analysis of findings. After extensive monitoring, assessment, analysis and recommendations, it is anticipated that the project will serve as a model for involving the deaf community in distance teaching and learning.

The project timeline includes spring training and course development; summer implementation, monitoring and assessment, and fall and winter data/information analysis and refinement. This collaborative partnership between University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Instructional Communications Systems (ICS), University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) will train deaf instructors in spring workshops in instructional design for using videoconferencing and Blackboard for teaching ASL. The intensive ICS spring training will be taught via videoconferencing with Blackboard as the management tool and component technology. Through the use of their new skills, the instructors will provide a summer distance education course for deaf and hearing students in ASL.

The 21-hour summer course will be taught point-to-point between UW- Milwaukee and UW-Madison. Classes will meet three hours each week for seven weeks via videoconferencing with Blackboard serving as the course management tool and as a component technology for interaction. Thirty students, 15 per site are anticipated for the course. One of the trained instructors will serve as the major instructor and the other as the site coordinator at the second site. Monitoring and assessment for outcomes and adaptation will be designed and led by a deaf instructor from UW- Madison and a distance education specialist/instructional designer from ICS.

Both the overall project and the course will be carefully monitored and assessed throughout. This comprehensive evaluation of the project will include: 1) a pretest and posttest for both instructors and learners; 2) observation of interactions; 3) observation of integrated software; 4) self-reflection about learning through student journals, 5) evaluation of technical and site personnel, 6) overall course evaluation of the videoconferencing environment: Blackboard software, streaming video and facilities at both sites; learner knowledge through quizzes and discussions, and a final exam.

The findings will be used to develop an effective model to share with other institutions statewide, nationally, and internationally.

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UW NEWS

THE WI DISTANCE LEARNING CONFERENCE CALL FOR PROPOSALS - has been issued for the 17th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning to be held August 8-10, 2001 in Madison, Wisconsin. Session proposals for presentations workshops and cracker-barrel discussion are due online by February 28, 2001

The Conference Planning Committee invites you to contribute to the professional knowledge provided at this event by presenting a session that relates to the field of distance teaching and learning. We also invite exhibits of distance education resources, courseware, and technology. Join more than 1000 colleagues from around the world at this leading forum on distance education and training. Practitioners, managers and government agencies will come together to exchange information and explore new developments at the conference.

New This Year - All session proposals should be submitted online on the website CLICK: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference. Select the link "Call for Proposals" for directions and forms. To receive a printed brochure, please contact Kimary Peterson at: distel@education.wisc.edu (from Debbi Cardinal, Wisconsin Library Association)

NINTH ANNUAL GWETC CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS - The GWETC 2001 Steering Committee has issued a Call for Applications to Present for the Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference (GWETC). Applications will be received 'online only' this year beginning February 15 at CLICK: http://www.gwetc.org Deadline for submission is March 17, 2001.

This year's conference will be held at the newly remodeled KI Center and Regency Suites in Green Bay, Wisconsin, October 29-31. GWETC 2001 is expected to draw more than 150 presenters from education, business and government for pre-conference labs and workshops, breakout sessions and poster sessions. GWETC offers exemplary presenters from diverse educational institutions and private businesses, as well as the highest-quality statewide and national vendors and keynote speakers.

Submit an Application to Present beginning February 15 'online only' at CLICK: http://www.gwetc.org Submissions deadline is March 17, 2001. Join the more than 1,800 participants to share, network and learn about Wisconsin's "best practices."

GWETC is cosponsored by the University of Wisconsin Extension, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Department of Public Instruction, the Educational Communications Board, TEACH Wisconsin and the Technical College System. For more information CLICK: http://www.gwetc.org or call GWETC Conference Management at 608-266-2741.

THE ALLIANCE OF FOUR - The University of California at Berkeley's extension program, Pennsylvania State University's World Campus, the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin's Learning Innovations program recently formed an alliance. Through the alliance the institutions will share information and make joint technology purchases. The alliance, according to the group's leaders, is an informal one and will not spawn for-profit spinoffs or ambitious joint course offerings. Officials from the four universities will meet two or three times a year and also participate in periodic conference calls. The talks will focus on four key areas - marketing, technical issues, student services and faculty relations. The alliance's first meeting was held in December at Berkeley. For the complete article CLICK: http://chronicle.com/free/2001/01/2001012301u.htm (Chronicle of Higher Education 23 Jan 01)

CHRIS OLGREN CITED IN TRAINING ISSUE - Dr. Chris Olgren, Program Director for the Distance Education Certificate Program, UW-Madison was cited in the January issue of Training. In a sidebar in the article "Professional Development To Go?" by George Lorenzo, Chris stated, "As trainers and designers look to develop and deliver training programs through e-learning, they need to find out how that learning is going to differ by using technology. They need to learn what key components have to be incorporated into the program in order to have an effective instructional design - good learner support and instructor services - and how to choose the appropriate technology for the application." (Rosemary Lehman, DESIEN)


TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY TODAY - the January issue is now online at CLICK: http://www.uwsa.edu/olit/ttt/ Articles include:

* "Master of Engineering in Professional Practice Reaches Working Engineers at a Distance" by Jennifer Smith, TTT Editor. A profile of UW-Madison's distance education program for engineers' professional development.

* "Support for Distance Learning Programs: "Is Technology Really Enough?" by Karen Al-Ashkar, Counselor, Master of Engineering in Professional Practice Program To learn more about the student-support aspect of the MEPP program profiled above, readers are directed to the American Society of Engineering Education's site to read Al-Ashkar's award-winning paper.

* BOOK REVIEW: Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds - for Better and Worse (by Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998), review by Patricia Ploetz, Instructional Technology and Multimedia Educator/Coordinator, UW-Stevens Point. Ploetz describes Healy's book as an insightful, highly readable critique of the "technology craze" mindset held by some educators. She finds Healy's "do it right when the time is right" attitude toward the integration of technology into children's education a measured and practical solution. (from Jennifer Smith, Editor, TTT UW System Administration) __________________________________________________________________________
LINES - January News Highlights

- Several technology initiatives that advocate grant dollars for rural and low income schools are part of the new Bush Education Plan. While some see these initiatives as high priority, other observers expect that they will be overshadowed by Bush's call for school vouchers. (Wired Online, 24 Jan 01) - Today students expect instructors to provide online resources for their courses. Institutions that fail to meet this expectation may risk losing students to other institutions. Carole A. Barone, EDUCAUSE Vice President, supports the idea of using software components that allow instructors to build online course content that requires a minimum of programming knowledge and allows them to use parts of a certain textbook and ignore the rest. The key is to affect more than marginal changes and to devise a support system to manage online course resources as independently as possible. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 17 Jan 01)

- The first six degrees for an online MBA program, launched in 1999, were recently awarded by Baltimore's Merrick School of Business, a school accredited by the International Association for Management Education. The graduates, ranging in age from late 20s to 40s, were all working adults. None of the graduates visited the college campus. (Associated Press, 8 Jan 01)

- The need for bandwidth is increasing as the economy slows. Analysts see bandwidth increasing dramatically with high-speed Internet becoming a necessity for businesses and consumers, as their desire for streaming video and audio over the Internet increases and the capabilities become more affordable. A lack of fiber-optic connections in many homes and businesses is the major hurdle that needs to be surmounted to realize the predicted increase. (Business Daily, 17 Jan 01)

- The FCC will go forward with plans to allow companies to use the 2.4 Ghz band for wireless, despite the fact that the band is already in heavy use that there may be interference with airline navigation systems. Some engineers are confident that these problems will be resolved as cellular technology advances through the use of 'spread spectrum technology' which allows the transmission signal to move within a small range of frequencies to avoid collisions with other signals. (Wall Street Journal, 8 Jan 01)

- Research institutions in 30 countries will be connected with Europe's high-speed research network, GEANT. Like Internet2, GEANT will run on a 2.5 Gbps backbone and will be a testing ground for new applications in a wide variety of research fields. It will bring advances in the quality of service and multicasting technology which will eventually reach consumers. The research network will go online mid-2001 - at a cost of 80 million euros. (Network Magazine, Dec)

- The Canadian government is hoping to bring broadband network services to all its citizens by 2004, helping to make higher education and health care benefits available to all Canadians. A task force will advise the government on overcoming financial, technical and political obstacles to providing universal broadband service. The task force will also weigh the pros and cons of various broadband providers and technologies. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 12 Jan 01)

- Kuwait is the headquarters for the first pan-Arab open university. According to a recent BBC World Service Report, students will begin to enroll next year. The university mission is to increase regional access to higher education. Technical assistance and degree accreditation will be provided by the British Open University. With branches in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, it is anticipated that 5,000 Arab students will be enrolled, with an increase to 75,000 in 10 years. This flexible type of education will benefit Arab women and others who will be able to study at home. For more information CLICK: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1108000/1108389.stm (BBC News 9 Jan 01)

- Russia is turning to distance learning to make education available to rural students and those who find it difficult to attend class on a traditional campus. At Tomsk State University, students attend online classes and use interactive digital textbooks on CD-ROMs. Physics students participate in digital lab experiments, using a virtual particle accelerator. Russia now has about 300,000 distance learning students, and that number will jump to almost one million in a few years. The Education Ministry plans to double this year's spending to over $140 million next year to better equip the school and centers with technology. (New York Times- Education Life, 7 Jan 01) ___________________________________________________________________________
ED

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) ___________________________________________________________________________
BIZ/GOV/ED

LIBRARY GROUP FIGHTS MANDATORY FILTERING LAW - The Internet filtering bill that was enacted as part of a massive appropriations bill late last year will be contested by a lawsuit from the American Library Association. The ALA's executive board made the decision to pursue the case but has yet to file the lawsuit. The filtering bill requires the use of filters in public schools and libraries as a prerequisite for continued eRate funding from the federal government. The ALA intends to argue in its filing that the bill will exacerbate the digital divide because its terms will mostly impact those who do not own a computer and depend instead upon public computers. The ACLU is also expected to challenge the bill but will focus only on its impact on public libraries. The Center for Democracy and Technology intends to offer support to the legal challenges but will not sign on as a plaintiff at this time. (Cnet, 18 Jan 01)

TOP ANALYSTS FORECAST A SLOW YEAR FOR ONLINE SCHOOLS BUT A SURGE FOR CORPORATE E-LEARNING - New studies by several top research firms predict a slow year for E-Learning in schools and colleges, but a banner year for providers of corporate online courses, according to a Reuters report this week. Forrester Research found that consumers were too attached to brick- and-mortar schools and colleges for E-learning to do more than increase at a slow but steady pace. "It's like turning a tanker. It won't turn on a dime," Paul Hagen, a senior analyst with Forrester told Reuters. But online education will make its mark with corporations in 2001, analysts say. "We're moving from a training and coursework mentality into something providing just-in-time learning or dishing up information that's needed," Hurwitz Group analyst Elise Olding explained. And speed, now more than ever before, is of the essence to keep workers informed, according to Thomas Koulopoulos, president of the Boston-based business and technology advisory firm Delphi Group. One area where analysts expect to see a surge is graduate business courses, with established players like the University of Phoenix and Pearson's FT Knowledge set to profit. However, universities are expected to benefit too, either through partnerships with online for-profits like Cardean University, or through academic tie-ups such as that between Harvard and Stanford's respective business schools. Read more on the Distance Educator website at CLICK: http://www.distance-educator.com/dn2.phtml?id=2438 (E-NEWS from UCEA, 18 Jan 01)

CISCO TO TRAIN IN INDIA - Training academies will be set up in India to train 100,000 Internet network personnel by 2006. The plan is to offset an anticipated dearth of network workers by 2005. Thirty-four regional networking academies are planned, for which India will be a main software hub. The cost will be roughly $8.6 million for the academies and another $2 million in a related technology skills center. A previous push to train 100,000 in the US was successful. (Wall Street Journal, 16 Jan 01) ___________________________________________________________________________
FUNDS

US DEPT OF ED TECHNOLOGY BUDGET GROWS to $2.8 BILLION - With a total 2001 budget of $6.5 billion, the US Dept of Education has slotted more than $2.8 billion for technology. According to Linda Roberts, White House advisor on educational technology, this will help the Dept follow up on the recommendations of the Web-based Education Commission, "The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice," issued in December. Federal spending on educational technology is up more than 3,500% from 1993, when it was only $23 million. (eSchool News, 26 Dec 00)

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TECH/TOOLS

DEEP FILTER BOTS - Two search sites, Moreover and MySimon, are using "bots" (software agents) to "deep filter" for Web users. Moreover, uses bots to search a designated region of the Web and focuses on finding news headlines. MySimon, finds product information and price comparisons for consumers. A growing number of other similar search engines are also specializing in areas that traditional search engines ignore. (New York Times, 25 Jan 01)

MINDLEADERS' SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE - a global eLearning company based in Columbus, OH now enables blind and vision-impaired students to Access Microsoft JAWS - which translates text into sound through specialized software and simulated speech synthesizers, within all of its online courses. The first Web-based training provider to offer such access, MindLeaders has more than 500 self-paced interactive courses to which users have open access after paying an annual fee. MindLeaders' mission is to expand learning over the Web by making it practical, as well a cost- effective, for as many business people as possible. (Training Jan 01)

ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY - Two new resources that can help educators incorporate technology into their teaching without compromising accessibility for students with disabilities have just been released:

The Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) CLICK:http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/ at the University of Toronto http://www.utoronto.ca the Trace Research and Development Center http://trace.wisc.edu/ and at the University of Wisconsin http://www.wisc.edu have developed a piece of software called A-Prompt which encourages web page authors to create accessible HTML on the fly. A-Prompt works with the user's HTML editor, detecting accessibility problems and launching a wizard to correct them as they arise. Full details and the downloadable demo version are available from CLICK: http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca

The CD-ROM Access Project of the CPG/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media CLICK:http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/ has released a new set of guidelines for Making Educational Software Accessible: Design Guidelines Including Math and Science Solutions. The guidelines are the result of a three-year study on accessible educational multimedia funded by the National Science Foundation's Program for Persons with Disabilities CLICK: http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/hrd/ppd.asp The guidelines are available from CLICK: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/cdrom/guideline/ (NETWORKING ISSN 1206-9450, vol. 5, no 1, 10 Jan 01) ___________________________________________________________________________ READS/RESOURCES

DISTANCE EDUCATION STARTUP GUIDES FOR PRACTITIONERS - The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) CLICK: http://www.col.org has released a series of startup guides for distance education practitioners. The five six-page handbooks are available in PDF from CLICK: http://www.col.org/Knowledge/ and may be reproduced free of charge for noncommercial purposes. The five titles in the series are:

1. Editing Distance Education Materials, by Christine Swales (Distance Education Consultant, United Kingdom)

2. Support Groups in Distance Education, by Michael Robertshaw (Associate Professor, School of Science and Technology, Open University of Hong Kong)

3. Instructional Design for Self-Learning for Distance Education (David Murphy, Associate Professor in Flexible Learning, Centre for Higher Education, Monash University, Australia)

4. The Use of Multimedia in Distance Education, by Terry Tooth (Instructional Designer, Centre for Applied Learning Systems, Adelaide Institute of TAFE, Australia)

5. Managing for Electronic Networking, by Margaret Haughey (Professor and Associate Chair, Educational Policy Studies, University of Alberta).

New distance educators will find these guides useful for covering basic concepts, terms and issues, while experienced practitioners involved in teaching distributed learning theory to others may wish to recommend them to their students. (NETWORKING ISSN 1206-9450 vol. 5 No 24 Jan 01)

NEW LATIN AMERICAN RESOURCE - The UNESCO Chair in Distance Education, held by the Universidad Nacional de Educaci—n a Distancia (UNED) of Spain, has published a new web site with the purpose of becoming a Latin American resource center for distance education and virtual learning. For more information go to CLICK: http://www.uned.es/catedraunesco-ead/ (from José Luis García Boyé, UNESCO Chair in Distance Education UNED)

ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES - UW-Madison has developed a new "accessibility series" - see CLICK: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/ltde/access/index.htm This 10-week course "Web Development Series" looks at accessibility first, and then in the following weeks, all the skills necessary to develop accessible web sites (registration required for this series, CLICK: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/ltde/webdesign/index.html An additional resource page has been created at CLICK: http:/www.wisc.edu/doit/accessibility to help sort through getting started, validation, and all that is between. (from Alice Anderson, Technology Access Program Coordinator, DoIT, UW-Madison)

FUNBRAIN'S QUIZ LAB - If you are a busy teacher looking for timesaving tools on the web, take a look at Quiz Lab at FunBrain.com About 175,000 teachers use FunBrain's Quiz Lab, a tool that provides thousands of quizzes in math, reading, science, history, art, computers and music. Once teachers register for this free service, they can assign their students age appropriate online quizzes, which are automatically graded with results eMailed to the instructor. The quiz assignments can be completed in the school computer lab or at home. See CLICK: http://www.funbrain.com/quiz/ (from Gisele Glosser, eMail: info@mathgoodies.com) ___________________________________________________________________________ ISSUES/CHALLENGES

YOUTH AND ERGONOMICS - Young students may risk long-term injury by not observing proper ergonomic posture when using a computer, medical experts say. Although the problems associated with poor posture and computer use, such as neck and back strain and carpal tunnel syndrome, are well known among adults, medical experts have expressed concern that schools, in their rush to give all students access to computers, have ignored the potential for problems in children. Few studies of the problem have occurred in the United States. However, a recent study of 1,404 students by Professor Leon Straker of Curtain University of Technology, Perth, Australia, found that most did not follow proper ergonomic procedures and that 60% of the Australian children he studied had ergonomic-related medical problems. A study of children by Cornell University found that 60% had a posture classified as "high-risk" while they used a computer. However, education officials say ergonomics is unlikely to be a major concern for schools. Outfitting students' desks to be ergonomically proper is too expensive, the officials argue. It would also be impractical as many students share each computer terminal during the day. (New York Times, 4 Jan 01 - Edupage 8 Jan 01) __________________________________________________________________________
ETC.

HTML GIVES WAY TO XML - With its simple method of tagging information across multiple programs and platforms, XML (extensible markup language) is gaining wide popularity in the e-Learning sector. XML allows users to customize programs to work with their other applications or to integrate with a specific interface. A major challenge in the acceptance of XML is the lack of a data standard. E-Learning applications have previously been based on an Aviation Industry specification. This has now given way to the White House Office of Science and Technology's Shareable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM), which incorporates XML. (Federal Computer Week, 22 Jan 01)

SIX COMMON WEB SITE MISTAKES - An Inc. magazine article by Jan Gardner outlines what to avoid if a business wants a great Web site. The article is based on Inc. Web Awards 2000. The judges evaluated numerous small business sites and their comments revealed some common themes: 1) don't put form before function (don't let bells and whistles get in the way of the actual intent of the sites) and avoid annoying Flash intros; 2) don't simply put your company brochure online; 3) don't have features that do not work properly (constant messages make you look bad); 4) don't make life difficult for users. Try to avoid unnecessary features - like music - that slow your site unacceptably; 5) don't make it hard for people to buy (For example, some sites require visitors to make purchases over the phone); 6) don't inadequately measure the bottom-line impact of your site. Remember to take into account all the fixed and recurring costs of establishing a Web presence. CLICK http://www.inc.com/articles/details/O,,ART20883,00.html (infocus, a newsletter of UCEA, vol. 5 no 10)
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NEW ON THE LIST

- Welcome to new subscribers: Christa Ehmann, Paul Soik, Rozhan Idrus, Evelyn Li, Mary Beth Ginter, Cemil Ulukan, Christine Pohl, Robert Magnan, Lori Blackbr, Susan Griffiths, Laura Kent, Pat Williams, Deborah Kief, Bob Pyke, Dianna Broughton, Wendy Bedwell, Michael Miller, Julie Rorabaugh, Folker Schršdel, Connie Laruek, Richard Woodring, John O'Flaherty, Frank White, John Hatch, Linda Burkey, Doris Kuehn, Studieren im Netz, Jennifer Gilson, Peggy Roth, Dave Watts, Carol Collingwood, Larry DeVilbiss, George Conway, Eileen McGinty, Dieuwke de Haan, Erik Peterson, Camron Suttles, Jodee Werkheiser, Maryanne Kuzio and Phil Garing. __________________________________________________________________________
POSITIONS

* The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is looking for a campus Webmaster. Interested and qualified people who would like to apply should see the position announcement at CLICK: http://www.uwgb.edu/personnl/academic.htm#Webmaster (from Andrew Speth, UW-Green Bay)

* Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN is seeking a Director of the Conference Division. See the Conference Division's web site at CLICK: http://www.conf.purdue.edu The deadline for applications will be February 15, 2001. Applications and nominations should be sent to: Thomas L. Haworth, Personnel Administrator Purdue University, 1530 Stewart Center West Lafayette, IN 47907-1530.

* University of Ottawa is seeking to fill six positions in its newly created Learnware Design and Production Centre: 1) Manager - CLICK: http://www.uottawa.ca/services/hr/bul97/B2000-32E.HTM#100079, 2) Three Instructional Designers - two are permanent positions and one, a 3-year contract position. CLICK: http://www.uottawa.ca/services/hr/bul97/B2000-32E.HTM#101790 and 3) Two coordinators for mediated learning, CLICK: http://www.uottawa.ca/services/hr/bul97/B2000-48E.HTM#coor ___________________________________________________________________________
FYI - News, Conferences, Events

* S I T E 2001 - The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference is scheduled for March 5-10, 2001 Orlando, FL at the Holiday Inn International Drive Resort. For more information CLICK: http://www.aace.org

* Second Annual CiTE Conference - Center for Internet Technology in Education Cite Conference: The Evolution of eLearning will be March 7-9, 2001 - Denver, CO For more information or to register, CLICK: http://www.cite.eCollege.com

* The Masie Institute is pleased to announce its 4th Annual Business of Online& eLearning Conference, to be held in Las Vegas, NV on March 28 and 29th, 2001. Information and online registration is available at CLICK: http://www.masie.com/biz Space is limited.

* The TLT Group and The Indiana University School of Nursing, Center for Teaching and Lifelong Learning have announced the 2001 Flashlight Focus Institute: "Evaluating Web-based Courses in Nursing Programs: Shining a Flashlight on the Benefits and Challenges of Teaching and Learning on the World Wide Web." The date is May 4-5, 2001 in Fullerton, CA For more information CLICK: http://www.tltgroup.org after January 25.

* "Rediscovering the Art and Science of Great Teaching and Learning" is the theme of the 21st annual conference of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) CLICK: http://www.umanitoba.ca/academic_support/uts/stlhe/ This is a June event in St. John's, NF For full information CLICK: http://www.mun.ca/stlhe2001/

* Plan to attend WebCT's 3rd Annual Conference, "WebCT 2001: Transforming the Educational Experience." The conference will be held June 22-27, 2001 at the Hyatt Regency & Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada For more information CLICK: http://www.webct.com/2001

* "Faculty Development for Teaching, Learning, and Technology: Principles to Practice," Summer Institute 2001 will be held at Portland State University in Portland, OR, June 25-29. The event is cosponsored by POD, The TLT Group, and Portland State University. Enrollment is limited to 50 participants. For more information/registration CLICK: http://www.oaa.pdx.edu/cae

* February 28 is the final Call for Participation deadline for ED-MEDIA 2001. The event will be held June 25-30, 2001 in Tampere, Finland, hosted by the University of Tampere. For detailed information CLICK: http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/finalcall.htm

*Call for Proposals Deadline for the WI Distance Learning Conference is February 28, 2001. The 17th Annual conference will be held August 8-10, 2001 in Madison, WI. All session proposals should be submitted online at CLICK: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference

* Call for Participation Deadline is March 15 for W e b N e t 2001 World Conference on the WWW and Internet. The conference will take place on October 23-27, 2001 in Orlando, FL at the Holiday Inn International Drive Resort. For additional information CLICK: http://www.aace.org/conf/webnet/

* The GWETC 2001 Steering Committee has issued a Call for Applications to Present for the Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference (GWETC), Madison, WI October 29-31. Applications will be received 'online only' this year beginning February 15 at CLICK: http://www.gwetc.org Deadline for submission is March 17, 2001.

* Online Educa Berlin is the Seventh International Conference on Technology Supported Learning & Training. Proposals for this November's event in Berlin are being accepted until 15 April. Conference information and the full call for proposals are available at CLICK: http://www.online-educa.com ___________________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTE - THE SMALLER IT GETS, THE FASTER IT GETS...Nanotechnology will ultimately create a nanocomputer 1,000 times faster than today's electronic minicomputers. (Richard W. Oliver, "The Shape of Things to Come")

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FEBRUARY DESIEN ISSUE FOCUS - "The Ever Changing Nature of Copyright and Fair Use: Where Are We Today?" by Lisa Livingston, UW-Madison ___________________________________________________________________________
DESIEN ARCHIVE: An Archive has been created for past issues and interaction comments. CLICK: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/desien/ DESIEN includes subscribers from institutions and organizations around the globe. DESIEN encourages information exchange of distance education issues concerned with: 1) distance education progress and course/program development, 2) team development and collaboration, 3) technology, 4) policy, 5) funding and 6) research. Subscribers outside of the UW System are encouraged to submit information and contributions. * To submit articles or questions, email: lehman@ics.uwex.edu * Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to DESIEN. To subscribe they should do the following: To: listproc@uwex.edu Subject: (leave blank) In the body of the message: Subscribe DESIEN-List firstname lastname