CONTENTS

UPFRONT - Organizing Electronic Resources
FOCUS - MERLOT: Community Developed Community Resource by Gerard L.
Hanley
UW - Systemwide Committee Uses WisLine Web for Monthly Meetings, March 29
Deadline for Application to Present at GWETC 2002, TTT, Online with LI

LINES - February News Highlights
ED - All the World's a Classroom, Bill Earmarks $880M For Higher Ed Security Work,
Call for an Educational Theory of Technology
BIZ/GOV/ED - Surveys of Online Teaching and Training, Customer Learning, The
Growth of e-Learning
DIGITAL DIVIDE - Senate Subcommittee to Hold Digital Divide Hearing, Athabasca
Opens Centre for Indigenous Education, Is Digital Divide Program at Risk? UN Looks
to Narrow Tech Gap
COPYRIGHT - Creative Commons to Launch, New Digital Copyright Listserv
TECH/TOOLS - New Virtual Learning Environment Tool from Finland, The Internet in
Reverse Calculation
READS/RESOURCES - Quality Enhancing Practices in Distance Ed Student Services,
Teaching OnLine 2nd Edition, Overcoming Barriers

NEW ON THE LIST - Welcome to New Subscribers
FYI - News, Events, Conferences
ENDNOTE - Electronic Resources: Separating the Signal from the Noise
________________________________________________________________________

MARCH DESIEN ISSUE - Using the Internet to Transmit Voice, Data and Video in
Milwaukee Public Schools by Linda Albertson
________________________________________________________________________

UPFRONT - The development of electronic content and formats has occurred in a
fragmented manner, with a wide variety of providers and an equally wide variety of content
and format quality. This is both natural and understandable in a new, evolving field. Through
a process of organization and evaluation, a relatively new resource community, MERLOT,
hopes to remedy this with its "continually growing collection of online learning materials,
peer reviews and assignments." (http://www.merlot.org) MERLOT's resources are both free
and open and are designed primarily for faculty and students in higher education. In this
month's DESIEN FOCUS article, Gerard L. Hanley, Ph.D., MERLOT Program Manager,
discusses this valuable resource. (Rosemary Lehman)
________________________________________________________________________

FOCUS

MERLOT: Community Developed Community Resource

by
Gerard L. Hanley, Ph.D.
Merlot Program Manager and Senior Director, Academic
Technology Support California State University, Office of the Chancellor

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) is
a cooperatively developed, free, web-based resource where faculty can easily find digital
learning materials with evaluations and guidance for use. Designed primarily for
faculty and students in higher education, MERLOT (www.merlot.org) addresses the
difficulties that institutions of higher education and their faculty experience, fulfilling
the promises of technology enhanced education. Institutions make regular and
substantial investments in the development of instructional technology amidst concerns
that they may be "reinventing the wheel." There are many challenges for faculty
producing high quality instructional materials in a timely and reliable manner, receiving
appropriate professional recognition for their work and providing evidence of
improvements in teaching and learning. Many more faculty are ready to use online
teaching resources rather than author instructional technology. One of the major goals
of MERLOT is to enable faculty to effectively and easily choose and use the best learning
materials for their students' learning needs, their own teaching methods and the learning
goals of their academic program.

The continuously expanding resources in MERLOT currently include over 6,000
descriptions of web-based learning materials for a wide range of disciplines, sample
student assignments for using the materials, peer reviews of the materials and comments
by users of the materials (see http://www.merlot.org/home/WhatsNew.po for what's new
in MERLOT.) MERLOT also contains over 7,000 profiles of people who are the users
and contributors of the materials within MERLOT. Learning materials are indexed on
the MERLOT site by its members through supporting templates and instructions. Most
of the learning materials found on www.merlot.org are modular (e.g., simulations,
tutorials, animations, other collections) and are designed to be integrated within the
context of a larger course. Most of the materials run inside a web browser, which
facilitates use within an online course or as assignments to students outside the classroom.

Community Development of MERLOT: MERLOT's development is driven by the
cooperation among academic institutions, professional organizations and individual
people who strive to enrich teaching and learning experiences. The MERLOT project
is supported by 22 systems and institutions of higher education
(http://taste.merlot.org/institutional.html) as well as the National Science Foundation and
National Learning Infrastructure Initiative of EDUCAUSE. The California State University,
which created MERLOT in 1997, continues its leadership of and responsibilities for the
management, planning and operation of MERLOT's processes and tools. For more
details about the history and organization of MERLOT, go to http://taste.merlot.org.

A strategic priority of MERLOT is the peer review of online learning materials, a process
that will help insure that learning materials within the MERLOT collection address
significant theoretical or research issues are contextually accurate, pedagogically sound
and technically easy to use. MERLOT uses three (3) evaluation standards: quality of
content, potential effectiveness for teaching and learning and ease of use in its peer
review process. MERLOT has modeled its peer reviews after the discipline-based
peer review of scholarship and research. Perhaps most importantly it provides a
mechanism for professional recognition for faculty developing and using instructional
technology. Details about MERLOT evaluation standards and review process can be
found at: http://taste.merlot.org/eval.html and http://taste.merlot.org/process.html

Academic Communities of Reviewers: MERLOT trains and sustains 13 editorial boards
which are responsible for finding, organizing, reviewing and managing a large quantity of
high quality learning materials and support resources. The faculty on these discipline-
based editorial boards are selected by the 22 institutional partners in the MERLOT project,
see: http://taste.merlot.org/join/external.html for more details.

Complementing Peer Reviews with User Comments: MERLOT has a second and parallel
review process that complements the formal peer reviews. Anyone who signs on as an
individual member of MERLOT can contribute User Comments. The user-centered review
process has precedence in a number of highly used websites, such as Amazon.com, and
will allow individuals to provide their observations and evaluations on the learning materials
within MERLOT. A User Comments page containing guidelines for giving feedback
parallels the evaluation standards used in MERLOT's peer review process.

Usability Testing and Program Evaluation: Assessment is at the core of designing reliable,
usable, reusable, effective tools and processes for users of MERLOT. The assessment of
MERLOT is conducted by the CSU, Long Beach Center for Usability in Design and
Assessment (CUDA). CUDA evaluates MERLOT workshops, peer review processes and
tools, online community building, management and facilitation processes, collaboration
processes and the usability of the MERLOT websites (see:
http://taste.merlot.org/assessing/overview.html for summary of findings.)

In conclusion, MERLOT is developing a digital resource for faculty by facilitating faculty's
participation in the design, development, expansion and evaluation of the collection of
academic content connected with pedagogy. All faculty are invited to join this cooperative
endeavor and shape the resource to serve their needs. Become a MERLOT member at:
http://www.merlot.org; it's free and easy.
_______________________________________________________________________

UW

SYSTEMWIDE COMMITTEE USES WISLINE WEB FOR MONTHLY MEETINGS -
The UW System Learning Technology Development Committee (LTDC) uses WisLine
Web to hold its monthly meetings. All of the UW System campus learning technology
coordinators are represented on the committee, so meeting by WisLine Web provides an
efficient, effective and inexpensive way to meet and share information. Committee members
can participate from their offices rather than driving to a central location.

The committee uses WisLine Web to present updates from each campus, plan events such
as a July 2002 conference on Learning Objects and explore the uses and applicability of
new learning software. One recent guest speaker used the sharing tool to take committee
members on a guided MERLOT Web site "tour," demonstrating the uses and functions
of the organization's Web site. "This technology has helped us a lot," according to
Glenda Morgan, UW System learning technology liaison. "It's been very popular with
the learning technology coordinators at the campuses. It's a great way to keep in touch."
The help desk at ICS and the personal email invitations were given high marks by Morgan.
"I've called the help desk a few times and really appreciated that service. I also like receiving
the email invitations Carol Hillmann (WisLine Web coordinator) sends." (Milly Jones,
ICS Manager of Program and Site Coordination)

MARCH 29 DEADLINE TO APPLY TO PRESENT AT GWETC 2002 - GWETC is
now accepting applications to present at the 2002 conference to be held October 8-10 at the
Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The conference attracts more than 1,500 educators from
K-12 schools, higher education institutions, businesses and government. The application
deadline is March 29, 2002. GWETC is cosponsored by UW Extension, TEACH
Wisconsin, UW System, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Educational
Communications Board and the Wisconsin Technical College System. You can apply to
present on the GWETC Web site: http://www.gwetc.org

TTT - Teaching Technology Today is at: http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt This month's articles
include:

* Editors eMailbag: Two Responses to Last Month's Article on Internet Plagiarism
http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/letters.htm
-Thoughts on Cheating and Technology in the Language Classroom by Ken Fleurant,
UW-Green Bay
-Turnitin.com's Turnaround: Recent Developments at UW-Green Bay by Andrew
Speth, UW-Green Bay

* Web-Based Learning and Teacher Preparation: Stumbling Blocks and Stepping
Stones by Patricia E. Ragan, Arthur P. Lacey and Robert A. Nagy, UW-Green Bay
http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/ragan.htm

* Heavenly Concoctions: Developing Technology Recipes for Instructional Success
by Hal Schlais, UW System Office of Learning and Information Technology
http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/schlais3.htm

* Portal Wisconsin: Culture, Humanities, Arts and History on One Convenient
Website by Tammy Kempfert, TTT Editor http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/pw.htm

* IT Info: The Latest Online Resources for Educators
by Glenda Morgan, UW System Office of Learning and Information
Technology http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/news.htm

* Meet the Experts!
Featuring Anthony Valentine, Learning Technology Center Coordinator, UW-Platteville
http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/meet/valentine.htm

(Tammy Kempfert, UW System, TTT Editor)

ONLINE WITH LI - If you're struggling with trying to adapt a classroom program or
course to the Web, consider getting in touch with University of Wisconsin Learning
Innovations (UWLI). Recently Ernest Stracener, occupational safety manager at the
University of Wisconsin System Administration Office of Safety and Loss Prevention,
worked with UWLI to adapt training sessions. He and eight other UW campus managers
developed and fine-tuned the content while UWLI adapted it and added interactive
exercises. The collaboration resulted in a unique course. For the complete story see:
Extension News and Ideas, March 2002 at: http://www.uwex.edu/ni
________________________________________________________________________

LINES - February News Highlights

- A new congressional group will study wireless policy issues, focusing on spectrum
reform management and ultrawideband (UWB) technology. Digital rights management
and copyright law will also be covered. The concern is that without policy changes, the
U.S. mobile wireless industry will face a shortage of spectrum in the next three to five
years. (Newsbytes, 13 Feb 02)

- United States Open University will close at the end of the spring semester. The
university failed to accumulate enough students to defer its increasing debt. According
to Chancellor Richard S. Jarvis, enrollment was hampered by the school's lack of
accreditation, though approval from the Middle States Association of Colleges and
Schools was immanent. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 5 Feb 02)

- The US Commerce Department reports that 54% of the national population -143
million - are using the Web as of September. This is a 26% gain over last year.
Other ratings were somewhat lower. Nielsen/NetRatings for example stated an
increase of 15% or 115.2 million in October. e-Mail, the most popular online activity,
was regularly used by 45% of the population, a 10% increase over 2000. The US
Commerce report also indicates that the digital divide between America's well-to-do and
its poor has started to shrink, increasing use at an annual rate of 25% between December
1998 and September 2001, compared to an 11% increase among the wealthiest citizens.
(Wall Street Journal, 4 Feb 02)
________________________________________________________________________

ED

ALL THE WORLD'S A CLASSROOM - The Australian National University (ANU)
is promoting a distance learning program in which offshore students can participate in
lectures at Australian universities via satellite-based videoconferencing. The initiative is
part of the World Bank's Virtual Colombo Plan to provide e-Learning to developing
nations. ANU is one of about 30 distance learning centers comprised of rooms and
Web-linked PCs for videoconferencing. Educational lectures delivered by satellite will
be complemented by online tutoring; overseas alumni from ANU's Asia Pacific School
of Economics and Management will add their expertise to this end of the program.
e-Learning by videoconferencing can reduce estrangement between students and
instructors, notes ANU Outreach manager Maree Tait. "They have face-to-face dialogs
with their teachers." ANU is courting other institutions to supply content for the service.
Australia has earmarked $200 million for the Virtual Colombo Plan, and a total of 150
distance learning centers may eventually be set up. (Australian IT, 20 Feb 02 - Edupage
22 Feb 02)

BILL EARMARKS $880M FOR HIGHER ED SECURITY WORK - The House of
Representatives recently approved a bill that would strengthen academic programs in
information security, provide fellowships and grants and fund research. The legislation,
sponsored by House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, (R-N.Y.), would
provide $880 million over five years. The Senate must also approve the measure. The bill
calls for the National Science Foundation to create cybersecurity research centers and
provide grants and fellowships to colleges. Also, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology would develop grant programs that team industry and universities on
security projects and encourage researchers in other fields to work on cybersecurity.
(Syllabus News, Resources, Trends, 12 Feb 02)

CALL FOR AN EDUCATIONAL THEORY OF TECHNOLOGY - Concerned that
"[n]ew 'partnerships' of designers and developers committed to technology for its own
sake now create products for the 'education marketplace,' with little or no experience of,
or interest in, underlying educational goals, " Suzanne de Castell, Mary Bryson, and
Jennifer Jenson ("Object Lessons: Towards an Educational Theory of Technology,"
FIRST MONDAY, vol. 7, no. 1, January 2002), make a case for an educational theory
of technology, as opposed to a theory of educational technology. "The difference between
these is that whereas theories of educational technology take for granted, whether as good
or as harmful, the integration of education and technology; an educational theory of
technology, by contrast, would investigate technology from the standpoint of educational
values and purposes, and with reference to what can be discerned from a study of
technology' as a socially-situated artifact. . . In order to learn from our tools, we
have also to take seriously the study of them, in the multiple and variable contexts of their
intended and actual use." The article is available online at
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue71/castell/index.html (CIT INFOBITS 21 Jan 02)
________________________________________________________________________

BIZ/GOV/ED

SURVEYS OF ONLINE TEACHING AND TRAINING - Two survey reports related
to the use of the Internet in teaching and training have been made available online. "Online
Teaching in an Online World" looks at the preferences of 222 college instructors who
have used the Web to share syllabi and course resources in the World Lecture Hall or
MERLOT.org The report examines instructor training, support and resource exchange,
as well as e-Learning attrition rates, decision-making and tool preferences. The second
report, "Online Training in an Online World," based on survey responses of 201
corporate trainers, looks at the types of training offered online, organizational factors
limiting the adoption of e-Learning, preferred e-Learning instructional approaches and
e-Learning assessment. For more information, visit: http://publicationshare.com/
(Syllabus News, Resources, Trends, 26 Feb 02)

CUSTOMER LEARNING - Think of the Call Center as a natural dispensing point for
a wide range of customer learning resources! At the end of every call from a customer
to a call center, whether it is for technical assistance, transaction support or other
requirements, there is an opportunity for dispensing e-Learning. Right now, the bulk of
the dialog occurs verbally, with an occasional follow-up by email or to a link on the web.

But, what if the Call Center Representative could launch an e-Learning module to the
customer? So, instead of being "walked through" a procedure, the user would have a step by
step learning module, that could linger and be used for future support. These modules
could either be procedural or conceptual, and would walk the talk of that proverb:
In addition, the CRM field also is a perfect point to integrate learning resources. The
sales rep or sales center can use e-Learning or collaborative technologies to extend
the relationship with the customer. Customer learning is a strong part of the future of
how learning serves the need of organizations. While we have seen the bulk of
e-Learning action focused on the training of employees, there is a parallel and often
larger opportunity to supply learning to customers. (TechLearn Trends #229, 19 Feb 02)

THE GROWTH OF e-LEARNING - Greater Washington Initiative managing partner
Thomas G. Morr believes that the idea to gather eLearning around Washington DC is
becoming a reality. Online learning companies around the Washington, DC area are
working closely together to attract more eLearning companies to the region, making it
a hub for eLearning companies. At present there are 65 firms selling either eLearning
technology or content, with the Department of Education, the teachers' union and a
number of educational nonprofits based there as well. The eLearning market is
expected to grow faster in the corporate sector, reaching $15 billion in two years, while
higher education is expected to increase its eLearning spending by about $2 billion per
year. By 2007, it is anticipated that the eLearning market will have grown to $40 billion.
(Washington Times, 18 Feb 02)
________________________________________________________________________

DIGITAL DIVIDE

SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE TO HOLD DIGITAL DIVIDE HEARING - The effects
of the "digital divide" on minority-serving colleges and universities will be the subject of a
hearing conducted by the Senate Subcommittee on Science Technology and Space.
Witnesses from top US minority institutions as well as national minority associations
will testify at the hearing. The Internet connectivity report for 2002 indicates that more
lower-income groups gained Web access than any other income bracket for the first time
last year. The report also said that the odds of rural and urban users going online are
almost even. The subcommittee hearing is scheduled to take place on Feb. 27.
(Newsbytes, 22 Feb 02 - Edupage 25 Feb 02)

ATHABASCA OPENS CENTRE FOR INDIGENOUS EDUCATION - Alberta's
Athabasca University http://www.athabascau.ca officially opened its Centre for
Indigenous Education on January 31. The new Centre will help overcome cultural
and geographical barriers to post-secondary education for many First Nations,
Métis and Inuit people across Canada by including indigenous advisors in its planning,
development and delivery processes and by offering courses through distance education
and in offsite locations. Athabasca already offers many courses in relevant disciplines
such as Native Studies, Cree Language, Anthropology and History, and the launch of
the new centre indicates a commitment to expanding learning opportunities in these
and other areas. For more information, see: http://www.athabascau.ca/media/yolngu.html
(NETWORKING 6:2, 6 Feb 02)

IS DIGITAL DIVIDE PROGRAM AT RISK? - Under President Bush's 2003 budget,
two grant programs that focus on assisting the poor in taking advantage of technology
would be slashed. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) would instead use funding for national defense and other national crisis priorities.
In addition, the Department of Education's Community Technology Centers program is
facing dissolution because, according to the administration, it has limited effect. Further,
the budget proposal also calls for a 45% reduction in high-tech research grants to
corporations and universities. (Washington Post, 5 Feb 02 )

U.N. LOOKS TO NARROW TECH GAP - The United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) and the Markle Foundation announced a project to provide
consultation to developing nations that seek to fortify their IT infrastructure and
improve their educational systems, health care and business development using
state-of-the-art technology. UNDP-Markle teams will be sent to Bolivia, Mozambique,
Tanzania and nine other countries, while technology companies such as Sun
Microsystems and organizations such as the Harvard Center for International
Development will contribute hardware and personnel. An initial investment of $10
million has been earmarked for the two-year Global Digital Opportunity Initiative, as
the UNDP-Markle project is called. To qualify for assistance, applying countries must
have a political climate favorable to the project and support the deregulation of a
national telecommunications monopoly. (Associated Press, 5 Feb 02)
________________________________________________________________________

COPYRIGHT

CREATIVE COMMONS TO LAUNCH - Creative Commons, a source of online
intellectual-property licenses will allow copyright owners to codify how their works can
be used. Existing copyright rules have long been accused of being too rigid, hampering
innovation, technological progress and economic growth. Creative Commons, which will
be launched in a few months, would restore more control to creative individuals. In the
new Creative Commons environment, artists, programmers and others will select the
most suitable options, which will then be incorporated into free customized licenses.
In addition, a conservancy of technical resources will be hosted that will aim to save
in the area of intellectual property and allow for user sharing. This new process could
also have an effect on participation in open-source software initiatives by supplying
access to more reliable legal safeguards. Creative Commons is the collaborative venture
of MIT, Harvard, Duke University and Villanova. (San Francisco Chronicle Online, 11
Feb 02)

NEW DIGITAL COPYRIGHT LISTSERV - To meet the developing application of
copyright laws in the online environment, The Center for Intellectual Property announces
the new listserv DIGITAL-COPYRIGHT, a discussion group that provides a forum for
the analysis of topics such as copyright law and policy, technologies and federal
information law and policies that impact higher education, particularly digital distance
education. In addition to ongoing discussions of critical and theoretical issues, the list
will contain: postings on upcoming conferences, calls for papers, legislative news
announcements and many other matters which should be of interest. The listserv is a
space for educators, policy makers, librarians, lawyers and all who have a vested
interest in digital copyright and other intellectual property matters. It encourages all
levels of discourse, as well as relevant political, historical, cultural and philosophical
approaches to the problem of applying copyright to the digital arena. To subscribe to
DIGITAL-COPYRIGHT send a message to: listproc@listserv.umuc.edu Leave the
subject line blank. For a hypothetical person named Sally Smith, the body of the
message would read: subscribe digital-copyright Sally Smith. To send a message to the
list, the address is: digital-copyright@listserv.umuc.edu
______________________________________________________________________

TECH/TOOLS

NEW VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT TOOL FROM FINLAND - The
University of Helsinki has developed a new open-source learning tool that provides a
central database for instructors and students, allowing them to share thoughts, build on
each other's knowledge and structure dialogues. The core of this tool, called Fle3, is
a shared Web page where the collaboration, sharing, linking and discussing occur.
Learning management and course-building tools are also provided on the site. The
software uses ZOPE as the content management platform. ZOPE is cross-platform
and is one of the first third-party technologies made to support the Educational
Modeling Language created by Holland's Open University. (CETIS, 19 Feb 02)

THE INTERNET IN REVERSE CALCULATION - A new reverse calculation method
that will help network engineers find and prevent Internet congestion is the result of a
discovery by computer science researcher Chris Caruthers of Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute. Caruthers recently received a $375,000 research grant from the National Science
Foundation for his work, which traces problems backwards to find more quickly the
source of a blockage. Traditional methods, says Caruthers, are as much as six times
slower because they involve wasteful guesswork. Reverse calculation can also be used in
software design simulations, and as a network administration tool. In addition,
network administrators are able to perceive problem areas before they actually cause
trouble. (NewsFactor Network, 13 Feb 02)
________________________________________________________________________

READS/RESOURCES

QUALITY ENHANCING PRACTICES IN DISTANCE ED STUDENT SERVICES -
A new publication by the Instructional Telecommunications Council presents insights from
10 practitioners to help colleges create or improve existing, quality online student
services programs. Underwritten by the Kellogg Foundation, the publication is available
for free from ITC's website. Download at: http://www.itcnetwork.org (infocus, UCEA
newsletter, vol. 7 no 1, Feb 02)

TEACHING ONLINE 2nd EDITION - The Second Edition of Teaching Online by
William A. Draves is now available. The book is greatly expanded in pages and content,
and is geared specifically to faculty in higher education. There are new chapters, a review
of the literature, the top 50 suggestions from faculty practitioners, a best practices checklist
and more. If purchased, satisfaction with it is guaranteed for 30 days. Call at:
1-800-678-5376 to order. (Teaching OntheNet 20 Feb 02)

OVERCOMING BARRIERS - "Overcoming Barriers to Distance Training and
Education," by S. Cho and Z. Berge in Education at a Distance [USDLA Journal]
(16) 1, 2002, discusses barriers to the efforts of distance learning instructors. Using
a content analysis of 32 in-depth case studies it begins to explore solutions to the barriers
faced by organizations when they use distance education. (eModerators, at:
http://www.emoderators.com/barriers/index.shtml)
______________________________________________________________________

NEW ON THE LIST - Welcome to new subscribers: Terry Gibson, David Jacock, Gerard
Hanley, Nancy Gordon, Michelle Wiss, Jodie Carlson, Helga Conway, Tonya Anderson,
Lawrence C. Walters, Erica Gerard, Patricia Anderson, Layton Harelson, Connie Everson
and Daryl Hanson.
______________________________________________________________________

FYI - News, Events, Conferences

* INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CONFERENCE - The Center for Intellectual
Property at the University of Maryland University College is hosting a seminar titled:
"Copyright Management in Higher Education: Access, Control and Use" April 4-5, 2002.
Deadline for early registration is March 21. Complete information on the conference
can be found at: http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/copy manage2002/

* e-LEARN 2002, the World Conference on eLearning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare and Higher Education (formerly the WebNet Conference) will be held
October 15-19, 2002 in Montreal, Canada. Submission of Papers Deadline is April 10,
2002. The conference is organized by the Association for the Advancement of
Computing in Education (AACE) and cosponsored by the International Journal on
eLearning Full information can be found at: http://www.aace.org/conf/
________________________________________________________________________

ENDNOTE - In the February issue of Syllabus, Andrew Lippman, founding associate
director of MIT's renowned Media Laboratory was asked about the new electronic
environment with its different sources and kinds of formats. The question was, how is
some type of tracking system, like our libraries, going to evolve?

According to Lippman, it will not be "...as random, anarchic and disruptive as we fear...
yes, you are going to get overwhelmed with all kinds of bits - and we('d) better invent
things like agents, validators and so on that separate the signal from the noise - or a living,
trusted community might do that." (Lippman on Learning: Fundamental Changes.) It is
such a living, trusted community that MERLOT is establishing. (Rosemary Lehman)
________________________________________________________________________

MARCH DESIEN ISSUE - Using the Internet to Transmit Voice, Data and Video in
Milwaukee Public Schools by Linda Albertson
_______________________________________________________________________

DESIEN ARCHIVE: An Archive has been created for past issues and interaction
comments. To access the archive go to: 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
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