F-LIGHT - The March issue of F-LIGHT features:
* resources to help faculty take the first steps toward scholarship of teaching: studying their own courses in order to map and improve the use of technology to improve learning.
* pointers to a vastly expanded and upgraded set of Flashlight tools for institutions that
subscribe
* notes about a video series it is helping to produce on uses of technology in teacher education and the schools: PT3 Now!
* notes about a new study package for improving educational benefits from the use of WebCT and other course management systems (plus a special offer for institutions that use WebCT)
* upcoming events, including a Webcast this coming Tuesday, April 2 at 2 pm (ET):
helping provosts develop their "Top 10" priorities for improving learning with technology at their institutions. The webcast is free, but registration in advance is required at: http://www.quickslides.com/quickreg/sq.cfm?ObjectID=364 The F-LIGHT Web site is as: http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/F-LIGHT/2002/Mar.html(F-LIGHT (Mar 02)

COMPUTERS AND IT: RESOURCES FOR THE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES - The Adaptech Project, http://www.adaptech.org
a Montreal-based group that conducts research on the use of computer, information and adaptive technologies by post-secondary students with disabilities, has released a new report:"Computer and Information Technologies: Resources for the Post-secondary Education of Students with Disabilities." The 143-page report analyzes the results of interviews conducted in the spring of 2000 with 156 college and university staff members who provide services to students with disabilities.

Key findings include: 1) although more than 100,000 students currently enrolled in post- secondary institutions have disabilities, only between 1/4 and 1/2 of those registered receive special services; 2) although staff members who provide services to students with disabilities have, on average, between nine and ten years of experience, most do not consider themselves knowledgeable about the computer technologies used by those students; 3) for institutions to be "technologically welcoming" to students with disabilities, they must ensure sufficient funding for and access to appropriate technologies, adequate training and support and accessibility of computer-based curricular materials and library resources.

The study concludes with a set of recommendations for service providers and a collection of resources for further consultation. The report is freely available online in HTML at: http://www.adaptech.org/pubs/olt01; in PDF at: http://www.adaptech.org/pubs/olt01pdf.exe and in Word at: http://www.adaptech.org/pubs/olt01doc.exe (NETWORKING vol. 6 no 3, 20 Mar 02)

MAKING SENSE OF LEARNING SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS - The phrase "learning standards" is one of the most powerful and most misunderstood aspects of the e-Learning revolution. As organizations make significant investments in digital learning content, there is a strong desire to have greater assurances of portability and reusability. As organizations focus on providing learners with the "just right" content and activities, there is a strong desire to have the ability to more easily store, search, index, deploy, assemble and revise content. All of these hopes are part of the story of "learning standards." To lower industry confusion about learning standards and to accelerate their adoption, The MASIE Center's e-Learning Consortium organized and facilitated a group of learning professionals who worked together for several months to generate a collection of information and job aids. This free report is available at: http://www.masie.com/standards/ (TechLearn Trends, 8
Mar 02)

DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF VIRTUAL SCHOOLS: ISSUES AND TRENDS - Edited by: Cathy Cavanaugh, University of North Florida. For over a century, children have learned at a distance from their teachers. Correspondence lessons were the primary education mechanism for children of remote farmers, migrant workers and others. Beginning in the 1990s, the Internet replaced mail, radio and fax transmissions for many students. So far only tens of thousands of students at the K-12 level in the U.S. have taken online courses, a very small proportion of the over 50 million K-12 students. The number, however, of students in virtual schools on a full-time or part-time basis is growing rapidly, especially at the K-8 level. The number of virtual schools in North America currently hovers around 100. The movement of students and teachers into virtual schools has important implications for education. It is time to explore the impact of virtual schools on elementary and secondary education.

The study of virtual schools is in its infancy, but enough is known to bring together a review of best practices from concept and development, through implementation and evaluation. The primary purpose for the book we are developing is to bring together knowledge of virtual schools as a reference for scholars and other groups. A second purpose for the book is exploring virtual schools to offer authors and researchers what may be the first volume of its type as a compendium and a conduit for their findings. Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before April 20, 2002, a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by June 15, 2002. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by September 30, 2002. Publication by Idea Group Inc., is expected in 2003. For complete information contact Cathy Cavanaugh, University of North Florida at: ccavanau@unf.edu