Community colleges aren't quite as high on the list of hackers and scammers as institutions like banks, hospitals and four-year research universities, yet the institutional and personal data stored on their servers and in the online cloud can be valuable, so they need to lock down their data like any other entity. This requires a combination of…

School board members are struggling to interpret laws that govern where and how they do business now that as many conversations take place digitally as they do face to face. As online and digital interactions increase, so too does public concern that officials have more opportunities to violate state open-meetings and open-records laws meant to…

Recent changes in the higher education landscape have called for greater access and accountability in a number of areas, most particularly distance learning. While there is a very significant instructional aspect to this equation, providing effective support and services to students enrolled in online education is becoming comparatively important,…

In this article, four directors discuss the security challenges that keep them worried and what they do about it. Dwayne Alton describes how his school district, IT School District of Lee County, Fort Meyers, Florida, collaborated with Cisco and installed an intrusion detection system which alerts IT staff when someone creates their own access…

Metadata is information about computer-generated documents that is often inadvertently transmitted to others. The problems associated with metadata have become more acute over time as word processing and other popular programs have become more receptive to the concept of collaboration. As more people become involved in the preparation of…

This article reports that notification systems--which use the Internet to enable school administrators to make and send thousands of automated phone calls, text messages and e-mails in minutes--are expanding in popularity in school districts across the country. As the dire national economic conditions increase voter concern about the best use of…

The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery.…

Electronic mail is one of several telecommunications technologies that have become potent factors in modern organizational communication. The introduction of such sophisticated microelectronic technology into an organization can have a strong impact on the patterns of communication within that organization. This is the case for the Florida House…

Describes the design and development of training materials to encourage the use of telecommunications by Florida teachers that was funded by the Florida Department of Education. Topics addressed include the need for training materials; electronic mail; booklets; computer tutorials/simulation; the use of HyperCard; and results of an effectiveness…

Describes Telecommunications Opportunities for Gifted Learners (TOGL), a state-funded project in Florida that links gifted programs in rural districts. The use of electronic mail and computer conferences is described; teacher education and training needs are discussed; and an example of a lesson plan that integrates online activities is given.…

Describes the provision of library instruction and reference services to students enrolled in distance learning courses at 73 Florida-based colleges and universities by the Florida Distance Learning Reference and Referral Center (RRC). Explains the use of chat software which allows real-time virtual reference assistance that supplements email,…

This paper describes 2 years of international telecommunications experiences between seventh grade reading classes in Florida and England. The report is presented in five sections: (1) Telecommunications and Reading Instruction--telecommunications and how it can motive students, develop their confidence, and empower them, and how…

Discusses the use of intercultural e-mail via the Internet to provide language students with real audiences, authentic language experiences, and immediate feedback from native speakers. Highlights include examples from high school classes in Florida and Mexico City, task-based learning activities, and problems and possible solutions. (LRW)