Are instant messaging and text messaging killing language? To hear what the popular media say, a handful of OMGs (oh my Gods) and smiley faces, along with a paucity of capital letters and punctuation marks, might be bringing English to its knees. Although journalists tend to sensationalize the linguistic strangeness of "online lingo," quantitative…

An elementary school principal shares some anecdotes about Utah schools' leadership in using the Internet. He describes Salt Lake City youngsters' e-mail communications with other elementary schoolers in Russia, England, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. Although cost can be a limiting factor, the educational benefits of Net-surfing are substantial. (MLH)

Describes a Northwestern University project exploring how to orchestrate distant mentoring ("telementoring") relationships between science students and workplace scientists. The goal was to develop an audience of (volunteer) scientists to offer students ongoing advice and criticism. Challenges included finding appropriate volunteers,…

A Carnegie Mellon University study examined Pittsburgh Public Schools' use of computer networks. Classroom activities included sending work to another party, collaborating on group projects, and exploiting the Internet's remote data sources and processing capabilities. Teachers' computer usage is discussed, along with implementation advice and…

Profiles computer usage at Tapawarea Area School, a small, rural, pre-K-12 school in New Zealand. A guided tour finds 14-year olds writing stories at individual terminals, several students participating in distance learning, older students teaching younger ones in forms 6 and 7, and a social studies class communicating with another school. (MLH)

A Nebraska consultant/former teacher explains his role in developing Internet accounts for teachers while working on a wetlands distance-learning project and an arts-education consortium. He explains ARTnet and other Internet services, including Telnet, FTP (file transfer protocol), the Gopher retrieval system, NetNews, and Listservs. Sidebars…

An Internet correspondence program gave Nebraska secondgraders an audience for their writing and provided Iowa preservice teachers with insights into classroom teaching. The experience helped youngsters' reading, writing, and comprehension skills. The college students learned that children can communicate in a sophisticated manner, have varied…

In Rankin Inlet, a remote Innuit community in the Canadian Arctic, an elementary school/business partnership has provided every citizen with access to the latest Internet-related technologies. Students at the Igalaaq Centre have their own e-mail accounts and Web pages, and use technology to record and share information about Innuit culture and…

Two experts, Crawford Kilian and Clifford Stoll, disagree about the Internet's proper role in education. Kilian believes teachers must steer students through information "white water" to utilize the net more productively. Stoll thinks Internet will do little to resolve kids' reading deficiencies, restore music and art programs, or…

KIDLINK is a grassroots organization aiming to improve worldwide relations by involving students ages 10 to 15 in electronic dialog. Using KIDLINK connections, a teacher of Internet telecommunications courses successfully involved three mainstreamed, neurologically impaired seventh graders in writing a book and teaching others the value of…

Describes an education professor's efforts to build mentoring relationships with his students by using electronic mail. Students use e-mail to record new skills, knowledge, and techniques they have learned and have come to appreciate the opportunity to address concerns, questions, ideas, or anxieties about assignments without waiting for class or…

The strong association between student-adult relationships and student retention, achievement and aspirations goes largely unrecognized and such relationships are seen as secondary to test scores, policy and budgets. However, it is not the case at Community Academy, an alternative public high school in Boston, where teachers endeavor to build…

When Urseline Academy girls need career advice, academic guidance, or personal support, they e-mail their mentors--professional women in the Dallas area whose "real-world" knowledge helps the students make informed choices. The program is an outgrowth of a summer internship program stressing student-centered learning. (MLH)

The Open University of United Kingdom's Postgraduate Certificate of Education program is an 18-month, part-time course that annually trains over 1000 graduate teachers via electronic conferencing and open learning methods. The program provides every student and tutor with a Macintosh computer, printer, and modem and builds on face-to-face contacts…

The Four Directions Challenge in Technology Project is a collaborative of schools, universities, and organizations engaged in producing culturally resonant curricula for Native-American students. The project avoids content and strategies conflicting with community values; builds on students' background knowledge; and inspires cultural confidence…