Distance Learning


"CU Online"
 http://cuonline.edu
"CU Online" is the new distance education program of the University of Colorado, created in collaboration with the Colorado-based software company Real Education, Inc. The program currently offers 20 courses, including anthropology, communication, and history, as well as psychology, sociology, and theater. At the website, students may access their classes, but they can also receive academic counseling per e-mail, get student updates at any time and pay tuition; and there's (virtual) campus life, too: a series of PeaceJam conferences featuring Nobel Peace Prize Laureates will be made available on the Internet via RealAudio and then archived at the site. (Vol. 1 No. 11, March '97)

"The United States Distance Learning Association"
http://gopher.usdla.org/
Formed in 1987, "The United States Distance Learning Association" states that its purpose is "to promote the development and application of distance learning for education and training." They serve K12, higher education, corporations, the government, and the military. Its executive Committee includes noteworthy members from both business and education, notably Executive Director Patrick Portway. The site includes information on membership and on the upcoming "Distance Learning Week," March 23 - March 29, 1997. (Vol. 1 No. 7, November '96)


Ecology


"A World Community of Old Trees: An Ecology Art Project on the Web"
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/julian/
This eco-art project began as an outgrowth of the artist and art educator June Julian's passion to paint the oldest, largest or most noteworthy trees she could find and ended up as a research component of her doctoral dissertation at New York University. Since early 1996, "Ecology Art Education On-Line" has received contributions from hundreds of arboresphiles (tree enthusiasts) of all ages from around the world in the form of text, imagery and multimedia. The site itself is little more than an index of those contributions and would benefit from more background information and resources covering the ecological philosophy of Aldo Leopold and others on which her project is based. However, it does demonstrate simply and effectively the complex relationship between the artist and her subject and how that enthusiasm can be spread by using the Web as a "global studio." (Vol. 2 No. 2, Spring '98)


Educational Technology


"From Now On"
 http://fromnowon.org
"From now on," maintained by Jamie McKenzie, is an electronic educational technology journal focusing on the impact of new technologies on education and teaching. The site features "Net Profit," an online book about schools and the Net, as well as the journals' back issues from 1991-96 (searchable by subject index). Among the other sections covered here are 'Parenting & Family Matters,' 'School Virtual Museums' and a 'Poetry Gallery.' An excellent resource for parents and teachers. (Vol. 1 No. 4, July/August '96)

"Journal of Technology Education"
http://borg.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte.html
This site provides access to the contents of the bi-annually published "Journal of Technology Education" (JTE), a forum for scholarly discussion on the research, philosophy, theory, or practice of technology education. The journal also features book reviews, editorials, guest articles, comprehensive literature reviews, and commentary on previously published articles; it is an interesting resource for anybody involved in technology education. There is no "subscription fee" for electronic access, and you may also subscribe to the LISTSERV. (Vol. 1 No. 8, December '96)


"Learning Technologies Laboratory"
http://www.albany.edu/ltl
The Learning Technologies Lab at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany is dedicated to facilitating the pedagogical use of electronic media in teaching and learning; it initiates course offerings designed to help teachers explore the use of electronic media. Although the Lab's first responsibility is to the greater SUNY network, it is open to the educational community in general and also provides consulting services to local educational institutions. The Lab specifically targets educational materials aimed at grades 4, 7 and 11 and should be of particular interest to those involved in teaching these grades. The website features a section on research and courses, a "Software Preview Center" as well as an art gallery featuring student's works. (Vol. 1 No. 12, April/May '97)


Environmental Studies


"Envirolink Network"
 http://www.envirolink.org/
"EnviroLink"--a non-profit organization and online community that links hundreds of organizations and volunteers around the world with people in over 130 countries--has redesigned its site. The new look strives to convey an organic, tactile "hands-on-the-earth" kind of feel (the icons at the site are based on ancient artwork from indigenous cultures). The site welcomes visitors to the "CyberLithic Era"--the dawning of a new age of environmental information on the Net. Even if you don't feel the dawning of a new era, you'll find an impressive array of well-organized information at this site: in the re-organized Library database, subjects are grouped under the main areas of earth elements (earth, air, fire and water) and living creatures (flora and fauna), and the "EnviroLink News Service" features daily updates on environmental news stories, with links to all major news services on the Internet. Also available at the site is "EnviroArts," an online gallery for earth-conscious art in all its forms, featuring separate gallery areas to showcase "Visual Arts," "Audio Arts," "Performance Art" and "The Written Word." (Vol. 1 No. 11, March '97)

"Global Resources"
http://www.ucsusa.org/ucs.globalresources.html
The "Global Resources Program" of the UCS (Union of Concerned Scientists) was an outgrowth of the scientific community's over damage to the earth's natural systems. The website provides information on four issues: "Biodiversity," "Climate change," "Ozone depletion," and "Population growth." A team of UCS staff monitors the media coverage and policy developments in these issues and "broadcasts" electronic alerts. Making effective use of the Web's possibilities, UCS tries to link citizens and scientists, who are invited to participate in UCS's Sound Science Initiative (SSI) network. (Vol. 1 No. 10, February '97)

"The Greenhouse Effect"
http://www.crl.com./~boeschen/Nfoshare/Grnhouse
John Boeschen's presentation of the causes and possible future consequences of global warming has recently migrated from CD-ROM to the Web. The result is a relatively low-tech, easy-to-understand presentation of the "greenhouse effect" that will be appealing for classroom-use, as well as for adults who don't happen to be experts on the subject. The limited and effective use of images makes this a site that needn't scare away users with slower modems worried about fancy sites designed by T-1 toting web-designers. (Vol. 1 No. 4, July/August '96)

"International Rivers Network"
http://www.irn.org/
The website of the "International Rivers Network" (IRN) is designed as a resource for people sharing IRN's concern for preserving and restoring the world's rivers and riverine communities. The site provides an overview of the organization and its work, as well as of the available resources. The 'RiverLink' section featured at the site is an excellent environmental directory for rivers. Among the "Current Campaigns and Programs" are the Bakun Dam in Malaysia and the dam construction at Biobio (flowing from the Cordillera of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean). Both of these projects have been opposed by environmental and indigenous rights groups. IRN's site features reports and background information on the environmental impact of these and other projects; also available is information on financial institutions that play a role in the promotion of (inappropriate) river development projects. (Vol. 1 No. 5, September '96)


ESL


"Exchange"
 http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/exchange/
This site, the creation of students and faculty at the University of Illinois, is intended to provide non-native English speakers a place on the Web where they can use English to communicate about experiences and the history of their own native cultures. The idea is that such an exchange will further broaden the participants knowledge of English and the confidence with which they use it. Unfortunately, the site has many links that go nowhere and articles that confusingly refer to past events as upcoming. The site's promising objective appears poorly served by this ghostly condition. One problem may be that for a site intended to attract the participation of non-English speakers it fails to use the visual possibilities of the Web effectively. (Vol. 1 No. 2, May '96)


Ethnic Studies


"Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies"
 http://www.libertynet.org/~balch
Founded in 1971 with trusts established by the Balch family, "The Balch Institute" is dedicated to collecting and interpreting materials drawn from America's ethnic, racial, and immigrant experiences. Its website provides access to museum exhibitions, library and archives resources, and educational programs, such as "Diversity Awareness Workshops." Among the current exhibitions is "Discovering America: The Peopling of Pennsylvania," which traces the diversity of the ethnic groups who have populated Pennsylvania. It's a site that makes a lot of sense on the Web: the institute's multicultural approach and the emphasis on diversity reflect intrinsic values of the Web itself. (Vol. 1 No. 6, October '96)