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With today's growth in the use of electronic information systems for e-mail, data development and research, and the relative ease of access to such resources, protecting one's data and correspondence has become a great concern. "Pretty Good Privacy" (PGP), an encryption program developed by Phil Zimmermann, may be the software tool that will provide a person with a secure method to keep mail, manuscripts, and data private. PGP uses a two-key method of encryption. With PGP, a person gives out their public key to all who might send them encrypted messages. The person's private key, which they do not divulge, is then the only key that can access the encrypted messages, so information is secure. This paper contains detailed installation instructions, basic features and strengths of using PGP for e-mail purposes, and information on where and how to obtain current versions of the public domain PGP software. (Author/SWC)

Since electronic networking via microcomputers is fast becoming one of the most popular communications mediums of this decade, this manual is designed to help educators use personal computers as communication devices. The purpose of the document is to acquaint the reader with: (1) the many available communications options on electronic networks; (2) how-to activities that will, with some practice and experience, make one a "networking expert"; and (3) resources and services related to electronic networking. Presuming no technological sophistication since none is required, it presents a step-by-step description of computer networking and the ways it is being used by educators and students throughout the country. Suggestions for ways to ease into computer networking are also provided, along with some examples of how a typical networking session might proceed. The manual does not detail hardware and software requirements, nor does it recommend any particular brands of hardware and software. A glossary and 11 references are included. (THC)

This paper provides guidance through the process of upgrading the skills of information systems staff to fit the implementation of new technology. Specific examples are provided for the technology implementation at Mott Community College (Michigan). As with many major transitions, the key to success is planning. It is important to completely and thoroughly analyze existing technology, the new technology being implemented, and the strengths and weaknesses of each individual on the Information Systems staff. To determine the makeup of the Information Staff of the future: evaluate the new technology and the organization's needs; determine the organization chart for the new technology; determine the generic skills needed for each position; develop a job description for each "new" position; and identify the specific technical skills needed for each position. After developing a general timeline, Mott Community College formed a migration team to help with the transition and to: help implement the new system; help determine the best set of procedures and policies; work with the existing staff to help them contribute to decisions; and train existing staff. The migration team was critically important to the success of Mott Community College's transition. The paper also provides guidance for selling the staff on the new technology; building the training plan (including an example training plan); and working with the transition. (SWC)

World Wide Web authors are often tempted to use the latest and sexiest means to present their information. "Hot" and "cool" sites use dancing graphics, frames, tables, specific fonts, and background and foreground colors to entice the reader and delight the eye. Sound clips often convey emotional content that cannot be expressed in text, and digital video clips present movement. However, the use of these means tends to disenfranchise some users. It is important to consider potential users' limitations, and make information accessible to all. Deaf readers need text support for sound clips, as well as visual clues to any audio stimuli, including beeps and bells. Blind readers need to be able to access the information content through text presented in a linear manner, so that it can be rendered as sound through their specialized equipment. Readers at the end of a telephone line need access to the information content even when they turn off the display of online images, and readers with older computers need pages that work with a text browser, such as Lynx. This paper describes hypertext markup language (HTML) coding techniques to enhance accessibility without totally forsaking attractiveness. The paper is intended for Web authors who can understand HTML tagging without lengthy explanations. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/SWC)

For many librarians and information specialists, the World Wide Web presents a challenge, not only in terms of organizing information, but in creating a visual package that piques the user's curiosity and interest as well as provides orientation to a site. Creating original graphics gives a Web site a unique identity, and forces the designer to think carefully about the layout and hierarchies of the site before creating it. The best way to come up with ideas is to look at other web sites, but it is crucial to consider the future site's audience and the library's resources for building and maintaining the site. This paper provides an introduction and overview for those who do not have formal art or design training but are interested in creating graphics for the Web. Topics include: determining a "look" for Web pages; essential software for creating graphics; Web page layout; and designing graphics for various platforms and Web browsers. The paper also describes the difference between GIF and JPEG graphics format, and provides tips for dealing with color for the Web. For librarians who need to create a Web site, creating the graphics is their opportunity to give the library a unique identity in a new medium. (Author/SWC)

This paper describes how librarians can teach patrons the basics of hypertext markup language (HTML) so that patrons can publish their own homepages on the World Wide Web. With proper use of handouts and practice time afterwards, the three basics of HTML can be conveyed in only 60 seconds. The three basics are: the basic template of Web tags, used for all web pages, which can be copied from a standing file; certain typed characters that cannot be used as is; and a tag for a hyperlink. Suggestions are provided for customizing the 60-second web lesson for the needs of different patrons. Before learning any tags beyond the basics, a person should plan their Web page, and decide how their subject should be divided. The paper provides other basic tags: for clearly organizing and emphasizing parts of a page; for adding more "flash" by adding images; and for adding an e-mail link tag. Perhaps the ultimate goal of a Web teacher is to encourage people not only to complement their Web browsing with their own page, but to begin exchanging specific e-mail with others about their pages and interests. This level of engagement can truly show people the value of information and the newest methods of finding it. (SWC)

Noting that journalism and mass communication educators have experimented broadly with computer applications since the 1970s, this paper suggests that momentum is building in the 1990s in three areas (industry imperative, social significance, and pedagogic promise) to integrate computer-mediated communication (CMC) into the journalism and mass communication curriculum. The paper first defines CMC and discusses its development. The paper then notes that knowledge of and facility with CMC is becoming a requirement for the computer literate professional of the 1990s. Two general approaches toward the pedagogic use of CMC are outlined in the paper: adoption of CMC in every course as a supplemental means of student-professor and student-student communication; and introduction of CMC into target core courses (such as media law, reporting, and media management) where CMC would facilitate communication with and among students, and also enhance the instruction of a number of topics already addressed in various courses. The paper also discusses general points to consider when putting a class "online," such as: establishing students' computer accounts; creating a new bulletin board or participating in an existing board; motivating usage of CMC; and developing a student guide for the e-mail and bulletin board technology. The paper concludes that educators must find ways to overcome initial resistance among students and colleagues to CMC, and must locate niches in the curriculum in which CMC could be usefully integrated. Sixty-nine notes are included. (RS)

This paper is intended to help institutions of higher education critically evaluate the principal technological tools and policies being used to enforce copyright on campus networks. It first explores where the goals of copyright holders and universities overlap and where they conflict. It then discusses the pros and cons of the major solutions and explores alternatives. Finally, it offers a series of questions designed to help university IT professionals develop criteria for evaluating future tools as they come to market. Questions to Ask Vendors If You're Considering a Technical Solution is appended. This paper was produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

This paper presents tips for educators to integrate and facilitate virtual learning teams within online courses. The techniques are grounded in current research and theoretical foundations of systems theory and group dynamics. Tips emphasize facilitation of virtual learning teams, assembled for the purpose of formal education and supported by computer-mediated communication tools. Critical elements of virtual team learning are defined, including task/problem, team dynamics and interaction, team member roles, mediated communication, and facilitation. Tips are categorized as facilitating motivation and efficacy, problem-solving, skill building, knowledge construction, and conflict resolution. The ten techniques are: (1) help team members manage "cyberstress" by helping them feel connected to the facilitator and other team members; (2) plan frequent e-mail prompts to help team members overcome procrastination; (3) provide a variety of tools to support the different phases of problem solving; (4) assist team members when they struggle with achieving consensus; (5) assemble teams strategically based on task and talent; (6) provide timely and meaningful feedback; (7) scaffold topical discussions using a threaded discussion (asynchronous) tool; (8) encourage elaboration through questioning and hypertext linking; (9) discourage judgment, criticism, and personal attacks; and (10) intervene to highlight areas of common ground among conflicting team members. (DLS)

This paper addresses problems and issues that arise in electronic communications, and offers guidelines and etiquette. Topics covered include: (1) drafting an electronic message, including width of messages, abbreviations and smileys, salutation, name, author address, and responding to a message; (2) "Webtiquette" (i.e., guidelines for World Wide Web page development); (3) design guidelines for voice mail and automated answering services; (4) pager emotimetric codes; and (5) problems and issues, including flames, privacy, and lead time for e-mail. (AEF)

This study examined the relationships between ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) adoption in universities and four organizational variables: university size, type, finances, and information processing maturity. Another purpose of the study was to identify the current status of ATM adoption in campus networking. Subjects were university domain LAN (local area network) administrators in the United States. A questionnaire was posted on the World Wide Web, and Internet e-mail was used to distribute the cover letter. A total of 199 usable responses were received. Logistic regression was used to study the relationship between the variables and ATM adoption, and nested models and an enrollment size model were designed for analyzing data. Results indicated that ATM adoption in campus networking is significantly related to the selected organizational variables. Tables present data on: frequencies for ATM adoption status; descriptive statistics for the predictor variables and categorical variables; and logistic regression coefficients and goodness-of-fit for the nested models and for the enrollment size model. (DLS)

Recent increases in the speed and accessibility of computers and networks have made it possible to administer tests on-line. On-line assessment can be conducted in a controlled setting, such as a testing center, or distributed over local area networks or the Internet to libraries and student homes, allowing students the flexibility to complete tests as their schedules permit. While on-line tests can contain virtually any type of question, the easiest test to develop are true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice formats. Advantages of on-line tests include time savings for instructors and students, as well as increased learning opportunities for students in that the tests offer immediate feedback and do not take up class time. There are disadvantages to on-line testing for students, however, including the problem of procrastination, the lack of universal computer access and skills, and less flexibility in test-taking strategies. Disadvantages also exist for teachers, including problems with security and computer hardware, and issues related to "debugging" testing programs to ensure correct feedback and scoring. Tools for developing on-line tests include basic Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) with hyperlinked answers; HTML forms with Perl, CGI, or Personal Home Page (PHP) scripts to send feedback to students and commercial test development software. Sample HTML and PHP source code and test screen shots are included. (BCY)

This guide to the Internet is geared toward special education teachers. Descriptions of various resources, including discussion groups (sometimes known as LISTSERVS) or conferences that appear to be beneficial for educators who instruct students with learning disabilities, are provided. The explosion in communication via the information superhighway is discussed. The World Wide Web and SPEDTALK, a forum for people to discuss current issues about practices, policies, and research in special education, are described and evaluated. Individual testimonials on the helpfulness of the Internet are recounted. Examples from SPEDTALK in their original form are provided. Caution is given to users on the amount of material they may receive through electronic mail. (CR)

Creating and maintaining a web server, particularly for a large organization, is both an art and a science. The science of link management, statistical analysis, and error redirection is only a part of what is required of web managers. Additional responsibilities include knowing the information needs of users; data owner support services; training others in web document design and markup; policy formation and enforcement; defining server standards; encouraging creativity; monitoring users; and checking links. This document describes the web manager's responsibilities, and provides instructions on how to customize default error messages and tips for web page referrals and redirection. No web manager is perfect, but those that approach perfection will bring a mix of skills and talents appropriate to the needs of the organization in building effective web systems. (Author/SWC)

The World Wide Web (WWW) acts as a multimedia Internet, navigable via Web browsers. Web browsers (Mosaic, Netscape, Cello, WinWeb, etc.) read files treated in HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) and display interactive pages to users. Teachers with computer-mediated classrooms or labs can use HTML and Web browsers to create multimedia presentations for their classes. Files required for HTML, including text, graphics, and other multimedia, are discussed. The process involves using text files to create HTML documents containing coding-embedded HTML commands. HTML commands are the language used to mark up text to make it interactive and "pretty." The most common HTML codes ("tags") for making text pretty are listed and defined. Additional codes are defined which are needed to turn the text into an interactive, multimedia experience. Appendices include sample text from a Web document and some Internet sites of interest to Web builders. (MAS)

The E-Mail (electronic mail) and BBS (electronic bulletin board systems) Course at Thomas Nelson Community College, in Hampton, Virginia is designed to provide an introduction to e-mail and BBS systems, as well as information on the installation, operation, and administration of such systems. This document describes the class and provides instructional materials and exercises used in the class. An introductory narrative indicates that the course is a 2-credit semester hour class and utilizes a local area network (LAN), 23 computers, 2 telephone lines and 3 modems. A course of study is then presented, providing a course description and information on prerequisites, objectives, goals, and lecture methods. Finally, the following instructional materials are presented: (1) a course syllabus, including meeting times, required student materials, an outline of class assignments, the grading scale, and attendance policies; (2) a grade sheet, given to each student to keep them aware of their progress in the course; (3) overhead slides used on the first day of class to introduce the topic; (4) a set of six classroom activities, including installing an E-Mail program, working with E-Mail on a LAN, simulating an office environment, gaining access and registering on a local BBS, gaining access to CompuServe (a commercial BBS), and establishing a BBS; (5) three laboratory activities, including using an E-Mail system, gaining access to the campus BBS, and installing a modem; and (6) examination materials. (MAB)

The program for City Technical Colleges (CTCs) draws on ideas and resources from government, private industry, and education to focus on the educational needs of inner city and urban children. Mathematics, science, and technology are at the center of the CTCs' mission, in a context which includes economic awareness and a commitment to enterprise and wealth creation. This discussion addresses the question of computer provision in the context of the need for children to learn skills in the technologies now central to their existence, and their need for sufficient access to relevant equipment through their learning experiences at school if they are to develop such skills. This paper presents a rationale for providing information technology (IT); a discussion of how subject areas in the National Curriculum, ranging from science to dance, can be enhanced by its use; suggestions for staffing and administering IT programs; and a discussion of issues concerned with system purchase, support, and maintenance. Suggestions are based on an analysis of needs, value for money, the nature of educational computing, parity between CTCs and the external world, and an attempt to predict the future direction of educational information technology. Two appendices provide an annotated list of sources of information and resources for curricular issues, the purchase and evaluation of equipment, satellite systems and remote sensing, issues relating to the management of information technology, MS-DOS educational software, and software for alternative computing platforms; and a glossary and explanation of terms. (KRN)

The purpose of this handbook is to provide background and teaching recommendations for instructors who will be remotely conducting Reserve Component training using asynchronous computer conferencing techniques. The recommendations in this handbook are based on an international review of the literature in distance learning and experience gained from developing and conducting Reserve Component training. The handbook is based on a remotely conducted, distributed training model called A System for Managing Asynchronous Remote Training (SMART). The cornerstones of the SMART model are that training is asynchronous in time, computer mediated, and distributed to soldiers' homes. The SMART classroom is one in which small groups of students work together as a group by asynchronously communicating with each other and the instructor(s) using computer conferencing; lessons may be paper-based, computer-based, or audio/video-based. The handbook is divided into three sections: (1) background information on the SMART model and typical student characteristics of adults learning at home; (2) techniques for conducting SMART classroom training (e.g., group and individual learning techniques, motivational techniques); and (3) methods for troubleshooting likely course problems (e.g., computer problems, lack of progress or achievement). A companion Handbook for SMART Course Conversion and Implementation is also available. (Author)

An inter-university network of computer centers, the "Because It's Time NETwork" (BITNET), is described. Specific guidelines and format requirements for using BITNET, with sample commands, are presented. More than 1,800 computers at over 600 institutions of higher education and research centers in Europe, Asia, and North America are linked in this "store-and-forward" network. Users must have access to a main-frame computer located in a BITNET member institution. Users share information via real-time terminal messages and electronic mail. Other applications of BITNET include document transfer, program sharing, data exchange, and access to BITNET data services. Four maps of regional BITNET nodes in the United States and other parts of the world are included. (SLD)

A framework for assessing the implementation and impact of office automation (OA) technology within shore-based facilities of the U.S. Navy is provided. Following a list of the assumptions guiding the evaluation plan, a model for data collection is presented which is based on the perspective of a work group, i.e., a small number of individuals who interact regularly. Several topics relating to measurement strategy are discussed: (1) previous efforts to assess the impact of OA; (2) sources of data; (3) question construction and format for OA assessment; (4) the magnitude of impact of OA; (5) value judgments about change; and (6) measuring productivity. Data to be gathered about implementation, activity within work groups, uses of technology, immediate impact of work group outputs, changes in the role and adaptability of work groups, and remote impact are specified. The timing of data collection and sampling strategies are considered, and the report concludes with a discussion of the differences in emphasis in evaluation of networking and stand-alone workstations. The appendix provides examples of questions that can be used in OA assessment. (12 references). (MES)

Continues an ongoing discussion about networked computer technologies and writing center practice. Examines the underlying theories of technology shaping attitudes and actions toward technology. Offers lab administrators a framework for thinking about accounts of technology use they hear; whether they wish to add computer networked technologies to their center's services; and how to implement those technologies. (PA)

Offers suggestions for training people to use the Internet. Topics discussed include levels of training; goals; matching objectives to student interests; the importance of interactive sessions; student log books; conducting student evaluations; follow-up; and the necessity for the instructor to keep current. (four references) (LRW)

Discussion of the proposed National Information Infrastructure (NII) focuses on the need for the NII to assist educational institutions, libraries, governments, and nonprofit organizations in carrying out their responsibilities for public access to information. New communications technologies are discussed; the role of librarians is examined; and NII guidelines are suggested. (LRW)

Provides a novice's guide to locating and using patent resources on the Internet. The guide examines how easily a novice can find and use patent resources, and evaluates resources on their search and retrieval capability. Findings are from the author's own experiences with various online services and are presented as personal narratives. (JMV)

Suggests strategies for finding information in gophers that will increase access to Internet information resources for library users. Highlights include search strategies; veronica searches; jughead searches; keyword lists; Boolean operations; gophers with subject menus; subject guides; listservs; and World-Wide Web. (eight references) (LRW)