ONLINE RESOURCES
--- Papers On Museums And The Web
--- SchoolNet SA 1998 Annual Report

ANNOUNCEMENTS
--- Special Edition on "The Politics of Information Technology".
--- Announcing World Bank Education Resources

Here is the latest collection of snippets from the world of the Internet.

Please remember that the next meeting is due to take place at the CSIR

Conference Centre in Pretoria between 09.00 and 13.00 on 28 April, 1999. An

agenda will follow early next week. See you there!!

Regards,

Neil Butcher

***************************

NEWS

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TECHNIKON SA CENTRE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING TECHNOLOGY REPORT

EDUCATION

The granting of permission to an entirely on-line university to award

degrees has caused other universities in the USA to take notice and complain

bitterly. It is reported that most academic staff at the university are not

full-time employees. Jones International University has little by way of a

traditional campus, with all faculties operating via the Internet. Founder,

Glen Jones believes there are more people seeking entrance to university

than there are available places. These new models of universities without

buildings could see the cost of degrees beginning to drop and traditional

institutions coming under increasing cost pressures.

programmes to teach people already using the Internet, how to improve their

techniques. This is seen by many as an ideal way of encouraging people to

acclimatise to new ways of interacting with their institution. The Technikon

SA programme may be found on its homepage under "Enlightening" and

participants may complete all assignments on-line.

Education is beginning to see a return for its loyalty to Microsoft, whose

Chief Executive has apparently given US$3.3M to two charities in support of

education and health. The Foundations are reported to be worth some US$5.5M.

When technological solutions are introduced, an appropriate investigation is

essential to establish whether the new methodologies will be seen as

appropriate by their proposed users. A plan to convert the written English

language tests TOEFL, to a computer-based system in some 20 Africa countries

has been shelved due to consumer resistance. Computerisation may be

appropriate to many, but the final decision on adoption is always taken by

the consumer!

THE INTERNET AND PCS AT WORK

The practice of entering a password in Windows when it boots up may take

care of logging into your local area network and other minor functions, but

it certainly does not provide any measure of security to the data on your

2-layer security option which includes the use of a smart card as part of a

data-encryption system and an asset tag that enables companies to tell when

PCs are entering and leaving security entrances. Sensors may be placed in

strategic places to check the movement of these assets.

If this is not enough, President Clinton of the USA has announced that

US$1,464B will be spent on protection and computer security. This funding is

mostly earmarked for research purposes.

In the past booksellers could advertise books in their stores and receive

payment from suppliers, without raising an eyebrow. Amazon.Com is finding

that its shoppers have far higher expectations of them. When they receive

income for advertising products for a supplier, they will, in future, place

a notification advising shoppers that they have been paid to do so! It will

be interesting to see if their counterparts in the physical world are forced

to become as transparent with their clients.

Microsoft's legal case with the US Department of Justice began to drop in

profile late last year but it has still not come to an end. Some 19 US

States are suing the company and appear to be trying to force a break-up of

the company. This has been done before, in the case of AT&T, the

mammoth-sized telephone company, as well as others in the USA. One

possibility in years to come is a number of "Baby Bills", each specialising

in a different field of computing.

COPYRIGHT ISSUES

The vagueness and inability of copyright legislation and practice to keep up

with the Information Age is evident when one considers this: The University

of Pittsburgh may request and receive journal articles via the Internet from

China but then has to print and send them by snail-mail to the people who

requested them. This practice is said to protect them against copyright

infringement. To the end-user, it still means a cumbersome system that

cannot provide the advanced searches digitised articles can provide.

Educators involved in on-line education testified recently at the US

Copyright Office, recommending that they be allowed the same degree of

latitude as those who teach by radio and television. US law allows a certain

amount of use of video clips and pictures as part of their lesson, without

prior written approval having to be obtained. They contend that this

legislation, written in 1976 was written prior to the Internet's expansion

and that it should now be updated. Some publishers and entertainment

industry companies are opposing the expanded use of material in the online

classroom for fear of unlawful copying of digital works.

These fears may soon be addressed by what's known as the Galaxy Group (IBM,

NEC, Hitachi, Pioneer and Sony) who have agreed on the technology of a

digital watermark. The watermark is an indelible code electronically written

in every frame of a digital recording. Any device being used to copy will

refuse to complete the action without the appropriate authorisation.

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY

Access to computers remains an area of concern to many people, but new

business models being tested may now help improve the situation. A company

called FreePC announced recently that it would give away 10_000 free

sub-US$1000 PCs in exchange for applicant's personal details. They received

about 375_000 applications on the first day. The company hopes to recover

the full cost of the machines and profit through the placing of

advertisements and the sale of applicant's personal information. The first

PCs have gone to "more affluent" applicants to satisfy advertising income

requirements but the company hopes to provide PCs to less affluent sectors

once they have established themselves.

Free Internet access that will help many people, unwilling or unable till

now, to afford the regular Internet access charges, is also on the way. The

business model is usually based on the appearance of a floating frame on the

users screen that displays adverts. Should the user close the frame, they

lose their Internet connection. If you have sufficient screen real-estate

(read: "space"), you can just park the frame on one side and enjoy free

Internet access! - You still have to pay telephone access charges in most

countries, though.

With concerns frequently expressed about privacy and security, its

interesting how many people are prepared to give away extensive information

about themselves to stand the chance of winning a free PC or to gain free

Internet access. Always assess your chances of actually getting the

"freebie" or the potential hidden cost of giving away all your personal

details.

The WWW, sometimes termed the World Wide Wait is under scrutiny by many

major telecom companies who realise its value in the longer term. MCI

WorldCom has begun an upgrade of its services in the US and expects to move

data at a rate of 2,5 gigabits per second in its main communications lines

(so-called "backbones"). Those of us living in developing countries are

beginning to see Internet access offered to the corporate sector via

satellite transmitters. Once this market has taken off, these service

providers will begin to look at the private consumer and, given increased

numbers of people going on the Internet, prices will come down. These

sometimes combine a telephone line for the "up-link" to the Internet while

using a satellite link for receiving data.

If you find your 56K modem just cannot cope with your demands, remember,

Windows 98 can run 2 modems simultaneously on 2 phone lines and two ISP

accounts (ISP = Internet Service Provider). You can get more information on

setting up this from a competent computer dealer.

Internet access speeds can be slowed down by an overload of advertisements

on websites. Programs like WebWasher, InterMute and AtGuard can stop these

adverts from downloading and slowing down your connection. Advertisers seem

unperturbed about this trend at this stage, believing that not many people

will take the trouble to load up the software.

Internet access in the US is reported to have moved from 3% in 1994 to 27%

in 1997 and now stands at 51%. Schools in developing countries are

frequently cited as "not even having electricity yet" and concerns are

raised over the ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots in the

world. Hybrid electricity solutions involving solar, wind, fuel and water,

offer new possibilities to getting schools connected if there is the

determination and will to do so. A school has to be prepared to open its

mind to working with local industry that might want to get electricity to

run light industry. It could also sell time in its new computer lab to

business people and the local community. An example of the new models being

a focused directory and search engine. Volunteers from around the world are

collaborating to develop the directory. In addition to the directory, it can

be used to search a range of other major search engines. A directory of

educational interest to Africa is under development under the "Regional"

Blind people have been using synthesised computer voices for sometime and

can now expect further improvements. IBM is working on software that can

read web pages to blind surfers. It can even give basic descriptions of the

graphics.

Censorship remains very much a part of life in many countries. The Iraqi

Government is said to have approved the use of e-mail by certain government

offices. Access is being limited though to ensure that citizens are not

affected by "negative Western thoughts".

Remember to keep your PC's virus checker up-to-date! These should normally

be updated EVERY WEEK since so many new viruses are being developed. Your

virus programme should be enabled so that it automatically checks every file

before your PC uses it.

FEEDBACK

If you have a comment, request or suggestion on this report,

please e-mail it to Paul West at: pgwest@pgw.org.

Regards

Paul West

Thursday, April 8, 1999

California Virtual University Has a Collision With Reality

Education: UC agrees to keep Web site running but drops plans to expand

programs and services.

By KENNETH R. WEISS, Times Education Writer

Once touted as the vehicle to whisk college students into cyber-classes, the

California Virtual University has run out of gas. The University of

California has agreed to keep the Web site running, so that students still

have access to an electronic catalog of 2,550 online courses offered by

California's colleges and universities. But the additional services

envisioned for the Virtual University only a few months ago--everything from

online guidance counseling to electronic book buying--have been abandoned

like the university's former staff. The troubles that have befallen the

California Virtual University are emblematic of the birth pains of distance

education. Consider these events:

* The College Board on Wednesday criticized online education for widening

the education gap between wealthy white students and their poor black and

Latino classmates. Citing unequal access to computers and the Internet, the

influential group of educators called on the government to commit more money

to "narrow the 'digital divide' between whites and minorities."

* The Institute of Higher Education Policy this week found flaws in most

studies that show students learn just as well taking online classes as they

can in a traditional classroom. "The higher education community has a lot to

learn regarding how, and in what ways, technology can enhance the

teaching/learning process, particularly at a distance," the institute

concluded.

* Jones International University became the nation's first fully accredited

virtual university. Last month's accreditation by the North Central Assn. of

Colleges and Schools was immediately condemned by the American Assn. of

University Professors, which argued the decision "weakens the very

definition of higher education."

* The American Federation of Teachers will belittle distance education in an

upcoming advertising campaign that resurrects the old "Saturday Night Live"

TV comedy sketch of Father Guido Sarducci selling his "Five Minute

University." "Is this about to become a reality?" the ad asks.

John Kobara, a former UCLA vice chancellor and now online educational

entrepreneur, said these groups raise important issues. But he suggested

that most of the concerns—from equal access to proper instruction--will be

worked out as distance education matures. "It's early in its life cycle,"

Kobara said. "There are going to be a few bumps in the road." Indeed, the

few online classes offered three years ago were widely dismissed as the

high-tech version of the correspondence courses of notorious diploma mills.

Now they are being embraced by virtually all colleges and universities. More

than 110 public and private colleges in California are linked up to the

California Virtual University Web site, which lists the 2,550 online courses

offered by those institutions. About 25,000 students have enrolled with

those individual colleges to take the courses. The number of Internet

courses is expected to explode as more professors get comfortable with the

medium and the technology improves. The University of California and other

universities are poised to launch Internet II, which promises to eliminate

the "jerky" moving images that often distract students from the content of

online lectures. California's community colleges are perhaps moving the most

aggressively into online education. More colleges every month rely on them

to fill out their course offerings or attract enough students to fill

classrooms. Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University

system, hopes that 15% of Cal State classes will be offered over the

Internet within the next five years. It's one of his principal strategies

for the 22-campus system to accommodate the tidal wave of extra students

that threatens to swamp traditional classrooms. Some private colleges view

the Internet as a way to pick up some more tuition-paying students and ward

off competition from outside companies trying to exploit the new market of

distance education. All this activity would seem to justify Gov. Pete

Wilson's 1997 decision to set up a nonprofit, free-standing California

Virtual University to help students click through all of the course

offerings. He spurned Western state leaders who created the Western

Governors University, saying he thought that California should go it alone.

Instead of creating a degree-granting university like Western Governors, he

opted for an electronic clearinghouse for courses offered by the state's

array of accredited schools. Last July, Wilson turned over the California

Virtual University to a nonprofit foundation, saying there was "no need" to

create a new state bureaucracy. He launched it with temporary funding from

private donations, hoping it would soon be bringing in revenue from ads on

its Web site at www.california.edu. But when Stanley A. Chodorow arrived as

the virtual university's first CEO, he found it without any financial means

of support. So he asked private colleges and the three public segments—the

University of California, Cal State and community colleges—to collectively

chip in $1 million a year for three years while he built up advertising and

book-sales revenues. Cal State's Chancellor Reed was the first to balk,

questioning if the virtual university would ever be self-sustaining. The

coalition then collapsed. "It never really caught on," Reed said. "We wanted

to keep up the Web site and we've managed to do that." Chodorow, former

University of Pennsylvania provost, chalks up the experience to "birth

pains" of a spanking-new industry. He remains unshaken from his view that

virtual universities will flourish in the future. "The concept of one-stop

shopping of online course offers is a terrific one," he said, "and ought to

be preserved at any cost."

Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Times. All Rights Reserved

ONLINE RESOURCES

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PAPERS ON MUSEUMS AND THE WEB

"Museums and the Web 1999," an international conference devoted to the

impact of the Web on museums and museology, was held in New Orleans this

month. Over fifty presentation and demonstration papers from the conference

are available on the Web. Many of the papers cover areas of interest to

humanities scholars, librarians, and others involved in creating digital

collections of research materials. Conference sessions included "Enabling

Scholarly Research on the Web," "Tools for Teachers," "Large-Scale,

High-Precision Web Retrieval," and "Academic Users of Museum Web Sites." To

"Museums and the Web" conferences are sponsored by Archives & Museum

Informatics (A&MI), a firm that provides consulting for archives, museums,

libraries and cultural heritage networks. For more information about A&MI,

A&MI provides management services for the Art Museum Image Consortium

(AMICO), a not-for-profit association of institutions with collections of

art, that have come together to enable educational use of the digital

documentation of their collections by building a joint digital library

documenting their collections. This library will be available to all levels

of the educational community. For more information about AMICO, visit their

SchoolNet SA is a new organization, whose major funder is the IDRC (Acacia

Initiative), along with the Open Society Foundation and World Bank.

Regards

Stephen Marquard

Technical Director

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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CALL FOR PAPERS

Special Edition on "The Politics of Information Technology".

exploring the intersection of culture, society, politics and information,

announces a call for papers for its inaugural issue. Virtual Denizen is

designed to bring together individuals from various fields of inquiry to

explore the world being made by the "information revolution". The editorial

board is international in focus and brings a cross-disciplinary approach to

this study. Submissions will undergo a peer-review process. Because Virtual

Denizen is both about and of new information mediums and their interaction

with social and cultural structures, the editorial board encourages use of

new media and other narrative forms made possible by hosting the journal

online.

For the issue on "The Politics of Information Technology", the editors are

interested in papers that critically examine the way in which information

technology (in its many variants) influences political developments (in its

many guises). The easy access to previously unimaginable amounts of

information challenges and redefines political relations in a number of

ways, and at a number of levels.

For individuals, the electronic venue offers new opportunities for access to

information, power, and possibility. The current state of technology

facilitates the possibilities of identity creation and minimizes spatial and

temporal constraints on political behavior. For elites, nations and

organizations, the new access of the "individual" both challenges and

strengthen traditional positions of power. In short, for those who have

access, the nature of politics is undergoing radical changes. In addition,

of course, there are political consequences that follow from varying degrees

of access. Wealth, networks and language (for example) act to limit access

in ways that can only exacerbate earlier political and social cleavages and

create new ones.

The topic reminds us of an earlier debate about the quality of information

versus the quantity of information. On the one hand, the ease and anonymity

of publishing information helps to undermine what was, in effect, an

oligopoly on information. But this oligopoly had certain reputational costs

associated with it, costs that entailed a modicum of quality control. Not

all information is of equal value, and the new information--as it is both

more ephemeral and more autonomous--is of potentially questionable caliber.

In short, because the amount of information has increased, it does not

necessarily mean that its utility has.

These are only preliminary thoughts on the impact of new information

technologies on contemporary social and political structures. All

relationships between technology and politics are welcome. Detailed

information on submissions can be found on the website.

Deadline for submissions: 1 June 1999.

ENQUIRIES: Jonathon Moses or Robert Gillespie, Co-editors

E-mail: jonathan.moses@svt.ntnu.no or robertg@smdi.com

Attention Teachers, Students and Learners of All Ages

Here's Your Passport to World Development Information!

The World Bank's homepage now features an exciting new pathway for students

guides you through primary source material located on the Bank's web site.

We invite teachers and learners of all ages to: *Explore countries and

regions with country profiles and data!

*Tackle development issues with links to topical websites and actual Bank

project documents!

*Link to secondary schools around the world with the WorLD program!

*Test your knowledge with an interactive quiz!

PLUS

is now on line in FRENCH and SPANISH! Check out the Learning Materials for

Your Classroom button on the For Schools homepage. Explore Sustainable

Development with learning modules full of maps, charts, photos, data tables,

case studies, and a wide range of activities.

Learn about:

*Population Growth Rate

*GNP per Capita

*Access to Safe Water

TALK TO US!

We welcome your comments and feedback on this new World Bank web site.

Please contact the Development Education Program/For Schools at

dep@worldbank.org.

Telematics for African Development Consortium

P.O. Box 31822

Braamfontein

2017

Johannesburg

South Africa

Tel: +27 +11 403-2813

Fax: +27 +11 403-2814

neilshel@icon.co.za

www.saide.org.za