Below is a description of the April issue of The Technology Source, a free
refereed Web periodical at http://horizon.unc.edu/TS. Please forward this
announcement to colleagues who are interested in using information
technology tools more effectively in educational organizations.

As always, we seek illuminating articles that will assist educators as
they face the challenge of integrating information technology tools in
teaching and in managing educational organizations. Please review our call
for manuscripts at http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/call.asp

Jim
--
James L. Morrison                          [log in to unmask]
Professor of Educational Leadership        CB 3500 Peabody Hall
Editor, On the Horizon                     The University of North
http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon             Carolina at Chapel Hill
Editor, The Technology Source              Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3500
http://horizon.unc.edu/TS                  Phone: 919 962-2517
                                           Fax: 919 962-1693
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In this month's Vision article, Philip Clark tells readers about "The
Future that is Already Here." The author looks at technology developments
and population demographics and their possible implications on the future
of education. Clark asserts that widely-heralded changes in higher
education have already occurred. "The debate should no longer be about the
possibility of change-the future of higher education is already in place,"
he argues. "Instead, the debate should focus on how to harness, where
possible, the driving forces behind this change."

Mike Sosteric discusses academic alternatives to traditional publishing in
this month's Commentary. The International Consortium for Alternative
Academic Publication (ICAAP) is an organization designed to flex academic
IT muscle in order to provide a publication forum other than cumbersome
print media. The Consortium studies and implements concepts in
programming, database management, and information distribution so that
access to academic resources may become less costly and proprietary.

In this month's Case Study, readers travel to Wake Forest University for a
look at the implementation of the "Plan for the Class of 2000." Ross
Griffith examines the school's attempt to promote academic excellence by
lowering the student-faculty ratio, increasing student funding for
research and study abroad, and distributing IBM laptop computers to all
faculty and entering freshmen.

April's Faculty and Staff Development section, by Bobby Hobgood and David
Walbert, acquaints readers with the Learners' and Educators' Assistance
and Resource Network of North Carolina (LEARN NC). Designed to be an
"electronic performance support system," the network currently provides
Web-based resources such as lesson plans, curriculum information, and
discussion forums to all educators, but particularly to those teaching
grades K-12.

In the Virtual Universities section, Scott G. Rosevear offers eight
suggestions on how to successfully start a VU. "No virtual university can
hope to succeed without answering some basic questions," Rosevear warns.
Within his article are the answers to those questions-answers based upon
his examination of the political, technological, and economic struggles of
a state-sponsored virtual university.

In the April Critical Reading section, Gary Brown and Mary Wack survey
three articles that trace the development of technology tools as they have
begun to transform not only education, but also the workplace, our notions
of space and time, and even the way the brain processes and structures
information.

The Site of the Month for April is the Corporation for Research and
Educational Networking. CREN is an impressive resource for IT-conscious
educators and other tech-savvy professionals. Participate in virtual
seminars with experts and top innovators in IT. Or check the site's
archives for the latest information about subjects such as Web security,
distance learning, and education networks.

In this month's Letters to the Editor, Glenn Ralston protests the popular
press's frequent use of anecdotal argumentation to deride educational
technology. He praises the TS Critical Reading section and other forums
that refute the growing misrepresentations of the value of technology in
education. Eric Flescher replies to Steven Stahl's March Commentary
article, "Bringing Old Ideas to New Times: Learning Theories of Kurt Lewin
Applied to Distance Education." Flescher proposes a multifaceted approach
to integrating technology and expresses hope that this approach will
eliminate the educational process he calls "regurgitation station." Editor
James L. Morrison regrettably informs readers of the death of editorial
board member Thomas Creed.







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