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The April/May 2005 issue of Innovate is now available at http://www.innovateonline.info Innovate is a peer-reviewed, bimonthly e-journal published as a public service by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University. It features creative practices and cutting-edge research on the use of information technology to enhance education. We open the issue with an important query from Glenn Russell: What are the effects of distance in time and space on affective relationships between teachers and students? Distancing lessens sensitivity to the emotional states of others and can prevent educators from responding to students' boredom, frustration, low motivation, or anxiety. Russell argues that high-bandwidth synchronous communication, including visual and aural feedback, can help educators better understand their students' needs. Joel Foreman and Roy Jenkins focus on one technology that may alleviate the distancing effect. Web conferencing systems (Webcons) include live audio and video while providing the conveniences that educators have come to expect from course management systems. Foreman and Jenkins enumerate the activities that Webcons make possible and discuss the financial resources required to bring them to the online classroom. Susan LaCour describes a future in which portal systems provide students with personalized information; integrated platforms offer campus-wide resources in a central online location; and ePortfolios give prospective employers and institutions a complete portrait of a student's learning history. These technologies enable students to take charge of their own learning, thereby increasing their potential for personal and professional success. David Gibson describes the Semantic Web's (SW) redefinition of the Internet. The SW is not merely a medium for accessing and sharing textual information; it enables the dynamic interoperability of programs across the Web. By unobtrusively gathering data related to a user's online activities, the SW can provide personalized learning resources, guidance, and evaluation, acting as a virtual teacher that is uniquely responsive to the needs of its student. The next two articles provide pedagogical tips and techniques for making online learning more engaging for students and more rewarding for instructors. Tisha Bender shows educators several online applications for role playing, situating the time-tested technique in a virtual theater where students collaboratively apply their knowledge and experiences, and then critically analyze their own performances. Cleborne Maddux, Rhoda Cummings, Leping Liu, and John Newman follow with a practical, step-by-step guide to creating a well-organized online course. Their suggestions are particularly appropriate for colleagues who are developing a Web-based course for the first time. Ed Klonoski presents a creative solution to the ubiquitous budgetary woes that frequently block technology purchases. Klonoski outlines Connecticut's recent acquisition of a statewide learning management system and provides tips on how multiple institutions can collaborate on purchasing arrangements that, in the end, will save them thousands of dollars on sophisticated software. Finally, in his "Places to Go" column, Stephen Downes introduces readers to the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery-an online repository that contains more than 270,000 images from the library's archives. The Gallery offers users convenient browsing capabilities as well as background information on each image and bibliographic listings for further research. Other libraries have launched similar sites, paving the way for archival exploration at the click of a mouse. Please forward this announcement to appropriate mailing lists and to colleagues who want to use IT tools to advance their work. Many thanks. Jim ---- James L. Morrison Editor-in-Chief, Innovate http://www.innovateonline.info Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership UNC-Chapel Hill http://horizon.unc.edu