Resources

The Web doesn't exist in space, yet we talk about going to sites, entering them, and leaving. Diaries move online and suddenly they're more about creating selves than writing about them. Web sites don't have fences, yet a site for auction hunters was found to have trespassed on eBay, a metaphorical offense for which it paid a very real price. Companies invest heavily in professional, polished Web sites, but the Web rewards sites that revel in imperfection. Bits are the "atoms" of the Web, but they have no weight, no size and no real existence. These anomalies are just a few that show how uncomfortable the fit between the Web and the real world is -- and how deeply weird the ordinary life of the Web is. In this one-of-a-kind book of social commentary, David Weinberger takes us beyond the hype, revealing what is truly revolutionary about this new medium. Just as Marshall McLuhan forever altered our view of broadcast media, Weinberger shows that the Web is transforming not only social institutions but also bedrock concepts of our world such as space, time, self, knowledge -- even reality itself. The Web would be important enough if it hooked up our species on a global scale. But, Weinberger argues, it is doing much more than that. Unlike previous technologies such as the phone or fax, the Web is a permanent public space that gathers value every time someone posts a Web page, responds on a discussion board, or replies to a mail list. More and more of our lives together are being lived in this new, second world that intersects the real world in ways we have only begun to understand. Weinberger introduces us to the denizens of this second world, people like Zannah, whose online diary turns self-revelation into play; Tim Bray, whose map of the Web reveals what's at the heart of the new Web space; and Danny Yee and Claudiu Popa, part of the new breed of Web experts we trust despite their lack of obvious qualifications. Through these stories of life on the Web, an insightful take on some familiar -- and some unfamiliar -- Web sites, and a pervasive sense of humor, Weinberger is the first to put the Web into the social and intellectual context we need to begin assessing its true impact on our lives. The irony, according to Weinberger, is that this seemingly weird new technology is more in tune with our authentic selves than is the modern world. Because the Web foils our conventional assumptions about concepts like space and time and self, we are led back to a more authentic view of what it means to be a person sharing a world with others -- whether it's the world of the Web or the real world of atoms. Our experience on the Web enables us to recapture the truth of our experience of the real world. Funny, provocative, and ultimately hopeful, Small Pieces Loosely Joined makes us look at the Web as never before. (From the Publisher)

Distance learning offers unprecedented access to higher education, to people from all walks of life. A person can now easily take a college-level course without ever setting foot on campus or meeting with his or her professor face to face. Well-credentialed authors collaborate in "Distance Learners in Higher Education", designed to give faculty unique perspectives on a variety of issues in higher education today. Edited by Chere Campbell Gibson, this volume encompasses the full realm of teaching and learning at a distance from both an administrative and faculty viewpoint. Connecting the demographics of the distance learner, cultural considerations, academic self-concept and support, and learning strategies, "Distance Learners" is of interest to faculty and administrators in higher education. This book focuses on the learner and the conditions for learning, and is essential for those who need to stay current in this rapidly changing area. (From the Publisher)

In The Color of Faith, Fumitaka Matsuoka provides a theological perspective on racial and ethnic plurality by exploring such issues as alienation across shifting race lines, race and justice; the interworkings of race, class, and culture; and signs of hope amid an enduring culture of opposition. Interdisciplinary in its approach, this is a constructive theological work that reflects on the role Christian faith communities play in a multiracial society and forges a new vision of human relatedness and community building. (From the Publisher)

This groundbreaking new book considers what is required of good moderators and presents practical information for their training and development, set in the context of the rapid development and combination of Information and Communications Technologies and the wide impact these are having in open and distance learning.In addition, this highly topical and forward looking book introduces the reader to the latest thinking in online computer mediated education, and explores the key role of the trainer, teacher or tutor as moderator. Tried and tested techniques are outlined and the book explains how to set up an online environment that will maximize the success of the moderator when working with students. Moderators, trainers, lecturers, academics, and course developers currently working in or planning to move towards online teaching will benefit from this book. E-Moderating is a new addition to the leading edge Open and Distance Learning series. (From the Publisher)

Brief, schematic argument for the ways in which new information technologies can improve student learning.