ROI for E-Learning This article looks in some detail at two factors that may be overloked in assessments of return on investment (ROI) for online learning: efficiency and speed. The author proposes an assessment of efficiency based on the ratio between the increase in a learner's knowledge or skills and all information delivered. Most of the discussion considers the delivery of information that may be inappropriate (the learner already know it or the learner doesn't need it, for example). The discussion of speed is brief. By John V. Moran, Learning Circuits, February 21, 2002.[Refer]

Connections and Emergence: Developing a Playshop Model Through Connectionist Ideas This item is interesting on two levels. On the one hand, it proposes the use of connectionist principles to create an experimental space for learning called Playshop. The idea here is that the learning of rules and principles an emergent result of participating in a network of story-telling and playful activities. The presentation could use a lot more detail, but hey, it's just a poster. On the other hand, the presentation of this material itself exhibits some of the connectionist principles described, being essentially a collection of interconnected ideas and examples. By Mudpie Unlimited, Child Research Net, February 22, 2002.[Refer]

A Proposal for New Schools in the Age of the Internet OK, this article doesn't go into a lot of depth, but it shows that some teachers are yearning for the sort of learning the internet can provide. What sort of learning? "Here comes the radical idea: We completely change schools into 'activity centers' where students gather for active learning and socializing. During the day or afternoon, classes energize students rather than lull them to sleep. Physical fitness, nutrition, health, music, art, foreign language role-play, outdoor experience environmental classes, real-world math and science experiments, debate, historical reenactment, and trade skills are all managed in a learn-by-doing atmosphere by guides, counselors and consultants." By Laurie Arizumi, Faculty Shack, Winter, 2002.[Refer]

Privacy in the Online Classroom This article discusses the reasons to limit access to parts of your school website: limited access facilitates the use of copyrighted materials, it protects your material (and your students' material) from being downloaded and used by others, and it allows you and your students to interact in privacy. It also talks about ways to restrict access, including authentication, IP filtering, and server exclusion. By Academic Computing, Dartmouth College, February 22, 2002.[Refer]

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