Educators have historically been an isolated community in many ways. They have been isolated even from each other by the classroom walls of their own buildings. Educators are �islands of excellence with no ferry service� to connect them with each other or to groups of their peers. Outstanding practices that have been developed by educators who have been unable to travel to conferences or contact special interest groups, have, until now, been lost to others in Education. However, with the advent of the Internet, this "Berlin Wall of isolation" has quickly eroded.

Since 1991 EdNet@UMass was an early innovator in providing on-line collegiality among educators who desired to share ideas, philosophies, pedagogues, and promising practices. EdNet@UMass is a sterling example of a virtual professional con vention�and it occurs each and every day of the year in a way that can be accessed when one�s busy schedule allows.

Mechanically speaking, EdNet@UMass is an on-line mailing list supported by Web based resources (see http://www.umass.edu/ednet), which is financially supported and managed by the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Community Lab located in the Psychology Department of University of Massachusetts Lowell. The EdNet@UMass has evolved into a premier educational Internet and Web resource with a subscriber base of several thousand educators scattered througho ut the world. Dot Snesrud, an elementary school teacher in Nebraska, notes that "[EdNet] is a great place to read a variety of ideas and opinions about education."

There are three distinct operational facets of EdNet@UMass. The first consists of the "Ol Soap Box" in Anderson Hall (named for G. Ernest Anderson, the UMass faculty member who sponsored EdNet@UMass). Members of the EdNet@UM ass community post messages of all sorts here. These postings are, in turn, sent to all those who have �subscribed.� The second facet consists of the "Conference Center" which hosts rotating monthly activities such as the "Guest Speak er" series, "Discussion Group" seminars, "Field Trips," and "Food for Thought" seminars. The third facet is the "Administration Center." The Administration Center primarily deal with the management of the Listproc and WebBoard software.

EdNet@UMass is composed of educators from the United States and 29 other countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Ru ssia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

EdNet@UMass is not just about K-12 education or just about higher education�it is about Education. It�s about providing a forum for promising practices in all curricular areas, and, assisting pre-service and in-service educators. It�s about exp loring the educational possibilities the Net has to offer.

Amazingly EdNetters from around the world use EdNet for many of the same reasons. Miguel Simoes, a Math teacher in Lisbon, Portugal relies on EdNet@UMass to learn what "teachers in other countries are doing in their schools� as we all, have the same issues" and "together we can help each other address them." Jacqui Sharp, an instructional technology consultant in Auckland, New Zealand can "keep up with the latest trends of information and instruction technology." It was, and remains to this day, a place to come, be with, and hear the opinions of one�s colleagues and interact with them. Margarita Aste, an educational technology integration specialist in Mexico, finds EdNet@UMass "very useful, as many teachers in the US and Canada are interested in participating with us in group projects." Marina Lukovnikova, a computer education teacher in Siberia, Russia, utilizes EdNet@UMass "to familiarize [herself] with methodology of using a comp uter and especially Internet in the world and USA. Also to find potential associates among the teachers in the world who could support our initiatives and inter-school projects." Jamie Marchand, a Education major at the University of Regina in Canada is able to form her "own ideals and perspectives on teaching � through the viewpoints and opinions expressed" by EdNetters.

There have been a number of successful attempts to establish on-line professional development for educators, there have been just as many unsuccessful attempts. EdNet@UMass, K12Net, EDTECH, and KidsNet have been successful examples of quality educational programs/services available via the Internet. In the words of Debbie Jilson, chairperson of the computer science department at a high school in Maryland, states that she is "taking a sabbatical next year to put together Internet units for each academic department� using much of the information I have gleaned from EdNet@UMass." A graduate student in Education at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Elynne Boudreau is assisted by "aid f rom various teachers. It is a tremendous help to get assistance from in-service teachers� I get all kinds of interesting suggestions and ideas to aid in my teaching and projects for my classes."

This is what EdNet@UMass has been doing since its inception�allowing educators to converse with and among each other. Any EdNetter can post a comment, question, and suggestion about the field of education. This posting will be sent to th e Listproc software at UMass where it is re-posted to several thousand educators throughout the world. Chantal Capet, an English teacher in France appreciates EdNet@UMass� ability to facilitate "hearing about my contemporaries� experiences in teaching." Chantal also reads EdNet to stay abreast of the "new technologies in teaching."

Postings range from: a high school History educator asking for assistance in preparing an appropriate unit regarding The Rise of New Nations from the Former Soviet Union, to a Kindergarten teacher searching for information about building an igloo from one-gallon plastic milk containers to support her unit about the Arctic, to general discussions about discipline in the classroom. This feature is available via a traditional e-mail based Mailing List or via pull technology through the Web site.

In addition to the general discussions in Anderson Hall, there are several symposium-like activities. These are offered in a rotating order so that members of the EdNet@UMass community can devote their full attention to the activity at-hand, and, so that they will not have their electronic mailboxes deluged by traffic. The activities in this area are designed to focus attention on a specific topic of interest to educators. There are 5 types of activities in this area: Discussion Grou ps, Guest Speakers, Field Trips, Food for Thought, and Random Thoughts by Louis Schmier.

One of the EdNet@UMass Management Team will select a publication or article of interest that is available on the Web. The EdNet@UMass community will be referred to this on-line document asked to read it and be prepared to disc uss it when the session begins.

Discussions have included both mild and well mannered but heated debates in regard to, for example, teacher tenure, merit raises, teacher�s unions, home schooling, and prayer in the classroom. In addition to the perspectives offered by American educators, the comments of educators in other parts of the world have provided very thoughtful and compelling points of view.

For example, the next session will involve �filtering� software, and its possible mandate as part of the E-Rate funding. This session will likely include the activities of the Congress in regard to their past, present and future attempts to control the Internet.

�Food For Thought� is a more spontaneous activity than is the �Discussion Group.� Here EdNetters do not necessarily need to prepare by reading on-line document. The conversation here deals with issues that are more experiential. For example , the current discussion involves the nature of a Technology Coordinator position. A number of responses to this issue have shown that this new position in education�the Technology Coordinator�appears to begin life as a source of knowledge in regard to te chnology and its implementation, but soon degenerates to a Cinderella role.

There are usually a number of Discussion Groups that evolve on their own. An EdNetter will pose a question or make a statement, and a discussion thread will be born. A recent such thread involved vouchers for attending private schools and how that may impact public education.

This activity brings experts in their field to our forum. Given the technology of EdNet@UMass, experts in various areas of education are invited to �subscribe� for a week to ten days, make their presen tation, and answer questions posed by EdNetters.

Recently UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh spoke in regard to many newly developing issues that may likely impact educators. Professor Volokh offered his insight and prediction for the future on many contentious education-legal issue given the developme nt of the Internet and the Web. Former AT&T Bell Lab scientist now a BBN Labs Scientist, Dr. Barry Kort spoke in regard to the development of on-line informal science education. Other Guest Speakers have offer their insights in regard to Acceptable Use Policy, and Classroom Discipline. UMass Professor Masha Rudman, a noted authority in the area of children�s literature, was also a Guest Speaker.

EdNet@UMass organizes Field Trips to various Web sites that may be of interest to educators. Some of the "Field Trips" are accomplished en masse, some are conducted as "here�s the information, go to the site when you ca n" trips.

These virtual Web travels are a new feature of EdNet@UMass. As the Web has evolved, there have been many new developments. EdNetters and the EdNet@UMass Management Team search out exemplary Web creations, explore them, and offer a group tour or provide EdNetters with the knowledge needed to explore the site on their own.

Visiting the MicroMuse, our next Field Trip, is an example of one that is best done in a group. Navigating about this multi-user simulation of life in the 24th century in outer space can be a daunting task for the first-time user. The MicroMuse staff w ill provide a guided tour. The tour group will be well informed due to the unique communication mechanism of the MicroMuse that allows for �chatting� among those on the Field Trip.

Since it�s inception EdNet@UMass has been graced by the presence of an uplifting and encouraging educator. Louis Schmier, who is a Professor of History at Georgia State University, posts his "Random Thoughts" every so often. A s Internet denizen Mark Ahlness, the Director of the Earth Day Groceries Project puts it, Louis has "encouraged and sparked many thoughtful and difficult online educational dialogues." Professor Schmier�s writings are more than education al, they spark the human spirit and cause educators to become better educators�more energized.

There are a number of continuous activities on EdNet@UMass. These are needed to support the activities here as well as to keep the Listproc software and the server functioning properly.

Many states now require professional educators to become re-certified every few years. Some educators choose to attain an advanced degree, but many others define their re-certification program in terms of �educational activities� they will be engaged in. The "Convention Center" activities offered qualify as a legitimate educational activities for re-certification credit. Given that the vast majority of EdNetters are not local to UMass� Amherst, Massachusetts campus but desire their p articipation to be validated, EdNet@UMass offers certificates of completion. Anyone wishing validation will send the Management Team a stamped-self-addressed envelope and, upon verification of participation, the EdNetter is send a certificate of p articipation.

Graduate credit for participation in EdNet@UMass can be arranged through the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts. Arrangements must be made, in advance, with the EdNet Management Team (e.g., a written �learning con tract� between the individual and appropriate EdNet staff, registration at the University).

The Administration Building is a separate virtual space where the administrative team develops and refines our mission and goals, and defines the various task that need to be accomplished in the days and months ahead.

The issue of becoming a �moderated� list (all postings are read before being released to the server) as opposed to leaving EdNet@UMass as an �unmoderated� list (all postings go immediately to the server and are posted to the entire list) is an e xample of a typical discussion in the Administration Building. Essentially the issue at-hand then was that the type of traffic (as opposed to the content) was becoming redundant. For example, one person would ask a question or make a statement and several people would reply with the exact same information. Each of these postings would be sent out�this simply was redundant postings of the same information. Although this was a minor nuisance to the individual EdNetter, it created needless and very time-co nsuming activity on the server, as each message, redundant as it was, would be sent to several thousand EdNetters. The result of deliberations was that the EdNet@UMass Management Team decided that the list should become �moderated� in hopes of redu cing needless traffic and directing other traffic to a more appropriate destination.

Other policy decisions have been made here. For example, the Administration Team has decided such issues as: whether or not to accept commercial support for EdNet@UMass�s activities, and, what the policy should or should not be in regard to commercial advertising.

Since its inception, EdNet@UMass has been an on-line source of help for educators in search of curricular or technical support. The Help Desk has historically been composed of everyone (literally everyone on the Mailing List) and the Management Team. In the first days of EdNet@UMass, typical Help Desk questions were about the basic operations of the computer, the modem, printers, etc. Today, the questions to the Help Desk include a higher order of problem (e.g., how doe s mIRC work and where can I download it from?).

This is the mechanical guts of EdNet@UMass. Each day the management team deal with 'bounced' messages, people who abandon their accounts and don't 'unsubscribe' first, releasing all postings, rebuilding the list file after it has bee n corrupted, backing-up essential files, handling the returned postings when a major continental Internet gateway crashes, etc.

There has been a moderate amount of research into the question of: "what is the nature of an ideal program by which to deliver professional development and support to educators over the Internet?" Most agree that several qualities mus t be present in order for a venture such as EdNet@UMass to be successful. These include: a fairly well defined notion of what a �good service to offer� to educators is, maintaining a consistent flow of the service/product, enlisting knowledgeable people to manage and facilitate the content of the service/product, having the technical resources to handle routine as well as disaster management, and, having policy in-place so that all users are aware of their rights and responsibilities.

To become a part of EdNet@UMass�to "subscribe"�simply send e-mail to �[email protected]� (no quotation marks). And in the body of the message, on the first line type: �subscribe ednet your-name� (no quotes). In a few minutes, an e-mail message will be sent to you asking for confirmation of your subscription. Simply reply to this message, and you�ll be part of EdNet@UMass. Or, visit our Web site (http://www.umass.edu/ednet).

Tuesday, January 19, 1999

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