Papers in PDF format

Another place where the DLH home page attempts to use collaboration is in the Research area. Our
Research area is targeted toward professionals who want to learn about Prof. Harnisch’s current educational
research activities. A Research area, though, can also be used by teachers to aide in peer evaluation of
assignments. Although the World Wide Web is currently not a full interactive hypertext publishing system as
described in [Drexler 1986], several technical patches exist to complement the power of the Web. One such
technical extension is the utilization of backlinking. Backlinking works by finding external HTML pages that
reference a particular paper on your machine. Thus, backlinking allows others to review published material
and leave comments which others can then reference from the original work. Backlinking can also be used to
help create a “living” bibliography. Such a bibliography not only shows the references you used to construct
the paper, but also reveals who then later used your research as a reference. On the technical side, the
documents found in the research area are Microsoft Word 6.0 documents which have been transformed to
HTML via the free Word 6.0 Internet Assistant available from Microsoft. Charts and graphs found in this area
were constructed in Microsoft Excel and converted into GIF files through the use of screen capture software.
Finally, the back links were implemented by using Digital’s Alta Vista search engine’s “link:” command and a
CGI script.
Making it Relevant
In [Negroponte 1995], Nicholas Negroponte relates several stories about children using technology to
explore their environment. This “hard fun,” as Negroponte refers to it, emphasizes the fact that often the
biggest barrier to achieving understanding is when the subject matter lacks relevance to the learner’s life. Two
areas on the DLH homepage are aimed specifically at demonstrating ways that various topics can be made
relevant to individuals through the use of technology.
The first area where relevance is cultivated is in the Survey area. It is here that one can find formbased
surveys on a variety of subjects. The purpose of the Survey area is two-fold. First, the Survey area can
enhance the relevance of class projects and stimulate cross-curriculum discussion. For example, in social
studies a class can design a questionnaire pertaining to preferences in a presidential race. Later, in math class,
the data collected from the Web can be statistically analyzed. The Survey area may also be used to issue
feedback on the homepage, educational issues, and offer suggestions for future development.
The Presentation area of the DLH homepage is an area where Prof. Harnisch and his students place
Microsoft PowerPoint presentations on educational topics from his courses and advanced seminars. Many
teachers may find the idea of a Presentation area quite attractive. A Presentation area can serve as a place
students can go to review past lectures. Also, by placing individual and class presentations on-line students
have an added incentive to produce quality work. Technically, a Presentation area based on Microsoft
PowerPoint presentations is not difficult to construct since the majority of work is actually done in Microsoft
PowerPoint.
Future Directions
These examples hint at some of the exciting educational benefits the World Wide Web may offer to
education. As the educational community heads into the twenty-first century it is our duty to embrace the new
technology and employ it in the classroom setting. However, we must be ever vigilant in integrating technology
with classwork so the Web becomes a valuable educational tool and not a meaningless classroom distraction.
References
[Drexler 1986] Drexler, E. (1986). Engines of creation. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press/Doubleday.
[Leebaert 1995] Leebaert, D. (1995). News from the frontiers. In D. Leebaert (Ed.), The future of software (pp. 1-26).
Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.
[Negroponte 1995] Negroponte, N. (1995). Being digital. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.