Title: Teaching, Learning and the Web: Rhetoric and Realities 

The World Wide Web is being hailed as the answer to many educational 
problems: a 'silver bullet' solution to many of the education sector's 
problems in trying to deliver more courses to more people for less cost. 
Teachers and learners are also exploring creative and innovative ways to 
enhance the educational experience using the Internet. These objectives - 
making more with less using the WWW and enhancing the teaching and learning 
experience - are not necessarily compatible. This SIG will present those 
interested in using the WWW as an educational tool with the opportunity to 
explore some of the issues and to start unravelling the rhetoric from the 
realities. It will enable those with experience in the use of the WWW in 
teaching and learning to discuss the realities of what works and what is 
less than successful. It will also provide a venue to explore the hype and 
hopes associated with this delivery platform. 

The SIG will be chaired by Suellen Tapsall from the Queensland University 
of Technology, who was project manager and co-author of the Australian 
report New Media and Borderless Education: A review of the convergence 
between global media networks and higher education provision. The report 
tested, on an international scale, the evidence for involvement of media 
networks in higher education and the potential of new models of higher 
education provision (including the WWW). Suellen is a journalism lecturer, 
co-facilitator of QUT's Webworkers' group and one of a team working on a 
two-year technological literacy project at QUT. She has worked in the media 
industry for more than 15 years, for commercial and national broadcasters 
and newspaper groups. She also has experience in corporate relations. 
Current research areas include the 'virtualisation' and 'globalisation' of 
higher education, information policy, technology literacy, the internet and 
computer-assisted journalism. 

Suellen can be contacted via email (s.tapsall@qut.edu.au) or phone (07) 
3864 1383 or 0411483300.  
 

Those interested in participating in this SIG are invited to contact the session  
chair Suellen Tapsall with ideas and proposed contriutions. The SIG will be  
an interactive session discussing the educative use of the WWW. The session 
will begin with a short introduction discussing some of the relevant 
findings from the recently-released report: New Media and Borderless 
Education. There will then be an opportunity for brief presentations (5-10 
minutes maximum) related to the topic. 

Other presentations might include, but would not be limited to: 
* Positive and negative experiences of using the WWW in teaching and learning 
* Opportunities and challenges associated with using the WWW in diverse 
educational sectors (eg K-12, undergraduate teaching, professional and 
continuing education, work-based teaching, postgraduate work and so on) 
* Evaluating the effectiveness of the WWW as a teaching tool 
* Limitations to the use of the WWW in education 
* Research on student/learner attitudes to the use of the WWW in education.  

Further topics, issues or questions to be considered are also welcomed in 
the lead-up to WWW7. 

For more information, contact Suellen via email (s.tapsall@qut.edu.au) or 
phone (07) 3864 1383 or 0411483300.  

The report New Media and Borderless Education is available online from the 
DEETYA site:  
 http://www.deetya.gov.au/divisions/hed/highered/eippubs.htm 

It is also available in hardcopy from DEETYA using the following contact 
details: 

Catherine Moore, 
ph (02) 62409285  
catherine.moore@deetya.gov.au 

OR 

Anne Herbert 
ph (02) 62409280 

Another paper which discusses some of the key issues can be accessed at: 
http://www.trainingplace.com/source/wbtlimit.html   

Additional details and resource information will be added to this item as they are received.