Peter E. Pflaum - Golden Globe -

The Synergy Network

http://www.wiredbrain.com/ Pflaump@wiredbrain.com

RE: Sociology/ Social Science on WWW:

I got an AOL message from Dr. Stephen Eskow, EUNsteve who said he

knew Dr. Day. Attached a letter from EUNsteve (AOL)

Proposal "On-line Classes in Social Sciences"

Thank you for your approval of an demonstration held at the West

Campus of NETSCAPE.

The HOMEPAGE systems are mostly up and

running.

The format will be influenced by how students us it. Will there

be any announcement of a WWW social science class in the Fall? We

can have students from around the world.

There maybe special needs

students who could benefit from at home classes.

The HOMEPAGE services cost about $600 for the first class (includes

hardware, software, hook-up fees and editorial work on several home

pages that set up the classroom.

The second class would be $300 (15

weeks classes), all the rest at $150.

The teacher should get at least

$1200 a class plus something for getting workbook materials on a FTP

files. I work with groups that look up instructions for the activities.

They

have up to 15 hands-on active learning experiences. It's like lab reports.

Remember I use a point system, (so many points for the grade) a

portfolios and journals for presentations ( few if any tests - of course

multi-choice test are easy but not very useful). Another plan would be

to split all income 60/40 (

The instructor gets 60% but I cover all the

communications cost) No classroom, no utilities, no parking, just sign in

(on a home page we provide for registration ) pay your fee and get your

grades and transcripts (which we E-mail).

What is different about the class is the active participation learning style

that suits the INTERNET. Student will need AOL or other service

(netcom, prodigy, NETSCAPE PPP, CompuServe, etc)

There are now

thousands of on ramps and web browsers.

Peter E. Pflaum Ph.D.

225 Robinson Road New Smyrna Beach FL 32169-

(904) 428-9609

The use of networks will (or is) be common in the business world. I would

like a HOMEPAGE (NETSCAPE) classroom that looks and feels like a real

network. People share work, edit and add pictures, dat and charts or hyper links, sound

et al. It should feel like MS-Office or Novell's Perfect Office on line to

registered (password) students and teachers.

I wrote on July 12th 1994 about E-mail and BBS systems ( one year ago)

and how the world has changed in this one year. Now we are on the

WWW web browsers and a HOMEPAGE hypertext systems with our own

PPP node.

The INTERNET universality is an order of magnitude bigger

(10:1) than last year and will double in the next four months. If you are not

in touch you are out of touch with the most important educational event since

moving type and printing.

Sure, people said that about radio, movies, T.V., (which may have become

more important than formal education, but institutions were unable to make

the structural and emotional changes to use these new technologies and they

didn't have to share a market with those who did. ) This time the new

technology is a powerful consumer product not controlled by the state

monopolies and bureaucries. Its a multi-billion dollar business and education

will be a by-product of the main entertainment, communication, information

business. Are public schools and colleges ready to take on MICROSOFT,

Intel, At&T, Bells, Cable companies, other community colleges as well as

3000 public and state institutions in this country and equal numbers from

South Africa to Singapore.

These new economic forces will get political

support for grants, vouchers and charter schools.

The state institutions will

have to share the subsidy and the student will have more freedom of choice.

Issue involve in-state and out-of-state fees, certification, and transfer of state

supports and student aid.

Place bound systems will soon feel the heat of open competitive pressure of

global un-bound enterprises.

The market is the (English speaking) world but

if we don't others will, there is real competition, state institutions know little

about open markets.

The utilities, telephone and cable will be offering NET-

SCAPE services within the year and within four years the greatness

revolution in communications and information systems will be in place.

The

train has left the station, the plane is off the ground, you can stand and wave

goodby or you can clamber aboard.

The only way to learn is by doing, not

studies, not plans, not committees, not consultants, but hands on doing and

now, because other are not waiting. This is what I said, loud and clear, last

year. It's going to happen what ever you or I think of it. Candle makers didn't

think much of Edison, or blacksmiths of Henry Ford. Educational institutions

using 18th century technology, using their geographic franchise, are no

longer free of international competition. Now that has to be a big change.

The best teachers can work for anyone anywhere. A new cottage industry.

After all it's the students and teachers that count - the administrative system

is there to support education, students, learning and keeping up to date. This

absolutely is a world in rapid change. Our students will have to live in a new

world. Are we preparing them for the real world and the future or are we

turning our backs on the most important change of our time? Often people

know its not working but don't feel they have a choice - well now they do.

Are the schools and colleges going to be "surprised" like the American motor

industry was by a superior product.

The class can be offered by anyone anywhere: to anyone anywhere, the

quality of the product will matter as it never has in history of classroom

teaching. Everyone is paid the same, interchangeable factory parts doing the

same classes as everyone else. That world is over.