Recent estimates indicate that there are now more than
50,000 classroom teachers from primary, middle, and
secondary schools who hold accounts on the Internet.
This makes a very special kind of learning available to
them: one which directly involves subject matter experts
communicating with students and teachers about their
specialties, via electronic mail.
With support from the Texas Center for Educational
Technology, we (at the University of Texas at Austin)
are now piloting a new Internet-based service (the
"Electronic Emissary") that will bring together pre-
college students, their teachers, and subject matter
experts (SMEs) electronically, helping them to create
telecomputing exchanges centered around the students'
learning in the SMEs' disciplines. For example,
* A class studying South America could learn about
recent global environmental research results from a
scientist who studies rainforest deforestation in
Brazil.
* A class studying geometry might "talk" electronically
with Euclid, who is actually a mathematics professor.
* A class studying the future of education might
converse with an emerging technologies specialist from
California's Silicon Valley.
* A class studying American History might
electronically interview Harry Truman, who is really a
curator with the National Archives.
* A class exploring the rapidly-changing governmental
structures that are emerging in what was once the Soviet
Union might correspond with a group of graduate
political science students at a university in the CIS.
* Or, a class reading _Huckleberry Finn_ might
correspond with an African-American studies scholar
about the repercussions resulting from the enacting of
the Emancipation Proclamation.
In this pilot phase of the project, 10-12 SMEs or SME
groups are needed to correspond regularly (approximately
4 times per week) with primary, middle school, or
secondary students and their teachers (1 SME or expert
group per class). Each electronic exchange will begin
with 2 weeks of project planning via electronic mail
between the SMEs and the teachers (2/16 - 2/28/93).
Communications with students will begin during the week
of March 1st, and will continue for 4 - 6 weeks.
==> If you would like to find out more about this pilot
==> project, please send electronic mail to Judi Harris,
==> jbharris@tenet.edu. Please include your name,
==> institution, and areas of expertise.
==> PLEASE RESPOND ASAP; all teacher-SME pairs will be
==> formed by 2/15/93.
@>--;--
Judi Harris
_ /| _^^_ Department of Curriculum & Instruction
\'o.o'( \ University of Texas at Austin
=(___)= ( )
c.." ..cc--"\_? Internet address: JBHarris@Tenet.edu
c./
@>--;--