Peter E. Pflaum - Golden Globe -

The Synergy Networkhttp://www.wiredbrain.net/ ppppflaump@cfl.rr.com


RE: Sociology/ Social Science on WWW:


I got an AOL message from Dr. Stephen Eskow, EUNsteve who said heknew 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 WestCampus of NETSCAPE.

The HOMEPAGE systems are mostly up andrunning.

The format will be influenced by how students us it. Will therebe any announcement of a WWW social science class in the Fall? Wecan have students from around the world.

There maybe special needsstudents who could benefit from at home classes.


The HOMEPAGE services cost about $600 for the first class (includeshardware, software, hook-up fees and editorial work on several homepages that set up the classroom.

The second class would be $300 (15weeks classes), all the rest at $150.

The teacher should get at least$1200 a class plus something for getting workbook materials on a FTPfiles. I work with groups that look up instructions for the activities.

Theyhave 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) aportfolios and journals for presentations ( few if any tests - of coursemulti-choice test are easy but not very useful). Another plan would beto split all income 60/40 (

The instructor gets 60% but I cover all thecommunications cost) No classroom, no utilities, no parking, just sign in(on a home page we provide for registration ) pay your fee and get yourgrades and transcripts (which we E-mail). What is different about the class is the active participation learning stylethat suits the INTERNET. Student will need AOL or other service(netcom, prodigy, NETSCAPE PPP, CompuServe, etc)

There are nowthousands 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 wouldlike a HOMEPAGE (NETSCAPE) classroom that looks and feels like a realnetwork. People share work, edit and add pictures, dat and charts or hyper links, soundet al. It should feel like MS-Office or Novell's Perfect Office on line toregistered (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 ownPPP 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 notin touch you are out of touch with the most important educational event sincemoving type and printing.


Sure, people said that about radio, movies, T.V., (which may have becomemore important than formal education, but institutions were unable to makethe structural and emotional changes to use these new technologies and theydidn't have to share a market with those who did. ) This time the newtechnology is a powerful consumer product not controlled by the statemonopolies and bureaucries. Its a multi-billion dollar business and educationwill be a by-product of the main entertainment, communication, informationbusiness. Are public schools and colleges ready to take on MICROSOFT,Intel, At&T, Bells, Cable companies, other community colleges as well as3000 public and state institutions in this country and equal numbers fromSouth Africa to Singapore.

These new economic forces will get politicalsupport for grants, vouchers and charter schools.

The state institutions willhave 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 statesupports and student aid.


Place bound systems will soon feel the heat of open competitive pressure ofglobal un-bound enterprises.

The market is the (English speaking) world butif we don't others will, there is real competition, state institutions know littleabout open markets.

The utilities, telephone and cable will be offering NET-SCAPE services within the year and within four years the greatnessrevolution in communications and information systems will be in place.

Thetrain has left the station, the plane is off the ground, you can stand and wavegoodby or you can clamber aboard.

The only way to learn is by doing, notstudies, not plans, not committees, not consultants, but hands on doing andnow, because other are not waiting. This is what I said, loud and clear, lastyear. It's going to happen what ever you or I think of it. Candle makers didn'tthink much of Edison, or blacksmiths of Henry Ford. Educational institutionsusing 18th century technology, using their geographic franchise, are nolonger 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 systemis there to support education, students, learning and keeping up to date. Thisabsolutely is a world in rapid change. Our students will have to live in a newworld. Are we preparing them for the real world and the future or are weturning our backs on the most important change of our time? Often peopleknow 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 motorindustry was by a superior product.


The class can be offered by anyone anywhere: to anyone anywhere, thequality of the product will matter as it never has in history of classroomteaching. Everyone is paid the same, interchangeable factory parts doing thesame classes as everyone else. That world is over.


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