North Carolina State University
News Services
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Raleigh, NC 27695
(919) 515-3470
Media Contacts:
Cheryl Mason, [email protected] or 919/515-9378
Sara Frisch, 919/515-6386 or [email protected]
Apri 15, 1998
NC State Doctoral Students Launch Online Education Journal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inspired by a glaring void in a growing academic field, doctoral students from four colleges at North Carolina State University have launched the first online research journal devoted to the role of technology in middle school education.
"Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal" went online earlier this year and serves as a research component for the College of Education and Psychology's middle school outreach efforts. Meridian is on the World Wide Web at http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/.
Cheryl Mason, a doctoral candidate in the department of curriculum and instruction, initiated the project in early 1997 and recruited doctoral students from the College of Education and Psychology, the School of Design, the College of Engineering and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for the review board. It is an interdisciplinary group, modeled after the middle school's interdisciplinary team teaching style, Mason said.
The journal's content, with features, commentaries, book excerpts and soon-to-come interactive forums, is unique. "There is nowhere else right now that is publishing work about middle schools and computer technology," Mason said. "It's also unique in the presentation." Publishing on the Web allows for sound clips, digital video clips and links to other interactive functions, she said.
The journal addresses how technology interacts with middle schools' curriculum, administration, media services, counselor education and special education. The first issue includes an article about children designing educational computer games, and it provides the reader an opportunity to play those games online. Also featured is a book excerpt from Don Tascott's "Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation" (1998, McGraw-Hill Companies).
In addition to serving teachers, Meridian is a resource for those who train educators and those who design educational materials using technology. "It's not just by educators, for educators," Mason said.
Mason said the public interest and support for Meridian has been overwhelming, especially considering that news of Meridian's launch has been spread entirely through electronic sources and old-fashioned word of mouth. Mason and her colleagues advertised the journal through list serves and online research databases and at academic conferences.
Dr. Ed Gerler, associate dean of the College of Education and Psychology and an adviser to the project, said the journal is an example of cutting-edge work. "We're getting some fine universities from around the country represented in our journal,"Gerler said. "And that's really what makes an excellent journal," he said.
--frisch--
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