Many are subject matter specialists whose knowledge encompasses a wide spectrum of expertise. There are a few online efforts that bring people together in this way. Ours, the Electronic Emissary, is an Internet-based service that has been in operation since February of 1993. It is global in scope, but is coordinated from the University of Texas at Austin. The Emissary is also a research project, which focuses upon the nature of telementoring interactions in which K-12 students are active inquirers.
Online communication is different from most other forms of interchange in significant ways.
Therefore, it requires somewhat different interaction strategies if it is to be used to create maximal educational benefit by and for students and teachers. The Electronic Emissary1s years of research have shown that the people best prepared to assist in this way are those having the experience requisite in both online communication and education to know how to help project participants build mutually accessible bridges between differing workplaces. The Scarlet Letter communicated with the character Arthur Dimsdale, who was actually an American literature professor at the U.S. Naval Academy. During the following semester, the students communicated with the professor himself about Mark Twain1s Huck Finn , culminating their exchange by creating a newspaper that they called The Mississippi Times , an idea first suggested by the expert. The teacher and the professor shared instructional ideas, resources, and perspectives about Mark Twain1s works and views.