A special issue of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education on The Educational Semantic Web, May 2004. All online (including PDFs).

The Educational Semantic Web is a developing and futuristic vision. As such, it has many enthusiastic proponents and an equal number of sceptics. In this introduction to the Special Issue, we highlight the promise of these technologies and conclude with the major arguments of the Semantic Web sceptics.

The Educational Semantic Web is based on three fundamental affordances. The first is the capacity for effective information storage and retrieval. The second is the capacity for nonhuman autonomous agents to augment the learning and information retrieval and processing power of human beings. The third affordance is the capacity of the Internet to support, extend and expand communications capabilities of humans in multiple formats across the bounds of time and space. Advocates of the Semantic Web envisage its use to create very powerful new applications in nearly all disciplines, social and economic endeavors. However little has been written to date expanding on the promise and the current progress that applies these powerful affordances to educational contexts, challenges and opportunities. Thus, the rationale for this special issue.