ABSTRACT
Information highways are high-speed data networks used to transport information and link people who want to be connected with others. E-mail, bulletin boards and computer-conferencing are common activities on the Internet and other electronic networks. The metaphor of a highway is used to reflect qualities of speed, volume, power and efficiency (Menzies, 1994a, p. 7). Any decontextualised look at a real highway shows how we may travel efficiently without too many interruptions and delays. However, any contextualised look at highways, as they operate in the natural environment, suggests some limits in the usefulness of the metaphor for learning contexts. The highway is a rigid metal and asphalt ribbon imposed on the countryside and it enables large quantities of fast-moving traffic to travel as single, unrelated units using laws to regulate traffic flow.
