%0 Journal Article %T Global Perspectives on E-learning: Rhetoric and Reality %A Murat ATAIZI %J The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education %D 2005 %I Anadolu University, Eskisehir %X Global Perspectives on E-learning: Rhetoric and Reality Carr-Chellman, A. A. (Ed) (2005). Global Perspectives on E-learning. Rhetoric and Reality. 1-4129-0489-7, 280p.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Pub. Inc. Reviewed by Murat ATAIZIAnadolu University,Eskisehir, TURKEY This book is edited by Alison A. Carr-Chellman who is associate professor of education at Pennsylvania State University , and one of the leading figures in the field of e-learning. Total of sixteen authors contributed to the sections. Authors are varying from doctoral students to professors emeritus, but all of them are experienced in the field of e-learning and distance education. The book presents a collection of papers from international case studies and its divided into five main parts based on geographic location, and each of them brings case studies of online education on e-learning and discusses the rhetoric that surrounds this form of teaching and learning from Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and Africa. The first part of the book examines online education in Asia : Analysis of China , Taiwan , and India . The China chapter explains that the Dianda system there is one of the world's largest education systems, combining radio-television university system. The author examines the political rhetoric and discusses the impacts on the way China adopts the new online learning technologies. The Taiwan chapter examines the digital gap, internet usage, and the government and IT industries roles to development of e-learning in Taiwan . The India chapter begins with distance education through correspondence courses that has been with us since the 1960s. The author examines the state of traditional and distance education in India , and identifies the viability and importance of online education given the current social, economic, and infrastructural status que. The second part of the book is on online education in Europe : Analysis of Ireland , the United Kingdom , International Study Circles, and Turkey . Ireland chapter focuses on the potential and promise of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the context of online education and differential participation in the Republic of Ireland in the information age. The author emphasizes the importance of Ireland 's national strategy on ICTs and its impacts on innovative and social practice discourse. After examining the e-learning in the United Kingdom the author discusses overcoming social exclusion and financial benefits of distance learning. In addition to social exclusion topic, access and retention are presented two related topics %U http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde18/pdf/review3.pdf