The most recent distance technology, the Internet, adds an interactive component not possible with the other technologies - collaborative communication over a prolonged period of time. Traditionally, distance education has been primarily between the instructor and the student, and there has been little or no opportunity for interaction among students.

Students are able to read and respond to all correspondence, thereby learning from each other as much as from the instructor.

Another clear advantage of asynchronous communication is that it allows students more time to think about questions posed, thus promotes higher quality responses.

journal writing is closest to natural speech, and writing can flow without self-consciousness or inhibition. It reveals thought processes and mental habits, it aids memory, and it provides a context for healing and growth.

Journals are tools for growth through critical reflection, for it is not enough to observe and record experiences, but "equally important is the ability to make meaning out of what is expressed"

The journal becomes another text on which to reflect, but it is a text written in the learner's authentic voice, and this personal engagement adds a necessary affective element to the learning process.

Of the eleven variables listed above, number 7 -Interpersonal Environment, may hold the most promise for encouraging reflection.