Jan Herrington is a Professor of Education at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, where she teaches educational technology in the School of Education, including a compulsory first year unit called "Living and Learning with Technology." She has been active in the promotion and support of the effective use of educational…

This paper argues that the vertical spread of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), i.e., a spread throughout language materials and curricula, makes it difficult to draw a clear distinction between CALL and other language materials. In view of the emphasis that teachers, researchers, and administrators have placed on evaluating CALL, I…

Designers of interactive learning environments face the issue of managing the learner's cognitive load, reducing irrelevant sources while optimizing useful sources of load. I propose a conceptual framework aimed at organizing the contributions of the papers presented in this special issue. The framework identifies three main dimensions, namely…

Information technology has had a striking impact on learners and learning. The world of learning technology today is radically different from that of just a decade ago, and the world of learning technology a decade from now will be radically different from that of today. Learning technologies are in a state of "interpretive flexibility": the…

Discussion boards have the unique capacity to support higher-order constructivist learning and the development of a learning community, This chapter provides ten conditions that support the effective use of an online discussion.

Presents personal reflections on experiences in distance education and teaching practices. Kolb's experiential learning cycle is discussed; technological, facilitation, and learning confusions are examined; and constructivist learning and common sense are considered. (LRW)

Discusses legitimate peripheral participation and the idea of apprenticeship, in educational settings as well as in broader communities of practice. Highlights include the historical and situational aspects of learning; the contrast with constructivism; instructionism; the influence of computer technology; and empirical research. (11 references)…

This article presents an interview with Dee Dickinson, founder and chief learning officer of New Horizons for Learning, a nonprofit international education network whose mission is to identify, communicate, and help implement effective teaching and learning strategies. Founded in 1980 and now operating largely through its Web site, New Horizons…

Provides a profile of the career of John Belland and his work in instructional technology. Highlights include his educational background, teaching experience in higher education, work in learning with 3D computer-generated animation, alternative paradigms of instructional design, and ideas of postmodernism. (LRW)

Examines issues related to situated cognition and learning, both in the classroom and in the world. Topics discussed include educational theories; the situated nature of knowledge; the perception of experts; and the role of technology in situated learning, including virtual reality, hypertext, and telecommunications. (26 references) (LRW)

Discussion of situated learning focuses on classroom instruction. Topics addressed include individual uniqueness; a knowledge community, including the process of knowledge acquisition; situated instruction, including the role of the teacher; authentic activity, including teacher-student interaction; and implications for educational technology. (26…

Discusses situated learning in the workplace and in the classroom. Topics addressed include operationalization versus legitimization of educational theories; instruction versus learning; explicit versus implicit instruction and knowledge; individual versus social context; systems narrowly construed versus systems broadly construed; and legitimate…

Asserts that contemporary students feel alienated by the 'one-to-many' relationship brought upon by lecture courses, self-directed CD-ROMS, and huge college Web sites. Examines ways this silence can be broken. States that educators can use high-tech devices such as e-mail as a basis for connecting with diverse students. Suggests using a creative…

Discusses possibilities and dangers involved with using hypertext for learning; explains how it is similar to and different from other forms of information generation, organization, storage, and retrieval; examines its influence on the information it organizes; and explores problematic issues (including the potential for bias and distortion within…

There is growing interest in the use of games for educational purposes, particularly with regard to teaching curriculum subjects. Much of the research, however, has focused either on the content of games or the learning theory they illustrate. This paper presents a methodology that allows for an examination of how players learn to play. The focus…