In this article, I share the ways in which New Literacies theory served as an interpretive lens to understand how the Internet as a cultural tool mediates the literacy actions of adolescents in English Language Arts classrooms. Data were drawn from a larger study in which students who were considered "at-risk" because of previous…

This article explores the literacy practices associated with Let's Play videos (or LPs) on YouTube. A hybrid of digital gaming and video, LPs feature gameplay footage accompanied by simultaneous commentary recorded by the player. Players may set out to promote, review, critique or satirize a game. In recent years, LPs have become hugely popular…

With the rise of Web 2.0, microblogging has become a widely accepted phenomenon for sharing information. Moreover, the Twitter platform has become the tool of choice for universities looking to increase their digital footprint. However, scant research addresses the viability of microblogging as a tool to facilitate knowledge creation practices…

This study experimentally manipulated the way students submit their assignments and tested the number of new words that are learned in each condition. The results showed that students who submitted their assignments through Facebook learned as much as those who submitted their assignment in a traditional way. In the light of these findings, we can…

The use of technology to support learning is well recognised. One generation ago a major strand of human--computer interaction research focussed on the development of forms of instruction in how to interact with computers. Today, however, the advanced usability of modern technologies has all but removed the presence of many user manuals. Learners,…

Recent years have seen the rise of Internet technologies which facilitate activities that are, above all, social and participatory, allowing children and adults to create and share their own content, and to communicate in a wide range of forums. Correspondingly, there has been great popular and expert interest in the potential of Web 2.0…

It is understood that microblogging (tweeting) which is a form of Web 2.0, has been a centre of attraction in some institutions of higher education. However, despite its hype and pomp as reported by some scholars in developed countries, integration of Twitter in a classroom environment in developing countries is just beginning to flourish. In…

There is an extensive body of literature which argues that the Internet supports student-centred learning, collaboration, community, higher-order thinking and the construction of meaning and knowledge. As such, many e-learning advocates have turned to the Community of Inquiry as an ideal pedagogy because it too shares these educational ideals.…