Internet teaching using electronic teaching software or other multimedia can play a certain role in promoting academic performance, just like traditional teaching. Therefore, the problem is not that schools do not use computers or the Internet, but how to best use them, and should explore what methods are most effective for what kind of students…

In the previous issue of "LLT", I commented upon Stockwell (2010), suggesting that the learning activities investigated limited the scope of his research on the effects of the MALL platform. Professor Stockwell responded in the same issue with a spirited riposte. However, it became clear that much of the disagreement lay in a matter of definition.…

The article "Big Bang technology: What's next in design education, radical innovation or incremental change?" (Fleischmann, 2013) appeared in the "Journal of Learning Design" Volume 6, Issue 3 in 2013. Two years on, Associate Professor Fleischmann reflects upon her original article within this article. Although it has only been…

The online writing software Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) is a useful tool for assigning writing assignments in large college classes. In this system, students submit essays online and are guided in how to rate essays using criteria written by the instructor. The instructor does not have to grade the essays, and CPR has educational benefits that…

Technology plays a leading role in how media is imagined, and so how one feels about, understands, and participates in contemporary culture. At the same time, technology is key to the local and global imaginaries of the university. The role of technology in the university is now profound, and indeed has gained in complexity and ambiguity with…

Throughout the history of library automation, the author has seen a steady advancement toward more open systems. In the early days of library automation, when proprietary systems dominated, the need for standards was paramount since other means of inter-operability and data exchange weren't possible. Today's focus on Application Programming…

One of the first big shifts in how libraries manage resources was the move from print-journal purchasing models to database-subscription and electronic-journal purchasing models. Libraries found that this transition helped them scale their resources and provide better service just by thinking a bit differently about their services. Likewise,…

This article presents an interview with Cathleen Norris and Elliot Soloway, both pioneering educators who are defining the future of technology and learning. Norris is a professor in the Department of Technology and Cognition at the University of North Texas. She is also the past president of ISTE and the past president of NECA, the organizing…

Harry Keller is president and a founder of Paracomp, Inc., creator and marketer of Smart Science Education. In this interview, Keller talks about himself and what led him to develop Smart Science labs as an online learning technology. He discusses how schools integrate Smart Science labs into their K-12 science curriculum, the major weaknesses in…

On February 9 and 10, 2010, fifty leaders from colleges, universities, corporations, professional associations, and state networks met in Tempe, Arizona, to discuss cloud computing and the impending shift in the mix of where infrastructure, applications, and services are sourced. This group identified a set of actions that colleges and…

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires any school or library receiving funding from the federal E-Rate program to deploy web filtering technology to prevent users from viewing objectionable material while they are using the institution's computers. However, opponents of web filtering legislation question whether or not mandated…

This is the fourth and final installment in a series of articles presenting a new outlook on the methods of instructional design. These articles examine the nature of the process of instructional design and are meant to stimulate discussion about the roles of designers in the fields of instructional design, the learning sciences, and interaction…

At Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute (CVI) in Peterborough, Canada, the Learning Commons is the school's central place for introducing new technology to students and teachers. This includes collaborative projects with teachers to develop curriculum that uses new technologies. Over the last few years podcasting as well as other online…

This essay investigates the rhetorical practices of socio-technical deliberation about free and open source (F/OS) software, providing support for the idea that a public sphere is a socio-technical ensemble that is discursive and fluid, yet tangible and organized because it is enacted by both humans and non-humans. In keeping with the empirical…

The article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" in last Summer's "Atlantic Monthly," raised a number of provocative, and indeed worrisome, questions about computer usage and cognitive development. For instance, persons with considerable experience of reading for the sake of pleasure report that, after a couple of years using computers a great deal, they…