It has often been suggested that education via the Internet, or e-learning, leads to a sense of separation in individual learners; this need not be the case. Teaching is a relationship: a relationship that is built on a connection between teaching and learner, between learner and learner, and between the learners and the content. What then is the…

Technology-enhanced knowledge mobilization can be extremely useful for helping practicing professionals keep abreast of research and development efforts in their field. The initiative described in this paper encourages collaboration among university and community partners to effectively use online learning and communications technology for…

This research presents the results of a study of alternative response methods for in class formative questioning. Students' anonymity from their peers and instructor was studied through a research design that maintained a constant interactive teaching strategy in a large lecture hall, in all respects except for the method used by students to…

This study examined the impact of a word prediction software program, Co:Writer, on the written output of 24 students with physical disabilities that affected their ability to write by hand. Surveys were completed by both students who used Co:Writer and their teachers/adult supporters in schools, and 10-minute writing samples were obtained from…

This paper reports on research carried out on an intercultural telecollaborative exchange between language learners in Germany and Ireland and focuses particularly on what was required of the teachers in the development of the project. The review of the literature looks at the role of telecollaboration within the field of network-based language…

According to the dichotomy popularized by Levy (1995, 1997), computers may be used in language learning in either tutor or tool roles. Recently there has been a waning of interest in tutorial software for language learning in favor of tool-oriented applications. While we do not dispute the value of the computer as a tool, we argue that it is in…

This article explores whether WebCT, a virtual learning technology, meets organisational and customer goals at Coventry University Business School (CBS). Lecturer and student perceptions about the benefits of WebCT as a teaching and learning resource are examined as well as the goals of WebCT for the university as an organization. CBS students…

Dianne Thurab-Nkhosi, Marilyn Lee, and Daniela Gianni-Gachago examine the University of Botswana's (UB) e-learning initiative headed by the Educational Technology Unit (EduTech). EduTech promotes change campus-wide by encouraging partnerships among UB's information technology department, library, Center for Continuing Education, and academic…

Editor-in-chief James Morrison talks with organic education proponent Hugh Osborn at the 2005 World Future Society conference. The current school system in America is inflexible and not conducive to technological innovation; a complete reform of American education, Osborn feels, is required. Osborn calls for a move to organic education, a…

While it has been suggested that patterning activities support early algebra learning, it is widely acknowledged that the shift from perceiving patterns to understanding algebraic functions--and correspondingly, from reporting empirical patterns to providing explanations--is difficult. This paper reports on the collaborations of grade 4 students…

Many educational sites are static and rarely updated, diminishing the dynamism of the Web. An online learning system should be adjustable, expandable and regularly updated, preferably by educational staff without the direct intervention of computer experts, reflecting the dynamic character of education. To achieve this aim, we propose a system…

The current paper builds on Reports #34 and 35 in this series, which discussed the use of collaborative software to develop online communities in distance education (DE). The paper illustrates the manner in which an educational community's needs should be carefully examined, in the process of designing techniques that fulfill these needs at a…

Purpose: Aims to examine trends in the development of e-learning in Northern Ireland, report on existing policies, practices and issues affecting its implementation across the sectors. Design/methodology/approach: The present study draws on e-learning policies and strategies that have been developed for Northern Ireland. Examples were drawn from…

Like all learners, new online instructors need hands-on experience, feedback, and ongoing support to become comfortable and proficient in the virtual classroom. It is unrealistic to expect even the most self-motivated, creatively pedagogical, and technically inclined instructor to fly solo after just a few hours of training. With the authors'…

Schools and colleges of education have been criticized for not adequately preparing preservice teachers to integrate technology in their future classrooms. It has been proposed that a central component in the preparation of preservice teachers is for the instructors of content methods courses to model strategies for integrating technology that…