Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of AJAX for searching the Biblioteche Oggi database of bibliographic records. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a demonstration of how bibliographic database single page interfaces allow the implementation of more user-friendly features for social and collaborative tasks. Findings:…

This article introduces the Student Technology Arc, a model that evaluates college students 'technology literacy, or how they operate within an education system influenced by new technologies. Student progress is monitored through the Arc's 5 interdependent stages, which reflect growing technological maturity through levels of increasing cognitive…

This study examines the revision histories of 10 Wikipedia articles nominated for the site's Featured Article Class (FAC), its highest quality rating, 5 of which achieved FAC and 5 of which did not. The revisions to each article were coded, and the coding results were combined with a descriptive analysis of two representative articles in order to…

Instructional modules are typically designed with the linear format of PowerPoint slide sets, thus mimicking classroom-based instruction with its temporal and spatial constraints. In an attempt to make instructional modules more student-centered and thus more individualized for online education, a prototype non-linear module was developed on the…

Purpose: This paper aims to initiate a timely discussion about the epistemological advantages of Web 2.0 as a non-foundational network-centric learning space in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: A philosophical analysis of the underpinning design principles of Web 2.0 social media and of conventional "foundational" and emergent…

In 2004, when Gary L. Allen was considering different approaches for replacing the Amarillo Independent School District's antiquated phone system, he had a dilemma. The goal was to expand the features that the district's phones were capable of while taking advantage of its digital infrastructure and cutting costs. But, should he buy the latest…

Principals don't have to leave town--or even their office--to get smarter. With a phone, fax, and computer, they can set up a self-service principal's academy simply by tapping into a broad array of resources that are available on the Web, in their district organization, and among trusted colleagues. Help is close at hand, whether they need…

Throughout the last decade, companies have increased their investment in electronic commerce (EC) by developing and implementing Web-based applications on the Internet. This paper describes a class project to develop a customized computer website which is similar to Dell Computer Corporation's (Dell) website. The objective of this project is to…

A new culture called Second Life [TM] has emerged that promises innovative strategies for everything from social interactions to business. Some educators believe it may hold new and unique opportunities for teaching and learning. Second Life [TM] (SL) is the creation of Linden Labs, a San Francisco-based corporation defined by its creators as "an…

OECD figures (1998-2002) reveal a sharply increasing flow of foreign workers into European countries. Ethnic diversification has become a generalized matter of fact. At the same time, rapidly developing technology and "intellectual globalization" processes--the world wide web--have also become a reality. This complex cluster of changes…

Since publication of the Atkins Commission report 2003, the national scientific community has placed significant emphasis on developing cyberinfrastructure-enabled knowledge communities, which are designed to facilitate enhanced efficiency and collaboration in geographically distributed networks of researchers. This article suggests that the new…

This article is an annual compilation of useful resources that pertain to the field of online learning and uses of the Internet for instructional delivery. Updates were made to this list since last year's publishing. Resources are organized into several categories, including texts, journals, and Web sites.

Purpose: Scalability is an important research topic in the context of networked virtual environments (NVEs). This paper aims to describe the ALVIC (Architecture for Large-scale Virtual Interactive Communities) approach to NVE scalability. Design/methodology/approach: The setup and results from two case studies are shown: a 3-D learning environment…

What is network neutrality? The basic premise is that people should have the right to access online, in a free and unfettered manner, any type of content that is not illegal, based on the predetermined speed they are paying their Internet-service provider (ISP) for each month. That is, with network neutrality, the content becomes irrelevant. The…

The constantly changing nature of literacy, brought about by the Internet and other forms of information and communication technologies (ICTs), has pressed researchers and practitioners to seek new ways of addressing the complexities of reading comprehension and writing on and with the Internet. In this brief interview, members of the New…