This study builds upon work in task-based language teaching and literary studies to explore the use of fan fiction as a pedagogical tool in a technology-enhanced university foreign language class. A task-based fan fiction project, The Blogging Hobbit, modelled on blog-based role-play storytelling found in online media fandoms, was carried out in a…

Purpose: The emergence of Education 2.0 enabled technology-enhanced learning, necessitating new pedagogical approaches, while e-learning has evolved into an instrumental pedagogy of collaboration through affordances of social media. Social learning networks and ubiquitous learning enabled individual and group learning through social engagement and…

"Unconferences" are a non-traditional form of professional activity defined by the absence of many conventional conference structures. One example of the unconference model is the "Edcamp," a voluntary, participant-driven form of grassroots educator professional learning. More than 600 of these events have been held worldwide…

This study explores, describes and analyzes the utilization of smartphone apps by four Japanese university students to support learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Findings indicate that intermediate language learners use apps to access content and communicate on SNS and are not keen on studying discrete language parts. Participants…

Parental choice of school is an under-researched area in the Australian educational literature. Moreover, research in this area tends to focus on school choice with respect to government policy and market influences. This paper presents the findings from doctoral research which explored the ways in which parents living in rural and remote areas…

This article examines the use of Twitter as a learning tool in a middle grades science classroom. Relevant research, the direct experience of the teacher leading this unique initiative, and the invaluable perspectives of his middle level students are included to inform interested stakeholders. Following a discussion of open versus closed digital…

Educational systems endemic of demotivation might signify a stagnating rather than nurturing ecology of learning, due in part to an obstruction in the loops of shared information between the organisms within these systems, i.e., teachers, educational researchers, teacher educators, school administrators, and educational policymakers. Working…

In November 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invested in seven innovative district-charter partnerships with "the potential capacity and commitment to accelerate student college ready rates through deep collaboration and sharing of best practices" (District-Charter Collaboration Grant Request for Proposal [RFP]). These…

In November 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invested in seven innovative district-charter partnerships with "the potential capacity and commitment to accelerate student college ready rates through deep collaboration and sharing of best practices" (District-Charter Collaboration Grant Request for Proposal). These…

In November 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invested in seven innovative district-charter partnerships with "the potential capacity and commitment to accelerate student college ready rates through deep collaboration and sharing of best practices" (District-Charter Collaboration Grant Request for Proposal). These…

With decreasing numbers of students studying German at Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom, there is an increasing demand for graduate Germanists. This project, designed for C1/C2 level students according to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages, prepares finalist students for a job market in which UK and German…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and determine the degree to which elementary school, middle school, and high school principals perceive their political skill, as measured by the Political Skill Inventory (PSI). A second purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference for the perceived political skill of…

This research investigated South Korean citizens' political information behaviors on Twitter during the 2014 Seoul Mayoral election. By using the mixed methods design of network analysis, tweet content analysis, and interviews, this research examined how citizens collaboratively engaged in the political communication and deliberation via Twitter…

The purpose of this article is to begin to explore how collective and sociomaterial theories of learning might be applied within interdisciplinary and interprofessional contexts--in particular the team-based collaboration that is playing an ever larger role in both fields. It ?? articulates several key features of interdisciplinary and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an e-learning system that integrates the use of concepts of virtual learning environments, personal learning environments, and social network sites. The system is based on a learning model which comprises and integrates three learning contexts for the adult learner: the formal, instructional…