Lack of student participation and intrinsic motivation in online learning environments is a challenge to instructional design. There are some online communities which overcome this challenge by attracting participants from diverse backgrounds to engage, learn, and share information within their context. Eksisozluk, an online collaborative…

This paper presents a description and evaluation of Myartspace, a service on mobile phones for inquiry-led learning that allows students to gather information during a school field trip which is automatically sent to a website where they can view, share and present it, back in the classroom or at home. The evaluation focused on three levels: a…

This article highlights the practice of a group of New Zealand teenagers who are considered by their family and themselves to be technological experts. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's key concepts of habitus, field and capital, this text identifies and discusses the cyber-relations that constitute the practice in the field of home computer use for…

This study examines an alternative function of information sharing--social construction of meaning. Drawing on social construction, social interaction, and task closure theories, we explored the influence of both the media environment in which students are situated and the medium that group members choose to communicate with one another on the…

This article reviews past empirical studies on the use of audio podcast (hereby referred to as podcast) in K-12 and higher education settings. Using the constant comparative method, this review is organized into three major research areas or topics: (a) participants' podcast usage profile, (b) effects of podcast on learners' outcomes, and (b)…

Comparisons of "hard" and "soft" science in a user study and a citation study are shown to exhibit a previously unnoticed complementarity. (Author/PF)

Examined Food Stamp Program participation rates and reasons for nonparticipation in a survey of 2,242 elderly. Uncertainty or lack of knowledge about program eligibility was the most important reason for nonparticipation. Perceived stigma and transportation barriers were also factors. (JAC)

Increased crowding in wilderness areas and in the National Parks is discussed. Wilderness management, patterns of use, use density related to crowding, and possible solutions are detailed. (BT)

A summary and overview is given of a several-year research project, Requirements Study for Future Catalogs.'' The research was intended essentially to ascertain what information should be recorded in future library catalogs in order to best serve their users. Various publications and reports based on the project are summarized. (Author/NH)

This paper attempts to analyze the problem of congestion, using a mathematical model shown to be of value in other similar applications. Three criteria of congestion are considered, and it is found that the conclusion one can draw is sensitive to which of these criteria is paramount. (8 references) (Author/NH)

A model identifying seven principal dimensions of information systems and sources is developed and tested. The dimensions are defined in terms of required user behavior, with an associated scale indicating differential levels of this behavior. Both system design behavior and probable use behavior information in compatible forms are yielded. (15…

Significant nonduplicative literature on MARC and BNB-MARC is surveyed and characterized. Time lag in publication and the proliferation of ephemera are noted. Two categories of the literature are identified: reports in many formats by individuals and groups associated officially with MARC, and publications of MARC users or observers. (61…

Out-of-library circulation totals were found to be reliable indicators of in-library use. For predicting in-library use (and thus total use) two methods are cited: simple ratio of out to in, and the regression equation. (4 references) (Author/NH)