The author examined Wikipedia's use as an instructional tool in two studies. The widespread use of Wikipedia indicates that students need to learn more about its workings and validity. Wikipedia articles relevant to psychology were edited by students in one class and critiqued in another class. Analysis of the subsequent editing of students'…

Participating in cross-disciplinary collaborative activities can pose a range of challenges for those involved therein. Typically disciplinary strongholds are entrenched, and collaboration is dependent on the building of relationships--relationships that can exist in tension as issues of power, identity and the trappings of academic status inhibit…

For centuries people from around the world have celebrated storytelling and puppetry for their educational and social functions. In the comprehensive curriculum, storytelling combined with puppet performances enriches the classroom experience by providing students with opportunities to engage in open dialogue, creativity, and structured play.…

This article presents the text of a speech presented at The International Writing Centers Association and the National Conference on Peer Tutoring (IWCA-NCPTW) joint conference in Baltimore, Maryland, in November 2010. It stemmed from a larger project--a collection of previously published and new essays titled "Writing Together: Collaboration in…

The Guide to Blended Learning is an introduction using technology and distance education teaching strategies with traditional, face-to-face classroom activities. This Guide has been designed to assist teachers adopt blended learning strategies through a step-by-step approach taking constructivist and design-based approach and reflecting on…

Web 2.0 tools are becoming increasingly pervasive in higher education, and as a result, there is increasing interest in the use of online feedback activities. This study investigated students' actual experiences and perceptions using social media, Wiki and Facebook, tools to provide peer feedback on students' instructional material projects and to…

This paper examined grades 5 and 6 students' participation in wikis while writing reports on social studies topics. An analysis of eight wikis showed that students represented meanings they had constructed about their topics by engaging in knowledge telling practices (e.g., introducing, stating, or repeating information or an idea and developing…

Web annotation is a Web 2.0 technology that allows learners to work collaboratively on web pages or electronic documents. This study explored the use of Web annotation as an online discussion tool by comparing it to a traditional threaded discussion forum. Ten graduate students participated in the study. Participants had access to both a Web…

To test the feasibility of Wikipedia editing in large undergraduate psychology classrooms, we engaged groups of students in a large introductory-level Human Development course (N = 110) in editing Wikipedia articles to improve psychology-related content. Students attended in-class workshops and received online support to develop skills. They…

This narrative inquiry collective case study investigated the experiences of six sixth grade American Indian males of the Lumbee tribe who struggle with reading. Bounded within an asynchronous closed wiki site, students from three sixth grade classes participated in online threaded discussions and created, posted, and viewed multimedia projects…

The paper shows the importance of Storybird, an online platform, for developing writing and storytelling among young learners of a foreign language. Storybird is an extremely engaging collaborative storywriting website that embodies three ideas--creating, reading, and sharing. It is also a collaborative storytelling tool that allows students to…

Teenagers love being social, and Web 2.0 technologies have provided students with new avenues to mingle. Although many teachers may view Web 2.0 technologies (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blogs, wikis, Nings) as a distraction from homework and a potential danger zone in the classroom, it would be negligent for them to ignore the ramifications of…

From time to time, every educator asks the question "why am I doing this?" Some of the answers may relate to personal goals or needs, but some are invariably focused on beliefs about the impact their work has on learners. For postsecondary educators, those answers may include thoughts about increased employability or better citizenship or mastery…

The difficult nature of reporting accurately and objectively on religion, coupled with world events and discrimination against Muslims, motivated a pilot course called "Reporting on Islam." The activity detailed in this article addressed two issues--improving the coverage of religion, specifically Islam, in the news media and using communication…

This article describes an innovative and unique practice involving two classes of information technology (IT) major student teachers, who created digital learning resources and assessment rubrics by utilizing a Web 2.0 tool. The project spanned more than two weeks and data were collected from a number of sources, such as the content of the wiki…