As an emerging interest area, positive communication scholarship focuses on issues of happiness and well-being in a variety of social contexts. Borrowing from positive psychology and happiness literature (Lyubomirsky, 2008), positive communication research explores expressions of gratitude, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, as well as issues…

Students must be proficient readers of nonfiction texts to be successful in school and life. Since engaging students in this genre can be challenging, this article focuses on how students can respond digitally and socially to nonfiction through the use of free, secure social networks. Not only can students become more engaged in learning when…

The "Stop.Think.Connect. Community Outreach Toolkit" was adapted from the Federal Trade Commission's "OnGuardOnline.gov," a project that provides practical tips to help guard against Internet fraud and protect your privacy. The kit will help you offer your community information about protecting kids online. It includes "Stop.Think.Connect.," a…

Electronic communication, whether through Facebook, Twitter, text messages, or even e-mail, has become part of the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the last 10 years. However, there are still many teachers who are nervous about using social networking for educational purposes, and there are still many schools in which students must…

Reflecting simply put is the act of thinking about something while seeking a deeper level of understanding. Reflective practice is applying this thinking systematically by making questions, collecting data, and analysing it in order, not to prove something, but to comprehend and act upon reality. It is also an ongoing process that involves…

Think teachers can post what they want on their own time? Think again. Many have lost their jobs over social networking gaffes in recent years. In this article, the author shares what he has learned about how school districts cope with teachers and online social networking sites, and offers recommendations to teachers who want to have an online…

This book provides an archival forum for researchers, academics, practitioners and industry professionals interested and/or engaged in reforming teaching and learning methods by transforming today's learning environments into smart learning environments. It will facilitate opportunities for discussions and constructive dialogue between various…

A freshman student posts on her social media account remarks that reflect intolerance and bigotry. Fellow students and faculty are upset, and disciplinary action follows. Was the student's right to free speech ignored or were the rights of others to a welcoming and inclusive environment infringed upon? This case guides the reader through some of…

It's easy to dismiss social media as a fascination of young people but to do so minimizes one of the fastest growing trends in technology. The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently found that over 71% of teens have a Facebook profile and 75% of adults have one too. Social media tools have become the way for a school or business to…

The end of the school year is a hectic time for high school principals. Summer often provides a brief opportunity to "kick-back" and take time to rest, relax and spend some time thinking about the coming school year. As the school year ends the author would like to introduce several new or updated resources that every high school principal will…

Cyberbullying has emerged as one of the fastest growing issues faced by school leaders. It involves the use of technology to bully another person and can occur through the use of e-mail, instant messaging or texting, blogs, postings on websites, or through social media. The most common definition of cyberbullying is that it includes repeated,…

This edited volume brings together large-scale research as well as case studies from a range of geographical contexts and represents a variety of educational settings involving second language learners and users. Its aim is to explore the interrelated issues of psychology and technology use in second language learning settings as well as in more…

With the growing needs to address the challenges that new teachers face and the popularity of social networking technology, this study explores how to increase the effectives of teaching through the use of such technology, and how the technology may serve to promote collaboration and open new resources of support in public education. In this…

Wikis are open-source sites, meaning that users may add, remove, or edit most content quickly. Because they are a public venue, students became more engaged and invested in what they wrote, wrote more frequently, edited their work more carefully, collaborated, and became accustomed to frequent peer and adult feedback. Writing practice and in-depth…

In this digital world, being a "viewer" is passe. Web 2.0 tools--social networks, wikis, blogs, voicestream, YouTube, Google Docs--allow users to be participants. Instead of creating isolated users, such technologies foster community and collaboration. In this article, the author describes how schools in New York, Florida, New Jersey,…