As Yogi Berra said, "Predictions are hard, especially about the future." In this article, the author offers a few forward-looking observations about the emerging impact of information technology on scientific research. Scientific research refers to a particular method for acquiring knowledge about natural phenomena. This method has two dimensions:…

The quiet revolution of consumer IT reached a climax recently with the widespread adoption of smart consumer devices and their rapid penetration into enterprise IT applications. This significant change of attitude, as well as the reliance on information technology has been referred to as "Consumerization of Information Technology"…

The development of communications technology in recent years has not only changed the ways in which students can access their world: it also changes the way they think about it. Sheldrake and Watkin draw here upon work that characterises the way in which the "iGeneration" think about the world around them, and suggest ways in which…

OpenCourseWare (OCW) and Open Educational Resources (OER) are two new and closely related educational technologies. Both provide open access to learning materials for students and instructors via the Internet. These are for the moment still very young technologies. While they have grown dramatically in just ten years there is still relatively…

This paper explores possible important relationships and sympathies between Amartya Sen's Capabilities Approach framework for understanding the human condition and the educational ideas of John Dewey and Paolo Freire. All three focus on the importance of democratic values in a fair, well-functioning society, while Sen and Freire especially…

In the past 3 decades, we have witnessed the implementation and expansion of online education designed for increasingly diverse audiences worldwide via an impressive array of new instructional media. Many proponents contend that Internet-supported teaching and learning is the most important innovation in education since the printing press. Yet,…

The area of learning has a justifiable claim to be a special case in how it can be enhanced or supported by technology. In areas such as commerce and web design the aim is usually to ensure efficiency and support specific actions such as purchasing or accessing information as quickly and easily as possible. Working with technology for the purpose…

Despite a general rise in the return to college, likely due to technological change, the cost-benefit calculus facing prospective students can make the decision to invest in and attend college dauntingly complex. Philip Oreopoulos and Uros Petronijevic review research on the varying costs and benefits of higher education and explore in full the…

Our educational system has always reflected the social, cultural, and economic conditions prevailing at the time. The impact of technological advances as well as global competition now impose a new agenda on higher education to ensure that all students can succeed in a complex and rapidly changing world. Fortunately, we have many resources to aid…

Immersed in a technologically complex world, young people make sense of a multi-faceted set of events in everyday life. This article investigates the variation in how Swedish young people experience technological systems and is based on interviews focusing three systems concerning transport, energy and communication--contextualised in relation to…

This article traces the influences of hypertext theory throughout the various genres of online publication in technical communication. It begins with a look back at some of the important concepts and theorists writing about hypertext theory from the post-World War II era, to the early years of the World Wide Web 2.0, and the very differing notions…

Young people's increasing use of interactive media has led to assertions about possible consequences for education. Rather than following assertions, we argue for theory-driven empirical research as a basis for education renewal. First, we review the existing empirical research, concluding that there is almost no theory-driven research available.…

The use of technology in intervention and instruction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing at a striking rate. The purpose of this paper is to examine the research literature underlying the use of technology in interventions and instruction for high school students with ASD. In this paper, authors propose a theoretical…

The use of technology in intervention and instruction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing at a striking rate. The purpose of this paper is to examine the research literature underlying the use of technology in interventions and instruction for high school students with ASD. In this paper, authors propose a theoretical…

Transformed into a large collaborative learning environment, the Internet is comprised of information reservoirs namely, (a) online classrooms, (b) social networks, and (c) virtual reality or simulated communities, to expeditiously create, reproduce, share, and deliver information into the hands of educators and students. Most importantly, the…