Online teaching is in its adolescence and needs to mature in order to overcome some of its growing pains to reach its potential in the field of education. Reflecting upon the author's first three years teaching online, he notes practices and commitments that could help instructors better participate in and facilitate lifelong learning for…

Virtual worlds, such as Second Life[R], are the latest star in the online communication sky. Created by Linden Lab, Second Life is a three-dimensional environment that provides a context for avatars to communicate and socialise with other avatars in a variety of settings (Bell, 2009). Virtual worlds have been used to train people with intellectual…

Five months ago, the author introduced Web 2.0 technology to her students, and already, there is a story to tell. Integrating a social networking site into her teaching has been even more challenging and will prove to be even more beneficial than she could have imagined. By sharing her story, the author hopes that she can provide a road map for…

Traditionally, at least according to popular wisdom, learning took place in venues that were custom-designed for the purpose. The purpose, given the evidence of the artefacts with which we are confronted, seems to have been the educational equivalent of the production line that so succinctly characterised the industrialisation of society. One…

This article considers some of the ways in which the transformative power of Web 2.0 digital technology is reconfiguring learning, knowledge and academic identities in the contemporary university. Through a focus on five specific examples, we consider the impact of virtualization processes on spatiality, materiality and embodiment, and pedagogic…

Web 2.0 tools are changing the way we work online. As lecturers, we need to understand how these emerging technologies impact both on our students' learning and on our own teaching practice. This means we must ourselves become more confident in our use of Web 2.0, to be able to cope with the rapidly changing nature of these technologies. In most…

This paper argues that the internet is built around key technology design features of openness, robustness and decentralisation. These design features have transformed into social features, which are embodied within the cultural values of the internet. By examining applications that have become popular on the net, the importance of these values is…

Presents an autobiographical sketch of a science fiction writer's relationship with the Information Technology revolution, from the Commodore PET to Microsoft 2000: a creator of imaginary futures privileged to observe an "imaginary future" in the act of becoming present reality. Touches on the nature of narrative and technology, the changing…

The Internet has become a powerful force in transforming organizations in both private and public sectors, including public education. Some educational reformers now view virtual schools, in which the majority of course content is delivered online, as a viable alternative and innovative means of educating K-12 students. As of September 2007, 42…

The Internet has made it impossible for higher education institutions to ignore technology in fulfilling their strategic mission and responding to the expectations of a diverse student body. In the Republic of Ireland, as elsewhere, the use of online technologies has become an increasingly important challenge in academic staff development, and on…

Chris Dede, Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is a leading authority on learning technologies and the ways in which they shape education. As a teacher, researcher, and policy advocate, he is a visionary whose fascination with technology has been informed by his commitment to serving the highest…

Reflects on seminar presentations within four major themes: (1) the acceleration of change in higher education owing mostly to information and communication technologies; (2) complementarity and contrast between virtual and classical universities; (3) institutional responses to change; and (4) quality issues. Proposes various agendas for further…

Classroom practice in the real world has become increasingly incommensurate with the lived experience of students. Young people, consisting of all age cohorts and class fractions, have never known their world to not include the Internet. They have been utilizing this technology since before they started kindergarten, whether it was in games that…

This paper describes the Introductory Physics I and II courses taught by the author via the Kentucky Community and Technical College System's Kentucky Virtual University (KYVU). Students can register for a KYVU course either online or at their local college. Because many of the students are not highly computer literate, and they may be working on…

Focuses on the issue of technology within education. Addresses various issues related to e-learning and children, such as if computers really motivate children to learn quicker and better and if computers connect children to the world. Discusses the issue of distance education within the higher education environment. (CMK)