The goal of this book is to crystallize the emerging mobile computing technologies and trends by focusing on the most promising solutions in services computing. The book will provide clear proof that mobile technologies are playing an increasingly important and critical role in supporting toy computing. The goal of this book is to bring together academics and practitioners to describe the use and synergy between the above-mentioned technologies. This book is intended for researchers and students working in computer science and engineering, as well as toy industry technology providers, having particular interests in mobile services.

As an increasing amount of information is made available online, the assumption is that people who visit Web sites will be able to strategize their learning to optimize access to this information. Constructing Self-Discovery Learning Spaces Online: Scaffolding and Decision Making Technologies raises awareness of the strategies supporting self-driven learner efficacy on a number of site types. This book reflects on existing literature about self-discovery learning and what learners need in terms of scaffolding to help them make the right decisions, assess their own level of learning, vet information strategically, collaborate with other learners, and build their own skill sets.

Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age is for all those interested in considering the impact of emerging digital technologies on teaching and learning. It explores the concept of a digital age and perspectives of knowledge, pedagogy and practice within a digital context.

By examining teaching with digital technologies through new learning theories cognisant of the digital age, it aims to both advance thinking and offer strategies for teaching technology-savvy students that will enable meaningful learning experiences.

Illustrated throughout with case studies from across the subjects and the age range, key issues considered include:

• how young people create and share knowledge both in and beyond the classroom and how current and new pedagogies can support this level of achievement
• the use of complexity theory as a framework to explore teaching in the digital age

• the way learning occurs one way exchanges, online and face-to-face interactions, learning within a framework of constructivism, and in communities
• what we mean by critical thinking, why it is important in a digital age, and how this can occur in the context of learning
• how students can create knowledge through a variety of teaching and learning activities, and how the knowledge being created can be shared, critiqued and evaluated.

With an emphasis throughout on what it means for practice, this book aims to improve understanding of how learning theories currently work and can evolve in the future to promote truly effective learning in the digital age. It is essential reading for all teachers, student teachers, school leaders, those engaged in Masters Level work, as well as students on Education Studies courses.

This edited volume with selected expanded papers from CELDA (Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age) 2011 (http://www.celda- -conf.org/) will focus on Ubiquitous and Mobile Informal and Formal Learning in the Digital Age, with sub-topics: Mobile and Ubiquitous Informal and Formal Learning Environments (Part I), Social Web Technologies for new knowledge representation, retrieval, creation and sharing in Informal and Formal Educational Settings (Part II), Virtual Worlds and Game- -based Informal and Formal Learning (Part III), Location- -based and Context- - Aware Environments for Formal and Informal Learning Integration (Part IV) There will be approximately twenty chapters selected for this edited volume from among peer- -reviewed papers presented at the CELDA (Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age) 2011 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November, 2011.

This proceedings volume brings together the results of a corporate discussion on research, academic teaching and education in the field of business and economics in the context of globalization. The contributions examine leadership and sustainability, quality and governance and the internationalization of higher education. With a particular focus on business education and business schools, the book discusses the labor market and modernization as well as contemporary trends and challenges. By including both academic papers and contributions from industry, it forges research links between academia, business and industry.

Virtual worlds offer engaging, rich visual and auditory experiences to their users. In them, players guide computer-based avatars through virtual landscapes filled with realistic buildings, objects, characters, and the avatars of other players. In the commercial realm, games and online virtual communities attract millions of devoted fans who spend large amounts of time and money in these worlds. In recent years, interest in virtual worlds as platforms for instruction and training has rapidly grown as researchers and designers focus on their potential power as learning environments. Educational virtual worlds are designed to incorporate situated learning concepts of collaborative knowledge building among communities of learners in contexts that closely mimic the real world.

In this, the first text written specifically on how to design virtual worlds for educational purposes, the authors explore: the history and evolution of virtual worlds (commercial and educational), the theories behind the use of virtual worlds for learning, the design of curricula in virtual worlds, design guidelines for elements experienced in virtual worlds that support learning, and design guidelines for learning quests and activities in virtual worlds. They also examine the theories and associated design principles used to create embedded assessments in virtual worlds. Finally, they offer a framework and methodology to assist professionals in evaluating off-the-shelf virtual worlds for use in educational and training settings.

This book is the result of a research symposium sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology [AECT]. The fifteen chapters were developed by leaders in the field and represent the most updated and cutting edge methodology in the areas of instructional design and instructional technology. The broad concepts of design, design thinking, the design process, and the design studio, are identified and they form the framework of the book. This book advocates the conscious adoption of a mindset of design thinking, such as that evident in a range of divergent professions including business, government, and medicine. At its core is a focus on "planning, inventing, making, and doing." (Cross, 1982), all of which are of value to the field of educational technology. Additionally, the book endeavors to develop a deep understanding of the design process in the reader. It is a critical skill, often drawing from other traditional design fields. An examination of the design process as practiced, of new models for design, and of ways to connect theory to the development of educational products are all fully explored with the goal of providing guidance for emerging instructional designers and deepening the practice of more advanced practitioners. Finally, as a large number of leading schools of instructional design have adopted the studio form of education for their professional programs, we include this emerging topic in the book as a practical and focused guide for readers at all levels.

Education Networks is a critical analysis of the emerging intersection among the global power elite, information and communication technology, and schools. Joel Spring documents and examines the economic and political interests and forces -including elite networks, the for-profit education industry, data managers, and professional educators - that are pushing the use of ICT for online instruction, test preparation and tutoring, data management, instructional software packages, and more , and looks closely at the impact this is having on schools, students, and learning. Making a distinction between "mind" (as socially constructed) and "brain" (as a physiological entity), Spring draws on recent findings from comparative psychology on the possible effects of ICT on the social construction of the minds of students and school managers, and from neuroscience regarding its effect on students' brains. Throughout, the influence of elite networks and powerful interest groups is linked to what is happening to children in classrooms. In conclusion Spring offers bold suggestions to change the course of the looming technological triumph of ICT in the "brave new world" of schooling.

As the linguistic, cognitive and social elements of our lives are transformed by new and emerging technologies, educational settings are also challenged to respond to the issues that have arisen as a consequence. This book focuses on that challenge: using psychological theory as a lens to highlight the positive uses of new technologies in relationships and educational settings, and to advocate technological learning opportunities and social support where the misuse and abuse of ICT occurs. The Impact of Technology on Relationships in Educational Settings sets out to explore the role of ICTs in relationship forming, social networking and social relationships within our schools and has grown out of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST); Action on cyberbullying, involving 28 participating countries, and two non-COST countries, of which Australia is one. This cutting edge international text offers cross-cultural, psychological perspectives on the positive uses of new and emerging technologies to improve social relationships and examples of best practice to prevent virtual bullying. This comes at a time when much of the focus in current writings has been on the more negative aspects which have emerged as new technologies evolved: cyberbullying, cyber-aggression and cybersafety concerns. This text is ideally suited to researchers and practiitioners in the fields of Educational and developmental psychology, as well as those specialising in educational technology and the sociology of education.

A volume in Current Perspectives on Applied Information Technologies Series Editors Charalambos Vrasidas and Gene V Glass This volume provides examples of current developments on the role of ICT for education, development, and social justice within an international context. Chapters draw on advanced contemporary thinking from scholars and practitioners in the field to present case studies of how ICT can be used to promote sustainable development and social justice. Social justice is understood in a wide sense as the pursuit of democracy, justice and development in the struggle against any form of oppression; it is within this context that ICT is explored as a tool for social change. ENDORSEMENT: This book's central and critical premise, namely that we have now to analyze critically how information and communication technologies can be better used to promote development and social justice, makes it especially timely now that the computer can be said to be part of a global system. - John Willinsky, Stanford University The objectives of this book are: * To analyze the philosophical, historical, political, and cultural backgrounds and contexts that are constitutive of contemporary challenges and tensions in the role of ICT for education, development, and social justice around the world; * To appreciate the contextual and international dimensions of the tensions and challenges faced by educators around the world and contribute to ongoing efforts to sketch a vision for addressing their needs; * To explore ways in which ICT in education can promote social justice and contribute toward sustaining communities around the world

Elementary Online Learning offers school- and district-level leaders and administrators a field-tested approach to developing formal and interdisciplinary online education, in-house and from scratch, for grades K-5. While it is possible today to purchase off-the-shelf online platforms from for-profit companies, many elementary schools have the option of creating their own programs, curricula, and instructional strategies that are deliberately tailored to the strengths and needs of their own communities. This book provides practical and effective approaches to cohesive, data-driven program design, synchronous and asynchronous teaching, professional development, family partnerships, and much more. Each chapter is full of research-based ideas, recommendations, and prompts that will help schools yield online education that is interdisciplinary, socially just, and student-driven.

Artificial instructional methods no provide the learning community with exercise specific teaching skills and learning situations that strengthen educator instincts and intuition about best practices. ""Digital Simulations for Improving Education: Learning Through Artificial Teaching Environments"" contains research and current trends used in digital simulations of teaching, surveying the uses of games and simulations in teacher education. An essential resource for teachers, educational technologists, and simulation developers, this book helps solve problems in teaching and learning through introduction of the potential and benefits of practice with digital simulations.

The aim of this volume entitled Digital Technologies: Sustainable Innovations for improving Teaching and Learning is to contribute in the global discussion on digital technologies as the means to foster sustainable educational innovations for improving the teaching, learning and assessment from K-12 to Higher Education. It compiles papers presented at the CELDA (Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age) conference, which has as its goal continuing to address these challenges and promote the effective use of new tools and technologies to support teaching, learning and assessment. The book consists of four parts and showcases how emerging educational technologies and innovative practices have been used to address core global educational challenges; spanning from rethinking and transforming learning environments across educational contexts to effectively cultivating students' competences for the digital smart society of the future. The book comprises Part I: Transforming the Learning Environment; Part II: Enriching student learning experiences; Part III: Measuring and Assessing Teaching and Learning with Educational Data Analytics; Part IV: Cultivating student competences for the digital Smart society. It targets researchers and research students, educational professional practitioners (including teachers, educators and education leaders) as well as education policy makers, who are interested in keeping up-to-date on the global development in this field.

In recent years, the rampant development of worldwide communications and powerful modern technologies has reformulated the idea of distance learning and the transmission of higher education content. Combined with these new developments and the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an apparent need for a thorough discussion on all features of e-learning. Online Distance Learning Course Design and Multimedia in E-Learning disseminates research, experiences, and philosophies surrounding innovation within higher education online teaching and learning environments. It includes case studies of relevant and fruitful applications, practical challenges, and examinations of the most recent innovations. Covering topics such as online management education, student engagement, and gamification, this book is an essential resource for academicians, researchers, educators, pre-service educators, principals, administrators, consultants, instructional designers, technologists, computer scientists, and policymakers.

How can we ensure we use technology effectively with young children?

Using New Web Tools in the Primary Classroom is for all teachers interested in the application of new web-based ICTs to primary teaching. It offers a justification for using Web 2.0 tools and explores tangible ways in which technologies such as blogs, wikis, podcasting, media sharing and social networking sites can enhance classroom practice, teaching and learning.

Considering key issues such as how children learn, curriculum, policy, and children 's prior experiences of ICT, this book focuses on the expectations and needs of the child and how technology can be unlocked to meet those needs now and in the future. Key ideas considered include:

• Diverse views of social software in education
• Using web tools to create and reinforce stimulating learning environments
• Teacher skills and the availability of suitable technology
• Competing demands of government policies and curriculum
• Practical ideas for enriching learning through social software: Children as producers of knowledge, as explorers, and as communicators.

Enhanced with reflective questions and tasks to support your own thinking, and with practical ideas for using web-based ICTs in a range of subjects and in topic work, Using New Web Tools in the Primary Classroom is a rich resource for all student and practising primary school teachers. Those on Education Studies courses interested in new internet technologies and their potential to enhance learning within primary schools will also find much food for thought.

Educational initiatives attempt to introduce or promote a culture of quality within education by raising concerns related to student learning, providing services related to assessment, professional development of teachers, curriculum and pedagogy, and influencing educational policy, in the realm of technology.

Mathematics teachers and school library media specialists will find this book a valuable resource for using the Web to promote critical thinking in the high school mathematics classroom. It is filled with instructional strategies and an expansive set of activities that cover a broad array of mathematics topics spanning from prealgebra through calculus. Teachers using the questions and activities in this book will help their students meet the standards set forth by the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.

Various types of mathematics related sources on the Internet are outlined within this book, including data and simulations related to real world situations such as saving funds and computing interest earned for college, purchasing a home, or decoding train and plane schedules. The author develops a framework for critical thinking in mathematics and helps teachers create a supportive classroom environment. Each activity highlights a web source, the mathematics topics involved, the appropriate grade levels of study, possible student investigations, and related web sources for continued exploration, promoting a student-centered inquiry.

The use of technology within the lifelong learning sector brings many benefits to learners, teachers and managers. Aimed at trainee and practising teachers, this book contains clear, practical guidance on how to use technology and e-learning effectively to enhance all aspects of teaching and learning in the post-compulsory sector.

Alan Clarke explains the technologies that are available and how to use them from whiteboards and virtual learning environments to digital photographs, podcasts and e-portfolios. Each chapter is fully aligned with the new LLUK standards and includes teaching strategies, practical examples and case studies to show how these work in practice.

Chapters include guidance on:

• using e-portfolios, blogs and wikis to present and share information with colleagues and encourage reflection
• motivating students and promoting collaboration using mobile devices, discussion groups and forums
• how to use ICT to develop literacy and numeracy skills
• ways to keep up to date with new and emerging technologies
• using technology safely and securely.

Including a wide range of activities, questions for reflective practice and links to further sources of information, this essential textbook will help trainee and practising teachers in post-compulsory education to understand the major ILT tools and use them confidently and effectively in their teaching.

Networked learning is learning in which information and communications technology (ICT) is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners; between learners and tutors; between a learning community and its learning resources. Networked learning is an area which has great practical and theoretical importance. It is a rapidly growing area of educational practice, particularly in higher education and the corporate sector.

This volume brings together some of the best research in the field, and uses it to signpost some directions for future work. The papers in this collection represent a major contribution to our collective sense of recent progress in research on networked learning. In addition, they serve to highlight some of the largest or most important gaps in our understanding of studentsa (TM) perspectives on networked learning, patterns of interaction and online discourse, and the role of contextual factors. The range of topics and methods addressed in these papers attests to the vitality of this important field of work. More significant yet is the complex understanding of the field that they combine to create. In combination, they help explain some of the key relationships between teachersa (TM) and learnersa (TM) intentions and experiences, the affordances of text-based communications technologies and processes of informed and intelligent educational change.

This book focuses on the uses of big data in the context of higher education. The book describes a wide range of administrative and operational data gathering processes aimed at assessing institutional performance and progress in order to predict future performance, and identifies potential issues related to academic programming, research, teaching and learning . Big data refers to data which is fundamentally too big and complex and moves too fast for the processing capacity of conventional database systems. The value of big data is the ability to identify useful data and turn it into useable information by identifying patterns and deviations from patterns .

Modern education has increased its reach through ICT tools and techniques. To manage educational data with the help of modern artificial intelligence, data and web mining techniques on dedicated cloud or grid platforms for educational institutes can be used. By utilizing data science techniques to manage educational data, the safekeeping, delivery, and use of knowledge can be increased for better quality education. Utilizing Educational Data Mining Techniques for Improved Learning: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical scholarly resource that explores data mining and management techniques that promote the improvement and optimization of educational data systems. The book intends to provide new models, platforms, tools, and protocols in data science for educational data analysis and introduces innovative hybrid system models dedicated to data science. Including topics such as automatic assessment, educational analytics, and machine learning, this book is essential for IT specialists, data analysts, computer engineers, education professionals, administrators, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and technology experts.

The book aims to provide an archival forum for researchers, academics, practitioners, and industry professionals interested and/or engaged in the reform of the ways of teaching and learning through advancing current learning environments towards smart learning environments. It facilitates opportunities for discussions and constructive dialogue among various stakeholders on the limitations of existing learning environments, need for reform, innovative uses of emerging pedagogical approaches and technologies, and sharing and promotion of best practices, leading to the evolution, design and implementation of smart learning environments. The focus of the contributions in this book is on the interplay of pedagogy, technology and their fusion towards the advancement of smart learning environments. Various components of this interplay include but are not limited to: Pedagogy: learning paradigms, assessment paradigms, social factors, policy; Technology: emerging technologies, innovative uses of mature technologies, adoption, usability, standards, and emerging/new technological paradigms (open educational resources, cloud computing, etc.); Fusion of pedagogy and technology: transformation of curriculum, transformation of teaching behavior, transformation of administration, best practices of infusion, piloting of new ideas.

This book is a product of a dissertation project that was completed in December 2006. This project investigated teachers' experiences in relation to teaching and learning using the hybrid-context instructional model. The dissertation itself has been noted as one of the best in providing practical tips for teachers in this area. The study methodology is included as appendix B. To answer the questions raised during the interviews, the findings of the study have been supplemented and supported with extensive literature review of empirical studies to provide theoretical and practical solutions. The literature review draws from total Internet, blended, and hybrid instruction studies. The literature on the total Internet instruction has relevance in that the Internet piece of the hybrid-context course shares the same course management systems and requires the same approaches and principles as do total Internet instruction. The book discusses the conceptual and descriptive presentations of the hybrid-context model, media, applicable teaching philosophies; strategies best accomplished in each medium; various ways of linking the face-to-face and the Internet activities; the why and how the study participants transitioned into teaching hybrid-context courses, teachers' expectations, etc. The discussion on 'labor of love' is the core of this book as the discussion has captured the surprises the study participants met in a way that is not reflected in the current literature. Built into this discussion are the amounts of things teachers had to learn in order to function well as hybrid-context model teachers. The contents of this book will aide teachers who teach in any way using the Internet. Therefore, any establishment/individual using the Internet for teaching and learning will benefit from the contents of this book. Also, the administrators will find this book a selling point to encourage more participation in the adoption of the hybrid-context instructional model as well as realizing what the teachers would need to successfully implement this phenomenon.

This book describes the emerging practice of e-mail tutoring; one-to-one correspondence between college students and writing tutors conducted over electronic mail. It reviews the history of Composition Studies, paying special attention to those ways in which writing centers and computers and composition have been previously hailed within a narrative of functional literacy and quick-fix solutions. The author suggests a new methodology for tutoring, and a new mandate for the writing center: a strong connection between the rhythms of extended, asynchronous writing and dialogic literacy. The electronic writing center can become a site for informed resistance to functional literacy.