Instructors at universities face many of the same concerns. They have to prepare and organize their courses, teach those courses and provide assignments, assess the learning of the students, and then evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching style. Even though these experiences are common, learning environments in higher education are increasingly diverse, and this diversity impacts every aspect of the institution. ""Technology and Diversity in Higher Education: New Challenges"" provides current and effective educational practices, and examines new challenges involving emerging technologies in increasingly diverse learning environments. This book studies current knowledge on how students learn, and the application of that knowledge to technology.

Educators and education policy has increasingly acknowledged the value of creativity and creative approaches to education in particular. This book highlights a range of innovative teaching techniques successfully employed by teachers from a range of disciplines and education levels in order to share knowledge regarding creative education.

With the proliferation of technology, science became a medium used to create and interpret heritage in a way that redefines human achievements. The recent advances in technology are providing us with a variety of tools aimed at exploring, experiencing and interacting with heritage in a completely new way, which was unimaginable up until a few decades ago. Suddenly, heritage has become accessible and exciting to those who might not have previously considered it interesting. This book presents a selection of approaches in various topics such as artificial intelligence, gamification, and virtual and augmented reality, and uses practical examples to show how they can be deployed in real-world scenarios. As such, it inspires a wide variety of stakeholders and helps them experience our common heritage through a new lens.

During the 1970s, the South African Department of Information attempted to manipulate and neutralize the international media treatment of South Africa. This programme was later exposed in what became known as the Information scandal. Meanwhile in Europe and North America, anti-apartheid campaigners increased pressure on the South African regime.

This book chronicles the journeys of educational researchers and academics who have engaged in research and development to improve teaching and learning at universities. It highlights the research evidence, approaches, and in many cases, the journey of transformation rather than prescribing certain principles of and approaches to effective instruction. In other words, it not only describes the destination, but also various pathways leading toward it. Further, it focuses on mechanisms for improving the approaches discussed, rather than simply determining whether one works better than the other. As such, novice and seasoned academics and teaching staff in higher education will benefit from this book, not just from the teaching and learning approaches it highlights, but also from the insights into the respective journeys. The research and development methods and approaches discussed here will also appeal to researchers working in teaching and learning in higher education.

The Internet and associated technologies have been around for almost twenty years. Networked access and computer ownership are now the norm. There is a plethora of technologies that can be used to support learning, offering different ways in which learners can communicate with each other and their tutors, and providing them with access to interactive, multimedia content. However, these generic skills don't necessarily translate seamlessly to an academic learning context. Appropriation of these technologies for academic purposes requires specific skills, which means that the way in which we design and support learning opportunities needs to provide appropriate support to harness the potential of technologies. More than ever before learners need supportive 'learning pathways' to enable them to blend formal educational offerings, with free resources and services. This requires a rethinking of the design process, to enable teachers to take account of a blended learning context.

Beyond the Online Course: Leadership Perspectives on e-Learning addresses a need for the growing body of professionals who are called upon to lead the online/distance learning efforts at their various organizations. It will also be of interest to those wishing to prepare for leadership positions or who are engaged in research and study of issues "beyond the online course." The book brings together scholarly and practice-based writings from the pages of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education and Distance Learning for Educators, Trainers and Leaders.

Clearly structured and illustrated with tables, charts and figures to help educators rapidly come to terms with exactly what they need to do when planning a new course (or giving a current course a well needed overhaul), this book is packed with tips to make course planning easy.

Clearly structured and illustrated with tables, charts and figures to help educators come to terms with how best to evaluate a course, this text provides tips intended to make course evaluation easy, clearly demonstrating the place of different types of assessment in education.

Two developments in recent years have converged to dramatically alter most conceptions of the teaching and learning process. First, technology has become increasingly interactive and distributed, such that individual learners have available the means to participate in incredibly complex networks of information, resources, and instruction. As these technological advancements facilitate interaction across classroom, university, and worldwide learning communities in both real-time and delayed formats, various instructional design and implementation problems spring forth. Second, the conventional teacher-centered model wherein knowledge is transmitted from the teacher to the learner is being replaced by social constructivist and learner-centered models of instruction. These new learner-centered models place emphasis on guiding and supporting students as they meaningfully construct their understanding of various cultures and communities.
As a consequence of these developments, teachers need guidelines from educational researchers about integrating collaboration and communication tools into their classrooms. This volume presents research on such collaborative technology as it facilitates, augments, and redefines academic learning environments. The studies illustrate how schools, teachers, and students are discovering, employing, and modifying the numerous new computer conferencing and collaborating writing tasks and tools, and their effects on social interaction and resulting student learning. Documentation is given that will help teachers to make decisions that productively transform learning environments.
Three key objectives underlie this volume:
*to discover some of the electronic collaboration tools and formats currently employed by teachers in schools and universities and to situate these within a five-level taxonomy of computer conferencing and collaborative writing tools and approaches;
*to examine some of the sociocultural learning variables embedded in the use of electronic collaborative tools and approaches; and
*to participate in a dialogue about the importance of student electronic social interaction and dialogue from a sociocultural perspective.
This is a must-read volume for all researchers, scholars, graduate students, and practitioners interested in such fields as sociocultural theory, process writing, cooperative learning, learner-centeredness, distance education, peer conferencing and tutoring, mentoring, electronic collaboration, problem- and project-based learning, collaborative writing, and educational reform.

Is the emerging digital multimedia culture of today transforming the textbook or forever displacing it? As new media of transmission enter the classroom, the traditional textbook is now caught up in a dialogue reshaping the textual boundaries of the book, and with it the traditional modes of cognition and learning, which are bound more to language than to visual form. Most of the important work in the past two decades in the field of curriculum has focused on the culture of the textbook. A rich literature has evolved around textbooks as the traditional object of instructional activity. This volume is an important contribution to this literature, which focuses on the actual making of a textbook. This design process serves as a metaphor that suggests new paradigms of learning and instruction, in which text content is but one component in a multidimensional information space."The Visual Turn" is an exploration along the border of this new learning space transforming the traditional center of instruction in the classroom.

In order to effectively use games in the classroom, teachers and parents need to agree on games' positive functions toward students' learning, decide and select good educational games relevant to content and tasks in the classroom, and disseminate their acquired knowledge into the teaching field. As part of an international dialogue between researchers in educational technology, Gaming for Classroom-Based Learning: Digital Role Playing as a Motivator of Study investigates whether games can motivate students to learn and improve their knowledge and skills. This collection of research aims to inform classroom and pre-service teachers of the potential of games for improving teaching and learning.

This book re-examines the field of New Literacy Studies and promotes a shift away from binary constructions of literacies as 'old' or 'new' and to encourage critical reflection on the part of readers as to the uses of these constructs. First, the book examines the entanglement of pasts, presents and futures in contemporary literacy practices. Second, it considers representations of literacies as actors, having their own power and consequences. Third, it critically examines the place of 'new' and 'old' literacies in a marketplace in which social, economic and political power advantage is contested. The book demonstrates the use of assemblage theory drawing on semiotics, geo-semiotics and Actor Network Theory for analyzing literacies as assemblages. It provides readers with tools of analysis with which to interrogate claims made for the value of literacy, innovations and traditions alike. It also discusses implications for literacy policy, curriculum, teacher education and research.

This book presents the systematic evolution of digitized education: trends, advances, challenges encountered and their solutions toward the use of advanced technologies. The book mainly covers variety of areas such as blended learning in modern education, flipped classroom, ICT-based education, digital transformation of education. Explosion of information and communication technologies has transformed the way we live, learn, work and socialize. This heavy intervention of technologies in the modern world has triggered us to think how we engage and interact with each other and how we make use of these digital tools and communications channels. And consequent upon which societies are transforming into digitized education where datafication, platformization and algorithmic governance are a common vocabulary.

Rethinking Children and Research considers the way people approach research into childhood and children's lives and examines the debates concerning the forms and goals of such research.Theoretical and practice-based perspectives are discussed in the context of recent key developments in research theory and philosophy of children. Mary Kellett promotes the idea that researchers should listen to the voices and perspectives of children as experts on their own lives, and offers insights and guidance on approaches to research design, implementation and presentation.Recent debates and developments are considered, including ethics, approaching research with children from a child-rights framework, and rethinking the power dynamic within research relationships with children.Rethinking Children and Research is essential for studying childhood and undergraduate or postgraduate level, and will be of interest to all involved with research into childhood and children's lives in the areas of education, health and social services. >

This highly focused and practical book looks at the issues involved in integrating learning technologies within teaching and learning. With in-text activities to encourage readers to think about what they do, the book demonstrates how academics can improve their teaching using technology. It raises issues about the educational value of using technology and considers the pressures forcing change in higher education. The book covers a wide range, from making lecture aids to creating multimedia resources, and includes discussion of: +educational perspectives+developing new teaching strategies for larger student groups+using computers to deliver teaching and learning resources+using computers to communicate with and between students.This book can stand alone or can be used in conjunction with Technology In Teaching And Learning. The two books cover all aspects of transforming teaching using technology. This book covers the educational issues.

This book is an introduction to the issues and practicalities of using multimedia in classrooms - both primary and secondary, and across a range of subject areas. The book draws on material from a range of case studies and focuses on areas of concern for teachers and researchers.
Using IT effectively continues to be a problem for many teachers, and there is still a long way to go toward organising this properly. The book takes a thorough look at IT in the school, discussing and examining issues such as:
* IT and the National Curriculum
* foreign language teaching
* differing curricular needs
* opportunities and constraints of groupwork
* talking books and primary reading
* ways in which multimedia supports readers.
The book also looks at some of the more philosophical issues such as the implications of home-computers and the limits of independent learning, and the notion of "edutainment" - the relationship of motivation and enjoyment to learning.
Finally, the book makes comparisons across the curriculum and between primary and secondary sectors and raises questions about the future of IT in schools, arguing that teachers should make a significant contribution to decisions about future development.


eBook available with sample pages: 0203441303

This book looks at the progress of American education in the use of technology since the publication of Stallard and Cocker's last book, The Promise of Technology in Schools: The Next Twenty Years. Fifteen years after its publication, they find little significant difference in the way K-12 schools are using technology to improve student achievement. Education Technology and the Failure of American Schools offers a broad and penetrating look at the American educational system to determine why progress is so lacking. What is found is a system that has far outlived its functionality in terms of governance, organization, and professional practices. American schools are compared to those of nations whose students regularly outperform them on international tests of achievement. The authors offer a bold approach to educational reform that will irritate many who now consider themselves educational leaders. The final chapter makes offers a new approach to education in the primary grades, one that will surprise those lobbying for more computers for those early learning years. This is a must-read for anyone concerned about American education. The contributors of this book: *Offer clear examples of what is missing in the average school experience *Explain why teaching and school administration are not true professions *Discuss levels of failure from the federal level to the local school administration *Describe how the present system came into being *Compare educational reform efforts with those in actual professions *Explain the basic misapplication of technology in the present system

This monograph presents the challenges, vision and context to design smart learning objects (SLOs) through Computer Science (CS) education modelling and feature model transformations. It presents the latest research on the meta-programming-based generative learning objects (the latter with advanced features are treated as SLOs) and the use of educational robots in teaching CS topics. The introduced methodology includes the overall processes to develop SLO and smart educational environment (SEE) and integrates both into the real education setting to provide teaching in CS using constructivist and project-based approaches along with evaluation of pedagogic outcomes. Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education in Computer Science will appeal to researchers in CS education particularly those interested in using robots in teaching, course designers and educational software and tools developers. With research and exercise questions at the end of each chapter students studying CS related courses will find this work informative and valuable too.

There is much evidence to show that digital technologies greatly impact children's lives through the use of computers, laptops and mobile devices. Children's uses of digital technologies are, therefore, currently of huge concern to academics, teachers and parents. Disabled Children and Digital Technologies investigates disabled children's learning with digital technologies within the context of inclusive education. Sue Cranmer explores the potential benefits of using digital technologies to support disabled children's learning whilst recognising that these technologies also have the potential to act as a barrier to inclusion. Cranmer provides a critical overview of how digital technologies are being used in contemporary classrooms for learning. The book includes detailed analysis of a recent study carried out with disabled children with visual impairments aged between 13 - 17 years old in mainstream secondary schools. The chapters consider the use of digital technologies in relation to access, engagement, attitudes, and skills, including safety and risk. These perspectives are complemented by interviews with teachers to explore how digital technologies can support disabled children's learning and inclusion in mainstream settings more effectively.

The book departs from the approach of related titles by focusing on describing and reflecting upon the notion of seamless learning with regard to salient characteristics of learner mobility and bridging of learning experiences across learning spaces. It is the first such work that is solely dedicated to research on and the practice of seamless learning, uniquely combining interpretations, visions, and past research on and practices in seamless learning from diversified perspectives. The book also strikes a good balance between theoretical and practical perspectivess, going beyond a collection of reports on specific research projects. Instead of thick descriptions of research processes and findings, readers will find significant insights and food for thought intended to inspire further advances in the research on and practice of seamless learning.

About the Engage the Brain SeriesThis practical resource gives teachers the tools they need to plan lessons correlated to the way the brain learns best. Based on tested, research-based strategies presented in Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites: 20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain, this book offers a variety of language arts activities that incorporate games to help students make sense of and reinforce learning. These activities give students the opportunity to not only play but also construct and design a variety of games, greatly increasing brain connections to the content. These strategies allow students to master curriculum objectives while actively rehearse information in an engaging, non-threatening atmosphere, which makes a real difference in students' energy, motivation, and achievement.Engage the Brain: Games, Language Arts, Grades 6-8 contains games based on national academic standards for language arts, including reading, writing, language conventions, and listening and speaking. Some games are based on old favorites (such as Bingo, Scavenger Hunt, Relay Races, Go Fish, Concentration, Charades) and some are brand new, including:Context Clue CapersMultiple Meanings ManiaThe Root of the MatterSynonym Shades and GradesCouplet ChaosTone It UpPass, Write, and EditGenre JumbleSentence ShuffleFive Alive! BingoGrammar CharadesError BearersWord PowerLingo LadderForbidden PhrasesMedia MixSinking ShipEach game includes one or more learning objectives, a comprehensive materials list, step-by-step information for the teacher on how to prepare for and play the game, any necessary reproducibles (such as game cards, game boards, scorecards), and follow-up activities for extended learning. The games are presented in the brain-friendly lesson formation, including a focus activity, modeling, guided practice, independent practice, and closing.

The author is a leading expert on teaching history with games and on historical games studies It offers very practical and specific suggestions and insights It includes a number of templates for worskheets, analytical questions and rubrics Updated and added talking points for the value of historical video games in education for colleagues, administrators, parents, and students A new cutting-edge exploration of the features of historical games including the author's Historical Problem Space framework for historical game analysis. Extensive discussion of how to use the Historical Problem Space framework to study games and guide students in game analysis. A new cutting-edge investigation of the main genres of historical games and how those genres address history and academic history content Revised and expanded updated lesson and unit structures, for introducing students to historical games through video clips, whole class play, and individual gameplay Revised and expanded activities and assessments using current games as examples A fully updated appendix with a current list of most available history games and the academic standards they address

Hypermedia and multimedia have penetrated the world of computer games, Internet, and CD-ROM based reference manuals. However, the fields of education, schooling, and training ask more specific benefits from them. This book provides practical approaches to transform these media into learning tools. Crucial helping steps include the migration from expository to exploratory learning strategies, the integration of collaborative learning practices in plenary and individualistic teaching styles, and the evolution from test-driven to experience-oriented training.
This volume has three goals:
* to discuss the concepts of hypermedia, multimedia, and hypertext and review pertinent research lines;
* to provide guidelines and suggestions for developing multimedia applications; and
* to place technology within a broader context of education and training through a discussion of rich environments for active learning (REALs).
The book takes a developmental focus to helpf readers set up and manage the process of developing a multimedia application. It is not a technical or a how-to manual on working with video, sound, digitized graphics, or computer code. The text takes a unique approach to the idea of media-- viewing media as delivery systems: if video is called for, use it; if sound will help in an application, use it. The fundamental guidelines presented here are usually "not" media specific. Media works only within the strategies with which they are used.
Aimed at practitioners--people who teach about or develop multimedia and hypermedia applications--this volume carefully examines the main components and issues in developing applications. It provides suggestions and heuristics for sound, fundamental design processes.