The growing interest in transnational cooperation in education across borders has different implications for developed and developing countries. It is true that globalization affects all societies, but not at the same speed and magnitude. Supporting Multiculturalism in Open and Distance Learning Spaces is a critical scholarly resource that examines cultural issues and challenges in distance education arising from the convergence of theoretical, administrative, instructional, communicational, and technological dimensions of global education. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as cultural diversity, interaction in distance education, and culturally sensitive intuitional design, this book is geared towards school administrators, universities and colleges, policy makers, organizations, and researchers.

Impact communities are the places where individuals gather to contribute to the transformation of their territories by disseminating knowledge. As such, it is vital to research the use of open and social learning in contributing to the evolution of impact communities and smart territories. Open and Social Learning in Impact Communities and Smart Territories is an essential reference source that discusses the learning processes in impact communities and in smart territories through case studies and other research methods. Featuring research on topics such as learning processes, smart communities, and social entrepreneurship, this book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, managers, academicians, and researchers seeking coverage on the concept of impact communities and smart territories.

The book provides new conceptual frameworks to understand good practice in the field of mobile learning. The book fills a gap in the current literature by drawing on examples of best practice from leading schools in the United States, Canada and Australia. The author visited thirty educational sites and interviewed over 100 eminent teachers, principals, district superintendents and academics in the three aforementioned countries to study the implementation of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets in teaching and learning. During that period evidence and exemplars on issues that currently challenge educators worldwide such as modern pedagogies, digital citizenship, institutional change, equity and professional development were collected. The book presents a large number of case studies illustrating an effective integration of mobile learning and other technologies into the curriculum. The contents include topics that are at the core of current attempts by educators to meet the demands of 21st century learning. The book: Addresses issues related to the delivery of mobile learning (e.g., smartphones, tablets) Presents real life scenarios from leading practitioners in the United States, Canada and Australia Introduces a four?conversion model for whole?school school transformation Provides principals with practical strategies to create effective communities of practice Provides teachers with best practice examples and recommendations for using mobile devices in teaching and learning Suggests practical activities and insights as to how to implement digital citizenship in schools

Rapid advancements in technology are creating new opportunities for educators to enhance their classroom techniques with digital learning resources. Once used solely outside of the classroom, smartphones, tablets, and e-readers are becoming common in many school settings. Advancing Higher Education with Mobile Learning Technologies: Cases, Trends, and Inquiry-Based Methods examines the implementation and success of mobile digital learning tools. With the inclusion of data on specific learning environments enhanced by ubiquitous educational technologies, this publication emphasises the benefits of exploration and discovery in and out of the classroom. This book is an essential reference source for academicians, professionals, education researchers, school administrators, faculty, technology staff, and upper-level students interested in understanding the future of higher education.

The role of technology in the learning process can offer significant contributions to help meet the increasing needs of students. In the field of language acquisition, new possibilities for instructional methods have emerged from the integration of such innovations. The Handbook of Research on Foreign Language Education in the Digital Age presents a comprehensive examination of emerging technological tools being utilized within second language learning environments. Highlighting theoretical frameworks, multidisciplinary perspectives, and technical trends, this book is a crucial reference source for professionals, curriculum designers, researchers, and upper-level students interested in the benefits of technology-assisted language acquisition.

Online learning has become a prominent and inseparable component of higher education in recent years. Questions related to course structure, levels of interaction, presence, and participation within online courses persist and invite further inquiry for determining factors that encourage effective teaching and learning in online environments. The Handbook of Research on Strategic Management of Interaction, Presence, and Participation in Online Courses explores models of course development and delivery techniques to improve instruction, learning, and student satisfaction in online courses. Covering topics such as rates of participation, student engagement and retention, and social development, this handbook serves as a resource for educators in online learning environments, as well as for course designers and developers of online courses and researchers whose agenda includes examining interaction, presence, and participation in online courses.

The 21st century has brought about changes in every aspect of life through ubiquitous technology and Internet-based social media. The distances between cultures and continents have narrowed, the world has become flat, and multicultural work-teams composed of members from different countries have become a daily reality in global businesses. However, in many ways these global changes in work practices have only just begun to have an impact on education. To better prepare students for the information age, researchers and policy makers largely agree about the skills needed for shared knowledge construction. Indeed, the education systems in several different countries have begun to integrate these skills into teaching and learning and are placing a strong emphasis on their implementation (Melamed et al, 2010; Resta et al, 2011). In 2015 the OECD PISA exam for the first time, included assessment of collaborative problem-solving in its country-by-country comparison. Collaborative learning is not a trivial challenge nor is it intuitive for all teachers and learners. One must acquire and practice the essential skills in order to successfully work in a team. Consequently it is essential to train teachers in collaborative teamwork, as they must serve as role models for students. In addition, new tools and practices become available at a rate that outpaces the abilities of many higher education institutions to adopt and implement. This book surveys the current state of the field and provides theoretical guidance and practical examples to help meet the gaps in research, development and practice.

As classrooms fill with a generation of learners seeking to interact with their course materials in an increasingly experiential way, the demand for instructional technology as a supplement to, or replacement for, traditional in-class instruction has soared. Models for Improving and Optimizing Online and Blended Learning in Higher Education examines the benefits and costs associated with the utilization of technology-mediated instructional environments. Recognizing that instructional technology could offer alternative means of communication for understanding, this collection of scholarly chapters seeks to forward the discussion on technology tool optimization for academicians, researchers, librarians, students, practitioners, professionals, engineers, and managers.

The integration of technology in classrooms is rapidly emerging as a way to provide more educational opportunities for students. As virtual learning environments become more popular, evaluating the impact of this technology on student success is vital. Exploring the Effectiveness of Online Education in K-12 Environments combines empirical evidence and best practices in current K-12 distance learning and virtual schools. Emphasizing current research and opportunities, this book is an all-inclusive reference source for administrators, teachers, researchers, teacher educators, and policymakers interested in the development and implementation of blended and electronic learning in primary and secondary education.

This book focuses on online pedagogy and the challenges and opportunities incumbent in the transformation of a face-to-face college course. It is intended as a resource and support for new online teachers - a source of ideas and strategies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives as well as pedagogical perspectives - and for those experienced in the online environment. The book meets the needs of faculty new to online teaching by providing them a wide variety of perspectives on the online transition - e.g. pedagogical, multidisciplinary, class size and level - by faculty with varying degrees of previous experience who have recently made the transition from face-to-face to online. Their advice and recollections offer a fresh, contemporary perspective on the subject. For administrators and faculty experienced with online instruction, the collection works as a resource for ideas intended to sustain the vibrancy and efficacy of the online environment. Taking Your Course Online includes the experiences of a cohort of faculty that responded to a University - wide call for faculty interested in developing online courses for summer session. This group participated in a series of workshops that addressed various aspects of developing online courses and online pedagogy. All of the authors taught their new online course over a subsequent 10-week summer session, and many of them have done so subsequently as well. Their experiences have great currency in the ever-changing world of online teaching. Because the collection represents the work of teachers exposed to best practices and many discussions concerning rigor, assessment, and accountability, it provides support for the viability of online teaching/learning in an environment frequently plagued by doubts about its effectiveness. Practitioners using this book will learn how to turn their face-to-face course into an online course successfully, understand best practices for transitioning courses/online teaching, minimize errors and avoid pitfalls in the transition process, and maximize learning. Faculty development professionals can use this book as a resource to teach faculty from a wide range of disciplines how to transition from the actual to the virtual classroom. Administrators such as deans and program chairs will gain useful insights into ways to think about taking entire programs online, as well as how to guide faculty in their development of pedagogical skills pertinent to online learning.

Currently, society is becoming increasingly involved in self-directed learning for both intellectual and professional development. As such, it is imperative that both researchers and educational professionals update themselves on the current research on self-directed learning and how it has created a new culture of independence. Emerging Self-Directed Learning Strategies in the Digital Age is a key resource for the latest research on the role of self-directed learning and how it is impacting society, educational professionals, and researchers in their day-to-day work. Featuring broad coverage among a variety of relevant views and themes, such as project based learning (PBL), student goal setting, and self-efficacy theory, this book is ideally designed for educational professionals working in the fields of teacher pedagogy, theory, instructional technology, and adult education, as well as academics and upper-level students looking for innovative research on one-to-one programs and learning analytics.