This article is based on an ethnographic study carried out by the author on children and young people's diaries in a Swedish web community called "Youngsters." Its goal is to provide an insight into what some children write in their diaries in this web community and what the favourite topics are as depicted in these narratives. The focus…

Based on expectations from previous studies, data from field notes, pre-and post-questionnaires, class documentation, student papers from 35 undergraduate and graduate students, and the content of a focus group session were analyzed to relate students' pre-course attitudes and expectations, and several cognitive factors to participation levels and…

Although collaborative learning techniques have been shown to enhance the learning experience, it is difficult to incorporate these concepts into courses without requiring students to collaborate outside of class. There is an ever increasing number of nontraditional university students who find it difficult to schedule the necessary meetings with…

How do instructors motivate students to participate in computer-mediated discussion? If they do participate, how can the quality of their interactions be assessed? This study speaks to these questions by examining online participation and discourse in a science course for preservice teachers. The instructor of an introductory entomology course for…

Developed as part of CEN/ISSS Workshop on Learning Technology efforts to improve interoperability between learning resource repositories, the Simple Query Interface (SQI) is an Application Program Interface (API) for querying heterogeneous repositories of learning resource metadata. In the context of the ProLearn Network of Excellence, SQI is used…

The next generation's enthusiasm for instant messaging, videogames, and peer-to-peer file swapping is likely to be dismissed by their elders as so many ways to waste time and avoid the real worlds of work or school. But these activities may not be quite as vapid as they may seem from the perspective of outsiders--or educators. Researchers point…

This paper describes a final year biosciences module consisting of workshops to which web-based tools were introduced. The ability of the online tools to facilitate group work and assess the students was investigated. The online module was delivered via WebCT as the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). The initial concept was to enhance rather than…

There are an increasing number of classes being offered via the World Wide Web. Although much of the information that we review regarding online learning seems positive, difficulties can arise. In particular, the anonymity that a web course can provide can be a blessing and a curse. In this article, the author suggests developing an online code of…

The paper discusses different approaches to foreign culture in the works of four Balkan writers: Ismail Kadare, Milorad Pavi, Yordan Radichkov and Jadranka Vladova in the context of the works of the English traveller, Edith Durham. It studies the specific function of travel and exploration and the use of different languages (dictionaries) as a…

Effective use of Internet-based technology in social studies teacher education to facilitate the development of preservice teachers' global pedagogy is an under-researched area. This paper examines the impact of participation in a computer mediated international communication project to discuss critical world issues on two teacher candidates'…

This paper makes a methodological contribution to the emerging field of learner corpus analysis [Granger, S., 1998. Learner English on Computer. Longman, London, 1998; Granger, S., 2002. Computer Learner corpora, Second Language Acquisition, and Foreign Language Teaching. John Benjamins, Amsterdam, 2002] and to Second Language Acquisition (SLA)…

Mentoring has transformed from traditional master-apprentice relationships into multiple developmental relationships that extend beyond functional, organizational, and geographic boundaries. The Internet provides one mechanism for proteges to identify mentors to help navigate career opportunities. The online mentor activity presented here requires…

This article features the organization Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. FUN was established by a group of neuroscientists dedicated to innovation and excellence in undergraduate neuroscience education and research. In the years since its inception, FUN has grown into a dynamic organization making a significant impact on the quality of…

Most colleges and universities have adopted course management systems (e.g., Blackboard, WebCT). Worldwide faculty and students use them for class communications and discussions. The discussion tools provided by course management systems, while powerful, often do not offer adequate capabilities to appraise communication patterns, online behaviors,…

This article outlines best practices for teachers who are faced with the often daunting task of teaching online using the World Wide Web. In many cases, these instructors are asked to design, develop and implement a Web-based or Web-enhanced course in a short period of time. Often administrators and faculty alike are unaware of the preparation…