In the championship playoffs of professional learning tools, this author contends that there is a clear-cut victor. Customizable, platform-agnostic, able to circumvent filters--both browser and network-imposed--RSS is the best professional learning tool. Reading sites via RSS has appeal for those who want the raw information. With a well-honed…

This article explores the use of the free Zynga computer game FarmVille, which is played in conjunction with Facebook[R], to facilitate active learning in a managerial accounting course. Results indicate that it invokes an improved understanding of the accounting content, particularly among nonaccounting majors; a high level of student…

The ways our children are using Internet have changed significantly within the last five years: the Web experience is more personalised, social, open, self-regulated and oriented towards ripping, remixing, sharing, following, reflecting. As a result, also e-learning has recently become more social and open, involving the use of personal learning…

This article investigates the association between social capital and education in Jhabua, a tribal dominated district of central India. The case study analysis showed a disconnection between social capital and education in the majority of the villages. However, two of the fourteen villages showed that empowerment of the civil society made formal…

Around one table, four 4th-grade girls chat quietly as they write on their laptops: Ruby interviews Alejandra about her experience crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as a 6-year-old. Meanwhile, Cindy turns notes from an interview with her uncle into a narrative about his immigration experience. Next to them, four boys work on the "Sin Fronteras…

This study examines the self-perceived speaking proficiency development of 204 learners of Japanese who studied abroad in Japan and analyzes connections between self-reported social network development, language use, and speaking development. Learners perceived that they gained the most in areas associated with the intermediate and advanced levels…

Many new and important developmental issues are encountered during adolescence, which is also a time when Internet use becomes increasingly popular. Studies have shown that adolescents are using these online spaces to address developmental issues, especially needs for intimacy and connection to others. Online communication with its potential for…

The rapid growth of the Internet over the past 20 years has brought with it a vast amount of communication about public issues of concern to citizens. Over time, the Internet has become increasingly social and interactive. This move from "Web 1.0" to "Web 2.0" involves a great deal of user-generated content and interaction. This transition has…

This article presents reports from the 2011 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference held on October 5-7, 2011. The first report, entitled "Online Information Literacy Instruction: Challenges and Strategies," was presented by Kristine Stewart and Kyle Denlinger, University of Missouri-Columbia. Stewart and Denlinger talk about…

Museums are competing with a vast variety of Internet-based information delivery sites to keep the public interested in their institutions. To keep pace Museums are increasingly turning to the use of Web 2.0 tools to draw in the public and maintain a standing as cultural and educational leaders. Several museums have started using Twitter. This…

Technology has become an integral part of landscape of higher education. Students are coming to college with an arsenal of technological tools at their disposal. These tools are being used for informal, everyday communication as well as for formal learning in the classroom. At the same time, higher education is experiencing an increase in peer…

With the rise of Web 2.0, a multitude of new possibilities on how to use these online technologies for active learning has intrigued researchers. While most instructors have used Twitter for in-class discussions, this study explores the teaching practice of Twitter as an active, informal, outside-of-class learning tool. Through a comparative…

Participatory citizenship education has been highlighted as a strategy to promote social cohesion in divided societies whereby collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and inter-school links have been proposed as tools to improve social networks between schools and communities. This article explores the role and meaning of…

Increasingly school change processes are being facilitated through the formation and operation of groups of teachers working together for improved student outcomes. These groupings are variously referred to as networks, networked learning communities, communities of practice, professional learning communities, learning circles or clusters. The…

Establishing life purpose is a key developmental task; however, how it is linked to adolescents' everyday family, school, extracurricular, and leisure experiences remains unclear. Using daily diary data from 180 Asian American ninth and tenth graders (50% ninth; 58% female; 25% first generation), daily purpose was positively related to daily…