As web applications play a vital role in our society, social media has emerged as an important tool in the creation and exchange of user-generated content and social interaction. The benefits of these services have entered in the educational areas to become new means by which scholars communicate, collaborate and teach. Social Media and the New…

For the forty-first time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two volumes. Volume 1 contains twenty-seven…

Taking the perspective that leadership education is similar to art education created a bridge connecting the leadership education literature with the large and rich body of literature on art education and art history. A survey of the more prominent Renaissance art academies was employed to illuminate the education practices of that extraordinary…

This study examined the relationships between leadership practices of principals and strength of schools as sustainable professional learning communities. Strength of schools as professional learning communities was measured using the Professional Learning Communities Assessment; leadership practices were measured using the Leadership Practices…

The benefits of developing learning communities or communities of practice to optimize the learning experiences of education professionals has been well documented in the recent research literature. Less consideration has been made for the development of academic scholars. This essay considers an existing paradigm within the academy, the academic…

The present era is characterized by scientists' high level of mobility, which is due to the characteristics of science work and its dynamic nature. Scientific activity knows no boundaries, and mobility is a vital factor of the mutual cultural and professional enrichment of scientific communities. The international migration of scientists is…

Academics across the world face increasing pressure to publish. Research shows that writing retreats have helped by creating dedicated writing time and building collegiality. A new form of "structured" writing retreat was created to increase its impact by taking a community of practice approach. This paper reports on an evaluation, funded by the…

Since 2005 there has been an explosion of interest and debate about alternative futures for the doctorate in education. The authors take the debate from the abstract to the concrete by describing a signature pedagogy in doctoral education that combines theory, applied scholarship, and the wisdom of practice in new ways. They describe…

Using a naturalistic inquiry approach and thematic analysis, this paper outlines the findings of a research study that examined 12 Manitoba principals' conceptions of professional learning communities. The study found that these principals consider the development of professional learning communities to be a normative imperative within the…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of learning from participation in a group of work-based learners. Design/methodology/approach: This study relies on qualitative data obtained from a survey of perspectives of students on two work-based learning programmes. A group of 16 undergraduate and seven postgraduate students…

This paper explores the dynamics surrounding the formation of academic identities in a context where the nature of academic work is contested both as a result of tensions within the discipline and in response to pressure from both the institution and the field of higher education. It is based on a case study which investigated the process of…

The Highline School District, located roughly 10 miles south of Seattle, Washington, has begun to implement a residency model for professional learning. Like the medical model, current teachers often traveled from other schools to be "in residency" at a previously selected classroom for six half-day sessions during the 2005-06 school year. Some…

In this article, the author talks about the highlights of the first design event of the "Northern Action Learning Network" held in Mersey Care NHS Trust Liverpool last November 6, 2008. The intent of the event was to tap into the diverse and flourishing action learning (AL) community by growing an innovative network of practitioners keen…

We consider the professional development of in-service teachers and review traditional development efforts that have been used in the past. An alternative form of professional development using Japanese lesson study is proposed and discussed as a possibility. A case study involving the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative, where lesson study…

The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to explore how novice occupational therapy assistants begin to understand their profession, form practice beliefs, and subsequently select and initiate certain treatment methods and approaches with clients. The primary source of data for this study was obtained via semi-structured…