Internet usage has dramatically increased over the past decade, and adolescents, or digital natives as they are sometimes called, are readily immersing themselves in life online. In the past ten years, teens' use of the internet has risen from just under 75% of teens in 2000 to over 93% in 2009. With so many teens online and able to access the…

Much research has explored the role of social networks in promoting health through the provision of social support. However, little work has examined how social networks themselves may be structured by health. This article investigates the link between individuals' health and the characteristics of their social network positions.We first develop…

Purpose: The article seeks to identify patterns of service utilization among informal caregivers of frail older adults. In particular, the study examined determinants that explain heterogeneous variations in caregivers' service use patterns. Methods: Using a latent class analysis (LCA) on the 2004 National Long-Term Care Survey and Informal…

For many Digital Natives, text messaging or SMS is the communication channel of choice, but preferences in communication channels aren't the only distinguishing traits of Digital Natives. Attitudes and perceptions related to digital privacy, identity, creativity, piracy, and advocacy also help to set younger generations apart. So how does one take…

The internet has fast become a prevalent medium for collaboration between people and social networks, in particular, have gained vast popularity and relevance over the past few years. Within this framework, our paper will analyse the role played by social networks in current teaching practices. Specifically, we focus on the principles guiding the…

The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement and the Open Access began only over a decade ago. During this period, the progress of the Open Educational Resources movement took place in developed countries for the most part. Recently, new projects have begun to emerge with a strong emphasis on open education. Yet, the concept of openness in…

Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of learning in MOOCs remains limited. This paper reports on an investigation into the pedagogy in one MOOC--Oxford Brookes University's "First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education" MOOC (FSLT12). FSLT12 was an open and free professional…

This paper critiques the journey of pedagogical change over three mobile learning (mlearning) project iterations (2009 to 2011) within the context of a Bachelor of Architecture degree. The three projects were supported by an intentional community of practice model involving a partnership of an educational researcher/technologist, course lecturers,…

Teachers around the world are using YouTube movies for different purposes. This mixed-methods study was a preliminary investigation of United Arab Emirates teachers' perceptions about YouTube's advantages in the classroom, current practices, and major challenges faced. Forty-five teachers completed an open-ended questionnaire. Results indicated…

Language learners and educators have subscribed to the belief that those who go abroad will have many opportunities to use the target language and will naturally become proficient. They also assume that language learners will develop relationships with native speakers allowing them to use the language and become more fluent, an assumption…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of photographs and assistive technologies for visual information processing as motivating tools for interpersonal communication of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome (AS), aged 16 to 18 years, attending special education school. Students with AS find it very difficult to create social and…

Quality in education is considered to be a central aim as far as the formation and the implementation of educational policy worldwide is concerned. The basic prerequisite for it, though, is quality culture. Collaborative networks between school advisors and primary school teachers are examined to reveal how they can affect the formation of…

The demand of responsibilities among teachers has evolved not only in classroom management but also to the extent of promoting communication and interpersonal skills. Social media is integrated in schools and higher learning institutions for communication and reflection of learning which enhance teachers' performance in leadership quality and…

Social networking offers teachers and learners exciting opportunities to communicate. Web 2.0 and its synchronous communications platforms provide new avenues for teachers to deliver curriculum and facilitate learning. Further, they provide new avenues for students to engage and intensify their own learning. Being able to chat in real-time with a…

Researchers who involve children in their research are faced with the challenge of choosing between differing theoretical approaches which can prioritise children's autonomy rights or their "vulnerability" and their need to be protected. Somewhat confusingly, ethical guidelines seem to reflect a combination of these approaches. Even when…