This article reports on a classroom-based experience that draws from the critical approach to heritage Spanish language teaching and Hanauer's concept of meaningful writing. Participants were three students enrolled in a first-year course for heritage Spanish speakers at a major Canadian public university. The writing component of this language…

In the era of e-learning, student-centered approaches and constructivists learning environments are critical success factors. The inherent interactivity of the Internet and the emotional engagement of story can lead to transformative learning experiences in media rich environments. This paper focuses on Web-Based Transmedia Storytelling…

Most people believe that our schools and colleges are failing to teach kids and youngsters in the 21st century skills they will need in order to succeed in the future (Rachna Rathore 2009). Even as the price of technology continues to drop, computers keep getting faster, and nearly all teens are exploring online social networking, schools have not…

Purpose: The emergence of Web 2.0 opened a new route for education to use the values derived from this development. The future of e-learning is social learning, where individuals can learn online due to the facility of social media. Social media such as online communities are places for social interactions between users. These social interactions…

Research has demonstrated that the online counseling field is a growing industry. It has now become a viable career choice for beginning counselors entering the field, yet it remains to be covered in traditional counselor education programs. Current instructional modalities are explored and recommendations are made on how these can be incorporated…

This study aimed to recognize the pedagogical effects of Blackboard as a computer-mediated communication (CMC) environment for teaching academic writing and improving students' attitudes toward academic writing. Learners' interactions in the CMC environment of Blackboard were analyzed via a controlled descriptive design to examine how students…

International evidence indicates that the number of females involved in video-gaming is increasing. Within the context of this increase, there is a need to explore the experiences of this group of gamers in detail. This study explored female experiences of playing video-games. Data were collected from an online discussion forum dedicated to…

This article aims to show how the process of new service technology-based development improves the current study support service for visually impaired university students. Numerous studies have contributed to improving assisted aid technology such as screen readers, the development and the use of audiobooks, and technology that supports individual…

Students currently studying at tertiary institutions have developed a set of attitudes and aptitudes as a result of growing up in an IT and media-rich environment. These attitudes and aptitudes influence how they learn and in order to be effective, lecturers must adapt to address their learning preferences and use the online teaching tools that…

A study was conducted to examine the self-efficacy of first-year teachers trained in an alternative certification program. Teachers were provided access to professional development through blended learning, yet had varying levels of attendance in the online component (e-coaching). Teachers who attended six or more e-coaching sessions began the…

Effective professional distance education is urgently needed to develop a well-trained workforce and improve impact on healthcare. However, distance education initiatives have had mixed results in improving practice. Often, successful implementation fails to leverage insights on the social and emergent nature of learning in networks. This paper…

Twenty mothers participated in an online support group for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. Twenty-five unrelated parents participated in a no-treatment control group. The participants completed online questionnaires prior to and following the 4-month support group, to evaluate changes in mood, anxiety, parenting stress, and…

Within the background where education is increasingly driven by the economies of scale and research funding, we propose an alternative online open and connected framework (OOC) for building global learning communities using mobile social media. We critique a three year action research case study involving building collaborative global learning…

As a result of rapid changes in technology, much is discussed about the use of social media in branding, marketing, and in general corporate communications. The intensity with which social media tools--blogs, wikis, Twitter, instant messaging (IM) and Facebook, among others--have proliferated is staggering. Increasingly important is the role of…

This study investigated the impact of the critical inquiry model through peer feedback strategies in an online environment on university students' critical thinking skills and examined their attitudes towards learning through the critical inquiry model and peer feedback strategies. Pre-and post-tests were employed to measure critical thinking…