In this article, the focal point of education is simultaneously defined as: i) the place where the most important educational activity is taking place; and ii) the place where the main interest of educational theory (and educational practice) should be located. The article aims to discuss the idea that the focal point is located somewhere between…

Translational research has proven to be a powerful process that bridges the gap between basic science and medical practice. The complexity of translational research is two-fold: integration of vast amount of information in disparate silos, and dissemination of discoveries to stakeholders with different interests. We designed and implemented a…

There are more than 50 million (or approximately 15%) persons with disabilities living in Latin America and the Caribbean: 80 percent live in impoverished conditions, lack employment, and encounter social exclusion. Deaf and hard of hearing persons are particularly impacted as they are frequently denied access to most sectors of society. This…

The increasing use of social network websites may signal a change in the way the next generation of entrepreneurs identify entrepreneurial ideas. An important part of the entrepreneurship literature emphasizes how vital the use of social networks is to entrepreneurial idea identification, opportunity recognition, and ultimately new venture…

The end of the school year is a hectic time for high school principals. Summer often provides a brief opportunity to "kick-back" and take time to rest, relax and spend some time thinking about the coming school year. As the school year ends the author would like to introduce several new or updated resources that every high school principal will…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how communication and cooperation in inter-organizational networks may bring about organizational learning. A case study of 13 inter-organizational school networks in Germany is carried out for this purpose. Design/methodology/approach: Results of a quantitative survey assessing the performance of…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how social networks can help to produce the "magic" of extraordinary results for organizations. Design/methodology/approach: In this exploratory study four cases (from published reports) are compared in order to illustrate different management approaches to utilizing the power of networks.…

Purpose: This paper, taking a participatory perspective of learning, seeks to look at the interaction between individuals and their workplace, focusing on the perceptions of workplaces and self by beginning teachers in terms of support for their learning. Design/methodology/approach: The study presents an analysis of 37 interviews from 17…

In this article, the author describes her experience with networking on Facebook and discusses some important challenges and opportunities for business communication students. Facebook requires and enhances strong writing and interpersonal communication skills and it requires something new--a kind of literacy that students and teachers alike are…

This article frames and theorises the nature of adolescents' informal experiences in Web 2.0 environments to articulate their fit or misfit with current conceptions of school education and educational practices. Adolescents are increasingly active Web 2.0 users. However, the traditional research and education communities have been slow to respond…

It could be said that in the fast-changing field of education technology the initial excitement for a tool or application usually fades away as the next technology emerges on the horizon--leaving little or no room for critical evaluation of how it may best be used in educational settings. Some critics have identified this endless "pursuit of the…

This article examines a little-discussed phenomenon in the study of both peer-to-peer collaborative networks and teaching with technology: that of teachers caught in the middle between open public networks as teaching resources and highly restrictive school policies regarding internet content and online access. Based on their experiences as…

This study tested a mediation model of the relationship with school problems, social network quality, and substance use with a primary care sample of 301 urban adolescents. It was theorized that social network quality (level of risk or protection in network) would mediate the effects of school problems, accounting for internalizing problems and…

This article describes parent groups as social networks that are loosely coupled to schools. The study investigated parent groups that work together to support schools by networking, responding to change, seeking input on policy decisions, and communicating with school leaders. Parents from one elementary school who participated in two focus group…

Schools fear the predatory behavior that lurks around social networking sites, where the exchange of personal information can make users sitting ducks for hackers, thieves, cyberbullies, and scammers. So they're caught in what appears to be an all-or-nothing choice: take advantage of the academic opportunities that social networking sites can…