Over the course of history, students and universities have played important, often transformative roles in guiding all people toward a healthier, more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous global community. Today they face unprecedented global challenges relating to climate change, extreme poverty, malnutrition and disease, and equitable…

Virtual worlds provide useful platforms for social behavioral research, but impose stringent limitations on the rules of engagement, responsiveness, and data collection, along with other resource restrictions. The major challenge from a computer science standpoint in developing group behavior applications for such environments is accommodating the…

There is high uncertainty associated with the outcomes of Information Technology (IT) investments and innovations. In such environments, IT actors (firm and individuals) are also unsure about their actions and preferences. The social relationships of these actors create substantial value for these actors in multiple ways (e.g. providing social…

This dissertation studies the social structures and dynamics of human networks: how peers at the micro level and physical environments at the macro level interact with the individual preferences and attributes and shape social dynamics. It is composed of three parts. The first essay, "Friendship Choices and Group Effects in Adolescent…

Research indicates that students residing at four-year institutions have been using online social networking sites such as Facebook as a means of efficient communication with one another. The technological advancements of social networking have also been identified as a means of creating community and belonging that may improve overall student…

The paper analyzes the globally recognized cultural move towards a more learner-centred education and discusses the implications for the adoption of mobile technologies and design for learning. Current expectations vis-a-vis learner attributes, skills and competences are explored. The pervasiveness of mobile technologies is precipitating these…

Social networking and communications tools have become widely used in entertainment and social applications and there is growing interest in their use in formal education applications. Distance education and especially those types that are based on self-paced programming models may be the biggest beneficiaries of the use of these new tools to…

Wikis are open-source sites, meaning that users may add, remove, or edit most content quickly. Because they are a public venue, students became more engaged and invested in what they wrote, wrote more frequently, edited their work more carefully, collaborated, and became accustomed to frequent peer and adult feedback. Writing practice and in-depth…

While youth typically turn to social media for gossip, photo sharing, and friendship building, can it also be used to inspire them toward greater goals? The creators of GenerationPulse.com explore how two theories salient to adolescent social development (positive youth development and relational health) were used to shape a social media website…

It has been over a decade since the computer moved from being primarily a computational and record keeping device to its present state as a communications hub. Some, including this author, have called the application of computing technology to classroom instruction revolutionary. Is this claim justified? More importantly, how will social…

This article examined, through a Cultural Historical Activity Theory lens, how immersive- or pervasive environments and pedagogical agents could more easily support social collaboration as foundation of contemporary learning theory. It is argued that the fundamentalism-liberationism contradiction (learn "from" versus learn "with" technology) is no…

The article will review some of Bridget Somekh's action research projects as attempts to build networks of trust and reciprocity across a range of educational stake-holders. It will also examine Bridget's wider role within the education action research movement as a whole, looking at her achievements as a facilitator of networks of action…

Communicative and expressive modalities, such as smart phones and video cameras, have become increasingly multifunctional and reflect an evolving digital landscape often referred to as Web 2.0. The "ethos" and "technical" affordances of Web 2.0 have the potential to catalyze the aesthetic creativity of youth. Following a discussion of aesthetics…

Regular readers of "Computers in Libraries" are aware that social networks are forming increasingly important linkages to professional and personal development in all libraries. Live and virtual social networks have become the new learning playground for librarians and library staff. Social networks have the ability to connect those who are…

There are significant privacy, intellectual property, copyright and disclosure risks associated with the ill-considered use of social networking sites, however, the implementation of regulatory actions may also undermine the social and emerging educational utility of social networking sites for young people. Inevitably the burden of dealing with…