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This volume demonstrates how various methodologies and tools have been used to analyze the multidimensional, dynamic, and complex nature of identities and professional development of language teachers in digital contexts that have not been adequately examined before.

The field of educational research lacks a methodology for the study of learning that does not begin with humans, their aims, and their interests. The Materiality of Learning seeks to overcome this human-centered mentality by developing a novel spatial approach to the materiality of learning. Drawing on science and technology studies (STS), Estrid Sørensen compares an Internet-based 3D virtual environment project in a fourth-grade class with the class's work with traditional learning materials, including blackboards, textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and rulers. Taking into account pupils' and teachers' physical bodies, Professor Sørensen analyzes the multiple forms of technology, knowledge, and presence that are enacted with the materials. Featuring detailed ethnographic descriptions and useful end-of-chapter summaries, this book is an important reference for professionals and graduate or postgraduate students interested in a variety of fields, including educational studies, educational psychology, social anthropology, and STS.

Contemporary Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a comprehensive, one-volume work written by leading international figures in the field focusing on a wide range of theoretical and methodological issues.

Social presence is an important construct in online group learning. It influences the way how social interaction unfolds online and affects learning and social outcomes. However, what precisely social presence is has been under debate, as presently a plethora of different definitions and measures exist preventing the development of a coherent research field regarding social presence and its defining role in online group learning. To solve the issue, we went back to the original social presence theory as devised by the communication researchers Short et al. (1976) to show that although they had a clear idea of social presence-namely \"realness\" of other persons in the interaction-their definition is ambiguous, not operationalizable, and the measurement of it questionable. We, therefore, disentangled their social presence theory and (1) reformulated the social presence definition to enable an operationalization in line with the previous conceptualization of social presence; (2) departed from the technological determinism of social presence; and (3) identified two other constructs closely linked to social presence, namely, sociability (as a medium attribute) and social space (as a group attribute). By reformulating the definition of social presence and by linking it to social space and sociability, we hope to contribute to a more coherent line of social presence research and to better understand interpersonal communication, group learning, and group dynamics when learning and working together in an online setting.(DIPF/Orig.).

In this trailblazing book, leading educational expert David Shaffer examines how particular video and computer games can help teach kids to think like doctors, lawyers, engineers, urban planners, journalists and other professionals. Based on more than a decade of research in technology, game science, and education, this book revolutionizes how we think about education in the digital age. (DIPF/Orig.).

'A veritable smorgasbord of ideas and suggestions. This text grabbed me right away, and I started flagging all sorts of ideas even in the earliest chapters. It is as if Bill Kist met me in the hallway, took me by the hand, and simply said, 'Come here, I want to show you something' - Sheila M. Gragg, Technology Integration Coach Ashbury College, Canada 'I loved this book. I learned a great deal about 'texts' and about how to teach 'texts' to students in the digital age. But what was so compelling about this book was the genuineness of the author; he cares passionately about his students and passionately about the subject matter. As Dewey points out, effective education must have an emotional component; indeed, the book's credibility and authority derives from its core emotional energy' - Elliot Soloway, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 'This book is totally compelling and geared to a slice of the teaching profession that is in desperate need of the kind of guidance and insight that Kist offers. By sharing his creative teaching methods, he points out the openings in teachers' practice where shift can happen' - Sue Collins, Integration Technology Specialist, Bedford Public Schools, MA Secondary school students are increasingly plugged in to social networking sites outside of school, but inside the classroom such functions of the web are often ignored. In The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age, William Kist identifies and documents the processes of teaching and learning via social networking in the new-media classroom. This book broadens the debate around what constitutes literacy as it tackles practical tasks for educators that include: - Documenting the assignments, assessments, and outcomes of instruction in networked classrooms - Categorizing the classrooms into levels of Web 2.0 applications - Illustrating how the new assignments can be used to address classic classroom questions

Textbooks are a vital component in many higher education contexts. Increasing textbook prices, coupled with general rising costs of higher education have led some instructors to experiment with substituting open educational resources (OER) for commercial textbooks as their primary class curriculum. This article synthesizes the results of 16 studies that examine either (1) the influence of OER on student learning outcomes in higher education settings or (2) the perceptions of college students and instructors of OER. Results across multiple studies indicate that students generally achieve the same learning outcomes when OER are utilized and simultaneously save significant amounts of money. Studies across a variety of settings indicate that both students and faculty are generally positive regarding OER.

Advancing learners’ agency is a key educational goal. The advent of personalized EdTech, which automatically tailor learning environments to individual learners, gives renewed relevance to the topic. EdTech researchers and practitioners are confronted with the same basic question: What is the right amount of agency to give to learners during their interactions with EdTech? This question is even more relevant for younger learners. Our aim in this paper is twofold: First, we outline and synthesize the ways in which agency is conceptualized in three key learning disciplines (philosophy, education, and psychology). We show that there are different types and levels of agency and various prerequisites for the effective exercise of agency and that these undergo developmental change. Second, we provide guiding principles for how agency can be designed for in EdTech for children. We propose an agency personalization loop in which the level of agency provided by the EdTech is assigned in an adaptive manner to strike a balance between allowing children to freely choose learning content and assigning optimal content to them. Finally, we highlight some examples from practice.

Using research from a variety of secondary schools, the authors suggest ways to enable reality to match the ambitious expectations of political initiatives and investment into ICT in schools. This informative book is of importance, not only to teachers but also to educational researchers and policy-makers.

Pedagogical agents were found to enhance learning but studies on the emotional effects of such agents are still missing. While first results show that pedagogical agents with an emotionally positive design might especially foster learning, these findings might depend on the gender of the agent and the learner. This study investigated whether emotional expressions performed by an on-screen instructor were able to increase learning outcomes while considering differences the gender of the agent and the learner. In a 2 (neutral vs. enthusiastic expressions) × 2 (female vs. male agent) between-subject design with additional consideration of the gender of the learner, data of 129 participants was collected. Results revealed that the manipulation of enthusiasm lead to higher perceptions of positive emotions. In addition, a pedagogical agent who performed enthusiastic expressions led to a higher retention but not transfer performance. In terms of the gender of the agent and the learner, male learners retained knowledge better when they watched the agent performing enthusiastic expression irrespective of the persona gender. Female learners, however, retained knowledge only better when a female agent performed enthusiastic expressions. Results are discussed in the light of the positivity principle, model-observer similarity hypotheses and current theories on social cues in multimedia learning.