Appraisal Theory

While Writing Centres provide dialogic spaces for student articulation of voice, they insufficiently deal with asymmetrical power relations built into expert-novice conversations, which potentially disrupt novices' democratic expression of their voices. Yet the conversational nature of Facebook presents opportunities for ESL students to express their voices. This chapter: 1) Employs draft essays of first-year ESL students submitted to a Writing Centre to unravel their challenges with asserting their voice, 2) Uses reflective narratives of Writing consultants and ESL students to understand how their English language acquisition is impacted by their appropriation of Facebook and 3) Unravels how Facebook complements the mandate of Writing Centres of developing the academic voice of students. Findings suggest that students lacked confidence in asserting their authorial presence and familiarisation with academic conventions. Students and consultants' essays demonstrated a balanced appropriation of attitudinal and judgement categories and engagement resources, with implications for the potential of Facebook to mediate student expression of their voice.

Opportunities and Challenges in Implementing Distance Learning and e-Learning

In Tanzania, the growing demand for education due to massive enrolment in universities calls for adoption of Distance Learning (DL) and e-learning. Other factors for adoption include limited space and pace of learning, pedagogical weaknesses, and shortage of teaching staff. Mzumbe University also experiences the same as it operates satellite teaching centres of Morogoro town, Mbeya, Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mwanza. This has made the university consider shifting from conventional delivery modes to alternative pedagogical strategies using Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The aim is to ensure effective delivery of quality education. There are opportunities and challenges. The challenges include absence of national and institutional quality assurance system framework on e-learning and distance education, and shortage of teaching staff and ICT facilities. Thus, universities need appropriate budget and resource investment to support capacity building for teaching staff and students, and formulating policies, guidelines and operational framework on distance learning and e-learning.

iPad

It is the unavoidable and it is not going away. The gravity of technology has firmly planted itself in our daily existence and yes, this includes teacher education. As technology has because our normative environment in daily life it has also become normative in educator preparation; our new oxygen. This commonplace element is hailed as a tool of equity for learners, preschool through college. Our current populations of learners are digital natives, but many educational leaders are digital tourists. As we look to challenge the traditional notions of distance learning, program offerings, and educator preparation models we must rapidly embrace the persona of the digital native to increase relationships with those we prepare as teachers while at the same time valuing and increasing diversity and voice. This chapter seeks to examine how a teacher educator engages preservice teachers in the world of diversity using technology.

Educational Technology Assessment

In this chapter a digital assessment and an associated novel mathematical statistical model are provided as online psychometrics designed to evaluate College and University courses. The psychometric evaluation tool is a Student Ratings of Instruction [SRI] instrument used at a Historically Black College and University [HBCU] for course evaluation purposes. The research methodology is an a posteriori post hoc investigation that examines the reliability and validity of the items used in the SRI instrument. The sample under analysis consisted of the responses to 56,451 total items extracted from 7,919 distributed Student Ratings Instruments delivered online during the 2012 academic year. The post hoc application of the novel Tri–Squared Test analysis methodology is used to intricately analyze the results of an earlier study on SRIs that yielded strong construct validity from Cronbach's Alpha Reliability Model, Goodman & Kruskal's Lambda, and Principal Component Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotation.

Active Learning, Deliberate Practice, and Educational Technology in Professional Education

This chapter is an interdisciplinary literature review on pedagogical approaches and technological integration processes to facilitating active learning and deliberate practice toward expertise in professional education. The review covers selective domains that emphasize life-long learning, including teacher education, professional music education, athletic education, and medical education. The authors' review finds that concepts and principles of active learning are recognized in all of them and technology is frequently implemented to facilitate the process of active learning, but systematic and system-wide processes for incorporating active learning with deliberate practice are lacking, especially at the institution or curriculum level. To fill the gap, the authors discuss how the selected instructional design or established performance improvement processes in the educational technology literature can be applied.

A Model for Meaningful E-Learning at Canadian Universities

There is no questioning the growth of e-learning in universities around the world. Whether or not we are doing it effectively and meaningfully is where the uncertainty lies. In this chapter, two e-learning researchers from Canada offer their perspective on e-learning in that country. This perspective includes a snapshot of the Canadian e-learning landscape as well as the results of a multi-university research study called the Meaningful E-Learning or MEL project. The authors explore four themes derived from the MEL project and represented by the acronym HIDI (human interaction, IT support, design, and institutional support) in relation to three e-learning scenarios. While each element of HIDI is recognized as important, the criticality of institutional support and design cannot be overemphasized in the pursuit of excellence in e-learning.

Active Learning with Technology Tools in the Blended/Hybrid Classes

Blended/hybrid classrooms technological tools and resources in this paper refers to: Personal and public computers, Projectors (LCD), E-learning management system, E-journals, Interactive CD or DVD, Video cameras, search engines and video conferencing. Universities in Kenya are buying computers, for departments, lecturers' offices and equipping computer labs for the students while increasing bandwidth and internet connectivity. But is the investment in technology translating to faculty and student use in blended classrooms? This chapter seeks to find out the answer to this critical question. A sample of 231 students and 219 lecturers from universities within Nairobi metropolitan was selected. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings reveal that the universities made available blended/hybrid education and its technological tools and resources to students and lecturers for interaction in the teaching/learning process but they were less aware of the online technical resources and tools that can be used in the blended classrooms.

ELearning for Persons with Visual Disabilities

This chapter discusses an eLearning platform that is usable by persons with low vision. To start with, such a platform is achieved by incorporating technological advances such as: use of text with the highest possible contrast; use of varying font size; among other customized Human Computer Interaction (HCI) effects. Moreover, use of complicated, decorative or cursive fonts should be avoided, as well as italic text and capital letters, which can be difficult for users with reading impairments. In summary, this chapter supports the fact that eLearning is possible for persons with low vision, provided that all the necessary technological advances have been considered.

Teaching History of Mathematics through Digital Stories

This chapter introduces a way for enhancing teaching history of mathematics through digital storytelling. Adapting digitals stories in the form of historical documentaries, this chapter also provides components of digital storytelling (point of view, dramatic question, emotional content, the gift of your voice, the power of the soundtrack, economy, pacing, purpose of story, choice of content, quality of images, grammar and language usage) and necessary steps (tellable story, compositing script, choosing visual and audio components, preparing digital stories, presenting digitals stories) that are to be taken into consideration while preparing digital stories.

Active Learning Strategies in Technology Integrated K-12 Classrooms

Active learning is central to student retention and application of learned information. Research indicates that technology has reshaped the classroom environment and some of the teaching methods that traditionally supported active learning are no longer compatible with the emerging technologies. The question is; how best can teachers promote active learning through the use of technology? With technology flooding the school learning environments, teachers need effective strategies that promote active learning. Using research-based theories and literature review; this chapter extends a new definition and critical components of active learning in the context of technology integrated classrooms. Further, the chapter offers active learning strategies aligned with technology tools that could be used effectively in K-12 classrooms to promote active learning. Finally, the chapter opens up a discussion for potential new research that could be conducted to explore in depth some of the strategies using a large sample size stratified by grade levels, content areas, and geography.