Differential Extinction and the Contrasting Structure of Polar Marine Faunas

Background: The low taxonomic diversity of polar marine faunas today reflects both the failure of clades to colonize or diversify in high latitudes and regional extinctions of once-present clades. However, simple models of polar evolution are made difficult by the strikingly different faunal compositions and community structures of the two poles. Methodology/Principal Findings: A comparison of early Cenozoic Arctic and Antarctic bivalve faunas with modern ones, within the framework of a molecular phylogeny, shows that while Arctic losses were randomly distributed across the tree, Antarctic losses were significantly concentrated in more derived families, resulting in communities dominated by basal lineages. Potential mechanisms for the phylogenetic structure to Antarctic extinctions include continental isolation, changes in primary productivity leading to turnover of both predators and prey, and the effect of glaciation on shelf habitats. Conclusions/Significance: These results show that phylogenetic consequences of past extinctions can vary substantially among regions and thus shape regional faunal structures, even when due to similar drivers, here global cooling, and provide the first phylogenetic support for the ‘‘retrograde’ ’ hypothesis of Antarctic faunal evolution

Improving student language learning in adult education through the use of mobile learning: barriers, challenges and ways to move forward

Students learning languages, particularly English in the Australasian and Asia Pacific regions, have many ways to engage with mobile devices to assist with their language learning. This chapter reports on the latest teaching tools and identifies one mobile application (app) that can be used, Dragon Dictation, to assist with improving pronunciation. This chapter also presents the results of one pilot study that used Dragon Dictation to support English pronunciation. Results of this study indicate that Dragon Dictation is a useful tool to have available in the classroom context as results suggest that it assist students to improve their English pronunciation. Barriers for learners include difficulties in learning to use mobile devices as well as teachers and students knowing the best apps that are available to assist with English language learning. For teachers, barriers include learning to teach using these apps as well as teaching students how to use them. Fortunately, there are several ways to move forward in using mobile apps for learning, with research suggesting that good professional development of teachers in how to use apps is the best way to improve their teaching in this area as well as their comfortability in teaching students to use them as this will increase pedagogical affordances in this area

Reviewing mixed methods approaches using Social Network Analysis for learning and education

Across the globe researchers are using social network analysis (SNA) to better understand the visible and invisible relations between people. While substantial progress has been made in the last 20 years in terms of quantitative modelling and processing techniques of SNA, there is an increased call for SNA researchers to embrace and mix methods developed in qualitative research to understand the what, how, and why questions of social network relations. In this chapter, we will reflect on our experiences with our latest edited book called “Mixed Methods Approaches to Social Network Analysis for Learning and Education”, which contained contributions from 20+ authors. We will first review the empirical literature of Mixed Methods Social Network Analysis (MMSNA) by conducting a systematic literature review. Secondly, by using two case-studies from our own practice we will critically reflect on how we have used MMSNA approaches. Finally, we will discuss the potential limitations of MMSNA approaches, in particular given the complexities of mastering two ontologically different methods

L2 Motivation and Digital Technologies

This chapter uses Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) as a lens through which to review research describing motivational influences associated with digital technologies. Motivational effects are traced to pleasure generated in technology use (intrinsic motivation), and to the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs that generate and sustain high-quality motivation; the manner in which digital technologies enable learners connect to others (relatedness), experiences of agency and independence in using the L2 in digital spaces (autonomy), and the generation of linguistic self-confidence (competence). Adopting an interdisciplinary position, it is suggested that in addition to understanding the effects of these “psychological nourishments” (Rigby & Ryan, 2017), there is need for broader conceptualizations of motivational influences. Three concepts with particular relevance to L2 motivation are identified: the development of L2 vision through learners’ engagement with digital media, influences stemming from appraisals of verisimilitude when a digital technology forms a part of learning, and the effects of personal validation seeking when L2 media is created in networked environments