Understanding and using multicultural literature in the primary grades: A guide for teachers

Many studies have shown that an overwhelming number of classroom teachers are encountering increasing diversity issues in both the content of what they teach and among the students they are teaching The purpose of this project is to provide elementary teachers with a resource of multicultural literature that can be integrated into any curriculum, whether it is Language Arts, Social Studies, or story time

Understanding your digital identity

The term “Digital Identity” is used here to describe the persona a person projects across the internet. Your Digital Identity as perceived by other people is made up of material that you post yourself (for example photographs on Flickr and your own web page) but it also is made up of material other people put there about you (blog posts that mention you, photographs in which you are tagged). The “This is Me” project has developed resources that can be used by students and others to appreciate what their Digital Identity is and how they can control it to help present the persona with the reputation that they want

Strategies for Recruiting, Retaining, and Developing the Knowledge and Skills of Behavioral Health Technicians

To be effective, behavioral health organization leaders must recruit and retain behavioral health technicians (BHTs) to provide nonclinical services. The focus of this case study was on identifying strategies to promote the recruitment and retention of BHTs and to help these workers develop the knowledge and skills they need for effective job performance. The Baldrige Framework for Excellence was used to guide this case study of a behavioral health organization located in the southeastern United States. The organization had one residential substance use facility serving men and five serving women and experienced a constant shortage of BHTs. Data were collected by interviewing the organization’s chief of behavioral health care and reviewing the organization’s website, job descriptions, strategic plan, and an existing community needs assessment. Findings indicated that the direct care staff at the behavioral health organization were not appropriately trained to address the behaviors displayed by the populations served. Further, compensation was a main driver of BHT turnover and recruitment challenges. Employee recruitment, retention, and training strategies may be beneficial in addressing the organization’s practice problem. This study may contribute to positive social change by providing insight that the study organization’s leaders can use to develop strategies for training BHTs. This support may contribute to the retention of these workers and assist them in providing services that enhance the mental and emotional health of clients

Digital identity for the retired

A This Is Me workbook for the retired or vulnerable internet user

MOOCs: a systematic study of the published literature 2008-2012

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a recent addition to the range of online learning options. Since 2008, MOOCs have been run by a variety of public and elite universities, especially in North America. Many academics have taken interest in MOOCs recognising the potential to deliver education around the globe on an unprecedented scale; some of these academics are taking a research-oriented perspective and academic papers describing their research are starting to appear in the traditional media of peer reviewed publications. This paper presents a systematic review of the published MOOC literature (2008-2012): Forty-five peer reviewed papers are identified through journals, database searches, searching the Web, and chaining from known sources to form the base for this review. We believe this is the first effort to systematically review literature relating to MOOCs, a fairly recent but massively popular phenomenon with a global reach. The review categorises the literature into eight different areas of interest, introductory, concept, case studies, educational theory, technology, participant focussed, provider focussed, and other, while also providing quantitative analysis of publications according to publication type, year of publication, and contributors. Future research directions guided by gaps in the literature are explored

Emergency remote education: experience from Sri Lanka during Covid-19

This study explores the Emergency Remote Education (ERE) experience in Sri Lanka using mixed method research to understand how ERE was offered in Sri Lanka and what this homeschooling experience was like for both parents and teachers. An online survey (N=153) of parents and six semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of teachers were used to gather data. The findings suggest, despite all the hurdles faced, the teachers have offered some form of ERE to their pupils. However, the uptake of ERE has not been satisfactory in many instances. In resource rich settings, ERE has been more successful. Parents in the Western province, where computer penetration is highest in the country, were more satisfied with the ERE provision than parents in other parts of the country. While online offering of ERE may seem viable or desirable in certain areas or circumstances, large parts of Sri Lanka are not prepared for online educational delivery due to the multifaceted digital divide, which should be considered in any future implementations of ERE

Using non-personal computers for eLearning: Sri Lankan experience

Communal Internet access facilities or telecentres are considered a good way to provide connectivity to people who do not possess home connectivity. Attempts are underway to utilize telecentres as eLearning centres providing access to learning materials to students who would otherwise not be able to take up eLearning. This paper reports on the findings of qualitative interviews conducted with 18 undergraduate students from two Sri Lankan universities on their eLearning experiences using communal Internet access centres. The findings suggest that despite the efforts by telecentres to provide a good service to eLearners, there are various problems faced by students including: costs, logistics, scarcity of resources, connectivity speeds, excessive procedures, and lack of support. The experiences of these Sri Lankan students suggest that there is much that needs to be understood about user perspectives in using telecentres, which could help formulate better policies and strategies to support eLearners who depend on communal access facilities