Social Networking and Extending Social Capacity

This paper explores the phenomenon of social networking that is changing social structures and communication practices around the globe. It draws parallels with the social structures that emerged in the industrial revolution (such as the social clubs, unions and cooperative societies) and discusses some of the far reaching impacts the current phenomenon is having on society: The paper presents the concepts of Social Capacity representing the number and quality of how many people it is possible to know. The paper argues that social networking technology can change people’s social capacity. This is likely to be an increasingly important research area for the information systems discipline as technology supported social networking activity becomes more ubiquitous

THE MOVE TOWARDS A M3/MB BUSINESS MODEL

The rapid technological changes taking place is impacting business practice across all business sectors. E-commerce has become the norm and business models have slowly evolved to take account of the electronic business world. The electronic infrastructure and channels of e-commerce are particularly suited to information based goods and services, after these services are just pushing electronic information around. Consequently, the industries that have or will have some of the more significant changes are those that are based on electronic information or goods, such as the music, publishing, news, multimedia, (information) service industries and related industries. This theoretical paper examines some of these changes and argues for a more radical take on business models: It is argued the old business models don’t meet the needs of customers or digital based goods providers within the new electronic business world. The paper The paper also highlights where key support is needed to fully reach the potential of a digital economy

Oersted Medal Lecture 2007: Interactive simulations for teaching physics: What works, what doesn't, and why

We give an overview of the Physics Educational Technology (PhET) project to research and develop web-based interactive simulations for teaching and learning physics. The design philosophy, simulation development and testing process, and range of available simulations are described. The highlights of PhET research on simulation design and effectiveness in a variety of educational settings are provided. This work has shown that a well-designed interactive simulation can be an engaging and effective tool for learning physics

High-Tech Tools for Teaching Physics: the Physics Education Technology Project

This article appeared in the Journal of Online Teaching and Learning September 15, 2006.This paper introduces a new suite of computer simulations from the Physics Education Technology (PhET) project, identifies features of these educational tools, and demonstrates their utility. We compare the use of PhET simulations to the use of more traditional educational resources in lecture, laboratory, recitation and informal settings of introductory college physics. In each case we demonstrate that simulations are as productive, or more productive, for developing student conceptual understanding as real equipment, reading resources, or chalk-talk lectures. We further identify six key characteristic features of these simulations that begin to delineate why these are productive tools. The simulations: support an interactive approach, employ dynamic feedback, follow a constructivist approach, provide a creative workplace, make explicit otherwise inaccessible models or phenomena, and constrain students productively

Using a Community Language Learning Approach in Large Classes in Japanese Universities

This paper examines the effectiveness of the Community Language Learning approach in large English as a Foreign Language classes in Japanese universities, specifically, its effectiveness in developing conversational English skills. The paper describes the experience of teaching freshman and sophomore university students, the majority unaccustomed to having a native speaking English teacher, in a full-year English conversation course (ninety minutes per week) for forty-five hours, using the Community Language Learning (CLL) approach and why and how it was implemented in these large classes. The major conclusions drawn from this study include: students can learn to interact in the target language to a limited degree; students working in small groups help, as well as hinder their own progress; students can generate their own language but lack confidence to use their own efforts effectively in large, non-traditional classes, and student reflection, an essential element in CLL, though difficult, can be obtained from such large classes

Perceptions of Elementary Teachers Towards the Effectiveness of Community Resources for Reducing Achievement Gap

Studies indicate that school-community partnerships have positive impacts on the learners and reducing the educational achievement gap is one of the identified benefits. This study sought to examine the development of educational partnerships from the perspective of the teachers. The researcher assumed that teachers play a significant role in the formation and continuation of the partnerships, thereby influencing their success. Consequently, this study sought to explore teachers’ experiences with educational partnerships regarding improving academic performance and reducing achievement gaps. The study used purposive sampling to select 7 teachers from Title I Elementary school in Central Florida. The school was targeted as a case study because it had just adopted the community-school approach. The primary data collection method that was employed was semi-structured interviews. The collected data was then coded to identify emergent themes. The responses revealed 10 emergent themes, (1) creation of a strong community, (2) provision of essential services, (3) cooperation, (4) active involvement and cooperation, (5) increased support, (6) improved relationships, (7) increase in roles that need new skills, (8) participation, (9) funding, and (10) advocacy. Effective partnership strategies, as described in the literature, were observed, and participants also expressed awareness of such approaches. Moreover, the impact of school-community partnerships in improving student achievement was also noted, as described in the literature. Recommendations for future research and local practice are offered to enhance the knowledge available to the stakeholders as they seek to identify ways to help students and improve their neighborhoods. Nevertheless, due to the unique circumstances of every community, the recommendations should be considered in terms of their application and appropriateness towards enhancing school-community partnerships

M-health review: joining up healthcare in a wireless world

In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver health and social care. This trend is bound to continue as providers (whether public or private) strive to deliver better care to more people under conditions of severe budgetary constraint