Archive for the ‘Learners’ Category

Reading in a post-textual era

This paper analyses major social shifts in reading by comparing publishing statistics with results of empirical research on reading. As media statistics suggest, the last five decades have seen two shifts: from textual to visual media, and with the advent of digital screens also from long-form to short-form texts. This was accompanied by new media-adequate […]

Using an online social media space to engage parents in student learning in the early-years: Enablers and impediments

Unprecedented changes to family life in the new millennium have left many parents feeling unable to effectively participate in their child’s school-based learning. This article presents research which explored enablers and impediments when using social media as part of an inquiry curriculum to promote parent engagement in student learning in one Australian school. Using collaborative […]

Understanding Learner Variability to Personalize Learning

Personalized learning is being heralded as an antidote for much that ails the education system. It is deemed by some as a way to inspire and motivate students, tailor instruction to meet student needs, and scale instruction with the support of technology. Many schools nationwide are exploring ways to personalize the learning experience. But a […]

DOWNLOAD REPORT: Science of Adolescent Learning: Risk Taking, Rewards, and Relationships

Ever wonder why teenagers are so quick to adopt Instagram, Snapchat, and other forms of social media? Or take up X Games sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding? This Alliance for Excellent Education report explains how changes in the brain make adolescents more likely to be influenced by their peers, take risks, and even become […]

Download White Paper: Off to On: Best Practices for Online Team-Based Learning(TM)

Off to On: Best Practices for Online Team-Based Learning(TM) The four TBL essentials are: Groups must be properly formed and managed Team assignments must promote both learning and team development Students must receive frequent and timely feedback Students must be accountable for the quality of their individual and group work Team-Based Learning Collaborative

Modes of writing in a digital age: The good, the bad and the unknown

With digitization, our modes of writing change and we go from writing by putting pen to paper, to typing on a variety of screens. In educational as well as in leisurely settings, writing by hand is increasingly marginalized, and may in a foreseeable future be abandoned altogether. Summarizing some of the research comparing handwriting and […]

The mystery of the digital natives’ existence: Questioning the validity of the Prenskian metaphor

Net Generation (Tapscott, 2009, 1998; Oblinger and Oblinger, 2005), Generation Y (Zhao and Liu, 2008; Halse and Mallinson, 2009), Millennials (Howe and Strauss, 2000), Homo Zappiens (Veen, 2003) and i-Generation (Rosen, 2010). The labels used to describe the generation of young people and their relation with technology are numerous. Over the past few years, one […]

Student Attitudes Toward Blended Learning in Adult Literacy and Basic Skills College Programs

Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs in many Ontario colleges offer adult learners who have low literacy and basic skills with opportunities to improve their employment skills as well as results on prerequisite courses for entrance into post-secondary education. LBS students encounter many challenges and require extra interpersonal instructional support, which may be overcome through […]

Connecting Learner Motivation to Learner Progress and Completion in Massive Open Online Courses

We examined how massive open online courses (MOOC) learners’ motivational factors, self-efficacy, and task-value related to their course progress and achievement, as informed by learners’ initial course completion intention. In three individual MOOCs, learners completed a pre-course survey to report their levels of task-value and self-efficacy and to indicate their intention to complete each course […]

Download Report: A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying

59% of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online, and a similar share says it’s a major problem for people their age. At the same time, teens mostly think teachers, social media companies and politicians are failing at addressing this issue. Pew Research Center