Nixon, Monica (2013). Quilt-Making in the Elementary Class. NAMTA Journal, v38 n2 p121-124 Spr. As our world becomes more and more technological, it is essential that we remember that one of the main ways the child's brain develops is through meaningful work of the hand. Monica Nixon, the founder and director of Mountain Laurel Montessori School in Front Royal, VA, as well as a quilter and knitter, describes her experience of teaching her class of six- through twelve-year-old students how to quilt and what has become a ritual quilt-making event that begins in early November and finishes before winter break in mid-December. During the quilt-making process, the students share personal stories through natural conversations with both their teacher and fellow students. The more experienced students help younger students, and the students enjoy sharing their quilts with the recipient of their choice. Students have remarked that they are more focused throughout the quilt-making process than they have ever been. The sewing process seems to be especially helpful to students who have… [PDF]

Singh, Lenandlar (2013). Guided Assessment or Open Discourse: A Comparative Analysis of Students Interaction on Facebook Groups. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, v14 n1 p35-43 Jan. Web 2.0 and specifically Social Networking Software have become ubiquitous tools for communication over the last five years. Across many disciplines, practitioners and researchers have been exploring these technologies with the hope of tapping into their perceived potential. Not least in this endeavor is the field of Education. Educators and Researchers have been engaged in active research on the practical and pedagogical benefits and implications of Web 2.0 and Social Networks. This paper explores the use of Facebook Groups in the Undergraduate Computer Science Program at the University of Guyana. Specifically, Guided Assessment strategies using Facebook Groups are compared with unguided and non-assessed Facebook Groups. Specifically, this study provides a comparative outline of the usage patterns of two (2) Instructor-Guided and Assessed Facebook Groups with three (3) student-led, nonassessed Facebook Groups that supported a form of Open Discourse. Results suggest that planned and… [PDF]

Pape, Stephen J.; Yetkin Ozdemir, I. Elif (2013). The Role of Interactions between Student and Classroom Context in Developing Adaptive Self-Efficacy in One Sixth-Grade Mathematics Classroom. School Science and Mathematics, v113 n5 p248-258 May. Research and theory suggest several instructional practices that could enhance student self-efficacy. However, little is known about the ways these instructional practices interact with individual students to create opportunities or challenges for developing adaptive self-efficacy. In this study, we focused on two sources of efficacy, mastery experiences, and social persuasion, and examined how these sources were structured for three students with different levels of mathematics achievement and self-efficacy within a sixth-grade mathematics classroom. Analyses within each case showed that each student experienced success and received social persuasion differently. On the other hand, analyses across the cases suggest that not only the amount but also the form (i.e., with and without assistance) of successful experiences and the type of performances (e.g., stating definitions, explaining solution procedures, sharing problem-solving strategies, and making comments on others' ideas)… [Direct]

Erkunt, Hamdi (2010). Emergence of Epistemic Agency in College Level Educational Technology Course for Pre-Service Teachers Engaged in CSCL. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET, v9 n3 p38-51 Jul. Written interaction between pre-service teachers engaged in progressive inquiry using Knowledge Forum in two intense summer courses were analyzed to detect and rank those students in terms knowledge sharing, pressing on for further inquiry and the number of partners they communicated with. Social network analysis techniques were employed to cluster students in terms of their network centrality using a Freeman's betweenness value, where higher values indicated more communication flow occurred through that person. An aggregate score is calculated for each student and they were ranked into four levels of epistemic agency ranging from exceptional to low. Nearly half of the students in both courses ranked in the lowest level of epistemic agency interpreted as following mostly their own epistemic goals with minimal knowledge sharing with few partners and mediating little of knowledge sharing and collective inquiry. There were two to three students in each course with outstanding score in… [PDF]

Barma, Sylvie (2011). A Sociocultural Reading of Reform in Science Teaching in a Secondary Biology Class. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v6 n3 p635-661 Sep. Adopting activity theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, this case study illustrates how a teaching and learning situation is planned and implemented over a series of nine 75-min biology classes by a high school science teacher in the context of pedagogical reform. The object of this study emerges within a favourable context of science education curricular reform in Quebec, Canada. By examining the interaction between the poles of an activity system sharing the same object, this case study illustrates how one teacher's teaching practice is redefined and how some aspects of her teaching personality orient the ways in which she contextually mobilizes new tools and members of her school community in order to implement an awareness campaign on the risks of tanning salons…. [Direct]

Scanlon Maramante, Lori (2018). Scientific Knowledge Building: A Curriculum Module to Scaffold Student Learning about the Nature of Science. ProQuest LLC, D.Ed. Dissertation, University of Delaware. The purpose of this Executive Position Paper project was to develop educational resources to support the teaching of nature of science topics to undergraduate students at Delaware Technical Community College. The investigation was driven by two exploratory projects and a review of the literature. The first exploratory project examined the presentation of the nature of science in a sampling of undergraduate entry level science textbooks across a variety of science disciplines. This study found a wide range of coverage given to nature of science topics, and that overall, the deductive method of scientific reasoning was represented more often and, in more detail, than inductive methods of primary scientific investigation. Further, there was very little description in the sampled textbooks about how science builds bigger explanatory ideas in science. The second exploratory study was an analysis of the scientific reasoning used in empirical research studies published in the journal,… [Direct]

Moe, Rolin (2015). OER as Online Edutainment Resources: A Critical Look at Open Content, Branded Content, and How Both Affect the OER Movement. Learning, Media and Technology, v40 n3 p350-364. Despite a rise in awareness and production of open education resources (OER) over the past decade, mainstream media outlets continue to define open in economic terms of consumer cost and not in theoretical terms of remix or appropriation. This period in the "open access" debate has coincided with a proliferation of free-of-charge video content available on the internet, branded with institutional affiliation and labeled as educational or edutainment resources. Videos from organizations such as "TED", "Curiosity.com" and "Upworthy" have gained scholastic use and are being labeled as OER, despite a missive from their organizations to limit consumer use of the videos to viewing and sharing. Viewed instrumentally, the lack of remix utility for this edutainment creates only a slight distinction between their product and OER-as-defined. However, when viewed from a critical theory lens, the content-as-brand video edutainment phenomenon is strikingly… [Direct]

(2015). Skills for the Creative Industries: Report of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Virtual Conference, 29 September to 10 October 2014. UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training This virtual conference was the tenth in a series of moderated discussions on the UNEVOC e-Forum–a global online community of over 4000 members. Guided by an expert in the field, these discussions provide a platform for sharing of experiences, expertise and feedback and wish to inspire people to take further action. Between 29 September and 10 October 2014, UNEVOC hosted an on line forum on creativity and the creative industries. The forum set out to explore the following questions: (1) What are creative industries and what are the needs for skills?; (2) How can we turn the expansion of creative economies into an advantage for TVET and, in turn, what can TVET and skills development do to support the growth of the creative sector?; (3) What is the role of creativity in TVET?; (4) What are the different vocational pathways to creative jobs?; and (5) What do we know about the creative industries and what do we still need to learn? The forum was facilitated by Paul Collard, the Chief… [PDF]

(2014). Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 2014 Annual Report: The Champions of Hispanic Success in Higher Education. Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities For over a quarter of a century, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has advocated on behalf of Hispanic higher education in the U.S. and around the world. The mission of the association is to Champion Hispanic Success in Higher Education. HACU fulfills its mission by: promoting the development of member colleges and universities; improving access to and the quality of postsecondary educational opportunities for Hispanic students; and meeting the needs of business, industry and government through the development and sharing of resources, information and expertise. HACU is the only organization that represents existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which enroll more than 50 percent of all Hispanics in postsecondary education. HACU serves its membership through advocacy, conferences, partnerships and educational programs, and offers scholarships and internship opportunities for students. HACU, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) association representing… [PDF]

Smith, Peter, Ed. (2015). Proceedings of the 2015 ASCUE Summer Conference (48th, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, June 14-18, 2015). Association Supporting Computer Users in Education The Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) is a group of people interested in small college computing issues. It is a blend of people from all over the country who use computers in their teaching, academic support, and administrative support functions. ASCUE has a strong tradition of bringing its members together to pool their resources to help each other, and continues the tradition of sharing through its national conference held every year in June, its conference proceedings, and its newsletter. ASCUE proudly affirms this tradition in its motto: "Our Second Quarter Century of Resource Sharing". The proceedings are divided into three sections: (1) The first section contains the refereed papers. (2) The second section holds papers from the sessions with paper. (3) The last section holds only the abstracts for the other sessions. The following are included in the 2015 proceedings: (1) Creating Games to Get Students! (Dewey Swanson, Dmitri A. Gusev); (2)… [PDF]

Kargbo, Michelle (2013). Preparing the Next Generations of Technology Project Managers to Lead through Knowledge Sharing: A Case Study at a Large Transportation Company. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University. The purpose of this research was to identify knowledge transfer gaps and current practices, prepare current project managers to accept the challenges associated with leadership opportunities that are coming available due to retirements through cross training efforts and succession planning, and to identify the proper management of knowledge sharing with project managers in technology. Developing well-rounded project managers, with an array of experiences throughout the organization and who will be prepared to take on leadership roles was the expected outcome of this study. Using a research questionnaire developed by the researcher, face to face interviews were conducted with twelve project managers and six technical directors in technology to determine what steps have been taken to prepare for knowledge transfer and succession planning with a large retirement eligible population over the next five years. Results of data analysis suggest that providing opportunities for project… [Direct]

Donnelly, Dermot Francis; Hume, Anne (2015). Using Collaborative Technology to Enhance Pre-Service Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science. Research in Science & Technological Education, v33 n1 p61-87. Background: Supporting pre-service teacher (PT) collaboration as a means of professional learning is a challenging but essential task for effective practice. However, teacher placements or practicums in schools, which is common practice within teacher education programmes, can often isolate PTs from sharing their experiences with each other. Further, the articulation of effective pedagogical practices by high-quality teachers is limited, restricting PTs' ability to access such professional knowledge. Purpose: This study investigates how the introduction of a collaborative technology, a wiki, may enhance existing and new opportunities for pre-service teachers' (PTs) to develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Sample: Seven PT chemistry teachers of varied backgrounds participated in this study. Design and Method: The PTs were learning to collaboratively formulate and document their early topic-specific teaching knowledge using a pedagogical tool known as Content Representation… [Direct]

Baxter, Marissa (2015). Care Coordination Practices among Illinois Pediatricians and Early Intervention Service Coordinators. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Over the course of the past three decades, largely due to advances in technology, there has been growth in the fields of early intervention (EI) and pediatrics for infants/toddlers with special health care needs (SHCN). This growth has also brought about a change in the relationship between pediatricians and EI service coordinators, creating an increased need for communication and collaboration between these groups of professionals. In order to address these changes, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) presented recommendations for care coordination and stressed the placement of care coordination practices in the medical and developmental plans of infants/toddlers with SHCN. There have also been recommendations about communication and collaboration strategies from experts in the EI field. The medical home framework and Part C (EI) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) seek to establish care coordination systems with a family-centered focus of care. The… [Direct]

(2012). Supporting Education Policy and Practice through Common Data Standards: A Policymaker's Guide. Data Quality Campaign Consider the high-priority challenges facing education stakeholders today, such as measuring teacher effectiveness, implementing the Common Core State Standards, aligning K-12 and postsecondary education efforts with workforce demands, efficiently allocating resources, and ensuring that students stay on track to success. These efforts all rely on the efficient collection, management, and use of education data–and stakeholder confidence in those data, particularly if they will be used for high-stakes personnel, accountability, or other decisions. Over the last decade, state, federal, and private investments of political will and resources have contributed to significant progress in building robust statewide longitudinal data systems. Attention is now shifting–as it should be–to the work of ensuring that data are used by stakeholders to answer critical questions and inform decisionmaking from the kitchen table to the classroom to the state capitol. In the absence of common data… [PDF]

MacCallum, Cathryn; Salam, Insiya (2014). Making a MEAL out of a Global Professional Learning Community: A Transformative Approach to Global Education. International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, v6 n3 p31-48. The implementation of global education in schools has, despite the plethora of different terms used to describe it, been defined by an approach that ensures global issues are embedded (1) in the curriculum (a subject-specific approach), (2) across all subject areas (an interdisciplinary approach), and (3) in the school's ethos (a "whole-school approach"). The means by which each of these three approaches has been implemented, however, have been far less cohesive. This paper will argue that one potential tool is extending the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model to focus on the global (i.e. creating a Global Professional Learning Community [GPLC], also known as a Networked Learning Community). We suggest that this form of collaborative working is a vital tool in creating effective policy and shared practice for global learning. Moreover, its methods incorporate the key values of the global learning ethos: participation, inclusion, and critical and creative thinking…. [PDF]

Craun, Justin (2014). Qualitative Case Study on the Progress of Contract Management Leadership Development Program Graduates Obtaining Leadership Positions. ProQuest LLC, D.B.A. Dissertation, University of Phoenix. The 21st century business environment is challenged with a scarcity of skilled professionals and the shortage is forecasted to increase over the next 5 years. The United States defense acquisition community recognized personnel deficiencies and plans to hire approximately 20,000 acquisition professionals by 2015. To help address the defense acquisition workforce challenges, several leadership development programs have been instituted to accelerate a pipeline of technically skilled and leadership capable contracting professionals. The purpose of the qualitative single descriptive case study was to explore the progress of National Contract Management Association (NCMA)-Contract Management Leadership Development Program graduates in acquiring management positions to understand the impact the program had on closing leadership gaps in the contract management field. Data analysis performed on participant interviews highlighted that the majority of participants did not start with a career… [Direct]

Gunckel, Kristin L. (2010). Experiences, Patterns, and Explanations. Science and Children, v48 n1 p46-49 Sep. In an activity sequence that took place over several days, the class learned about sound and how people hear sounds. Following each activity, students engaged in whole-group sharing sessions and individual journal-writing sessions that were designed to help them see the patterns that emerged from their explorations. The activities were carefully chosen to illustrate these patterns using the Experiences-Patterns-Explanations (EPE) model of science. In this article, the author describes how EPE can be used to help students connect explanations to patterns in experiences. (Contains 3 figures.)… [Direct]

Mendez, Larry (2013). The Effects of a Professional Learning Community on Teachers and Student Achievement in a High School Serving Predominately Latino Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Fielding Graduate University. The research study was an evaluation of a professional learning community (PLC) and its effect on teachers and student achievement in a high school serving predominately Latino students. The study was a mixed research study that consisted of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data included school-wide and Latino student Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores. The qualitative data sources were derived from faculty interviews and open-ended questions on the survey. The data were collected from 34 out of 50 (68%) faculty surveys and 29 out of 50 faculty rubrics (58%). Developing, implementing, and evaluating PLCs in a high school that served predominately Latino students led to increased API scores and increased AYP scores in math. AYP scores did not increase for English/Language Arts. Over half of the faculty (76%) reported PLCs as effective in developing standards based assessments, and 67.7% reported collaboration among… [Direct]

(2013). Tackling Youth Unemployment through TVET. Report of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Online Conference 25 June to 9 July 2013. UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training From 25 June to 9 July 2013, over 300 participants from 80 countries gathered on the UNEVOC e-Forum to discuss how TVET can address growing numbers of youth unemployment. TVET experts, policy makers, researchers, practitioners and most importantly young students and graduates joined the discussion.The discussion was organized around the following sub-themes: key barriers that young people face in finding work; what TVET institutions can do to ease the school-to-work transition; labour market information and skills forecasting; entrepreneurship education; widening access: engaging disadvantaged and marginalized groups; upgrading TVET's image: challenges and opportunities; and monitoring and evaluation of youth-focused TVET. The discussion was moderated by Dr Gita Subrahmanyam, Research Associate with the London School of Economics Public Policy Group and a Senior Consultant at the African Development Bank, and co-moderated by Katerina Ananiadou, Programme Specialist at UNESCO-UNEVOC… [PDF]

Wiley, David (2010). The Open Future: Openness as Catalyst for an Educational Reformation. EDUCAUSE Review, v45 n4 p14-16, 18, 20 Jul-Aug. The word \open\ is receiving a lot of attention in education circles. For over a decade, \open\ has been used as an adjective to modify a variety of nouns that describe teaching and learning materials. For example, open content, open educational resources, open courseware, and open textbooks are all part of the current higher education discourse. In this context, the adjective \open\ indicates that these textbooks and other teaching and learning resources are provided for free under a copyright license that grants a user permission to engage in the \4R\ activities: (1) reuse; (2) revise; (3) remix; and (4) redistribute. Although the modified nouns (content, resources, courseware, textbooks) differ from one another, the actions that operationalize the concept of openness are the same. They are acts of generosity, sharing, and giving. The author argues that institutions and individuals seem to have forgotten these core values of education. He discusses the role of openness and how… [Direct]

Chen, Theresa (2016). Puzzling Plans and Budgets: Making Sense of California's Second Year Local Control and Accountability Plans. Education Trust-West On July 1, 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown signed California's landmark Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) into law. In addition to providing districts with greater control over how to spend funds, LCFF marked a tremendous opportunity for educational equity. The new funding law gave districts additional resources, called supplemental and concentration grants, to provide more services for English learners, foster youth, and low-income students. This brief follows up on the transparency issues raised in the 2014 report, "Building a More Equitable and Participatory School System in California: The Local Control Funding Formula's First Year." That report identified two key concerns about the transparency of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), the planning and budgeting tool that LCFF mandated for school districts to communicate their strategies for improving student outcomes and performance. Findings show that, in their second year, LCAPs continue to lack budget… [PDF]

Coughlan, Tony; Perryman, Leigh-Anne (2014). When Two Worlds Don't Collide: Can Social Curation Address the Marginalisation of Open Educational Practices and Resources from Outside Academia?. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, v2014 n2 Article 3. A canyonesque gulf has long existed between open academia and many external subject communities. Since 2011, we have been developing and piloting the public open scholar role (Coughlan and Perryman 2012)–involving open academics discovering, sharing and discussing open educational resources (OER) with online communities outside formal education in order to help bridge this gulf. In 2013 we took the public open scholar into Facebook (Perryman and Coughlan, 2013) to reach an international audience of autism-focussed Facebook groups in India, Africa and Malaysia, with a combined membership of over 5000 people. Performing the public open scholar role within Facebook led to our learning from group members about new resources produced by subject communities outside formal education, for example by voluntary sector organisations, government and professional bodies. These resources are surprisingly numerous and compare favourably with those from universities. Seeking to source more such… [PDF]

Beach, Richard; Yussen, Steven (2011). Practices of Productive Adult Book Clubs. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, v55 n2 p121-131 Oct. Abstract: This article examines two adult book club members' responses to literary texts over a 23-month period to identify practices that contribute to productive book club participation. Members were interviewed regarding their book selection procedures, preparation for and perceptions of the discussions, and what they valued about the discussions. Discussions were analyzed in terms of book club members drawing on their knowledge and expertise to interpret texts, developing topics based on the number of different turns per topic, and adopting \point-driven\ versus \story-driven\ stances. Three basic factors are identified as contributors to productive book club participation: (1) the use of codified, vetted selection procedures; (2) collaborative sharing of knowledge and expertise to provide insights into books in ways that transcend members' individual responses; and (3) the development of discussion topics through building on members' interpretations…. [Direct]

Muhavi, S. Lucy; Ndiku, J. Mualuko (2013). Government Funding on Access to Secondary Education in Kenya: Challenges and Prospects. Educational Research and Reviews, v8 n18 p1650-1655 Sep. One of the major challenges facing secondary education sub-sector in Kenya over the years is low transition rate from primary to secondary level of education. This has contributed to low enrolment at secondary schools with a wide gap existing between primary and secondary enrolment. With the introduction of Free Primary Education in 2003, the gap would have widened further if efforts were not made to enhance access to secondary education. Low enrolment had been occasioned by introduction of the cost sharing policy in 1988. The government of Kenya, through sessional paper No.1 of 2005, made a commitment to increase transition from primary to secondary school from 49 to 70% by the year 2010. This would be made possible by the government supplementing parents' efforts in meeting education costs at secondary level. The government supported the poor and needy students through bursaries. Further, tuition free secondary education policy was implemented in 2008 with the government's… [Direct]

Baker, Gianina; Hutchings, Pat; Jankowski, Natasha A. (2018). Fertile Ground: The Movement to Build More Effective Assignments. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, v50 n6 p13-19. Designing the tasks that students are required to complete in their courses has always been an essential part of what faculty do as teachers, and many faculty members work hard to shape and reshape those tasks in ways that bring out the best in students. But such work has mostly been done behind the scenes. A growing number of programs, campuses, disciplinary societies, and national initiatives are now creating opportunities for faculty to collaborate to make their assignments more effective. Many of these gatherings are shaped by findings from a national research project documenting the power of "transparent" assignments to advance student success (Winkelmes, et al., 2016), and many employ the VALUE rubrics developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (McConnell & Rhodes, 2017). The use of these rubrics is now supported by the newly established VALUE Institute (see Sullivan & McConnell, 2018). Some campuses and groups are creating local online… [Direct]

Parlakian, Rebecca (2010). Beyond Twinkle, Twinkle: Using Music with Infants and Toddlers. Young Children, v65 n2 p14-19 Mar. For very young children, music has power and meaning that go beyond words. First, and most important, sharing music with young children is simply one more way to give love and receive love. Music and music experiences also support the formation of important brain connections that are being established over the first three years of life. This article explores the many ways that music promotes growth in the various developmental domains and how infant/toddler professionals can use music experiences to support children's early learning. [\Beyond Twinkle, Twinkle: Using Music with Infants and Toddlers\ was written with Claire Lerner.]… [Direct]

Rendon-Reyes, Juan (2017). The Dark Night: A Model of Spiritual Formation for Emerging Young Adults in College. ProQuest LLC, D.Min. Dissertation, The Catholic University of America. An increasing number of baptized emerging adults consider themselves spiritual (spiritual seekers) and religiously un-affiliated. In 2003 the Pontifical Council for Culture, aware of the reality of the human spiritual quest, stated that helping people in their spiritual search by offering proven techniques and experiences of real prayer could open a dialogue with them which would reveal the riches of the Christian tradition. Several statistics presented by research centers and the Church's response to the spiritual quest and thirst of young people have led me to write this treatise and develop a project of spiritual formation based on St. John of the Cross's spirituality of the dark night for emerging young adults in college. The basic methodology that guides the project is spiritual accompaniment and discernment. Over a period of six weeks I meet with a small group of students, once per week for about 45 minutes, to give brief presentations on specific topics of the dark night of… [Direct]

Copich, Cindy (2012). Youth Court: An Alternative Response to School Bullying. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, v7 n3 Oct. Bullying and school violence are critical issues facing 21st century educational leaders. U.S. public schools have been scrambling to develop and implement anti-bullying programs with varying degrees of success. Bullying leads to disruption of learning, and its lasting effects of anxiety, depression, anger, and actual brain damage follow victims into adulthood. This paper explores two communication theories (Social Learning and Cultivation) to consider how the over-exposure to violent media messages may contribute to aggressive behavior. Furthermore, the proposal considers research that suggests a response to school bullying needs to be based on a model of communication that describes a process of dialogue, information sharing, mutual understanding, and collective action (Figueroa, Kincaid, Lewis, & Rani, 2002). In response to this research, this proposal will explore the Time Dollar Youth Court (TDYC) model as an alternative to traditional anti-bullying programs. TDYC is part of… [PDF]

Belcher, Johnny; Hendrickson, Katie; Howley, Aimee; Howley, Craig; Howley, Marged (2012). Stretching to Survive: District Autonomy in an Age of Dwindling Resources. Journal of Research in Rural Education, v27 n3. This case study focuses on a four-district collaborative that shared services for more than 15 years in an effort to retain rural schools and thereby to preserve community identity. With population losses in the four districts and suburbanization in the largest, the collaborative made extensive use of distance education in addition to itinerant teachers and shared administrators. Data concerning dynamics in the collaborative came from interviews with administrators, teachers, students, and parents. Qualitative data analysis surfaced two themes relating to shared services: tenacity in the face of decline, and strategies with limited sustainability. Findings also pointed to a disjuncture between the way administrators and parents, on the one hand and teachers and students, on the other viewed the success of shared services and the probable future of the collaborative. A review of changes in the written plans of the collaborative over a several-year period revealed that sharing of… [PDF]

Chew, Magdalene Meow Khee; Lee, Catherine Cheng Kiat (2013). Using a Blog to Facilitate Extensive Reading: An Exploratory Study. IAFOR Journal of Education, v1 n1 p149-170 Spr. Research shows that extensive reading (ER) has many benefits for language acquisition. The challenge today is making ER appealing to the digital generation. For a possible solution, it is pertinent to look to the social media embraced by today's youths. This study was conducted to explore the use of the blog as a space for sharing peer-selected reading material to enhance reading motivation among English Language learners. The research questions that guided this study are whether the blog is a viable tool to facilitate ER, and how students perceive the use of this Web 2.0 tool for ER. The sample comprised two groups of students in a private university in Malaysia: 12 undergraduate students in a remedial language class and 18 students enrolled in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. A blog was set up for each group of participants to post reading materials of their choice for blog members to read over a period of 8 weeks. A questionnaire was administered at the end of the… [PDF]