This study was grounded on the assumptions that (a) Instructor and Learners Discourse (ILD) in Threaded Discussions (TDs) in online courses is of great importance to both MBA and MA learners; (b) there is a correlation between instructor and learners discourse; and (c) there is a difference in the frequency of postings between MBA and MA learners. This researcher recognized the importance of ILD for both learners taking online courses and the vitality of the online university.

Video mashing, game modding, Youtube, wikis, blogs, and the communities that rise up around them are becoming yet another facet of our communication landscape. But how effective are these expressions in communicating meaning? What is their potential role in learning? This preliminary study uses examples of digital user-generated content, specifically digital stories and movies, to examine the types of information that appear to convey effectively.

Graduate students in a bereavement studies course used an e-journal for the duration of the 16-week semester. These graduated students benefited both in the short-term and in the long-term, from keeping a weekly e-Journal and completing a series of assignments on journaling.

This conference paper documents the experience for virtual learners in a Visual Learning Environment. A story-board walk-thru illustrates eCollege and Elluminate revealing components of an online learning environment for students at National University. This paper explores how synchronized lessons can support problem solving in information age using two case studies illuatrating on-line high tech courses previous taught in the classroom.

In schools across our country, we are surrounded by natives—digital natives—those born after 1980 who seamlessly integrate technology into many aspects of their lives. This paper will investigate one particular method of communication referred to as text-messaging. More specifically, this paper will focus on Twitter, a relatively new form of text-messaging called microblogging, and its implications for education.

Debates rage about the appropriateness of using social networking in teaching, with arguments ranging from waste of time and distraction from academic goals to needed to reach net generation student. This paper explores the range of current social networking choices and argues that like any tool, it should carefully evaluated in terms of affordances and course goals.

In this paper I will connect the dots from Freire through Lappé then into online learning theory and practice through Communities of Inquiry research. I will delve into the transformational pedagogies of empowerment which are coming together into what I am designating a pedagogy of the connected. In the process of connecting all these dots, I hope to bring into focus the promise and power of the 21st century e-Educative revolution which I propose this pedagogy of the connected facilitates.

Virtual professional communities of practice are may provide important opportunities, communication, and supports for participants in the online world. Within the field of education, for teachers and faculty specifically, such communal participation may greatly benefit professional practice and student learning.

During the past few years the number of courses offered online has greatly increased as technology has made delivery of such courses more feasible. Blended learning environment amalgamates the advantages of distance education with the effective aspects of traditional education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of blended learning instruction in terms of students’ satisfaction.

Communication Technologies have immersed themselves in our everyday lives reshaping communities and expanding boundaries creating virtual communities of practice. The Deaf community is no exception. Short messaging service (SMS), instant messaging, email, and chat are included in activities manipulated through technological devices that are used in creating communities.

The online CMS has become popular in recent years in higher education institutions due to the implementation of distance education in Greece. The purpose of this study was to examine the students’ perceptions toward physical education courses using the online CMS, e-Class at Democritus University of Thrace.

This paper looks at strategies and the technology used by current on line instructors to create a sense of community in their classes and technological advances that will be present in future class practices. This paper is an investigation of community building among the students and between students and their instructors in online courses.

Working parents strive to achieve the delicate balance of succeeding in the workplace along with caring for those who depend upon them the most: their children. A sense of pride can come from finding professional success in a rewarding career path just as personal pride can develop as working parents spend quality time with and watch their children grow and evolve into well-rounded individuals.

School districts in Colorado are required to have an induction program for new teachers that lasts at least one year. The University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) and Denver Public Schools (DPS) attempted to develop and sustain an online community of practice to support the teacher induction process. Providing a virtual space and paying for teacher participation proved to be less popular than meeting face to face.

This paper presents a pilot study conducted to begin learning how digital storytelling is manifesting on YouTube, which is currently the most widely used of all video-sharing services. A relevance sample of 100 digital stories was obtained from YouTube. The videos were analyzed to determine how closely they match published characteristics of digital stories and to what extent interactive features of YouTube were utilized.

Both hemispheres of the human brain can be effectively excited to learn through the use of cross-cultural “mind mapping” techniques, which stimulate ideation with the same forms, colors, and designs that define technology-assisted education. Thus, mind-mapping exercises encourage the logical, language-centered left cerebral hemisphere to work in concert with the artistic right side of the brain

Simple, exemplary methods exist that incorporate live chat effectively into online coursework to keep learning current, “real”, and relevant. Moreover, live chat has been demonstrated to reduce student timidity, even as it encourages participation and the development of useful conversational strategies.

The Math Forum is an enduring virtual community. The aliveness of this community was measured using seven principles derived by Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder (2002) as design principles for communities of practice. The principles proved to be good measure of aliveness in an existing community. As a point of discussion, a conjecture was made that the principles are necessary but not sufficient for a community to be alive.

The aim of this paper is to point out the achievements and the drawbacks of the integration of Open Source Technology and Web 2.0 tools with traditional classroom teaching through the account of a supplementary course that took place in an Italian secondary high school last summer holidays.

This paper will discuss an ongoing project at Bryant & Stratton College to prepare metadata within the DotNetNuke content management system for link-level bibliographic description on the College’s Virtual Library. Specifically, the paper will discuss the creation of metadata according to the best practices recommendations of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative and established library cataloging standards.

This paper summarized findings from an empirical study that evaluated the effectiveness of a technology incentive project, MEET, on facilitating the adoption of a web technology CCC Confer among college instructors. Results show that teachers’ technology adoption can be facilitated by providing certain incentives.

Educational systems have historically led the way for freely sharing knowledge. As the costs of education rise many are curtailed from continuing their pursuit of knowledge. To be successful as a student or educator, we rely upon our computers and our word processing and office suite program. Popular belief is there is only one choice, the priority software, Microsoft Office. However, there is a viable alternative office productivity suite, by Sun Microsystems.

The overall focus of this paper is an examination of the concept of community and how it can facilitate a community of practice through the use of a computer mediated discussion tool called a listserv. This paper will discuss communities of practice that develop within a working or social environment and more specifically how listserv technology can facilitate the exchange of knowledge within a community.

Health care will continue to experience significant growth because of an aging population and longer life expectancies; therefore, demand for doctors and health care workers will equally increase to keep up with current population growth rates. Educators need to teach the next generation of doctors and health care workers, effective web-based communication practices for the sharing of ideas and knowledge in order to meet the challenges by such growth.