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This qualitative case study investigates graduate students' perspective changes apropos their crossnational collaborative learning experience while participating in an online teaching and learning course jointly taught by graduate schools in the United States and Israel. The participants met virtually, on a weekly basis between November and December 2018, on a platform called "Second Life," to design and participate in collaborative learning activities. On completion of the course, interviews were conducted with a small sample of student-participants regarding their experiences. During the design phase, participants' dominant perceptions of their learning experiences were characterized by genuine "excitement" at the novelty of collaborating virtually with colleagues on the other side of the world. Their initial perceptions evolved during the participation phase to realization as learning communities emerged and students' roles expanded beyond the scope of mere participants. In this study, the authors argue that participants' construction of new knowledge resulted in authentic learning from the standpoints of social constructivism and online collaborative learning theory and further discuss the factors that enabled the participants' authentic learning experience.

The unforeseen school closures in response to COVID-19 have brought unique challenges to teachers, who were required to not only flexibly shift between on- and off-line learning but also safely promote student-centered and collaborative learning in socially distanced remote and on-campus classrooms. Teachers in South Korea, one of the first countries to transition to blended teaching, faced similar challenges with limited time, resources, and training to prepare for this unprecedented situation. This case study provides evidence-based insights on how a teacher-initiated Professional Development (PD) session on blended teaching can support teachers to address these challenges. The PD session was designed in partnership with a Korean district office and the subject-based Communities of Practice (CoP) to provide insights on teacher-initiated bottom-up transformation in blended teaching. Both quantitative and qualitative data showed teachers' increased understanding of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and blended teaching competencies (BTC) after the PD session. This case study informs how educators, researchers, and administrators can collaborate to overcome educational exigency. When the results are generalized across different cultural contexts, it will provide ideas and strategies for the design and implementation of intensive teacher-initiated PDs to support the flexible design and implementation of blended teaching in variable learning contexts.

#PhDChat is an online network of individuals that has its roots to a group of UK doctoral students who began using Twitter in 2010 to hold discussions. Since then, the network around #PhDchat has evolved and grown. In this study, we examine this network using a mixed methods analysis of the tweets that were labeled with the hashtag over a one-month period. Our goal is to understand the structure and characteristics of this network, to draw conclusions about who belongs to this network, and to explore what the network achieves for the users and as an entity of its own. We find that #PhDchat is a legitimate organizational structure situated around a core group of users that share resources, offer advice, and provide social and emotional support to each other. Core users are involved in other online networks related to higher education that use similar hashtags to congregate. #PhDchat demonstrates that (a) the network is in a continuous state of emergence and change, and (b) disparate users can come together with little central authority in order to create their own communal space.

In the first part of this two-part series, we explored digital divide challenges, both longstanding and those intensified by the pandemic. We then considered recently launched initiatives to persuade and [...]

The writing of this two-part series began at the end of the year before COVID-19. The intent was to explain the magnitude and importance of the 'homework gap'--the lack of [...]

Digital equity and intercultural education continue to be areas of concern in the emerging knowledge-based society. The digital divide is present across the globe as the result of a complex of factors such as the inequality in: access to hardware and connectivity; autonomy of use; digital and literacy skills; availability of technical and social support; and access to educators skilled in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although there is rapid progress in the growth of mobile subscriptions across the globe, there remain groups of digitally excluded peoples within and across countries. Moreover, although progress has been made in addressing connectivity issues and challenges in learning about digital technology, teachers and learners continue to face issues and challenges related to teaching-and-learning with digital technologies and resources within local contexts and beyond. For instance, in an era of rapid global cultural, political, economic and social changes, the need for intercultural education has never been greater. Not only does digital exclusion contribute to a knowledge divide but it also limits opportunities for intercultural connections, communications and understandings. Building on the work of previous EDUsummITs, the EDUsumIT 2013 participants focused on exploring how digital equity and intercultural education are intertwined. This paper describes current needs and challenges as well as opportunities related to digital equity and intercultural education, as well as the increasingly important role technology plays in helping to foster intercultural understanding and education. These are illustrated by examples of how access to digital resources may help bridge both the digital and cultural divides and relate them to some of the recommendations for policy and practice made by the EduSummit 2013 Digital Equity and Intercultural Education Workgroup to help address these needs.

Substantial evidence now supports pedagogical applications of virtual worlds; however, most research supporting virtual worlds for education has been conducted using researcher-developed Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVE). Second Life (SL) is a MUVE that has been adopted by a large number of academic institutions; however, little research has systematically investigated the potential of using SL for higher education. A 2-year pilot study was conducted that included seven SL activities and a mixed-methods evaluation of the SL's affordances, challenges, and limitations. Three SL integration factors emerged, each with sub-factors: pedagogical (relevance, complexity of required SL skills, use of SL affordances); contextual (student prior gaming experience, activity duration, frequency of events); and logistical (SL usability, training, technical support, computer issues). A framework for creating SL instructional activities is presented using the factors. (Contains 5 tables and 19 figures.)

This article describes the "The Presidential Timeline of the 20th Century," a newly unveiled website jointly created by the Learning Technology Center of The University of Texas at Austin and The National Archives' 12 presidential libraries. This web-based resource provides access to the continually growing store of digitized assets from the libraries' collections. The site reminds people that history is not simply the set of narratives they read in history books, but the experience of creating these stories from the essential evidence contained in primary sources. The goal of this project is to make primary and secondary source materials readily and freely available to students, educators, and adult learners throughout the world via a single unified and intuitive interface. The Timeline itself is deployed within a dynamic and visually engaging Flash-based interface that provides access to timelines of each modern president's life before, during, and after his time in office. These timelines, in turn, provide direct access to assets (primary and secondary resources), exhibits, and educational activities associated with specific events.

This paper reviews the research conducted in the last 20 years on the application of technology in support of collaborative learning in higher education. The review focuses primarily on studies that use Internet-based technologies and social interaction analysis. The review provides six sets of observations/recommendations regarding methodology, empirical evidence, and research gaps and issues that may help focus future research in this emerging field of study.

Describes the Technology Leadership Academy (University of Texas at Austin) whose mission is to develop a learning community among teacher preparation programs to improve technology integration. Explains the academy's development, which was part of a grant from the Department of Education's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers To Use Technology initiative in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. (LRW)

Describes the Four Directions project, funded by the Department of Education for using technology to create and disseminate culturally responsive curriculum for American Indian students within the 19 participating tribal schools and throughout the country. Highlights include technology in American Indian communities; Web-supported interaction; and a virtual museum project. (LRW)

Discusses rapid changes in use of computers and related technologies in colleges and universities; the impact of current inequities in precollege access and use of computers experienced by African-American, Hispanic, and American Indian students; and strategies and recommendations to enhance the computer competence of minority students in colleges and public schools. (15 references) (LAE)

This qualitative case study investigates graduate students' perspective changes apropos their crossnational collaborative learning experience while participating in an online teaching and learning course jointly taught by graduate schools in the United States and Israel. The participants met virtually, on a weekly basis between November and December 2018, on a platform called Second Life, to design and participate in collaborative learning activities. On completion of the course, interviews were conducted with a small sample of student-participants regarding their experiences. During the design phase, participants' dominant perceptions of their learning experiences were characterized by genuine "excitement" at the novelty of collaborating virtually with colleagues on the other side of the world. Their initial perceptions evolved during the participation phase to realization as learning communities emerged and students' roles expanded beyond the scope of mere participants. In this study, the authors argue that participants' construction of new knowledge resulted in authentic learning from the standpoints of social constructivism and online collaborative learning theory and further discuss the factors that enabled the participants' authentic learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: C.Y. Janey Wang, Paul E. Resta Assisted by technological advances, web-based instruction is being widely used to prepare learners for future challenges. The internet provides the possibility of erasing geographic and interpersonal boundaries among people from diverse backgrounds. The purposes of this article are: (1) to examine and discuss multiplicity and flexibility as essential elements in designing web-based courses integrating online collaborative learning; (2) to discuss implications of multiplicity and flexibility for future research and development of online collaborative learning environments.