Editorial 16(1)

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Editorial=

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Abstract

An introduction to our May, 2010 issue of in edu= cation, a peer-reviewed, open access journal. This is also Part II of= a two-part series focusing on Technology & Social Media. The pre= vious issue (Part I) can be found here.

Author Name(s)

Alec Couros

Issue

16(1) =

As the current guest editor of this journal, I am delighted to=20 announce the second issue of our two-part series that focuses on=20 Technology & Social Media in education. This issue features nine full articles and a book review, and our authors represent Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In this editorial, I briefly=20 outline the contents of these articles; essays that I hope readers find=20 insightful, informative, and pleasing to read. For background=20 information on this journal, its launch, or to access previous articles=20 in this series, please see the previous editorial or the first issue in this series.

The first article is titled Systemic Changes in Education by George Siemens and Kathleen Matheos. In this well-researched piece,=20 the authors explore the historical roots of university systems while=20 providing insight into the future of teaching, learning, &=20 scholarship. Siemens and Matheos posit a future for universities fraught with challenges, not the least due to new freedoms and affordances=20 brought forth by emerging technologies for social connectivity and=20 creative expression.

The second article, The Net Generation= 7;s Informal and Educational Use of Technologies by Swapna Kumar, extends one of the themes of the previous article as=20 the author reports the results of a study focused on undergraduates'= use of social, mobile and multimedia technologies. The paper provides=20 insight to the current use of technology in university courses and calls for further research into technology-embedded practice.

Digital Scholarship Considered: How New Technologies Could Transform Acade= mic Work is our third article and it is authored by Nick Pearce, Martin Weller,=20 Eileen Scanlon and Sam Kinsley. The article fits well with the themes=20 found in both Kumar's and Siemens' work, and extends the use of=20 technology in universities more explicitly to the major aspects of=20 academic work. More specifically, the authors frame the piece through=20 Boyer's dimensions of scholarship (i.e.,discovery, integration,=20 application, teaching) and argue for future research regarding the=20 impacts of digital and open scholarship.

The fourth article is titled Small Steps Across the Chasm: Ideas for for Embedding a Culture of Op= en Education in the University Sector and is authored by Lisa Harris, Lorraine Warren, Jean Leah and Melanie=20 Ashleigh. This piece compares to Kumar's article in that it challenges= =20 the notion of the 'digital native' student and the widening gap= between=20 university instructor and student. The authors use two case studies to=20 support their argument, and then provide recommendations for the=20 systemic integration of social technologies in university teaching and=20 learning.

The fifth article is Facebook as as Source of= Informal Teacher Professional Development by Camille Rutherford. The author reports the findings of a study=20 focused on the informal, professional learning of teachers facilitated=20 through a Facebook group. The author provides a framework for informal=20 learning drawn from the literature and uses this to draw observations=20 from the group. Findings of the study could be used to inform further=20 research into other informal learning environments used for teacher=20 professional development.

Cheri Toledo and Sharon Peters bring us the sixth article titled Educators=E2=80=99 Perceptions of Us= es, Constraints, and Successful Practices of Backchanneling. In this pi= ece, the authors describe and discuss the relatively new phenomenon of web-= based backchanneling, defined as "instant messaging synchronously occurring between individuals and in groups=20 using online tools during a live event". Backchanneling has fostered= a=20 great deal of discussion in educational technology communities, and this article fills an important gap in the literature.

George Veletsianos provides the seventh article of this issue, A Small-Scale Adventure Learning Activity and its Implications for Highe= r Education Practice and Research. The author carefully describes an Adventure Learning project (complete=20 with multimedia examples), provides a structured analysis of the=20 learning experience and discusses the possible implications for=20 practice. Veletsianos uses this rich example and analysis to relay the=20 benefits of participatory, authentic, and social practice in higher=20 education classrooms.

Electronic Documentation of Lea= rning: Alternate Reflective Discussion Formats is our eighth article and is authored by Ann Sherman and Angela Rokne.=20 Like the Veletsianos piece, this is an article focused on alternative=20 pedagogies used with undergraduate students, facilitated with the use of emerging technologies. In this article, the authors describe students'= ;=20 electronic documentation of learning through a Drupal-based, journaling system. As with many technology projects in classrooms, the=20 results are not all rosy. However, with some adjustments, the results of the project are reported to have exceeded expectations. The authors=20 leave readers with insight into the power of narratives and group=20 bonding, mediated through appropriate technologies.

The last full article in this issue is written by Sean Wiebe and Sandy= McAuley and is titled Harnessing New Tech= nologies to Teach Academic Writing to the Net Generation. The article is unique in that it uses the dialogue of two colleagues to report the implementation of an innovative, first-year university=20 writing course. The authors report the successes and challenges of this=20 implementation, especially as they seek to use and understand the impact of new technologies on their own pedagogical practices.

This issue ends with a review of DIY U<= /a>, a book by Anya Kamenetz. The review authors, Jon Becker, Meredith=20 Stewart and Jason Green provide an overview of the book along with a=20 fair critique. The book has recently received much informal review in=20 educational technology circles, and I believe the timeliness of this=20 review will benefit those looking for a formal treatment of the topic.

In closing, I would like to thank all of those who contributed to the success of this issue. First, thanks to the Editors and Editorial Board for giving me the opportunity to publish these past two issues. Second, thank you to all of the authors who provided the results of their hard=20 work and entrusted a new, open online journal for their publications.=20 Thanks to Dave Cormier for his excellent, 24/7 technical support and=20 guidance. Thanks to Stacey Shand for her copy editing work. Thanks so=20 much to all of the reviewers who provided so much of their time, and=20 supported our authors with thoughtful, creative feedback.

And of course, thanks to all of our readers. Since launching, we have had tens of thousands of hits, and expect many more to come. We hope=20 that you will continue to contribute, read, and if you like what you see here, please share the links with your colleagues.

All the best,

Alec

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Editorial 16(1)