bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Context-Awareness and Mobile Devices
Authors: Dey Anind K. , Häkkilä Jonna
Published: May 2011

Context-awareness is a maturing area within the field of ubiquitous computing. It is particularly relevant to the growing sub-field of mobile computing as a user’s context changes more rapidly when a user is mobile, and interacts with more devices and people in a greater number of locations. In this chapter, we present a definition of context and context-awareness and describe its importance to human-computer interaction and mobile computing. We describe some of the difficulties in building context-aware applications and the solutions that have arisen to address these. Despite these solutions, users have difficulties in using and adopting mobile context-aware applications. We discuss these difficulties and present a set of eight design guidelines that can aid application designers in producing more usable and useful mobile context-aware applications.
Engineering Emergent Ecologies of Interacting Artefacts
Authors: Zaharakis Ioannis D. , Kameas Achilles D.
Published: May 2011

Nowadays, our living environments already provide ubiquitous network connectivity and are populated by an increasing number of artefacts (objects enhanced with sensing, computation, and networking abilities). In addition, people are increasingly using mobile devices as intermediaries between themselves and the artefacts. In order to create, manage, communicate with, and reason about ubiquitous computing environments that involve hundreds of interacting artefacts and cooperating mobile devices, we propose to embed, in these entities, social memory, enhanced context memory, and shared experiences. In this context, we describe an engineering approach and a framework to deal with emergent ecologies of locally interacting artefacts that provide services not existing initially in the individuals, and exhibiting them in a consistent and fault-tolerant way. Because they are emergent, their structure or availability are not predefined or known before hand; we draw from swarm intelligence methods to describe such ecologies.
Mobile Camera-Based User Interaction
Authors: Capin Tolga , Haro Antonio
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces an approach for user interaction on mobile devices, focusing on camera-enabled mobile phones. A user interacts with an application by moving their device, and the captured camera video is used to estimate phone motion or interact with the real world. We first survey technical issues, recent research results, and then present a prototype implementation and discuss various ways how phone motion can be used for different tasks, such as navigating through large number of media files, and phone motion and shake detection for gaming. The results and discussion may guide interface designers when targeting camera-based user interfaces.
Trends in Adaptive Interface Design for Smart Wheelchairs
Authors: Abascal Julio , Bonail Borja , Cagigas Daniel , Garay Nestor , Gardeazabal Luis
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the main trends in the design of interfaces for smart wheelchairs. It stresses the importance of taking into account their similarity with autonomous mobile robots and the restrictions posed by the special characteristics of the users (people with severe motor and speech restrictions) and the task (indoor assisted navigation). With this background, the main features of the user-wheelchair interface are discussed, justifying the need for the adoption of an adaptive approach. The TetraNauta smart wheelchair interface design is used to illustrate the design of user, context, and task models. In addition, it describes some mechanisms to enhance the communication rate when a single-switch-scanning input device is used (scanning rate dynamic adaptation and word prediction). The chapter finishes with a discussion of the influence of new navigation models, such as the behaviour-based one, in the design of the user interface.
Appropriating Heuristic Evaluation Methods for Mobile Computing
Authors: Bertini Enrico , Catarci Tiziana , Dix Alan , Gabrielli Silvia , Kimani Stephen , Santucci Giuseppe
Published: May 2011

Heuristic evaluation has proven popular for desktop and Web interfaces, both in practical design and as a research topic. Compared to full user studies, heuristic evaluation can be highly cost-effective, allowing a large proportion of usability flaws to be detected ahead of full development with limited resource investment. Mobile computing shares many usability issues with more conventional interfaces. However, it also poses particular problems for usability evaluation related to aspects such as limited screen real estate, intermittent user attention, and contextual factors. This chapter describes a modified collection of usability heuristics that are designed to be appropriate for evaluation in mobile computing. They have been systematically derived from extensive literature and empirically validated. They therefore offer a sound basis for heuristic-based evaluation in mobile computing. Besides introducing the reader to the practical use of heuristic evaluation, the chapter also closes with a description of potential future research in the area.
Three Eye Movement Studies of Mobile Readability
Authors: Öquist Gustav
Published: May 2011

Readability is important for mobile usability since text is the preferred way of dealing with information over distances in time and space. Making it easy to read on mobile devices has, however, proved difficult, primarily since the accustomed way to present texts is at odds with the limited screen space available. Simply enlarging the screen is an obvious solution, but since mobile devices need to be small to be mobile, this is just not viable. Instead, ways need to be found to present texts on small screens that facilitate the level of readability we are used to. To be able to do this, methods for evaluating novel text presentation formats on mobile devices are needed. This chapter presents findings and experiences from three readability studies where eye movement tracking has been used to learn more about how to improve readability on mobile devices.
Visualisation of Meeting Records on Mobile Devices
Authors: Luz Saturnino , Masoodian Masood
Published: May 2011

Multimedia data such as music and video are key forces behind the widespread use of mobile devices today. However, the usefulness of mobile access to multimedia sources extends beyond entertainment. The popularisation of teleconferencing and collaborative technologies on the desktop, for instance, has opened the possibility of recording online meetings for later review. Yet, despite the fact that mobile technology could enable convenient access to recorded meetings, research on interfaces for visualisation and access to meeting recordings on portable devices is currently very scarce. This chapter discusses issues on design, implementation, and evaluation of such interfaces. The discussion is illustrated with a case study and lessons learned from work on the HANMER (Hand-held Meeting Browser) system.
Understanding Brand Web Site Positioning in the New EU Member States
Authors: Okazaki Shintaro , Škapa Radoslav
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines Web sites created by American Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in the Czech Republic. Utilizing a content analysis technique, we scrutinized (1) the type of brand Web site functions, and (2) the similarity ratings between the home (U.S.) sites and Czech sites. Implications are discussed from the Web site standardization versus localization perspective.
Beyond Localization
Authors: Schell Martin A.
Published: May 2011

Localization of a document requires tacit knowledge of the target language and culture. Although it is promoted by many software developers and Web designers, localization is becoming increasingly inadequate as a strategy for disseminating information via the World Wide Web. The 21st century has already seen dramatic rises in the numbers of Internet users in nearly every country, making it difficult, if not impossible, for any translation effort to accommodate all of the 347 languages that claim at least 1 million speakers. The best way to expand the accessibility of Web content is to make it more explicit, not more tacit. This means producing and uploading clear English content that nonnative speakers can easily understand. Global English is written with simpler sentence structure, less jargon, and no slang—characteristics that make it a viable lingua franca for countless Web users whose native language is not considered important enough to merit a localization effort.
Offshoring in the ICT Sector in Europe
Authors: Ben Esther Ruiz , Wieandt Michaela , Maletzky Martina
Published: May 2011

In the context of globalization and internationalization, offshoring processes in the ICT Industry have increased considerably in the software and service sector in recent years due to the cost saving strategies and market entry policies of ICT organizations. Through the heterogeneity of the European ICT sector a regionalization trend regarding host country selection for ICT offshore is, nevertheless, observable. Historical and cultural ties between host and home countries as well as related national stereotypes play an important role in the regionalization process. Moreover, due to favorable EU policies and regulations, off- and nearshoring within the European Union acquire an additional attractive character for some major European producers, such as, for example, Germany. Thus the Eastern European Member States, which already build out certain sectoral specialization in regard to ICT service provision, have benefited from direct foreign investments. Off- and nearshoring also imply risks and hidden costs linked to structural aspects in host countries as well as to the overestimation of cultural and historical nearness. In our chapter we discuss the trends of the internationalization process in the European ICT sector taking into account related risks in off- and nearshore processes. We argue, furthermore, that long-term cooperation and intercultural training, with the support of local and European institutions, should be considered to confrontin a better way the challenges of the internationalization of ICT in Europe.
A Semi-Automatic Semantic Annotation and Authoring Tool for a Library Help Desk Service
Authors: Vehviläinen Antti , Hyvönen Eero , Alm Olli
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses how knowledge technologies can be utilized in creating help desk services on the Semantic Web. To ease the content indexer’s work, we propose semi-automatic semantic annotation of natural language text for annotating question-answer (QA) pairs, and case-based reasoning techniques for finding similar questions. To provide answers matching the content indexer’s and end-user’s information needs, methods for combining case-based reasoning with semantic search, linking, and authoring are proposed. We integrate different data sources by using large ontologies. Techniques to utilize these sources in authoring answers are suggested. A prototype implementation of a real life ontology-based help desk application, based on an existing national library help desk service in Finland, is presented as a proof of concept.
Automatic Acquisition of Semantics from Text for Semantic Work Environments
Authors: Ruiz-Casado Maria , Alfonseca Enrique , Castells Pablo
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents an overview of techniques for semi-automatic extraction of semantics from text, to be integrated in a Semantic Work Environment. A focus is placed on the disambiguation of polysemous words, the automatic identification of entities of interest, and the annotation of relationships between them. The application of these topics falls into the intersection of three dynamic fields: the Semantic Web, Wiki and other work environments, and Information Extraction from text.
Lightweight Data Modeling in RDF
Authors: Rauschmayer Axel , Kiesel Malte
Published: May 2011

When looking at what “information” means in the context of the Semantic Web, there is an interesting dichotomy (Spyns, Meersman, & Jarrar, 2002; Motik, Horrocks, & Sattler, 2007): On one hand, there is ontology engineering where knowledge is being universally represented and reasoned about. On the other hand, there is data modeling where Semantic Web technology is used to store and process information that is mainly application- dependent. The former receives most of the attention of the research community, but one must not forget that, even in semantic work environments, one frequently encounters the latter: citations, contacts, product information, events, and so forth. In this chapter, we present the editing meta-model (EMM), which provides standards and techniques for implementing RDF editing: It defines an RDF vocabulary for editing and clearly specifies the semantics of this vocabulary. It also sketches user interface mechanisms to illustrate how the vocabulary would be used in practice.
Extensible Digital Library Service Platform
Authors: Yeh Jian-hua , Sie Shun-hong , Chen Chao-chen
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we describe X-system, a general digital library platform which is capable of handling large-scale digital contents with flexible, extensible management features. The development of X-system achieves several important goals of modern digital library systems, including a fully functional system, neutral and portable architecture, stackable modules, data exchange, and universal access. The model and architecture are discussed in this chapter. Moreover, several extension case studies of X-system are demonstrated to show the extensibility of our system. In addition, to act as a basic digital archive/library system, the X-system has been adopted as various different usages, including e-learning platform, knowledge management platform, and library circulation system.
Extracting the Essence
Authors: Wang Fu Lee , Yang Christopher C.
Published: May 2011

As more information becomes available online, information-overloading results. This problem can be resolved through the application of automatic summarization. Traditional summarization models consider a document as a sequence of sentences. Actually, a large document has a well-defined hierarchical structure. Human abstractors use the hierarchical structure of the document to extract topic sentences. They start searching for topic sentences from the top level of the document structure downwards. Similarly, hierarchical summarization generates a summary for a document based on the hierarchical structure and salient features of the document. User evaluations that have been conducted indicate that hierarchical summarization outperforms traditional summarization.
Digital Libraries as a Foundation of Spatial Data Infrastructures
Authors: Béjar Rubén , Nogueras-Iso J. , Latre Miguel Ángel , Muro-Medrano Pedro Rafael , Zarazaga-Soria F. J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) and establishes their strong conceptual and technical relationships with geographic digital libraries (geolibraries). The authors describe the origin of SDIs and highlight their role as geographic resources providers. Then, they give several examples of the use of techniques and tools taken from the digital libraries world in the development of SDIs. The purpose of this chapter is establishing a solid foundation for those aspects of SDIs that can make profit from the knowledge and tools provided by the digital library community. It will also point the key differences between SDIs and geolibraries in order to provide a broader view of these infrastructures.
The Role and Integration of Digital Libraries in E-Learning
Authors: Han Lee Yen
Published: May 2011

In recent years, the development of information technologies and network distributions has brought about the creation of useful learning resources, one of which is the e-learning environment. With its promise of ease and ready accessibility, e-learning, a term generally used to refer to computer-aided learning, is fast becoming ubiquitous in educational institutes. In terms of enhancing the online learning experience, digital libraries have tremendous potential in offering resources that can support e-learning. In this chapter, the concepts of “e-learning” and “digital library” are examined. In addition, the role of digital libraries and their integration into the e-learning environment are also discussed.
Core Topics in Digital Library Education
Authors: Yang Seungwon , Wildemuth Barbara M. , Pomerantz Jeffrey P. , Oh Sanghee
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the effort of developing a digital library (DL) curriculum by an interdisciplinary team from Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It presents the foundations of the curriculum building, the DL curriculum framework, the DL educational module template, a list of draft modules that are currently developed and evaluated by multiple experts in the area, and more details about the resources used in the draft modules and DL-related workshop topics mapped to the DL curriculum framework. The use of information systems such as DLs is increasing in education and businesses. To better-support their users, DLs must include both a well-organized underlying architecture and a set of services designed to address their potential users’ information needs. For this vision of the future to come to fruition, information professionals need to be educated to establish and manage digital libraries. The proposed curriculum framework provides a firm foundation for these important educational activities.
Digital Libraries as Centres of Knowledge
Authors: Pang Natalie
Published: May 2011

Using historical perspectives from ancient libraries in Europe, this chapter is focused on the core role of libraries as centres of knowledge. Though not intended to be a comprehensive historical account, these perspectives are seen as a starting point in the discussion in looking at digital libraries as similar centres or repositories of knowledge. The ways technological and social contexts have been adapted in ancient libraries are discussed, which helped to shed light on the next part of the discussion on digital libraries. Digital libraries are not only considered in terms of their technological aspirations, but also in their social constructions. It is hoped that the discussion will contribute to a collective understanding of immediate and future directions of libraries, their challenges and promises, and how they have evolved as places for local communities.
The Future of Learning with Digital Libraries
Authors: Chew-Hung Chang , Hedberg John G.
Published: May 2011

While the prospect of using digital libraries for learning becomes more appealing with growing repositories of resources, it is not clear what factors other than the use of technology, determine the learning outcome for an individual. The focus of research on using digital libraries for learning has been on the richness of information that digital libraries afford and on the ability of digital libraries to organize information for information query and research. Any meaningful learning activity using digital libraries must therefore utilize their features for exploration and information gathering around a well designed task or inquiry, to result in effective higher order learning outcomes. The design of the inquiry task is provided by a teacher or even devised by the student, but it is not necessarily inherent within the digital library. However, digital libraries have the capabilities to be more supportive of student learning by providing tools that support processes such as investigation, analysis, transduction of information and scaffolding of inquiry process. Often, students use the digital library for information gathering but turn to other software applications for organizing information and constructing the arguments and learning artifacts for the learning task. While it requires the teachers’—and maybe students’—resourcefulness to choose the right type of tool for the activity, the future of learning with digital libraries rests on integrating supportive tools into a seamless learning environment.
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Scenarios
Authors: Ertl Bernhard
Published: May 2011

There are many ways in which information technology (IT) can be integrated into the curriculum. IT can, for example, enable access to learning material and resources, it can feature learners’ communication, and also provide instructional elements for the learners. The exact method by which IT is applied to the learning situation is however dependant upon the scenario in which it is required. This article is about computer-supported collaborative learning scenarios. These are characterised by the fact that two or more learners work together to acquire knowledge about a particular topic. Learners may sit together in front of the same computer screen and work in a learning environment, or they may be spatially or temporally separated and use IT for their communication as well as for access to the learning environment. This communication may use chatrooms, newsgroups, or one of the forms of audio-visual communication, such as videoconferencing. The method of communication should be adapted to best fit the learning scenario for which it is being applied (Ertl, Kopp, & Mandl, 2007). Whether or not the collaboration partners are in the same place, the computer screen and its contents are always the central element in the computer supported learning environment. The information displayed on the screen is used to focus the collaborative learning process on particular aspects of the learning task, for example, on ontologies and argumentation moves (Ertl, Fischer, & Mandl, 2006; Suthers & Hundhausen, 2003). Consequently, the design of the screen is of great importance, and an improvement in this area can be an improvement in the instructional make up of a learning environment. It must be noted that the term ‘design’ in this case is not used to mean the particular aspects of usability, but refers to development of an instructional prestructure of the shared screen (Ertl et al., 2006; Fischer, Bruhn, Gräsel, & Mandl, 2002; Suthers & Hundhausen, 2003). This structure can be seen as an external representation of the instructor’s knowledge about the topic at hand, and is given to the learners as instructional support.
Decision Support Systems
Authors: Wang John , Radosevich David J.
Published: May 2011

Over the four decades of its history, decision support systems (DSSs) have moved from a radical movement that changed the way information systems were perceived in business, to a mainstream commercial information technology movement that all organizations engage. This interactive, flexible, and adaptable computer-based information system derives from two main areas of research: the theoretical studies of organizational decision making done at the Carnegie Institute in the 1950’s and early 1960’s as well as the technical work on interactive computer systems which was mainly performed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Keen & Morton, 1978).
Digital Literacy Research
Authors: Kennedy David M.
Published: May 2011

The 21st century has created an environment where the very meaning of the expression “to be literate” has come to mean much more than it did in the past. Literacy still encompasses the traditional reading, writing, and numeracy, but now includes visual and digital literacies that empower the individual to effectively communicate about, and use information (Jones-Kavalier & Flannigan, 2006). Literacy now incorporates an ability to critically evaluate information, communicate concepts, and express ideas in a variety of media, all mediated by computers. Earlier definitions of digital literacy tended to focus on technological skills (Bruce & Peyton, 1999; Davies, Szabl, & Montgomerie, 2002). However, the current focus has moved to a more pedagogical view that integrates technical, cognitive, and sociological skills (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004). What can the student do with information in digital form? The assumption now is that the student knows how to use the tools, and all that is needed is a focus on metacognitive and pedagogical needs. However, the case study presented in this article suggests that this is not so, and skills need to be integrated with meaningful tasks in order to become part of the lexicon of student learning modes.
Experience-Based Learning
Authors: Cameron Brian H.
Published: May 2011

The College of Information Sciences and Technology practices an applied approach to learning. This approach entails hands-on activities supported by a solid practitioner knowledge base. In addition, the curriculum presents a strong business orientation to the practice of information technology. The need for IT consulting education at the undergraduate level became increasingly apparent after numerous discussions with many corporate partners. Approximately one-third are of the graduates from the College of IST are exclusively placed with consulting firms and more than 50% are working in a consulting capacity after graduation. All graduates, regardless of where they choose to work, will function in a consultative role as part of their jobs. The feedback received from corporate partners indicated that most IT curriculums do a good job with technology and business topics but rarely touch consulting-related issues, skills, and methodologies.
Fundamentals of Learning Theories
Authors: Wang Viktor
Published: May 2011

Humans have different interpretations of learning theories and different beliefs about how people learn. All these beliefs may come from personal experience, self-reflection, observation of others, and through the experience of trying to teach or persuade someone else to your way of thinking. In a nutshell, everyone keeps learning every waking minute, using different learning theories. In democratic cultures, people may prefer critical thinking as an effective learning theory whereas in authoritarian cultures, people may like rote learning or memorization as an effective learning theory. It is extremely difficult to determine which learning theories are better than others because people are engaged in informal or formal learning to change the way they see themselves, change the way they see other people, and change the way they see situations (Cramer & Wasiak, 2006). All these learning theories are valuable in guiding one’s action in a particular culture, subculture, or even a particular setting. Although scholars have different interpretations of learning theories, the goal of any learning theory is the same. For example, Merriam (2004) explains a learning theory as leading to learners’ growth and development. Mezirow explains the theory of transformative learning as helping learners achieve perspective transformation. Maslow considers the goal of learning to be self-actualization: “the full use of talents, capacities, potentialities, etc.” (p. 150). Some learning theories such as the theory of andragogy encourage learners to be self-directed in learning whereas other theories emphasize the roles of teachers as information transmitters instead of learning facilitators, thus placing learners at the feet of master professors.
Impact of Technology
Authors: Surry Daniel W.
Published: May 2011

Technology plays a critical role in modern society. Everyone is touched by the power of technology in some way, large or small, good or bad, every day (MacKenzie & Wajcman, 1999). While few people would argue the importance of technology in our society, there is a great deal of debate about whether technology has had a profound impact in the fields of education and training. That debate is made even more confused by the great difficulty in separating the effects of any technology from the societal, political, technical, and economic contexts in which the technology is developed and used (Pool, 1997; Tiles & Oberdiek, 1995). Another key issue confusing the debate is the problem of fairly and accurately assessing the impact of technology, especially in educational settings. On a more philosophical level, there is debate about the very nature of technology, the extent to which technology is under human control, and, ultimately, whether technology has a positive or negative impact on human society.
Individual Differences in Web-Based Learning
Authors: Chen Sherry Y.
Published: May 2011

As the Web becomes as an important means to disseminate information, a growing number of education settings are developing Web-based learning (WBL). Unlike traditional computer-based instructional programs, WBL systems are used by a diverse population of learners, in terms of their background, skills, and needs (Chen & Macredie, 2004). Therefore, individual differences are becoming an important consideration. In the past decade, many studies have found that individual differences have significant effects on WBL. In particular, gender differences (e.g., Roy & Chi, 2003), prior knowledge (e.g., Calisir & Gurel, 2003), to cognitive styles (e.g., Chen & Macredie, 2004) are the most critical individual differences elements. In this vein, this article will present a comprehensive review on their influences on Web-based learning. The reader of this article is expected to get an overview of the state of the art research associated with these individual differences elements.
Integrating E-Government into the Business Curriculum
Authors: Motwani Jaideep , Akbulut Asli Yagmur
Published: May 2011

Citizens around the globe are demanding better services and more responsiveness from their local, state, and national governments. Governments are responding to this challenge by implementing a vast range of information technologies (IT) to reengineer government processes, deliver services, and manage resources more effectively. As such e-government (electronic government), which can be defined as the government’s use of IT to exchange information and services with citizens, businesses, and other government agencies, is increasingly becoming a crucial concept for practitioners, researchers and educators.
Internet Field Trip
Authors: Yang Harrison
Published: May 2011

A field trip is typically a group excursion to a place away from their normal environment for performing firsthand research on a topic. Field trips have been widely used in teaching and learning, and have been considered as the effective way to promote students’ active and inquirybased learning. As Prather (1989) noted, “compared to other traditional teaching techniques, field trips may provide an especially rich stimulus setting for content learning and may excel in generating a natural inclination to learning”. Similarly, Woerner (1999) indicated that field trips offered excitement, adventure, and visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory experiences for students to learn about the real world and how it worked.
Mechanics Dynamics
Authors: Sidhu S. Manjit
Published: May 2011

The use of PCs in the educational sector has changed the learning environment of higher learning institutions and learning styles (the way individuals grasp and processinformation) of students in general. When coursewares (software that are used by students in their learning) were first introduced, the information was often presented at a pre-determined tutoring level and followed a set of structure. These coursewares provided surface approaches to learning (for example, the information had to be memorized by the learners) and did not take the student’s basic knowledge or learning style into account and therefore lacked the ability to adapt intelligently to meet the student’s specific learning requirements. However, with the advent of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, multimedia, and virtual reality, it is now possible to develop coursewares that could be designed to engage learners in more motivating environments. These coursewares could be implemented by using the principles of computer-aided learning (CAL) (a terminology used for imparting educational experiences electronically).
Netiquette
Authors: Hartsell Taralynn
Published: May 2011

Forming relationships on the Internet through various means of communication is a growing trend in cyberspace. The Internet is a medium that allows people to converse and express thoughts, feelings, viewpoints, and information posting messages electronically for others to view (Pankoke-Babatz & Jeffrey, 2002). Education has been taking advantage of these electronic communication mediums to teach content areas, help teachers and students form relationships, and serve as a vehicle of dialogue between teachers, parents, and students (Forceir & Descy, 2005; Roblyer, 2006). Although electronic communications in education grow and proliferate, the rules of engagement must be maintained to prevent miscommunication and online traffic and noise (Kallos, 2006). This article discusses the importance of upholding netiquette conventions among its users in education because without adhering to certain guidelines and protocols, electronic forms of communication can deter the teaching and learning processes.
Online Academic Advising
Authors: Golubski Pamela M.
Published: May 2011

With the vast majority of higher education institutions now being populated with millennial students and distance learners, it is necessary to change the way academic advising is conducted on the typical college campus. Howe and Strauss (2000) define millennial students as the generation born from 1982-2000. These students are known for being technologically confident and overly involved in scheduled activities (Howe & Strauss, 2003). The millennial generation spends less time than earlier generations on creative play and watching television, and more time on the computer and involved in structured activities. In addition, more students are enrolling in courses that are conducted online via the Internet instead of in the traditional classroom setting. These students are known as distance learners. This population needs to be successfully advised, even though they may never physically step foot on their degree granting college campus, has become a focus of higher educational institutions. Most distance learners are working adults who have other responsibilities, such as families. More millennials are also being drawn to online education because of the time flexibility it offers students (Steele, 2005).
Online Discussion Groups
Authors: D’Agustino Steven
Published: May 2011

An online discussion forum is an environment on the World Wide Web for holding discussions, or the Web application software used to enable these discussions. Web-based forums, which date from the mid 1990’s, are also commonly referred to as Web forums, message boards, discussion boards, discussion forums, discussion groups, and bulletin boards. Similar to other elements of the early World Wide Web, online discussion groups were built around common interests, with participants self-selecting membership in a particular online community. These early discussion groups focused on technical aspects of online environments, early self-referential and technical discussions related to the nature, construction, and maintenance of the World Wide Web itself. The content of these early discussions was determined by the nature of these early adopters. As use of the Internet gradually permeated society, the use and content of online discussions evolved as well. A principal area of interest in the current use of online discussion groups is in education. While corporations and other business forms make use of online forums, the evolving and increasing integration of online discussions into educative efforts, enhanced by the proliferation of online education, makes education the area most impacted by this relatively recent development in communication. As Nonnecke and Preece (1999) have described, research in electronic discussion groups has focused on a number of areas, including the nature of online communities (Wellman, 1997), the development of friendship (Park & Floyd, 1996), the role of empathy in group discussions (Preece, 1998), and the differences between men and women (Roberts, 1998). Additional work has been done on specific kinds on online communities, for example, therapy (King, 1994), education (Hiltz, 1993), business (Sproull & Keisler, 1986), and health support (Preece & Ghozati, 1998).
Spreadsheets
Authors: McKenzie W. Brett
Published: May 2011

The spreadsheet and the personal computer are intrinsically bound. In the early 1980s, the spreadsheet was the first “killer app”—the software application that drove people to buy a personal computer. While specialized computers for word processing were replacing typewriters and database software captured the computing power of mainframes, the spreadsheet allowed managers to track, analyze, and model decisions, especially financial decisions, using a tool with low barriers to entry on an affordable computer.
Students with Disabilities and Technology
Authors: Hipsky Shellie
Published: May 2011

America’s schools are required to meet all federal laws and regulations for special education including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires that students are included in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Each student who is identified with a disability that affects them academically has either an Individual Education Plan or a Section 504 Plan which is created by a collaborative team (e.g., the parents, child, regular and special education teachers, therapists, and the school psychologist). They determine the goals, objectives, and accommodations that need to be made in the classroom setting. IDEA requires that assistive technology, which includes products, tools, and devices that can make a particular function easier or possible to perform, needs to be considered for every student who has an individualized education program (IEP) (Blackhurst, 2005). Teachers of students with disabilities are utilizing techniques such as universal design to make adaptations to the regular education curriculum to help them garner access and understanding (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002; Rose & Meyer, 2000). Also teachers in inclusive environments are using differentiated instruction which takes into account every student’s interests, ability levels, and learning profiles regardless of disability (Dodge, 2006; Drapeau, 2004; Tomlinson, 2001). Often technology plays a vital role as special education teachers seek to individualize teaching methods to meet the needs of their students.
Taxonomy of Collaborative E-Learning
Authors: Salmons Janet E.
Published: May 2011

The Taxonomy of Collaborative E-learning offers a new conceptual framework for understanding levels of collaboration. This framework can be used to plan, organize, and assess e-learning activities so participants learn to achieve collective outcomes. The Taxonomy of Collaborative E-learning is grounded in the results of a qualitative study that explored an in-depth view of instructors’ perceptions of teaching with online collaborative methods, and descriptive examples of their approaches. Study findings were used to refine and build on the researcher’s original designs for the “Taxonomy of Collaborative Learning.”
Technology in the Cities
Authors: Elwood Susan A. , Grace Marsha , Lichtenberger Claudia
Published: May 2011

We are making progressive advances towards Weiser’s vision. Technologies are already being embedded into our environment. Smart floors can sense when a person has fallen and immediately send vital information to paramedic support (Abowd, Atkeson, Bobick, Essa, MacIntyre, Mynatt, & Starner, 2000). People are using mobile devices, such as cell phones for e-mail, instant messaging, Web browsing, games, and MP3 playback (Lendino, 2006). Presence technologies are already informing us as to our IM buddy’s physical presence, such as online, off-line, busy, or away from the desk. Current uses of the Web for searching, photos, music, video, various levels of electronic communities, and online, collaborative software applications are preparing users to advance to the next Web 2.0 level of Internet use. Combine Web 2.0 with expanded WiFi capabilities, and we won’t need large computing devices for sharing large amounts of data within virtual, collaborative environments.
Transformative Learning
Authors: Wang Viktor
Published: May 2011

Mention of transformative learning immediately reminds scholars and learners of its chief proponent, Jack Mezirow, who is Emeritus Professor of Adult and Continuing Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, Former Chairman, Department of Higher and Adult Education, and Director for Adult Education. It was Mezirow who popularized the theory of transformative learning in the early 1980s. Mezirow’s theory is such that individuals’ meaning perspectives are transformed through a process of construing and appropriating new or revised interpretations of the meaning of an experience as a guide to awareness, feeling, and action (Jarvis, 2002, p. 188). Later, scholars such as Cranton and King, expanded this theory of transformative learning by publishing two more books in this area. Cranton (1994) published a book titled Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning. King (2005) published another titled Bringing Transformative Learning to Life. Both books, including Mezirow’s original books, have greatly enhanced the theory in the field of adult learning.
Varieties of Authentic Assessment
Authors: Juneau Karen R.
Published: May 2011

The need for effective assessments has been recognized since the earliest days of public education. Student testing provides rationales and support for many activities, including instructional feedback, system monitoring, appropriate selection and placement of students, and certification of skills (U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1992). With the growing recognition that learning is an individual accomplishment and that learning takes place in context, traditional testing methods need to be supplemented to accurately assess achievement (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Eisner, 1999). Authentic assessments are designed to accurately reflect the real world situations in which the skills and knowledge that students developed would be applied. Although there are a variety of authentic assessment methods, each method encourages linkages between the classroom experience and real world applications. This does not mean that traditional forms of testing are obsolete, rather that these methods should be supplemented by information gathered from more situational methods.
Vygotsky and the Zone of Proximal Development
Authors: Gebhard Susan
Published: May 2011

Thinkers throughout history have surmised that humans exist most fully in communion with others. Learners mimic or model, read or reflect, and listen or lecture within a social context; therefore educational experiences,traditional or technology based,ought not to discount the interplay between shared experience, individual’s attitudes, and relational understandings. The theories of learning that emphasize this kind of interpersonal interaction, the necessity of collaboration and collegiality, a reliance on social reference points, and intentional modeling have had various nomenclatures (Rogoff & Lave, 1984). Vygotsky’s (1978) seminal work is commonly referred to as “social cognition” or “social constructivism.”
Approaches and Concepts to Restructuring Human Resources Management Functions
Authors: Wald Peter M. , Lang Rainhart
Published: May 2011

Nowadays, most human resources (HR) managers are confronted with cost pressure, the demand for offering “high-quality-HR services” and the necessity for strategic contributions (Hewitt, 2004). Human resource management (HRM) with its current structures and tools is often unable to completely fulfill these requirements. Therefore, a strong need for reorganization of HR as a function is obvious. In the last few years, many efforts have been undertaken by HRM practitioners to re-structure HRM at the level of organizations as reflected in surveys or case studies from leading firms. Examples can be found in Som (2003) and Fairbain (2005). Moreover, the restructuring of the HR function has been the subject of a broad discussion among scientists and researchers in the field of management (Becker & Huselid, 1999; Caldwell, 2003, 2004; Truss, Gratton, Hope-Hailey, Stiles, & Zaleska, 2002). It is remarkable that this discussion has mainly focused on the strategic role of HRM (Lawler III, 2005), and consultants in the practical field have particularly given advice to improve the quality of HR services (Hewitt, 2004; Towers Perrin, 2005). A more complex view on the restructuring of HRM is rarely to be found.
Assessing the Use of Internet in the Recruiting Process
Authors: Joia Luiz Antonio , Alves Silva José Antonio
Published: May 2011

The scope of this article is to conduct research into the influence of the Internet on processes of personnel recruitment, in light of the growing number of companies seeking to attract candidates for employment onto their staff and the enormous number of professionals who currently use this technology in their search for employment or professional placement. The exponential growth of the Internet in the world is a direct result of the technological facilities inherent to its usage and the fascination exerted by the richness and reach of information available on the Web (Evans & Wurster, 2000). Evans et al. (2000) refer to a basic law of the information economy: “There is a universal trade-off between richness and reach.” (p. 23) To the authors, “richness” signifies the quality of the information de- fined by the user: accuracy, bandwidth, currentness, personalization, interactivity, relevance, security, and so forth, while “reach” signifies the number of people who share and have access to this information. In the former industrial economy, it was only possible to share extremely detailed information with a mere handful of people. The old technology did not allow the same desired degree of richness and reach to be attained simultaneously. In the labor market, the concepts propounded by these authors may be used to good advantage, adding to what they refer to as “asymmetry of information.” By applying this concept to recruiting and taking the company as the interested party, one can see how Internet technology may harmonize the ability of companies in general in their search for professionals, with the impetus of qualified professionals seeking a new position or change in profession (Zambos & Salazar, 2001).