Volume 3 - issue 3 - 2007

Editorial volume 3 - issue 3: The future of the Learning Management System

Time Magazine argued in 2006 that the person of the year truly was “You”. editorial3-3

This was in deed a significant gesture to the fact that digital technologies change the way people interact and live their lives. What made “You” a candidate for “Person of the year”, was that the development of the Internet had made it possible for anyone to publish and express your personality on the Web; or rather of “Web 2.0”.

In 2007, the notion of “Web 2.0” has been on headlines for many conferences and conventions, articles and in the news. While some enthusiasts already prepare for the developments of “Web 3.0”, most people face the challenge of trying to grapple with how new technological changes affect their everyday life in the present tense. So, if “You” was the person of the year in 2006, Web 2.0 was the technology of the year in 2007. And then again, the notion of what consequences Web 2.0 might have for teaching and learning in the area of higher education, lifelong learning and adult education will be raised in numerous contexts.

Developing a Virtual Book - Material for Virtual Learning Environments

In this article, Anne Karin Larsen, Grete Oline Hole and Morten Fahlvik explain the development of, and experiences with, educational resources based on a “Virtual Book” concept. Students from 11 European countries participated in the project. Based on theories of composite texts and community of inquiry, the article examines how the produced material contributed to the learning process, with a particular focus on the e-learning framework. The authors work at Bergen University College in Norway.

From the left: Anne Karin Larsen, Grete Oline Hole and Morten Fahlvik.

Shaping or shaking the learning network?

Insights into teaching practices using Virtual Learning Environments

Laurence Habib and Monica Johannesen raise a pertinent question about how the introduction of a Virtual Learning Environment affects students, administration and teachers. Their analytical angle offer a framwork to see how critical and creative users might push the limits of for what is possible. They apply Actor-Network theory in understanding the organisational and pedagogical effects of using the VLE, they offer us a dynamic interpretations on how the various actors shape and shake assumptions and limits of its use. Laurence Habib and Monica Johannesen work at Oslo University College.

Monica Johannesen (left) and Laurence Habib.

-And twelve months later, we are still waiting-:

Insights into teaching and use of ICT in rural and remote Australian schools

In this article Neil Anderson, Carolyn Timms and Lyn Courtney of James Cook University, Australia, address the rural/urban distinction in a complex project, investigated in several aspects. There is evidence for claiming that students in rural areas take up ICT to a lesser degree than in metropolitan areas. They found that Rural/ Remote Takers were more likely to perceive ICT subjects as boring than their metropolitan counterparts. They also found that Rural/Remote Non takers were more likely to report that they did not have access to a home computer. This is a significant set of findings that should alarm policymakers and educational administrators. There are good reasons to believe this will be the case in many other countries.

From the left: Ms Lyn Courtney, Professor Neil Anderson, Professor Colin Lankshear (key researcher in the ARC study) and Ms Carolyn Timms.