The library cooperative OCLC recently ran a conference at the University of Pennsylvania for academic librarians entitled, “MOOCs and Libraries: Massive Opportunity or Overwhelming Challenge?”  and the Chronicle of HIgher Education was there to report on this convening. In this article, the Chronicle points to one librarian from Duke University who mentioned that the popularity of MOOCs has caught people by surprise. Additionally, “She’s been hearing from instructors that ‘the…

Reshaping Learning, edited by Ronghuai Huang, Kinshuk, and J. Michael Spector, presents selected papers from distinguished experts and professors in learning technologies and related fields, all of them pioneers with innovative approaches to the development of learning technologies. This book will address the main issues concerned with current trends in and the future development of learning processes, innovative pedagogies, the effects of new technologies on education.

In Explaining Inequalities in School Achievement, author Roy Nash argues that a realist framework for the sociological explanation of educational group differences can, and must be, constructed. A move to such an explanatory framework will allow society to take into account the social influences of early-childhood development, the later emergence of social identities, and the nature of the social class impact of educational and career decision making. By building on the critical…

The monumental growth in technology has affected children’s attention, motivation, and the way they learn developmentally forever. The Grassroots Guide to Primary ICT by Jon Audain explores ways of usng ICT to improve creativity, motivation, and efficiency in the classroom and within the school community. As well as offering plenty of advice to practitioners at all levels of experience and seniority on how to use ICT most effectively, this book gives guidance on…

Providing models of exemplary use and the latest research, Educational Leadership and Technology by Virginia Garland and Chester Tadeja reveals the transformational power of emerging technologies to improve student learning, and explores how leaders can bring about this technology integration. This book provides an overview of roles and strategies expected of effective school leaders, as well as some of the complex issues they face. The authors offer a critical analysis of today’s emerging technology…

Exploring the latest developments in the technology and pedagogy of higher education, Technological Advances in Interactive Collaborative Learning, edited by Nia Alexandrov, Raul Ramirez Velarde, and Vassil Alexandrov, presents information technology-oriented educational programs for the next generation of scientists and researchers. It highlights the importance of technology, pedagogy, and management in the higher-education ecosystem. With a focus on technological innovations, the book explains how Web 2.0 technologies can enhance collaborative learning, and how immersive…

In Education 3.0: Seven Steps to Better Schools, renowned educator and technology expert Jim Lengel provides a refreshing and hopeful picture of what schools should look like, including a groundbreaking seven-step process for envisioning and building them that draws on the full possibilities offered by new digital technologies. Describing the process in action through the eyes of a student, a teacher, and a school leader, Lengel includes an array of tools…

There has been growing talk about the “crisis” in higher education. Politicians are calling for major overhauls of both public and private colleges. Tuition is still outpacing inflation even in the face of a tsunami of bad press. The public is rapidly losing confidence in the ability of higher education to provide the tools today’s students require. In The Idea of the Digital University, authors Frank Bryce McCluskey and Melanie Lynn…