In an age of user-generated content, multimedia sharing sites, and customized news aggregators, an assortment of Internet-based social interaction technologies transforms the Web and its users. A quintessential embodiment of social interaction technologies, blogs are widely used by people across diverse geographies to locate information, create and share content, initiate conversations, and collaborate and interact with others in various settings. This chapter surveys the global blogosphere landscape for the latest trends and developments in order to evaluate the overall direction that blogging might take in the future. The author posits that network-based peer production and social media convergence are the driving forces behind the current transformation of blogs. The participatory and inclusive nature of social interaction technologies makes blogging a medium of choice for disseminating user-driven content and particularly suitable for bottom-up grassroots initiatives, creativity, and innovation.
Recent advances in computing, digital video cameras, and video editing software have shattered the "video mystique" and turned digital video into a routine teaching tool on a par with PowerPoint. However, widespread adoption of digital video in the classroom is yet to be seen, with the lack of pedagogical approaches as one of the major reasons. Active learning, an instructional strategy characterized by a high degree of student involvement in the learning process and active engagement with the material, provides a useful approach for integrating digital video in college courses. This study evaluates the use of student-produced digital video as an active learning tool, and suggests pedagogical approaches for integrating digital video assignments in the college classroom.
This study focuses on assessment, an essential component of teaching and learning. It examines the usability of online quizzes and determines what features of Blackboard-based testing are most beneficial from a student perspective. A survey of 395 students provides new insights that can help teachers, administrators, course providers, trainers, and instructional technology specialists make informed choices in developing and implementing online assessments. The author concludes that instructors should move away from the “one-size-fits-all” approach towards flexible, learner-centered models.
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