The Old and the New in the New Digital Literacies

Abstract

This article argues that both traditional literacy (reading and writing print) and new digital literacies (for example, playing video games) come in two grades or forms, one of which can lead to success in the modern world and one of which is less likely to do so. In both cases, the role of “academic” or “specialist” language is crucial in distinguishing between the two grades     

Shifting paradigms: Emerging issues for educational policy and practice

Abstract

Within the current national context of educational reform, educators are generating a new paradigm about teaching and learning. This shift is occurring as a consequence of rethinking nearly all aspects of schooling. The new paradigm is competing with, an older one. Time will tell whether or not the new one will replace the old one, but clearly they cannot coexist because they are so fundamentally different. The new paradigm is based on the latest research on cognitive developmental and constructivist theory, and the old paradigm is based on reductionist principles and behavioral theory.

This article creates a framework for understanding the paradigm shift, describes how the shift applies to instructional practices, synthesizes several principles and indicators that can guide the observation of teaching, and discusses issues yet to be resolved.     

The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse: A continuation of Finkelhor (1994)

ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper was to compare the prevalence rates of child sexual abuse reported by [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409–417] with those found in recent publications in order to confirm the widespread prevalence of child sexual abuse.MethodsRelevant articles about prevalence of child sexual abuse were identified through searches of computerized databases and a handsearch of Child Abuse & Neglect and the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse.ResultsThirty-eight independent articles were identified, corresponding to 39 prevalence studies; these articles report the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in 21 different countries, ranging from 0 to 53% for women and 0 to 60% for men.ConclusionsComparison of the present study with that of [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409–417] shows a similarity between prevalence distributions; there appears to be a general pattern that remains more or less constant over the years, especially in women.Practice implicationsTwelve years after the first revision study about the international prevalence of child sexual abuse, there is still a need for new data about this topic. The present study shows child sexual abuse is still a widespread problem in the society. In this research, carried out on 38 independent studies, there is new data for 21 countries over the world, being especially relevant the results obtained from other countries different from those pertaining to North America or Europe. It is important to point out the high prevalence found in most of the countries, so this information could be a new warning to make society and governments aware of this problem and undertake actions to prevent sexual abuse in childhood.     

Denying Traditional Senses: lessons about programme change

Abstract

Today, faculty are being challenged to rethink their course and programme offerings, and to bring them in line with the diverse needs of a new student population. In doing so, they are continually asked to confront their ‘traditional senses’ about teaching. This paper reports the struggles of faculty to build new notions about teachings, and learning styles and strategies as they recreated the real estate programme at Arizona State University. It then draws from their experience, certain lessons about programme change.     

Developing knowledge intensive ideas in engineering education: the application of camp methodology

Background: Globalization, technological advancement, environmental problems, etc. challenge organizations not just to consider cost-effectiveness, but also to develop new ideas in order to build competitive advantages. Hence, methods to deliberately enhance creativity and facilitate its processes of development must also play a central role in engineering education. However, so far the engineering education literature provides little attention to the important discussion of how to develop knowledge intensive ideas based on creativity methods and concepts.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate how to design creative camps from which knowledge intensive ideas can unfold.

Design/method/sample: A framework on integration of creativity and knowledge intensity is first developed, and then tested through the planning, execution and evaluation of a specialized creativity camp with focus on supply chain management. Detailed documentation of the learning processes of the participating 49 engineering and business students is developed through repeated interviews during the process as well as a survey.

Results: The research illustrates the process of development of ideas, and how the participants through interdisciplinary collaboration, cognitive flexibility and joint ownership develop highly innovative and knowledge-intensive ideas, with direct relevance for the four companies whose problems they address.

Conclusions: The article demonstrates how the creativity camp methodology holds the potential of combining advanced academic knowledge and creativity, to produce knowledge intensive ideas, when the design is based on ideas of experiential learning as well as creativity principles. This makes the method a highly relevant learning approach for engineering students in the search for skills to both develop and implement innovative ideas.     

Ethical reconstruction of citizenship: A proposal between the intimate self and the public sphere

ABSTRACT

When, in societies today, civic commitment decreases, there is a call for the need to strengthen citizenship education, identified uniquely with its public dimension and, on the other hand, the requirement for character education has been advocated, which is a cultivator of the most strictly private dimension. Setting out from the recognition of the new social conditions, mediated by the phenomenon of globalisation and of the place that people have in these new contexts, we ask ourselves about the new profile which the construction of citizenship must adopt. We endeavor to show that the moral dimension is the core of reconsidering the link between the private and the public, so it would currently be meaningless to propose an education of citizenship exclusively focused on its public dimension.     

Teaching on the internet: Lessons learned from a substantive criminal law class

Universities across the United States offer classes taught entirely over the Internet. Teaching with this medium, however, is still relatively new so faculty and administrators need to understand the salient issues that attend to course offerings in a “virtual classroom.” This paper discusses the benefits and challenges that arose when a Substantive Criminal Law course was developed and taught on the Internet in the Fall of 1997. Pedagogical and technical issues that arose during the development and implementation of the course are addressed. Policy recommendations are also suggested.     

No More Silos: Animating Integrated Health and Behavioral Health Care Practices in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

Over the last decade, there has been increased momentum to bring the worlds of physical and behavioral health care together. Instead of social work education simply reacting to this change, it is imperative that we be proactive and prepare students to be “multilingual,” that is, be able to speak and function in both the worlds of health and mental health so they can move seamlessly into the new world of integrated care. The purpose of this article is to explore curricular and pedagogical strategies needed to prepare graduate social work students for the coming shift in practice toward integrated health and mental health care.     

Rapid Prototyping as a Faculty‐Wide Activity: An Innovative Approach to the Redesign of Courses and Instructional Methods at the University of Twente

Abstract

At the Faculty of Educational Science and Technology (Toegepaste Onderwijskunde, T.O.) of the University of Twente a revolutionary process of institutional change is occurring. Under the banner of C@MPUS+, we have made a commitment to blend the best of our old values of good teaching and an attractive campus life with new didactics and advanced technologies so that we can extend our already unique curriculum and instructional practice over distance and time, as well as enrich it.     

Monitors and moralists: the Lancasterian system of mutual education and the vision of a new moral order in Spanish America, 1818–1831

ABSTRACT

Spanish American independence leaders acted as both monitors and moralists for their emerging nations. Their adoption of the Lancasterian monitorial school system, along with their efforts to legislate new republican moral codes, revealed the contradictions that led to the failure of so many of that idealistic generation’s dreams. They could not broaden literacy without opening avenues of expression to those new voices and thereby relinquishing some measure of control. They could not make a place for lower classes, women or indigenous people in their programmes and rhetoric, without jeopardising their own privileged position. They could not quite determine how to encourage individual freedom while maintaining public order. The widespread introduction of the Lancasterian monitorial school system along with new moral codes for behaviour suggests that these elites had a revolutionary plan to refashion their society, but were also deeply conservative in their desire to make the rest of the citizenry more like themselves.     

‘Make money,get money’: how two autonomous schools have commercialised their services

ABSTRACT

Using the stories of two autonomous public schools in Australia, this paper demonstrates how commercialisation can simultaneously position schools as both consumer and for-profit producer. Drawing on Foucault's articulation of discourse as that which constitutes and makes available what is possible to be said, done and imagined, the paper illustrates how the current marketised articulation of education is allowing for new possibilities of commercialisation in schools. Together these stories demonstrate that there are creative ways that these schools have embraced their autonomy, while relying on market solutions to acquire the resources they deem necessary for their students and their communities. However, it also shows how these resources and the attainment for them are inextricably constituted by the market orientation of education more broadly and how this presents potential dangers for what schools may be and become as a result.     

Digital Ethics in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Attention has been given to the revised National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics that guides social worker use of technology. The revision of the NASW Code of Ethics has signaled a transition in the profession toward ethical online practice using modern techniques and contemporary tools. Practicing social workers are applying these new ethical standards, and many social work educators are doing so when using information and communication technologies with students. However, little research focuses on teaching social work students about digital ethics and professional online conduct. This paper explores the importance of preparing social work students for ethical online behavior.     

‘I’ as Maxime ‐ Some Thoughts on the Pedagogical and Therapeutic Use of Audio‐Visual Media

Abstract

It is not a new idea to use audio‐visual media towards therapeutic ends. This paper, acknowledging Aristotle's theory on the purgative virtues of art, also traces contemporary theorists vis‐a‐vis research conducted between 1926 and 1971. Having done so, the author relates this research, through the use of a case study, to the use of alternative audio‐visual materials as applied in the therapeutic sense. It is concluded that the use of audio‐visual materials and methods can offer great potential to the therapist willing to include them in treating patients.     

Management: Value chain analysis: A framework for management of distance education

Abstract

This article presents a legal analysis of the application of copyright law to distance education environments, particularly as it applies to Web‐based instruction and the construction of electronic reserves, or so‐called virtual libraries. The author argues that revision of copyright law to allow for the reproduction, display, and performance of works in these settings is consistent with national policy and existing and developing copyright law. The dangers of moving toward a schema of universal or compulsory licensing of information products and services are also explored. Finally, the author suggests several possible components that new legislation or “fair use” guidelines might include.     

That’s Not For Our Kids: The strange death of philosophy and ethics in a low socioeconomic secondary school

Abstract

This article reflects on the successes and failures of a new Philosophy and Ethics course in a low socioeconomic context in Perth, Western Australia, with the eventual demise of the subject in the school at the end of 2010. We frame this reflection within Deleuzian notions of geophilosophy to advocate for a Philosophy and Ethics that is informed by nomadic thought, as this offers a critical freedom for students to transform themselves and their society and suggests practical ways both of overcoming the prejudices which led to its demise and of student reluctance to engage in open discussion in class. We consider the demise of the course a ‘missed opportunity’ because it had so much potential to be transformative of student subjectivities in schools.     

Low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound ameliorates angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibrosis by alleviating inflammation via a caveolin-1-dependent pathway

ObjectiveCardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis are major pathological manifestations observed in left ventricular remodeling induced by angiotensin II (AngII). Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been reported to ameliorate cardiac dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis in myocardial infarction (MI) through mechano-transduction and its downstream pathways. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether LIPUS could exert a protective effect by ameliorating AngII-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and if so, to further elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms.MethodsWe used AngII to mimic animal and cell culture models of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. LIPUS irradiation was applied in vivo for 20 min every 2 d from one week before mini-pump implantation to four weeks after mini-pump implantation, and in vitro for 20 min on each of two occasions 6 h apart. Cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis levels were then evaluated by echocardiographic, histopathological, and molecular biological methods.ResultsOur results showed that LIPUS could ameliorate left ventricular remodeling in vivo and cardiac fibrosis in vitro by reducing AngII-induced release of inflammatory cytokines, but the protective effects on cardiac hypertrophy were limited in vitro. Given that LIPUS increased the expression of caveolin-1 in response to mechanical stimulation, we inhibited caveolin-1 activity with pyrazolopyrimidine 2 (pp2) in vivo and in vitro. LIPUS-induced downregulation of inflammation was reversed and the anti-fibrotic effects of LIPUS were absent.ConclusionsThese results indicated that LIPUS could ameliorate AngII-induced cardiac fibrosis by alleviating inflammation via a caveolin-1-dependent pathway, providing new insights for the development of novel therapeutic apparatus in clinical practice.     

Peer learning using asynchronous discussion systems in distance education

One important area to consider in a contemporary, open distance-learning course which incorporates technology, is the human-technology interface encapsulated in the human-computer interface (HCI). It is normally expected that development of a course will be founded in sound educational theory and that enactment of this theory, together with HCI theory, will have implications for student cognition, attitudes, interaction, access to knowledge and individualisation. HCI theory also informs the teaching strategies employed. It is argued that so important are these considerations, a new framework for evaluation of open distance-education courses involving technology must be devised. It is hoped that, by highlighting this aspect of contemporary education, evaluation will lead to improved interfaces and resultant improved learning by the students.     

From unbundling to market making: reimagining,reassembling and reinventing the public university

ABSTRACT

In Britain and New Zealand the neoliberal assault on universities has shifted from new public management and funding models to the special status of the public university. The project aims to complete neoliberal business initiated 25 years ago by more fully marketising and financialising universities, starting with ‘unbundling’ and outsourcing and culminating in new forms of privatisation, rent-extraction and rebundling. This paper analyses two documents commissioned beyond government to create political momentum for this project: Avalanche is Coming and The University of the Future. These both capture the zeitgeist of reform while simultaneously creating the university futures that they portend. We examine the market-making work they perform in reimagining and reinventing universities ahead of policy reform. We argue that claims made to support fundamental restructuring of public universities lack substance or evidence. Rather, each is underpinned by different configurations of ideology and self-interest that together envelope universities in new agendas of marketisation, financialisation and privatisation. We suggest that in this latest restructuring of public universities critics should pay more attention to the work of consultancies and think tanks alongside the micro-details of market making. By doing so, they too might reimagine public universities, but for a different political project.     

Bachelor‐master programmes in the netherlands and Germany

Abstract

This article compares the results of the implementation of the new bachelor‐master system in the Netherlands and Germany. The Bologna Process presents the common European context for this reform process. However, the respective national contexts differ, and so do the actual implementation processes and the emerging outcomes. For each of the two countries, a limited number of aspects of the reforms that emerged as most relevant are highlighted. In the final section, some commonalities and differences are discussed. The former mainly concern the characteristics of the binary system in both countries and the introduction of accreditation in relation to the bachelor‐master system. With respect to the latter, the implementation strategy and the funding conditions are most strikingly different, related to the fact that in Germany the new system is implemented in parallel with the existing system, whereas in the Netherlands the new system will replace the existing one.     

The End of Expansion and the Consolidation of Differentiation in English Higher Education

Abstract

Following systems theory to distinguish between cultural and occupational information, this paper reviews the history of English higher education to show the predominance of cultural over occupational transmission in the messages communicated to its students. Despite its formal commitment to vocational purposes, recent expansion of further and higher continuing education (F&HCE) is suggested to have had more to do with cultural than occupational transmission. For a process of class recomposition potentiated by new technology has eroded traditional social divisions between manual and non‐manual labour. Together with mass un‐and under‐employment, this posed a legitimacy crisis for the state to which it responded with new forms of ‘selectivity’ (Offe, 1974) based upon educational credentials (Broadfoot, 1996). In conclusion however, it is suggested that with the consolidation of the new class formation this expansion of F&HCE has halted and will not be restarted by Dearing's 1997 contradictory attempt to do so.