A University in the Digital World： Using Technologies for Learning and Management

The Internet penetrates deeply into the everyday life due to the availability of broadband networks and mobile devices. The widespread of the Internet, along with the development of innovative services, social networking, and tools （known as Web 2.0）, gives rise to the phenomenon of the digital world. A university striving not to be ＂an ivory tower＂ should meet the needs of the ＂Net Generation＂, prepare the graduates for professional work and life in the digital world and comply with the social demand for providing lifelong learning services, especially, in the vulnerable crisis times. MESI （Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics, and lnformatics） started implementing ICTs （information and communication technologies） both in the academic and administrative processes more than 15 years ago. Today, its unified e-learning environment allows rendering educational services to students of all levels and forms （both on-campus and off-campus） and 24 × 7 × 365 support （24 hours-7 days in a week-365 days in a year）. Information system for administration comprises electronic document management systems, students＇ records, and the results of their individual learning activities for the current, interim, and final assessment. The university management system empowers centralized management of its Moscow headquarters and branches, as well as regulation of teaching/learning process. Long-term development of education in Russia is directly dependent on large-scale introduction of e-learning tools, design and implementation of new methods of organization of educational process on its base, creating and using an appropriate electronic teaching and learning practices, and new approaches to the management of the education system and educational institutions.     

Education, for Life： Important Content in College Course of Politics and Ideology

生命教育最早由美国学者杰·唐纳·华特士于1968年提出,其缘起于深刻的主客观背景。已经引起了世界各国的广泛关注。当前我国各高校不断出现的在校大学生自杀现象。引起人们的深思：生命教育有待加强。生命教育应是高校思想政治教育的重要内容。但当前高校思想政治教育活动和相关课程对其体现不足。对此,我们需要在思想政治教育过程中探索种种必要的补救措施,借以推动高校校园的和谐。促进社会稳定。     

视频,在高中英语教学中的妙用

随着社会经济和科学技术的飞速发展,现代化多媒体手段以其独特的自身优势,越来越广泛地被应用于教学中,改善并提高着课堂的教学效率。《普通高中英语课程标准》中也同样指出:"教师要充分利用现代化教育技术,开发英语教学资源,拓展学生学习渠道,改进学生学习方法,提高学生的学习效率。"就我校的英语教学现状来看,一方面是由于学校大环境的影响,学校语言学习的氛围不足,教学水平落后,学生英语基础薄弱,学习积极性差;另一方面是由于教师教学方式的影响,教师"一言     

Usability design strategies for children： Developing children＇s learning and knowledge in decreasing their dental anxiety

This paper presents an example of how usability design strategies for children can be designed into educational material using CD-ROM based multimedia application for assisting parents and teachers to develop children＇s learning and knowledge in decreasing as well as motivate children aged 7-9 years old to reduce their anxious feelings towards dental treatment. In this paper, the authors provide usability design strategies for children in designing the information interfaces and presentation of a PMLE （persuasive multimedia learning environment）. PMLE is designed based on the six design categories of guidelines for children which have been applied to this study： general interaction, text, multimedia, navigation and search, graphical user interface and content. The results authors were able to on presenting this PMLE to 240 primary school children selected at random show how the decrease children＇s dental anxiety and motivate the children to get ready for dental visit.     

加拿大：课程改革走向“个性化”

随着信息通信技术的飞速发展和普遍应用,越来越多的儿童和青少年伴随互联网、移动电话和电脑游戏成长起来。因此,革新现有的教育体制,成为一些发达国家和地区的重要举措。为此,加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省近日推出了新的教育改革计划。作为教育改革的载体,课程成为该省教育部改革的重点。     

Cooperative learning as a correction and grammar revision technique： Communicative exchanges, self-correction rates and scores

This paper focuses on cooperative learning （CL） used as a correction and grammar revision technique and considers the data collected in six Italian parallel classes, three of which （sample classes） corrected mistakes and revised grammar through cooperative learning, while the other three （control classes） in a traditional way. All the classes involved in this study were in their first year of secondary school, and although most students had a level of English which was A2, they made a certain number of mistakes also in grammar topics like the present tense, which is the grammar topic under examination in this study. This paper analyses the sample students＇ communicative exchanges while they performed the error correction activity through CL, compares the self-correction rates reported by the two groups of students after the two types of correction and revision activities （traditional and through CL） and the students＇ scores in tests given to students one, four and eight weeks after the correction lessons. The aim of the study is establishing if the use of CL as a correction and grammar revision technique had a beneficial effect on the students who experienced it and in particular on the low achievers.     

University teachers＇ approaches to teaching and their pedagogical use of ICTs： A comparative case study of Finland,Japan and India

The purpose of this study was to explore what salient characteristics can be found in some university teachers＇ approaches to teaching in Finland, Japan and India, and in what ways university teachers in Finland, India and Japan use ICTs （information and communication technologies） in their own teaching. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate what ICT applications these same teachers use in their teaching. The data were collected via an electronic survey and interviews. The participants （N=21） were university teachers from Finland （N=8）, Japan （N=I0） and India （N=3）. Their approaches to teaching were explored by applying the ATI （approaches to teaching inventory） and its modified version focusing on the use of ICTs in teaching. The study reported in this paper was a pilot study, thus the results are based on the limited number of respondents. The ATI and ATI ICT subscales and ICT inventory applied in this study have been confirmed to be valid. The university teachers in Japan and Finland differed in their approaches to teaching： The Finnish teachers scored higher on the CCSF （conceptual change orientated, student-focused） approach to teaching than the Japanese teachers, while the Japanese teachers scored higher on the ITTF （information transmitting, teacher-focused） approach to teaching. Two Indian teachers were classified as having a teacher-focused approach to teaching, while the third was classified as having a student-focused approach to teaching. The teachers＇ differences in their use of ICTs related more to their disciplinary status than to their cultural background.     

Making Connections： Values,Challenges and Successes in the Implementation of Eportfolios in Teacher Education at a Community College in New York City

This paper triangulates perspectives on reflective pedagogy （Yancey, 2009）, integrative learning （Eynon, 2009） and technology integration into learning and teaching （Wenzlaff, 1998） in order to connect the dots among a set of values, challenges and opportunities that concomitantly emerge from using eportfolios （electronic portfolios） in teacher education at BMCC （Borough of Manhattan Community College） in New York City. The aim of this paper is to share insights that could help to inform and encourage best practices across community colleges and other higher education institutions.