Dual Pathways to Expression and Understanding: Canadian Coming-of-Age Graphic Novels

In this article, the authors examine three Canadian coming-of-age stories, written as graphic novels, and pay particular attention to how the images and print text come together in the telling of the narrative. This approach reinforces the notion that form and content cannot be separated in this medium. Drawing on examples from each of the graphic novels and the interviews with the graphic novelists who wrote them, the article explores the complexity of the coming-of-age theme in each graphic novel, as well as how print text and image converge to make meaning.     

Teaching and learning in digital environments: The resurgence of resource-based learning

The digital age has not simply changed the nature of resources and information; it has transformed several basic social and economic enterprises. Contemporary society—the settings where we live, work, and learn—has likewise changed dramatically. Both the amount of information and access to it have grown exponentially; a significant potential for using varied resources in numerous ways for instruction and learning has emerged. However, several issues related to the educational uses of varied resources (e.g., people, place, things, ideas) must be addressed if we are successfully to implement resource-based learning environments. In this paper, we trace the changing nature of resources and perspectives in their use for learning in the digital age, describe the overarching structures of resource-based learning environments, and identify key challenges to be addressed.     

Assessment of Phonological Awareness: Review of Methods and Tools

The importance of phonological awareness to the acquisition and development of reading skills is well documented. Recent attention to the critical nature of phonological awareness has highlighted the need for appropriate assessment tools. This article reviews the current state of phonological awareness assessment by examining norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and curriculum-based instruments available for practitioners' and researchers' use. Prior to discussing specific assessment types, additional information about phonological awareness is provided, including a definition of phonological awareness, an overview of the relationship of phonological awareness to reading ability, factors influencing what to assess, and an overview of the effectiveness of phonological awareness training. Information about specific assessment instruments include technical adequacy, intended use, and limitations. Implications for practice are presented.     

Flexible Learning Environments: Leveraging the Affordances of Flexible Delivery and Flexible Learning

The purpose of this article is to explore the key features of flexible learning environments (FLEs). Key principles associated with FLEs are explained. Underlying tenets and support mechanisms necessary for the implementation of FLEs are described. Similarities and differences in traditional learning and FLEs are explored. Finally, strategies and techniques for becoming a successful learner and facilitator in FLEs are presented.Initial ideas for this paper were generated after viewing a presentation created by Marie Jasinski, MindMedia, Douglas Mawson Institute, Adelaide, Australia ().Janette Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at The University of Georgia, Athens. She received her Ph.D. from The Florida State University in Instructional Systems. Dr. Hill's research focuses on online learning with adults, specifically exploring issues related to building community and connections with others in virtual environments. Dr. Hill can be reached at janette@uga.edu.     

Regional knowledge spillovers: Fact or artifact?

The explanation of different levels of innovation and their spatial distribution represents the central focus of the analysis. The empirical literature documents the incidence of spatial autocorrelation in patenting activities and interprets them as evidence for knowledge spillovers. Alternatively, the authors propose the spatial pattern of input variables in innovation processes as driving forces of patenting autocorrelation. They analyze 51 Nuts 1 regions in Europe and find that the high degree of spatial autocorrelation exhibited by patent applications can be explained comprehensively by the spatial location of the input factors in the knowledge production function. These are traditional indicators on R&D investments and human capital from Eurostat and proxy variables on social capital from the European Values Study. This finding has important implications for the scope of an autonomous regional innovation policy.