This is the November 2011 call for papers for a Special Issue of Research in Learning Technology, the Journal of the Association for Learning Technology (Volume 20, Number 4).

*Disclaimer: I am on the Journal’s Editorial Board

Guest Editors

Jane Seale, Professor of Education, Plymouth University, UK

William Dutton, Professor of Internet Studies, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK

Deadlines

Abstracts can be submitted to Jane Seale for informal feedback until 1 March 2012.

Papers should be submitted via the online submission system by 1 May 2012. The new online submission system will open in January 2012 and further information is available here.

The Special Issue will be published in autumn 2012.

Call Summary

Digital inequities relating to socioeconomic status, income, level of education, ethnicity, gender, age, connectivity and geography are still affecting levels of access to technology for all kinds of people. Digital inclusion research therefore has a role to play in providing explanations and solutions to these inequities. This call for papers on digital inclusion and learning aims to sharpen our focus on what is known and unknown about digital inclusion in the context of learning, learners and education. Our conceptualisation of digital inclusion encompasses a wide range of technologies, learners and learning contexts.

We are seeking articles that can inform digital inclusion practice, policy or research. A variety of papers will be considered, including empirical, review and discussion papers. Of particular interest are papers that offer conceptual, methodological and analytical rigour. We welcome papers that are multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary in nature. No particular method or theory will be privileged in this special issue, but we do expect all accepted papers to critically engage with the complexity of the concept of digital inclusion. In particular, we welcome papers that seek to challenge common assumptions or widely accepted positions in the field of digital inclusion.

Call Detail

Research in the field of digital inclusion, particularly that which has focused on documenting the “digital divide”, has probably done a good job at increasing understanding of differences and inequities. Both large scale and small scale surveys have shown continuing demographic gaps with socioeconomic status, income, level of education, ethnicity, gender, age, connectivity and geography all consistently found to affect levels of access to technology. There is little basis, therefore, for being complacent about digital inequalities. Whilst we know that inequities exist, there are a number of things we still do not know much about and to which future digital inclusion research could usefully contribute. A number of research challenges exist including:

• developing a conceptual framework that broadens our understanding of the complexity of digital exclusion and captures a wide range of inclusion-related opportunities, processes and outcomes;
• developing methods that enable us to directly capture and get to the heart of the experience of the digitally excluded/included;
• learning from existing individual and collective digital inclusion practice(s) in order to understand why sometimes technology related opportunities are not taken up, or inclusion outcomes don’t change.

These challenges will require digital inclusion research to elicit new data; to find new ways of getting this data or to aggregate data that already exists; and to do something useful with the data once it has been obtained. To meet these challenges, digital inclusion research will need to jump two hurdles. The first hurdle is that of being bold enough to step outside of current traditions in digital divide/inclusion research, if required, in order to collect and analyse data in different ways and consequently transform understanding. The second hurdle is that of being sufficiently robust and systematic in order to provide the necessary evidence of success (or failure) that persuades relevant key stakeholders to take transformative action.

These challenges are particularly pertinent for digital inclusion researchers working in learning and education contexts.  The role for formal or informal learning in promoting digital inclusion could be described as essentially one of increasing the social capital of the digitally excluded; where social capital is understood as access, ability to use and desire to use technology. This role is not unproblematic and consideration of the role education might play raises important questions about whether education is reaching or can reach all those digitally excluded learners that “need” to be reached; how education can help learners make informed choices about technology access and use, including the choice to be digitally disengaged and the extent to which educating the digitally excluded leads to both genuine digital and social inclusion.

This call for papers on digital inclusion and learning aims to sharpen our focus on what is known and unknown about digital inclusion in the context of learning, learners and education. For the purpose of this special issue we are scoping digital inclusion in the following ways:

Technologies

We are interested in articles that focus on any kind of technology that assists learning in some way, for example: the Internet and the plethora of free content-services to which it provides access; VLEs; games; mobile and personal technologies; assistive technologies and social networking technologies. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

• To what extent do we need to design and develop new technologies capable of enhancing the digital inclusion of learners, or do we simply need to use current technologies in more creative and adaptive ways?
• How do technologies mediate a learners’ relationship with their learning environments and wider society?
• What prevents learners from accessing and using technologies in ways that might contribute to inclusive learning experiences?

Learners

We are interested in articles that address the learning experiences and opportunities of adults, children or young people with a specific focus on any individuals, groups or communities that are considered to be disadvantaged or marginalized in some way; where technologies might play a role in promoting inclusion. In education, digital inclusion is often talked about in the context of disability; but we are keen to expand discussions to other equally important, but perhaps less visible or acknowledged learners, for example looked after children, prisoners, travellers or those living in areas where power and connectivity present significant barriers. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

• Who should the recipients of digital inclusion focused education programmes be?
• Do we know which learners are more or less likely to be digitally excluded in educational contexts? There is a lot of data about digitally excluded people in the wider society, is there equivalent data in educational contexts? What does this information tell us and what is missing?
• Can education reach all those digitally excluded learners that “need” to be reached?

Learning and education

We are interested in articles that focus on either formal or informal learning; accredited or unaccredited learning in a variety of settings and contexts for example: schools, colleges, universities, libraries, community centres, hospitals, Internet cafes and homes. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

• To what extent can educating the digitally excluded lead to both genuine digital and social inclusion?
• Can education truly enable learners to take matters into their own hands and exert control and choice over their technology use?
• How can education systems and educators influence desire to use technology in those identified as non-users?
• How do we avoid a new digital divide between people who have the power to manipulate their learning and those who, because they do not understand the potential of technology supported learning, cannot?
• Are there limits or boundaries with regards to our commitment to transform the learning places and spaces where digital exclusion exists?

Research

We are interested in articles that seek to advance digital inclusion research in two very specific ways: Firstly in terms of describing and evaluating new methodologies for researching the value and impact of technologies on the learning lives and experiences of disadvantaged learners. Secondly in terms of contributing to a richer and more developed theorisation of digital inclusion in the context of learning and education; which offers fuller insights into why and how learners are digitally excluded and why some digital inclusion projects and practices are more successful than others. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

• Are the current methods and theories employed by digital inclusion researchers sufficiently rigorous and creative to enable new insights and knowledge to be gained about how to reduce the digital exclusion of learners?
• In order to embrace the complexity of the experience and impact of digital exclusion on learners, will digital inclusion researchers be required to develop a different more reflexive and dialogic relationship with learners and teachers?

Policy

We are interested in articles that examine how digital inclusion related policies, laws, standards and guidelines influence and inform practice in learning contexts or evaluate the extent to which digital inclusion research informs the policy making decisions of funders and other key stakeholders. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

• Is digital inclusion related policy sufficiently long-sighted, flexible or creative to enable or support genuine and meaningful transformation for learners?
• To what extent are the aims and goals of digital inclusion policy at conflict with the aims and goals of those learners identified as “at risk” of digital exclusion?

Practice

We are interested in articles that seek to engage with the question of whether it is possible or desirable to identify “best practice” with regards to digital inclusion and the extent to which that practice can be meaningfully evaluated to provide evidence for “successful” outcomes. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

Is it helpful for practitioners (e.g. teachers, youth workers; social care staff) to be given digital inclusion guidelines and recommendations?

How can practitioners prove that their use of technologies with learners has had a beneficial outcome in ways that are meaningful to learners and sensitive to the contexts in which technologies are being employed?

• In what ways can we usefully learn about/from the existing practices of users/learners?
• What is the best way to develop and support the digital inclusion practice of teachers particularly in relation to taking risks and tolerating occasional failures?
• Do the different digital inclusion practices that exist have to be aligned or reconciled, if so, how might this be achieved?
• Does the search for “best” digital inclusion practice merely create new divides or divisions?

Types of papers

A variety of papers will be considered, including empirical, review and discussion papers. Of particular interest are papers that offer conceptual, methodological and analytical rigour; and make a contribution to knowledge in one of the following ways:

• Provide unique insights into the impact of technologies on the learning lives and experiences of disadvantaged or marginalised individuals, groups or communities;
• Describe and evaluate digital inclusion experiences or practices, informed by a particular methodological or theoretical approach;
• Contribute to debates about the best or most meaningful outcomes to use to demonstrate to a range of stakeholders that inclusive technologies have had a positive impact;
• Describe and evaluate the design, development and implementation of new inclusive technologies;
• Critique the role of theory in digital inclusion research, policy or practice;
• Critically review current digital inclusion research, policy or practice literature and identify gaps in knowledge or areas that are weak and need further development in terms of evidence, methods or theory.

The digital inclusion and learning field is both multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary and we welcome therefore papers that represent the range of cognate disciplines, for example education; psychology, sociology, computer science; media studies; social policy, library and information sciences; law and economics. No particular method or theory will be privileged in this special issue, but we do expect all accepted papers to critically engage with the complexity of the concept of digital inclusion. In particular, we welcome papers that seek to challenge common assumptions or widely accepted positions in the field of digital inclusion.

About the Guest Editors

Jane Seale is Professor of Education at Plymouth University. She has undertaken a number of key national co-ordination and leadership roles in the field of e-learning and research including President of the Association for Learning Technology and Co-Director of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods. Jane’s research operates at the intersection of education, technology and disability and she has over 20 years of experience examining the role of technology in promoting inclusion, particularly for those with learning disabilities. Her 2006 book “E-learning and Disability in Higher Education: Accessibility Research and Practice” is in over 450 libraries world-wide. Currently Jane is convenor of the TLRP Technology Enhanced Learning Digital Inclusion Forum and has produced a commentary which reviews current digital inclusion research and practice literature.

William Dutton is Professor of Internet Studies at the Oxford Internet Institute, Universityof Oxford, Fellow of Balliol College, and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Southern California. In the UK, he was a Fulbright Scholar 1986-87, was National Director of the UK’s Programme on Information and Communication Technologies (PICT) from 1993 to 1996, and founding director of the OII during its first decade, for which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Professor Dutton is Principal Investigator of the Oxford e-Social Science Project (OeSS), supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, and Principal Investigator of the Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS), a key resource on the use and impact of the Internet in Britain, that is one component of the World Internet Project, an international collaboration comprising over 20 nations. His concept of the ‘Fifth Estate’ has created a new research project and a book in progress. His service includes chairing the Advisory Committee for Englandof the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom), and participating on the Innovation Committee of NHS Direct.

Submission and review process

The submission of abstracts for informal feedback is encouraged. They can be sent directly to Jane Seale until 1 March 2012.

Full papers must be submitted according to the journal’s Instructions for Authors.

Papers should be submitted via the online submission system by 1 May 2012.

Papers received will undergo double blind peer review and authors will receive feedback and where appropriate, an opportunity to revise their paper. An additional round of reviewing is sometimes used to encourage authors to improve their paper, either for this special issue, or a subsequent issue of Research in Learning Technology.

For other queries and guidance relating to the call please contact the Special Issue Editors:

Jane Seale: jane.seale@plymouth.ac.uk

William Dutton: william.dutton@oii.ox.ac.uk

Further information about the Journal can be found in the Publications and Resources section of the website.

See below for a call for paper submissions for a Special Issue of Research in Learning Technology, the Journal of the Association for Learning Technology (disclosure: I serve on the editorial board)

Theory in Learning Technology

Guest Editors
Chris Jones – c.r.jones@open.ac.uk
Laura Czerniewicz – lauraczerniewicz@gmail.com

Deadlines
Abstracts can be submitted to either of the guest editors for informal feedback until 1 December 2010.
Papers should be submitted via the Manuscript Central online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/calt before 31 January 2011.

The call
This call for papers on theoretical approaches in digitally-mediated environments aims to investigate and develop the conceptualisation of theory in the field of learning technology. Theory can be contrasted with practice and is often associated with the particular forms of research given value by higher education institutions. Technology is constantly changing and yet theory aims to stabilise and order change so that a degree of permanence is introduced into this sea of change.
In this special issue, we wish to attract papers which consider theory from a wide range of perspectives including the relationship of theory with practice, with empirical research, and with both traditional forms of scholarship and newer claims for digital scholarship. Questions for consideration include the following: How can practice inform theory? How can theory help to design, choose and use technology appropriately? How does empirical research inform theory? What is the role of theory in the development of empirical research? How is technology changing our relationship to knowledge? We are also interested in receiving papers that consider the ways in which changes in technology can drive an atheoretical chase for the novel and the new.

Research and scholarship in learning technology are most commonly served by the disciplines of psychology, sociology and philosophy. Psychology has had a central position because it has provided theories of learning and theorists who have proved important to the field (e.g. Piaget and Bruner). More recently, social theories of learning with roots in sociology and anthropology have provided an important challenge and complement to psychologically-based theories (e.g. Engeström, Lave and Wenger). Furthermore, alongside theoretical approaches to understanding learning, theory has also considered the roles of context, such as generational, societal, political and intercultural differences.

How well do current theories serve the field? Are existing theoretical approaches robust, even as the technology changes rapidly? How do new areas of research affect the work we do? We are interested both in papers that use existing theoretical approaches and those which develop new approaches from diverse fields to underpin and inform the study of learning technology.

The Boyer Commission suggested there are four types of scholarship: discovery, application, integration and teaching with the first being most closely aligned with traditional notions of research. In a field which has a practical and applied focus, what is the role of theory in the scholarships of application and integration, bearing in mind, that such forms of scholarship are not one way? The process of applying knowledge to specific problems gives rise to new understanding and can in itself define a research agenda. We are interested in papers which explore the relationship between theory and scholarship, including new forms of digital scholarship in our field. Indeed, the field of learning technology also needs to engage with new ways of conducting and sharing research.
The aim in this special issue is to bring together popular and less known theoretical approaches and assess their value to the study of learning technology. We see clearly articulated theoretical frameworks as essential to the study of learning technology and the further advancement of the field. We hope that this issue will acknowledge and bring together researchers from diverse fields of specialization and guide their future research. In particular, the papers in this issue should demonstrate how a consideration of theory can contribute to a better understanding of the nature of the problems we face, deepen knowledge to be shared across contexts, contribute to methods of investigating emerging technology, and ultimately improve both policy and practice.

Types of papers
With these issues as a springboard, we welcome papers in a variety of formats including:

• considerations of the general role of theory in learning technology;
• considerations of particular theories and their contributions to learning technology;
• critiques of the role of theory in learning technology policy, practice or research; or
• case studies of innovative practice informed by a particular theoretical approach.

About the Guest Editors
Chris Jones is a Reader in the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University (UK). He is co-editor of the books Analysing Networked Learning Practices in Higher Education and Continuing Professional Development and Networked Learning: Perspectives and Issues. He has recently completed a two-year research council funded project The Net Generation encounter e-learning at university and co-edited with Laura Czerniewicz a recent edition of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning on the same subject.
Laura Czerniewicz is an Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Educational Technology at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She has an interest in the epistemological nature of the field itself. For the past seven years she has lead a multi-phased project on digitally-mediated student practices, and has co-published widely on the project findings. Theoretically she has found Bourdieu, Bernstein and Archer useful to frame her research investigations.

Submission process and timetable
The submission of abstracts for informal feedback is encouraged. They can be sent directly to guest editors until 1 December 2010.
Full papers must be submitted according to the journal’s Instructions for Authors.
Papers should be submitted via the Manuscript Central online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/calt before 31 January 2011.
Papers received will undergo peer review and authors will receive feedback and where appropriate, an opportunity to revise their paper. An additional round of reviewing is sometimes used to encourage authors to improve their paper, either for this special issue, or a subsequent issue of Research in Learning Technology.

Disclosure: Please note that I am on the editorial advisory board for this book with regards to my pedagogical agent work)

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS (pdf document)

Proposal Submission Deadline: December 16, 2009

Conversational Agents and Natural Language Interaction: Techniques and Effective

Practices

A book edited by Dr. Diana Perez-Marin and Dr. Ismael Pascual-Nieto Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain

Introduction

Human-Computer Interaction can be understood as two potent information processors (a human and a computer) trying to communicate with each other using a highly restricted interface. Natural Language (NL) Interaction, that is, to let the users express in natural language could be the solution to improve the communication between human and computers. Conversational agents exploit NL technologies to engage users in text-based informationseeking and task-oriented dialogs for a broad range of applications such as e-commerce, help desk, Web site navigation, personalized service, and education.

The benefits of agent expressiveness have been highlighted both for verbal expressiveness and for non-verbal expressiveness. On the other hand, there are also studies indicating that when using conversational agents mixed results can appear. These studies reveal the need to review the research in a field with a promising future and a great impact in the area of Human-Computer Interaction.

Objective of the Book

The main objective of the book is to identify the most effective practices when using conversational agents for different applications. Some secondary objectives to fulfill the main goal are:

- To gather a comprehensive number of experiences in which conversational agents have been used for different applications

- To review the current techniques which are being used to design conversational agents

- To encourage authors to publish not only successful results, but also unsuccessful results and a discussion of the reasons that may have caused them

Target Audience

The proposed book is intended to serve as a reference guide for researchers who want to start their research in the promising field of conversational agents. It will not be necessary that readers have previous knowledge on the topic.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Fundamental concepts

- Definition and taxonomy of conversational agents

- Motivation, benefits, and issues of their use

- Underlying psychological and social theories

2. Design of conversational agents

- Techniques

- Frameworks

- Methods

3. Practices

- Experiences of use of conversational agents in:

- E-commerce

- Help desk

- Website navigation

- Personalized service

- Training or education

- Results achieved

- Discussion of the reasons of their success of failure

4. Future trends

- Issues that should be solved in the future

- Expectations for the future

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before December 16, 2009, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by January 16, 2010 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters (8,000–10,000 words) are expected to be submitted by April 16, 2010. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2011.

Important Dates

December 16, 2009: Proposal Submission Deadline
January 16, 2010: Notification of Acceptance
April 16, 2010: Full Chapter Submission
June 30, 2010: Review Results Returned
July 30, 2010: Final Chapter Submission
September 30, 2010: Final Deadline

Editorial Advisory Board Members
Galia Angelova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria
Rafael Calvo, University of Sydney, Australia
Dan Cristea, A.I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
Miguel Gea, University of Granada, Spain
Diane Inkpen, University of Ottawa, Canada
Pamela Jordan, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Ramón López Cózar, University of Granada, Spain
Max Louwerse, University of Memphis, USA
José Antonio Macías, University Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Mick O’Donnell, University Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
María Ruíz, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Olga Santos, University Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain
George Veletsianos, University of Manchester, UK

Inquiries and submissions

Please send all inquiries and submissions (preferably through e-mail) to:

Diana Perez-Marin, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain

Email: diana.perez@urjc.es

and

Ismael Pascual Nieto, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain

Email: ismael.pascual@uam.es

My RSS reader brought these presents today. Hope they are useful to you. The article will strike a chord with those who seek to improve schooling (with or without technology). The CFPs also relate.

Singal, Nidhi & Swann, Mandy (2009). Children’s perceptions of themselves as learner inside and outside school. Research Papers in Education. Published online: October 15, 2009 (today) at http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/02671520903281617
Abstract: This exploratory study set out to investigate how a group of children, who were identified as underachieving in school, constructed understandings of themselves as learners inside and outside school. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and image-based methods with the children. Interviews were also conducted with their parents and teachers. Findings of this study highlight the centrality of the children’s relational world and the richness of their learning experiences and capacity for learning outside school. Significant differences were evident in their descriptions of learning processes inside the classroom and outside the formal school setting. Outside school learning experiences, both structured and less formalised were perceived by the children as being more active, collaborative and challenging. Knowledge and understanding in these contexts seemed to be located within the children. In contrast, learning inside school was characterised by dependence on the teacher. Knowledge and understanding in this context appeared to be located within the teacher.

CFP #1: Call for a special issue of QWERTY. Generation Y, Digital Learners, and Other Dangerous Things (via the red-ink doctoral school)

CFP #2: Call for chapters for an e-book on Personal Learning Environments and Networks (via George Siemens)

Click here to access a PDF document of this call

Crossing boundaries:

Learning and teaching in virtual worlds

While the concept of multi-user virtual worlds is not a new one, the rising popularity of virtual world applications has been rapid over the last five years. Although much attention around such immersive environments has centred upon Second Life, there are currently 80 virtual world applications available and another 100 planned for 2009, with some targeting specific populations (e.g., young girls with BarbieGirls) and others catering for broader audiences (e.g., training applications in There.com). The appeal of virtual worlds is that they allow users to cross over into new spaces that can be used to support a range of social interactions. In this way, they have proven to be quite versatile, embracing varied activities and purposes, including business, cultural activities as well as having educational capabilities.

With its focus upon the educational uses of virtual world applications, this special issue of the British Journal of Educational Technology (Volume 40, Issue 6) aims to provide a definitive profile of the current status of virtual worlds for education and training. Specifically, we invite contributions from the research community to advance our understanding of this field of study and research. In order to build upon existing research, and to support the development of the field as a unique academic discipline, in this unique issue the editors are interested in hosting a forum for rigorous and leading edge contributions to the nascent field that:

• explore new frameworks, approaches and pedagogical models,
• present case studies of practice where innovative techniques are pioneered,
• investigate new methods of teaching, learning and research in the area,
• evaluate the experiences of teachers, learners and institutions using immersive worlds.

The aim of the special issue is to bring together the most leading edge research and development in the field and allow practitioners and researchers to benefit from these valuable contributions. Towards this aim, recommended topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to, the following research questions:

• What value can virtual world applications add to conventional methods of education and what evidence exists to support such propositions?
• What are the institutional changes needed to accommodate learning approaches centred on virtual worlds?
• What pedagogies and approaches are needed to make the use of virtual world applications most effective and engaging, and what evidence exists to support such approaches?
• Are particular learner groups engaged more with virtual world applications than others?
• What are the main challenges for tutors and trainers using virtual world technologies?
• What are the main technological challenges associated with using virtual world applications?
• What frameworks and approaches can be developed to support effective, engaging and transformative usage of virtual worlds?
• Does the use of virtual worlds necessitate more learner-centred approaches? What evidence exists to support claims for or against such approaches?
• Will using these applications change how people learn? If so, what evidence exists to support such a claim?
• Do virtual world applications offer greater support than alternative technologies for building and supporting distributed learning communities?
• How do learners experience virtual worlds? How do they experience their interactions with others?
• How do learners choose to represent themselves in virtual worlds?

The issue also envisages contributions that relate to a wider range of virtual world applications particularly where learning and training issues are highlighted. Studies focusing upon massively multiplayer role-playing games (e.g. World of Warcraft), mirror worlds (e.g. Google earth) and hybrid worlds (e.g. mixed reality experiences) will also be considered for the issue where they make sure that the focus is upon learning activities and practices and where lessons learnt may be applied to virtual worlds for learning.

The issue will also be twinned with the First International IEEE Conference on Serious Games and Virtual Worlds which will be held in March 2009 at the University of Coventry, UK.

Submission Process

April 1, 2009: Full length papers due (see http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/submit.asp?ref=0007-1013&site=1 for guidelines). Please send an email to the editors with the title of your submission and submit your paper online using Manuscript Central. To make a submission, go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bjet. If this is the first time you have used the system you will be asked to register by clicking on ‘create an account.’ Full instructions on making your submission are provided.  You should receive an acknowledgement within a few minutes.  Thereafter, you will be kept in touch with the progress of your submission through refereeing, any revisions that are required, and – hopefully – to final acceptance.

Please advise Sara de Freitas that you have made a submission for the special issue.  If you do not then it will be treated as an ordinary submission for a subsequent general issue

June 1, 2009:  Notification of acceptance

July 1, 2009: Final papers with revisions due

November, 2009: Publication date

Note: Submissions to the Crossing boundaries Serious Games and Virtual Worlds conference to be held at Coventry University in March 2009 that fit the purpose of this call may be recommended for co-submission to the special issue. Authors will be contacted directly where this is the case so that they can revisit the paper for the BJET special issue review process. Successfully reviewed papers will be processed by BJET in the normal way and according to the normal peer-review procedures. For those wishing to submit papers to the conference, details can be found at: http://www.sgandvwconference.net/announcement.asp?event=42

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sara de Freitas B.A. (Hons), M.A., PhD

Sara de Freitas is Director of Research at the hub for research and development in serious games and virtual worlds at the Serious Games Institute at the University of Coventry, UK. Her research interests include evaluating the efficacy of serious games and virtual world applications, pedagogic modelling and policy and strategic development of e-learning. Sara chairs the Lab Group, speaks internationally and has a significant publications list in the field of e-learning, game-based learning and lifelong learning. Sara also holds a visiting fellowship at the University of London where she continues to build on leading edge research in the field at the London Knowledge Lab. She currently has four books in publication and is setting up an interdisciplinary research group focusing upon artificial intelligence, evaluation and validation for immersive forms and developing links between physical and virtual spaces through smart buildings. (Address: Sara de Freitas, PhD, Serious Games Institute, University of Coventry, Cheetah Road, Coventry, CV1 2TL, United Kingdom; s.defreitas|at|coventry.ac.uk).

Dr. George Veletsianos B.A., M.A., Ph.D

George Veletsianos is Lecturer of Digital Technologies, Communication & Education at the University of Manchester, UK. His research interests involve the design, development, and evaluation of electronic learning environments, adventure learning, emerging technologies in distance and hybrid education, virtual characters, and the learner experience. His research and development work has been published in excess of 30 times in articles and manuscripts in academic journals, books, and conference proceedings, while his work has been presented at over 40 national and international conferences. (Address:  George Veletsianos, PhD, LTA, School of Education, Ellen Wilkinson Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom; veletsianos|at|gmail.com)

Dear everyone,

I am very excited to announce a CFP on the use of emerging technologies in distance education. Specifics are listed below. The CFP can also be downloaded in pdf form.

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

Proposal Submission Deadline: September 1, 2008

Using Emerging Technologies in Distance Education
edited by George Veletsianos (University of Manchester, UK)

Part of the Issues in Distance Education series
edited by Terry Anderson (Athabasca University, Canada)

and planned publication online and in paper format by Athabasca University Press as an
Open Access publication

Introduction

Emerging technologies – such as virtual worlds, serious games, wikis, and social networking sites – have been heralded as technologies that are powerful enough to transform learning and teaching. Nevertheless, minimal work has investigated the affordances of such tools in the context of distance education. Most often, the literature presents a description of such technologies along with classroom integration ideas, presenting an incomplete picture of how such technologies are used in distance education. In particular, the goal of this book is to amalgamate work in the use of emerging technologies to design, enhance and deliver distance education. Researchers and practitioners interested in the above issues reside in varied academic domains, rendering the sharing and dissemination of their work a formidable task. Via this book, we hope to harness dispersed knowledge and multidisciplinary perspectives. The target audience is both members of research communities and innovative distance education practitioners.

Scope

The book will be limited to the use of emerging technologies for distance education. Recommended emerging technologies of interest for the book include, but are not limited, to:
• Blogs
• Microblogging platforms,
• Wikis and Wikibooks
• Social Networking Sites
• Virtual worlds
• Video games
• Cell/mobile phones and devices,
• Virtual characters, Avatars, and Pedagogical Agents
• Web 2.0 and data mashups
• Pod and video casts
• Online grassroots video
• Open Educational Resources and Open Access Technologies
• Pod usage production models

Invited Submissions

The book will consist of chapters (5,000 – 8,000 words) showcasing best practices, illustrating and analyzing how emerging technologies have been used in diverse distance learning and teaching areas. Via such work, it is expected that each chapter will contribute a list of ideas and factors that need to be considered when emerging technologies are adopted for distance teaching and learning. Equally important, contributing authors should highlight the pedagogical, organizational, cultural, social, economic, or political factors that influence the adoption and success/failure of emerging technologies.

Audience

This book is intended to be used as a one stop locale for work relating to the use of emerging technologies in distance education. As such, it is expected to be relevant to researchers, practitioners, and students. Importantly, due to the fact that interested parties reside in multiple disciplines and academic departments, chapters should be accessible to a broad audience.

Submission Procedure

By September 1, 2008: Submit a 1-2 page chapter proposal summarizing the intended submission.
Papers should be submitted via email to: veletsianos |AT| gmail.com

October 1, 2008: Author notification along with chapter guidelines

December 1, 2008: Full chapters are due.

All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis.
Expected Publication date is late 2009.