This article describes some of the key affordances for learning of the generic class of handheld computers known variously as smartphones, palmtops, and thumbtops--using the Apple iPhone 3G as one of the most mature exemplars of this class--based on the authors' experiences with and reflections about the device over a period of a year. An argument…

In this article, the authors discuss the importance of studying identity in the context of 21st century learning. Identity is an evolving trajectory that is always in-flux or changing. In a fast changing 21st century, educators are recognizing the significance of identity work, in particular projective identity, as individuals participate in…

This special issue presents articles contributed by academics from the Asia-Pacific region on perspectives and progress made in online learning and information technology (IT). The articles discuss online learning and IT efforts in South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Guam, and New Zealand. (AEF)

Reviews technology integration efforts in Singapore. Discusses examples of online learning in schools under four broad categories: cyber conferencing, e-learning services providers, e-publication, and wireless technology. Describes ways information technology is being used at the National Institute of Education in Singapore, as a tool for…

Presents an account of the diffusion of online learning at the University of Guam, beginning with the introduction of the Internet at the University and the kinds of opportunities and promises such a medium provides. Recommends a shared vision through collaborative efforts with the need for faculty training and readiness. Discusses the critical…

Proposes a social constructivist adaptation of case-based reasoning (CBR) by incorporating computer-supported collaborative learning tools into the thinking and reasoning process. Explains goal-based scenarios (GBS) as translations of CBR into simulated learning environments and discusses the incorporation of facilitation cues and the inclusion of…

Discusses learning within the context of communities of practice, analyzes Internet-based communities to discover why some online communities thrive and why members are motivated to participate in them, distinguishes quasi-communities from communities, and suggests future directions. (LRW)

Discussion of the Internet and virtual communities focuses on differences between online and face-to-face communities. Topics include interdependency; infrastructure; intensity of participation; representation of members; accessibility to resources, information, and expertise; and activity theory as a framework for analyzing communities.…

Discussion of the notion of a community of learners focuses on two objectives: social constructivism, or negotiating knowledge; and apprenticeship, or appropriating knowledge. Topics include appropriating knowledge based on stipulated instructional objectives; developing epistemological dispositions; activity theory; implications for instructional…