EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; Instructional Technologies; and Social Computing

Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship

ckeller — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:21:21 -0600

Social network sites (SNSs) are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together scholarship on these emergent phenomena. In this introductory article, we describe features of SNSs and propose a comprehensive definition. We then present one perspective on the history of such sites, discussing key changes and developments. After briefly summarizing existing scholarship concerning SNSs, we discuss the articles in this special section and conclude with considerations for future research.

Student Expectations Study

ckeller — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:47:43 -0500

These are key findings from online research and discussion evenings held in June 2007 for the Joint Information Systems Committee. The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake research among prospective university students to understand a number of issues:

current levels of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) provision at school/college
expectations of ICT provision at university
any difference between expectation of ICT provision and that which is provided by HE institutions

These objectives helped to explore the hypothesis that there is a mismatch between student expectations of what they will be able to do and what Higher Education (HE) institutions can and do offer in terms of ICT. This study will form part of an overarching piece of research being undertaken by JISC to examine this hypothesis and inform HE institutions of student expectations of ICT provision.

Second Life: It's not a game

drupal — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:53:47 -0600

"Fortune's David Kirkpatrick reports on why IBM's Sam Palmisano and other tech leaders think Second Life could be a gold mine."

Envisioning a Transformed University

drupal — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:53:53 -0600

Change is coming, and the biggest mistake could be underestimating how extensive it will be. Rapidly evolving information technology (IT) has played an important role in expanding our capacity to generate, distribute, and apply knowledge, which in turn has produced unpredictable and frequently disruptive change in existing social institutions.

Social Bookmarking Tools (I)

drupal — Wed, 18 May 2005 10:53:46 -0500

The authors give a general overview of social bookmarking tools.

Social Bookmarking Tools (II)

drupal — Wed, 18 May 2005 11:00:13 -0500

The authors discuss Connotea, a free online reference management and social bookmarking service for scientists, created by Nature Publishing Group.