Virtual Canuck

Defining terms like Open and Distance Education has consumed the interest, and resulted in many publications for vocabulary squabblers and some noted educational academics over the years. The rapid evolution of technologies and their adaptation and adoption within the learning and education communities provides opportunities for yet more of this discourse and this post, will likely be yet one more. It is intriguing to note that recent posts on the history of open education have completely neglected the earlier debate and begin with the relatively recent Open Educational resource movement. (more…)

I feel less engaged in shameless self-promotion, with this announcement of the 9.3 issue of the International Review of Research on Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL), as Jon Baggaley was the editor in charge of this fine issue.

The issue features a video as well as text editorial by Jon, neither of which should be missed. As usual, each of the 8 main section articles is available in HTML, PDF and MP3 format- no excuse for listening to hot tunes on your IPOD, during this week’s commutes, when you could be engaged learning with some of the world’s best distance education researchers and theorists!! The issue also contains 4 book reviews and 2 “research notes” articles. As always, IRRODL articles are available to all as Open Access resources, distributed under a Creative Commons License. Don’t forget to register for a free email subscription, in case you miss my blog post announcing Issue 10.1 in a few months

EduBloggers, while likely be especially interested in the review of connectivism by Rita Kop & Adrian Hill and a research article on student motivation for blog use by Paul Henry Leslie and Elizabeth Murphy. Adminstrators will enjoy learning about re-engineering distance education processes in a great article by M’hammed Abdous and Wu He. Theorists will welcome both the constructivism article and one on the role of Transaction Theory by Sushita Gokool-Ramdoo as the major theoretical grounding in distance education.

Jon Baggaley has gathered a very international mix for this issue with articles from Japan, Iceland, Ghana, United Arab Emerits, USA and SE Asia – affirming IRRODL’s claim to be the most international of the distance education journals. My thanks to Jon for very ably editing the last two issues of IRRODL, while I was on sabbatical.

This issue also is the final one to be constructed by Managing Editor, Paula Smith. Paula has been the key factor in the timely production and innovations of IRROD over the past 6 years. She leaves to begin her own web 2.0 communications company. I am sure all those who have directly interacted with Paula during the review and publication of IRRODL articles will wish her well and join me in thanking her for her considerable efforts. For those whose only contact with Paula, was indirect through reading IRRODL articles, you have benefited from her keen eye for detail, publishing innovations and competent procurement and distribution of many important works during her tenure. Best wishes Paula, from all your IRRODL friends and subscribers.

Terry Anderson- Editor, IRRODL

Volume 9, No. 2 of the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (www.irrodl.org) is now online.

I like this issue for a number of reasons:

I managed to twist the arm of a colleague, Jon Baggaley, to guest edit the issue, as I am still officially on sabbatical. Jon, with the usual able assistance of the Managing Editor, Paula Smith, did an excellent job of gathering and reviewing 8 full articles, 1 research notes article, 2 Technical Reviews and 2 book reviews – all of which are available in PDF and Mp3 format.

Second the articles reflect international perspectives with articles from Brazil, Greece, Sri Lanka, Canada and the US, and reviews of distance education developments in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. I won’t describe the articles as Jon has done this in his editorial.

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I spent a few learning filled days last week at the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education Conference in Banff. This was the first conference of the new organization created from the merger of the Association For Media and Technology in Education and the Canadian Association for Distance Education. I suggested at the final plenary session that presenters upload their slides to Slideshare using the tag CNIE2008, (or just CNIE) and many have.
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Special issue 9(2) of the International Review of Research on Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL) is now available for open access. This is first collaborative effort we have undertaken, simultaneously publishing on a common theme (The Right to Education) with 5 other peer reviewed Journals. The articles cover a wide range of issues, in multiple languages, from many countries of the world. Many readers of this blog will find the articles on Open Educational Resources of interest, but as always, technical solutions to access and equity, by themselves, rarely resolve human concerns.

The peer reviewed articles from all 6 journals are accessible here. Besides the seven reviewed articles in the combined collection, additional research notes, a book review and recordings of CIDER sessions are also available in this issue at the IRRODL site. All the articles are also available in Mp3 format.

The six collaborating journals are:
Open Praxis
Asian Journal of Distance Education
Distances et savoirs
EURODL
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Network
IRRODL

Enjoy the read and learning available in these special issue works!

Terry Anderson, Editor IRRODL