The Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning Is A Periodical, Peer-reviewed, International Journal

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The Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning Is A Periodical, Peer-reviewed, International Journal

November 9th, 2009

The Journal of Computer Assisted Learning is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, journal which covers the whole range of uses of information and communication technology to help learning and exchange. It aims to provide a medium for communication between researchers and the practitioners and to foster collaborative research.

It is a rich source of material for research students in areas such as collaborative learning, engineering, open, distance and networked learning, developmental psychology and evaluation. The themes are treated in a way which will maximize their influence on developments and practice in education, training and specialist development. Each volume includes one, sometimes two, Special Issues and these provide readers with an in-depth perspective on a specific topic. First published in 1985, JCAL continues to have the aim of making the outcomes of contemporary research and experience accessible.

During this period there have been major technological advances offering new opportunities and approaches in the use of a wide variety of technologies to learning and transfer more generally. There is currently much emphasis on the use of network functionality and the challenges its appropriate uses pose to teachers/tutors working with students locally and at a distance.

examination has demonstrated girls to outperform boys on conventional literacy tests. The present studies concern gender differences on computerised educational tests. Seventy-one children were tested using LASS Secondary and a set of seven conventional measures. No significant gender differences were found on any of the LASS Secondary modules, although females did outperform males on a conventional spelling test. A further 126 pupils were tested on computerised and document versions of the LASS Secondary reading, spelling and reasoning modules. No gender differences were found on the computerised versions, but there were significant differences on the versions of the reading and spelling modules favouring females. In a third study, 45 children were administered computerised and paper versions of the LASS Junior reading and spelling modules.

There were no significant differences on the computerised modules, but girls performed significantly higher than boys on the document version of the spelling module. It is possible that computerised does not detect the established gender effect due to differences between males and females in motivation, computer experience and competitiveness. Further large-scale studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

This document examines the evidence for the digital divide based on gender. An overview of published in the last 20 years draws to the conclusion that females are at a disadvantage relative to men when learning about computers or learning other material with the aid of computer-assisted software. The evidence shows that the digital divide affects people of all ages and across international boundaries. We suggest that the digital divide is fundamentally a problem of computer anxiety whose roots are deep in socialization patterns of boys and girls and that interact with the stereotype of computers as toys for boys.

A model of the digital divide is presented that examines gender stereotypes, attribution patterns, and stereotype threat as antecedents of computer anxiety. Computer anxiety in turn leads to differences in computer attitudes and computer performance. A number of suggestions are offered to reduce the impact of the digital divide.

Abstract Despite huge efforts to position information and communication technology (ICT) as a central tenet of university teaching and learning, the fact remains that many university students and faculty make only limited formal academic use of computer technology. Whilst this is usually attributed to a variety of operational deficits on the part of students, faculty, and universities, this considers the wider social relations underpinning the relatively modest use of technology in higher education.

The document explores how university use of computer technology is shaped into marginalized and curtailed positions by a variety of actors. From the ‘writing’ of ICT at a national policy level through to the marginalization of ICT within the lived ’student experience’, a consistent theme emerges where computer technology use is constructed in limited, linear, and rigid terms far removed from the innovative, productive, and empowering uses which are often celebrated by educational technologists. In the light of such constraints, the paper considers how these dominant constructions of a peripheral and limited use of ICT may be challenged by the higher education community. In particular, it concludes by reflecting on current critical thinking about how educational technologists can foster a more expansive and empowered use of computer technology within university settings.