Three pillars of educational technology： learning management systems， social media， and personal learning environments

Terry Anderson and Zhijun Wang

All post-secondary faculty and students use online educational technology-whether for classroom-based， blended or fully online learning and teaching. This paper explores the three pillars of online educational technology： Learning Management System （LMS）， social media， and personal learning environments， and how they might best be used to enhance teaching and learning. We also look at the challenge that teachers face in supporting teaching and learning using these tools. In the first section we look at learning management systems to undercover the many ways this multi-functional tool is used to support teaching and learning， as well as some new developments and some old challenges. In the second section we discuss the growing use of a variety of social media and networking applications and highlight their strengths and limitations for use in formal education. In the final section we look at the expanding uses of personal learning environments by students and faculty. Together the article provides us with a full picture of how to be an effective 21st century instructor from an educational technology perspective.

Keywords： learning management system （LMS）； social media； educational technology

Analysis of virtual learning community interaction from the perspective of Weak Ties Theory

Di Wu， Baoqiang Li and Yunquan Cai

Virtual learning communities are virtual social networks of interactive learning and collaborative learning established by learners. This paper analyzes the network structure and the message transmission mode in virtual learning communities from the perspective of weak ties theory， and explores how the microstructure and the intensity of the network relationship affect the process and results of knowledge interaction. The results show that weak ties are an important factor influencing the efficiency of information diffusion in virtual learning communities， and correlate to a certain extent with the subgroup structure in the communities.

Keywords： learning community； social network； weak ties； online interaction； community detection； knowledge interaction

Enabling learning interaction through “bullet screen” videos

Jingjing Zhang， Yehong Yang and Xin An

Human learning approaches have developed greatly with the ever growing scientific and technological innovations. In the Internet plus era， “bullet screen” video （video with overlaid comments）， a video-based interactive technology， has brought a new style of interaction for online learning. Data mining and discourse analysis of the video course for Photoshop on the video website blibli.com indicated that the presence of “bullet screen” helped， to some extent， promote affective interaction between teachers and learners， and among learners too， shorten the distance between teachers and learners， and among learners too， increase the social presence of learners， and lower learners sense of loneliness during the learning process. Learners language used in the interaction showed special and temporal dimensions in the Internet era， hence forming a shared language identity. Compared to conventional classroom learning， learners using “bullet screen” videos engage themselves in more direct and more frequent affective exchanges.endprint

Keywords： online learning； social presence； learning analytics； teacher-learner interaction； learner-learner interaction； affective analysis； special-temporal interaction； informal learning

Influence of blended learning on primary students cognition and thinking

Jie Song and Zhong Sun

MOOCs in China： development and reflections

Hong Zhao， Qinhua Zheng and Li Chen

MOOCs in various forms and styles have， to a certain extent， promoted educational reform and development in China， especially in the higher education sector. Therefore， analyzing MOOCs development in China is of fundamental significance in promoting innovations in the educational system. Through investigating and reviewing the MOOCs development stages in China， this paper summarized the characteristics， challenges and experience of Chinese MOOCs development， aiming to provide some reference for future MOOCs practice.

Keywords： MOOCs （Massive Open Online Courses）； features； challenges； reform in higher education； educational system

Establishing a regional lifelong learning framework based on the credit bank model

Nanzhong Wu and Haiying Xia

Social economy， influenced by the internet technology， is at present undergoing transitional development， affecting peoples work mode and work content and requiring lifelong learning support. A regional lifelong learning system using the learning credit bank framework can provide a learning system with inter-relatedness， steadiness and consistency， informed by regional characteristics and bridged by the learning credit bank， satisfying the lifelong learning needs of local residents. The focus of a regional lifelong learning system is to establish a school system， break through educational barriers， motivate learner autonomy， provide a learning support system and prioritize learning experience. This paper also analyzes other aspects for establishing a regional lifelong learning system， covering responsibilities at different levels， implementation mechanisms， quality assurance， cost-effectiveness and overall coordination.

Keywords： learning credit bank； school system； educational system； lifelong learning； educational barrier； education mechanism

（英文目錄、摘要译者：刘占荣）endprint