It is seven not-so-long years since I wrote an editorial for this journal _ under its old name of course. Since that time I have gone through many changes: moved five thousand miles from the most Eastern capital city in Canada to the most Western capital city in Canada; retired from a full-time faculty position to take on the challenges and excitement of part-time teaching, research, and consulting; begun a fledgling career as a struggling, but to date unrecognised artist; plus other equally exciting but more personal changes and challenges. So too has our journal gone through many changes and challenges. Now it is time for it to flourish again, under a new name, with a new look, and under one new and one recycled editor. CJLT Volume 28, Issue 2 is here.
In Volume 28, Issue 1, we were presented with a guest editorial by Denis Hlynka, in which he discussed the journal's name change, focusing on the meaning of the the key words _ Canadian, journal, learning, and technology. Of the three words, Canadian is very important, but it was always there, as was journal. And instruction or education, teaching or learning, are equally acceptable to me. The one I am happiest to see, in our new name, is technology. Technology is not a dirty word, yet we in education have often felt that it was. We have recognized that technology is our servant _ our ways and means _ and not our master. But some have felt, at times, that technology is the master _ that it has driven design and production. As Denis indicated, the aesthetics of the technology itself at times take precedence over the aesthetics of learning theory and pedagogy. But technology also means procedure and process _ as noted in the past by James Finn in the 1950s and Robert Heinich in the 1970s _ in fact instructional design is the manifestation of a technology of instruction. In our field, we encompass all technologies used to create learning experiences, and require that they serve out pedagogical needs.
In this issue we present five papers, four of which saw their birth at AMTEC 2001 last June. Hence this issue is mostly a conference issue. We hope to publish such an issue each year _ one that will present a selection of papers from the AMTEC conference _ and eventually from other conferences as well. Four of the papers revolve around students' experiences in online or Web-based learning. The fifth is a technical paper.
Effects of Learners' Readiness on their Perceived Learning Outcomes, by Boeglin and Campbell, provides insights regarding students' performance and perceptions in the context of an introductory psychology course, in which Web-based materials were used to enhance the course. The Interplay of Content and Community in Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication: Virtual Communication in a Graduate Seminar, by Schwier and Balbar, reports on a small case study of one professor and seven graduate students, and their experience in using synchronous, in addition to asynchronous, chat to span the divide of time and space in a year-long graduate seminar. DV or Not DV: That is the Question when Producing Video for the Internet, by Gutenko, explores the efficacy of DV (digital video) format camcorders as the less than ideal technology for Internet video production. The Gabriel and MacDonald paper, Working Together: The Context of Teams in an Online MBA Program, explores learning in an online MBA program, and the structures necessary to support and enhance learning, from the learners' perspective. Describing and Enhancing Collaboration at the Computer, by Beatty, looks at the use of computers in a CALL (computer-assisted language learning) setting _ specifically with twenty Hong Kong university students.
We are also introducing a new feature with Volume 28, Issue 2 _ entitled Research Reviews. In the future each issue will include one or two reviews of research articles. Our research review editor is Katy Campbell. I hope you enjoy the papers and reviews presented here in this issue. It is good to be back in the Editor's chair _ or at least half of it. And do send us your papers. We need to promote and publicize the excellent research and development work in Learning and Technology that is happening here in Canada.
© Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology