Martha Cleveland-Innes, Editor-in-Chief
Welcome to volume 49, issue 3 of The Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology (CJLT). CJLT is a decades-old peer-reviewed journal that invites English or French submissions on the research and practice of education, technology, and learning. This bilingual journal is free-of-charge to anyone with access to the Internet, is multi-indexed, and presented in accessible formats. There are no article submission/publication fees or access charges.
CJLT’s history dates back to where distance education was an innovation characterized by portable print-based material and non-digital technologies. This issue’s Notes section is presented by Dr. Olaf Zwacki-Richter. Here, he reviews the history of distance education with a view to current pressures on teaching and learning. The Origins of the Term Distance Education and the Roots of Digital Teaching and Learning is both articulate and accurate. It provides an inspiring view of new ways to define and use concepts of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE), based on historical education milestones. This prepares readers with a lens to the research articles which follow.
The human experience is the red thread the runs consistently through the research, results, and recommendations reported here. Practices of language teaching and learning additionally tie the first two articles together. Article one, The Uses of X/Twitter by Members of the TESOL Community, compares uses within and across groups and identifies the scope of this social media tool. Although specific to higher education and the teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), any purposeful community using X/Twitter can experience connection. Further research is required. Congratulations to Kent K. Lee, Marilyn L. Abbott, Shiran Wang, and Jacob Lang of the University of Alberta, Canada.
The experience of technology supported synchronous feedback for language learners is the topic of article two. Learners’ Perceptions of Synchronous Written Corrective Feedback in Videoconferenced Collaborative Writing has a long but descriptive title. Authentic assessment and student direction and redirection is a current topic of significant research and discussion. This research looks specifically at synchronously written corrective feedback (SWCF) in online collaborative writing. This exercise uses an online text-editing platform mediated by synchronous videoconferencing. Results gathered through a mixed methods research process indicate that learners viewed the exercise as effective. This learner experience allows for a review of the broader pedagogical implications for this blended formative assessment. Thank you, Kevin Papin of Université du Québec à Montréal and Gabriel Michaud, Université de Montréal, Canada, for this valuable work.
Beyond the context of distributed learning engagement in the first two articles, the next two articles report research about in-person learning and technology. Despite the increased “use of digital media and tools for online learning in the mainstream education” (Zwacki-Richter, 2024, p. 1) during COVID-19, in-person teaching and learning remains commonplace. Technology in the classroom is still in need of study.
Evaluating technology in the K-12 classroom is the theme in article 3, A Collaborative Story Writing Project Using Google Docs and Face-to-Face Modality. Unique is the blend of synchronous and asynchronous use of Google Docs where cloud-based writing collaboration is available. The setting is a high school English class. Students are instructed to work in groups—while together in-person and outside of class while apart. This qualitative study offers a review and recommendations for collaborative tools in high school and beyond. Thank you for this excellent contribution, Deirdre Wilson of Vancouver Island University, Canada.
Technology-enabled learning is available in higher education classrooms. However, the use of technology supported games for learning, well researched in the K-12 setting, will apply uniquely to higher education. Student development through games is the theme for article 4, Exploring Students’ Perception of Quizizz as a Learning Media in Higher Education. Student perceptions of the game-based software Quizizz are identified through qualitative and quantitative data collected via mixed methods. Findings suggest an increase in engagement, independence, and self-control. As satisfaction is known to enhance learning, the enjoyment and a sense of self-confidence can be considered valuable. Thank you Harun Sitompul, Universitas Negeri Medan, Retno Sayekti, Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Sri Rahmah Dewi Saragih, Universitas Asahan, and Salminawati, Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, all of Indonesia.
The human experience of digital forms, for learning and beyond, impacts our health and wellness. Research literature reports that online learners can experience burnout, stress, fatigue, sleep deprivation, cognitive overwhelm, and work-life imbalance. While not unique to online learners, these afflictions are of a particular kind and require remedies that address their uniqueness. Article 5 outlines a developing Digital Wellness Framework for Online Learning. Research about the whole person digital experience notes a positive and negative impact. This debate recognizes teaching and learning practices that contribute to the holistic wellbeing of learners, beyond content outcomes. These practices are drawn from secondary data analysis of an online design. DW-FOLD: Digital Wellness Framework for Online Learning suggests more intentional use of online technology and pedagogy in ways that ensure 1) active and meaningful learning 2) for the good of the whole learner, and 3) all learners. Congratulations on this publication to Aga Palalas and Mae Doran of Athabasca University, Canada.
And finally, this issue includes a thorough and detailed review of a special kind of book: Self Talk: Musing on Distance Education, 2023. The book mirrors the topic of the Notes submission discussed earlier by presenting a collection of blog posts and reflective writings about distance, open, and online learning. The author is a familiar name to many of us and a seasoned, credible scholar in our field: Dr. Sanjaya Mishra. His writing spans the developments in distance education and the changing roles of teachers and students, based on lessons learned from engagements at the Commonwealth of Learning, where the author has worked for many years. Both the book review and the book are reommended reading for scholars and practitioners. Special thanks to the exceptional book reviewers, Dr. Sayantan Mandal and Sheriya Sareen of the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, India.
Zawacki-Richter, O. (2024). Speaking Personally – with Otto Peters. American Journal of Distance Education, 38(1), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2023.2294668