The 3rd International scil Congress will take place at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland on 22 and 23 May 2008.

The 3rd International scil Congress offers a great opportunity for both educational managers and researchers to learn from good practices, reflect on own experiences and become familiar with new trends in learning and educational management. Early registration discounts are available until 29 February 2008.

The congress will revolve around the central theme: "the changing face of learning" and will focus on creating value through the right balance.

- New Learners? Balancing the needs of different generations and types of learners- New Learning Models? Balancing the right learning mix- New Learning Content and Systems? Balanced Learning Infrastructure- New Learning Business Models? Balanced Governance Scorecard- New Learning Issues? Balancing strategic priorities for learning

Detailed information and congress registration on http://www.scil.ch/congress

Best regards,your scil-team

Neue Medien im Change Management. Web 2.0-Einsatz im Urteil von Experten (2008) by Reiss, Michael; Spejic, Gordana

In diesem Artikel diskutieren die Autoren Reiss/Spejic das Potential von Web 2.0-Instrumenten im Change Management. Ausgangspunkt der Ueberlegungen bildet eine Uebersicht zum "State-of-the-Art" von Web 2.0-Instrumenten. Im Rahmen des Change Managements laesst sich bis zum heutigen Zeitpunkt eine starke Fokussierung auf konventionelle Instrumente (z.B. Workshops, Top-Management Praesenz, Seminare oder Mitarbeiterzeitschriften) und Instrumente aus der so genannten "Web 1.0-Generation" (z.B. Disk...

Review by Tanja Fandel, SCIL - Swiss Centre for Innovations in Learning, University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on Teachers' Beliefs Regarding Technology Use (2008) by Park, Sung Hee; Ertmer, Peggy A.

This article is concerned with changing teachers' beliefs regarding technology use. Although nowadays technology has become very common in everyday life, it yet has to be embedded in the teaching practice to unfold its full potential. While access and training are no longer considered significant barriers, teachers' beliefs about technology use are thought to be potentially impedimental for the integration of technology in the teaching practice. The aim of the study the article is based on was...

Review by Jenny Dommen, IWP-HSG - Institute of Business Education and Educational Management, University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Deepening the Chasm: Web 2.0, Gaming, and Course Management Systems (2008) by Alexander, Bryan

Bryan Alexander's article traces the different lines of development that the use of online tools in the academic and the non-academic world has taken in recent years. It approaches the question of how to combine the traditional way of teaching via the web, i.e. making use of Learning Management Systems, and alternative ways provided by Web 2.0 and gaming applications. In the introductory part of the article, the author gives a general overview of the three aspects he considers: By referring to...

Review by M.A. Monika Haberer, eTeaching Service Center - Universität Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Die Bedeutung der Lernmotivation für den Lern- und Transfererfolg betrieblichen E-Learnings (2008) by Hochholdinger, Sabine; Meister, Dorothee M.; Schaper, Niclas

Betriebliches Lernen sieht sich in den letzten Jahren aufgrund sich rasch entwickelnder Technik und vielfaeltiger organisationaler und gesellschaftlicher Veraenderungsprozesse mit neuen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Die Qualifizierung der Mitarbeiter gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung und kann durch traditionelle Bildungsmassnahmen allein nicht aufrechterhalten werden. Infolgedessen setzt man Hoffnungen in die Integration von E-Learning-Angeboten in die betriebliche Aus- und Weiterbildung. Die anf...

Review by Anja Gebhardt, IWP-HSG - Institute of Business Education and Educational Management, University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.

E-Learning in the 21st century. A framework for research and practice. (2003) by Garrison, D. R.; Anderson, Terry D.

The book 'E-Learning in the 21st century' is written by two Canadian authors, specialists in Educational Psychology and also professors in Higher Education. This twofold identity of its authors shows up in the double character of the book: theory and practice of e-Learning are combined and explained in such an integrative way, that many times the reader wonders if she reads a philosophical essay on educational technology or a practical guide dedicated to help professors in the knowledge society....

Review by Chrysi Rapanta, New Media in Education Lab - University of Lugano, Switzerland.

Searching for the ‘You’ in ‘YouTube’: An Analysis of Online Response Ability (2007) by Lange, Patricia G.

Youtube offers the possibility to experience the so-called "online sociality"; it has made it available to a constantly increasing number of people. Indeed, interesting experiments are being carried out also in education. (e.g.: http://it.youtube.com/user/mwesch). It is therefore pedagogically strategic to understand more deeply how this kind of socialization works. This article presents the research of Patricia Lange, researcher at the School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern Californi...

Review by Emanuele Rapetti, New Media in Education Lab - University of Lugano, Switzerland.

Enhancing Deliberation through Computer Supported Argument Visualization (2003) by van Gelder, Tim

The paper by Tim van Gelder, associate professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne, is part of the discussion about the development of reasoning skills and the enhancement of group deliberation with the use of computers. It constitutes the 5th chapter of a book entirely dedicated to the Computer-Supported Argument Visualization, titled "Visualizing Argumentation" and edited by Kirschner et al. in 2003. The keyword in van Gelder's chapter is "deliberation". It refers to ...

Review by Silvia De Ascaniis, New Media in Education Lab - University of Lugano, Switzerland.

Computer und Internet in der Primarschule. Theorie und Praxis von ICT im Unterricht mit 20 Videobeispielen auf zwei DVDs (2008) by Schrackmann, I.; Knüsel, D.; Moser, T.; Mitzlaff, H.; Petko, D.

Mein Gesamturteil gleich vorweg ... Das Buch beginnt unspektakulaer und skizziert in der Einleitung erst einmal, dass und inwiefern es das Resultat eines Forschungsprojektes ist, welches am Institut fuer Medien und Schule der Paedagogischen Hochschule Zentralschweiz - Hochschule Schwyz zwischen 2005 und 2007 durchgefuehrt wurde. Aus diesem Projekt stammt auch das Material fuer die beiden DVDs mit insgesamt 20 kommentierten Unterrichtsbeispielen, bei welchen der Leser zum Zuschauer wird und an...

Review by Prof. Dr. Gabi Reinmann, Institut für Medien und Bildungstechnologie, Sektion Medienpädagogik, Universität Augsburg, Germany.

Smart indicators to support the learning interaction cycle (2007) by Glahn, C.; Specht, M.; Koper, Rob

The article focuses on research in supporting users in on-line learning activities: it analyses how the interaction cycle (the loop between learner's actions and system behaviour) could be improved using feedback structures. The authors work in the Educational Technology Expertise Centre of the Open University Netherlands (OUNL): Glahn is a Ph.D. student, Specht is an associate professor and Koper is a full professor in educational technology. The starting point for this paper arises from th...

Review by Luca Mazzola, New Media in Education Lab - University of Lugano, Switzerland.

Pädagogische Medientheorie (2008) by Fromme, Johannes; Sesink, Werner

Medien und Paedagogik Mit der Medienpaedagogik hat sich eine paedagogische Teildisziplin etabliert, die den Umgang mit Medien und insbesondere den Aufbau von Medienkompetenz auf Grundlage allgemeiner paedagogischer Theorien und Erfahrungen in den Mittelpunkt stellt. Die Paedagogikprofessoren Johannes Fromme und Werner Sesink legen nun den Herausgeberband "Paedagogische Medientheorie" vor, weil "das Mediale eine fundamentale Dimension humaner Lebensbewaeltigung und -gestaltung darstellt, desse...

Review by Dr. Sandra Schaffert, Edumedia Salzburg Research, Austria.