e-Learning Communities

Edited by Kwok-Wing Lai

In western societies, the growth in use of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools and classrooms – particularly in internet connectivity – has been rapid. A recent study showed that 82 per cent of primary schools in New Zealand in 2002 and 78 per cent of secondary schools in 2001 had internet connections. The Web is clearly a vital tool for both teachers and students.

This book is for people working in education, and explores the dynamics of ICT use and the issues surrounding its implementation. Contributors examine ICT in the classroom and associated professional development, online professional and educational learning communities, virtual field trips, searching the World Wide Web, online plagiarism, the role of the ICT coordinator, cybersafety, and also explode some common assumptions about the potential of e-learning in schools.

The editor

Kwok-Wing Lai is a Professor in the University of Otago’s School of Education and Director of the Centre for Distance Education and Learning Technologies. He is the founding editor of the journal Computers in New Zealand Schools and has previously published three books: e-Learning: Teaching and professional development with the internet (Otago University Press, 2001), Words Have Wings and Net-Working.