Description: Winning entry, General Trade Cover/Jacket Category, in the 2008 New England Book Show sponsored by Bookbuilders of Boston.

In The Internet Imaginaire, sociologist Patrice Flichy examines the collective vision that shaped the emergence of the Internet—the social imagination that envisioned a technological utopia in the birth of a new technology. By examining in detail the discourses surrounding the development of the Internet in the United States in the 1990s (and considering them an integral part of that development), Flichy shows how an entire society began a new technological era. The metaphorical "information superhighway" became a technical utopia that informed a technological program. The Internet imaginaire, Flichy argues, led software designers, businesses, politicians, and individuals to adopt this one technology instead of another.

Description: Conventional wisdom about young people's use of digital technology often equates generational identity with technology identity: today's teens seem constantly plugged in to video games, social networks sites, and text messaging. Yet there is little actual research that investigates the intricate dynamics of youth's social and recreational use of digital media. Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out fills this gap, reporting on an ambitious three-year ethnographic investigation into how young people are living and learning with new media in varied settings—at home, in after school programs, and in online spaces. By focusing on media practices in the everyday contexts of family and peer interaction, the book views the relationship of youth and new media not simply in terms of technology trends but situated within the broader structural conditions of childhood and the negotiations with adults that frame the experience of youth in the United States.

Description: This is a book about using qualitative software, for students, teachers, practitioners and participants in qualitative research. It explores what can be done with the latest qualitative research package, QSR NUD·IST Vivo (NVivo), described as the new generation of research software. The book is designed to be used in learning about what the software can do and the research strategies and approaches it supports. Using clear language and examples it explains each of the processes of data editing, exploration, coding, linking and searching available with the software’s tools.

Description: The cellphone has achieved a global presence faster than any other form of information and communication technology. A global multi-billion dollar industry, this small, mundane device is now an intrinsic part of our everyday life.

Description: This is a highly practical resource book offering valuable tips and guidance to educators setting up online groups in the virtual classroom. This resource book provides a range of practical, innovative ideas to promote active learning online. It will offer teachers, trainers, and course writers a selection of ready-made, adaptable activities which can be used as a basis of e-learning activity on a course or as a departure point for development, independent work and/or discussion. Sections of the book will include Resources for Building Confidence, Resources for Learning to Learn Online, Resources for Assessment and Active Learning Online. Each section will be prefaced by a general theoretical overview and suggestions for further reading and personal action research.

Description: How have schools been affected by the introduction of computer technology, and has it changed the school life and experience of students? This book uses research from both large and small secondary schools, including those specializing in technology and those with higher numbers of pupils with special needs, to look at the results of all the political initiatives and investment in ICT. The authors found that the ambitious expectations fell short of reality. Their research into the reasons for this shortfall can help teachers understand and develop ways to make the best use of computers in their schools. It is equally informative for educational researchers and policy-makers.

Description: Over the last decade, the needs of educational organizations have been changing in accordance with increasingly complex pedagogical models and with the technological evolution of e-learning environments with very dynamic teaching and learning requirements. Architectures for Distributed and Complex M-Learning Systems: Applying Intelligent Technologies explores state-of-the-art software architectures and platforms used to support distributed and mobile e-learning systems. Containing research from leading international experts, this advanced publication provides useful references to support learning practices for academicians, researchers, and practitioners.

Description: "I want to commend the author for including a chapter on using the SPSS manuals, I would not have thought of this addition, and the information helps the reader go on to learn the more complex components of SPSS."

Description: The field of distance education is constantly changing with updated advancements in technology and new practices developed by practitioners worldwide. Cases on Distance Delivery and Learning Outcomes: Emerging Trends and Programs explores promising developments and techniques in the field of online learning, offering innovative solutions for successful strategies, organizational challenges, and experienced pitfalls of progressive technology. This advanced publication provides academicians with a valuable collection of cases contributed by practitioners and experts in the field of distance education.