Editorial Note - Sharjah Women's College - Higher Colleges of ...

eLearning in Action, 1, 2012 

Editorial Note 

By Sean Dowling, Educational Technology Coordinator 

Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology 

In his famous book, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21 st century, Friedman (2005) 

lists ten “flatteners” that he feels have made the global economy a more level playing field. 

Among these flatteners are the internet (or World Wide Web) and the use of new digital and 

mobile technologies. However, Friedman is more interested in how these flatteners affect 

business rather than education and learning. Bonk (2009), in his book The World is Open: 

How Technology is Revolutionizing Education, attempts to show how these new technologies 

have the potential to open up education, ultimately making “a flatter or more robust economic 

world possible” (Bonk, 2009, p. 8). Rather than ten flatteners, Bonk (2009, p. 8) lists ten 

“openers” which form the “WE-ALL-LEARN” acronym. These are: 

1. Web Searching in the World of E-books; 

2. E-Learning and Blended Learning; 

3. Availability of Open Source and Free Software; 

4. Leveraged Resources and OpenCourse Ware; 

5. Learning Object Repositories and Portals; 

6. Learner Participation in Open Information Communities; 

7. Electronic Collaboration; 

8. Alternative Reality Learning; 

9. Real-Time Mobility and Portability; 

10. Networks or Personalized Learning. 

With the widespread usage of the internet and new digital and mobile tools and technologies 

by both students and educators, the infrastructure is now in place for the above ten openers to 

be commonplace in learning; however, traditional places of learning are still lagging behind 

industry and society in the uptake of new technologies. There are a number of reasons for 

this. First, there is the problem of “digital dissonance” (Clarke et al, 2009, p. 57); despite 

using new digital tools in their daily lives, both educators and students still haven’t seen the 

potential of using these tools for learning. Secondly, using the new tools for learning is not 

compatible with current curricula that emphasize knowledge consumption and reproduction 

of this knowledge in assessments (Dowling, 2011). Even if educators have the opportunity to 

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use new digital tools for learning, as the learning focuses not just on the product but also the 

process, assessment presents more challenges (Ehlers, 2009; Gray et al, 2010). But the above 

problems are not intractable and this volume aims to show how educators are using new 

digital tools and technologies with their students to open up learning, thereby preparing the 

new generation for the knowledge-based society in which they will live and work. 

There are eighteen articles in this volume, written mainly by educators in the United Arab 

Emirates, but there are also contributions from Finland and the United States of America. The 

articles are divided into five main sections: Mobile and Web-based Applications, Online 

Learning Environments, ePortfolios, Blended Learning and Other eLearning Activities. 

Section One: Mobile and Web-based Applications 

In the opening article, Games for English, English for Games, David Patent discusses two 

web-based game interventions that were employed in a Foundations English program at the 

Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Ras Al Khaimah Men’s College, in the United Arab 

Emirates. Web-based and digital games are becoming very popular in the Arab region among 

young people. Despite some skepticism regarding the positive value of digital games, they 

have been shown to motivate learners and may help develop language skills. The games were 

used to supplement and expand upon topics the learners were studying in their textbook, and, 

according to David, the learners seemed to respond positively to the interventions. 

In his article, Online-Auctions, Storefront: Emirati Women Unleash Creative Talent, Dr 

Alfred Millar describes a technology-based class project in e-commerce that was introduced 

in the Business Faculty at HCT, Fujairah Women’s College. In this project, a range of webbased 

and digital technologies was used for e-Business students to construct storefront and 

online-auction websites. Dr Millar believes that this entrepreneurial start-up unleashed 

exceptional creative ability and marketing talent in the participating students, thereby giving 

them skills that could not be achieved with traditional classroom learning. 

In Teambox: An Online Project Management Collaborative Tool for Student Group Projects, 

Tamilselvan Mahalingam explores how an online project management collaboration website 

enhances the co-construction of knowledge and the performance of the students’ group 

projects in higher educational contexts. It also addresses how well an online collaborative 

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web application called Teambox can facilitate the group learning activities. Tamilselvan also 

showcases a collaborative project by business students at HCT, Dubai Women's College. 

Darrin Jones, in Using Screencasts for Tutorials and Student Presentations, discusses the 

benefits of screencasts created with web-based applications and their uses in classrooms. The 

article primarily focuses on how screencasts have been used in an English preparatory 

program at HCT, Fujairah Women’s College, but there is also a discussion of how 

screencasts could be used in other disciplines. Darrin suggests using screencasts in two ways: 

to make tutorials that explain technological and learning skills being covered and to 

encourage students to create their own screencasts for projects and presentations. 

In their chapter, Developing Mobile Applications for the Classroom: Embracing new 

Technologies, Ali Farhat and Dr John Raven outline how mobile devices and applications are 

emerging technologies that have begun to impact educational practices across many learning 

contexts. They caution that, like all technologies, mobile devices and applications need to be 

chosen carefully to suit the target educational setting. The article then presents a set of mobile 

applications that were specifically written by IT Faculty to suit Foundations-level students at 

HCT, Sharjah Men’s and Women’s Colleges. Student feedback concerning their effectiveness 

is also shared. 

In the final article of this section, Convert Your Thinking! Creativity and Imagination using 

Mobile Applications, Dr Ferial Khaddage from HCT, Sharjah Women’s College, and Prof 

Gerald Knezek, University of North Texas, discuss how the current rapid digital evolution is 

changing the way students learn and perform tasks. They state that mobile technologies are 

shifting our paradigms and that teachers need to learn how to meet the challenges of the 

knowledge society to cater for the digital learner. The article explores mobile applications 

that can enhance student creativity and imagination and introduces some classroom-based 

research that can be carried out via this technology. Two apps, Autodesk Sketchbook Mobile 

and Bump, are introduced as examples for a creative learning environment. 

Section Two: Online Learning Environments 

Dr Damodharan Varadarajan, in Using Wimba Classroom as an Effective Online Learning 

Tool, discusses the issue of keeping students engaged in Wimba Classroom with the purpose 

of creating a favorable learning experience for his students at HCT, Dubai Women’s College. 

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Wimba Classroom is a virtual on-line presentation environment that includes audio, video, 

chat and application sharing. It can be used for synchronous or asynchronous virtual 

classroom, and can be integrated into Blackboard and other content/learning management 

systems. Dr Damodharan describes the features of Wimba Classroom and also the steps 

involved in making it an effective on-line learning tool. 

In their article, An analysis of Two Online Mathematics Course Delivery Programs, Jon 

Orthmann, Jeanann El-Jadiry, Jeya Kumar, Reem Arafat and Nancy Fahnestock discuss the 

trial of two different interactive mathematics software programs with native Arabic-speaking 

students in the context of foundations-level mathematics courses at HCT, Al Ain Women’s 

College. They describe the different products, report on student feedback, summarize and 

compare and contrast the results from assessments. In addition, they discuss time spent on the 

program, analyze questionnaires given to students at the end of the study and compare the 

advantages and disadvantages of both online programs from the teacher perspective. 

In Learner-centered Do-it-yourself Learning Management Systems, Vance Stevens, from the 

HCT CERT Program in Abu Dhabi, addresses situations where teachers are expected to 

develop viable courses quickly as well as make use of available technological resources, 

often on minimal budgets. He describes how flexibility and creativity are achieved with 

DIYLMS (do-it-yourself LMS) using a mashup of Web 2.0 tools such as a wiki portal for 

course information and links, Google Docs for student writing and feedback, Google 

Hangout for live sessions, Skype group chat for synchronous and asynchronous 

communication, and blogging as a means for students to showcase their work and enter into 

conversations about it. 

In his paper, Open Learning Management Systems: A Case Study, Sean Dowling describes 

how courses delivered using traditional learning management systems such as Blackboard are 

barriers to open learning. He states that these online courses are time-bound, accessible only 

during a specific semester, walled off from other courses and teacher centric. The article 

discusses how WordPress blogs have been used with Sean’s students at HCT, Sharjah Men’s 

College to create an open learning management system that can be accessed by 

anyone/anytime/anywhere and that can give students more opportunities to participate in their 

own learning. 

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Nicole Shammas and Jumana Tarazi, in Dubai – Japan Virtual International Exchange, 

discuss a virtual international exchange between students in HCT, Dubai Women’s College 

and Osaka, Japan. The article focuses on the way technology has been used to link English 

language students in the two countries in order to increase the students’ cultural awareness, to 

improve their English language and IT skills, to explore innovative ways in teaching and 

learning, and to provide an authentic learning experience. 

In their article, An Online Learning Environment for Academic Writing, Michelle Housley 

and Andy Steele describe the current situation where many post-secondary institutions have 

to deal with a large number of students, who lack sufficient academic writing skills, pursuing 

bachelor degrees. The article discusses how HCT’s Dubai Women’s College has 

implemented a Virtual Writing Centre in order to increase student knowledge regarding the 

mechanical aspects of writing, such as proper formatting and referencing. Michelle and Andy 

also discuss how the current learning material has been created and outline future work that 

will involve designing online learning material that increases students’ skills in evaluating 

research sources and awareness of plagiarism. 

Section Three: ePortfolios 

In Tools for Dynamic Portfolios, Diane Evans and Christine Lampe, from HCT, Al Ain 

Women’s College, investigate dynamic portfolio processes. They provide key points of 

underpinning theory and offer a definition. They also provide three examples demonstrating 

the use of tools which support dynamic portfolios in different contexts: Office Administration 

students use Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 software to develop a repository of evidence of work 

completed; Health Administration students use PBworks to upload and share learning 

activities during a course; and Foundations English students use WordPress blogs to develop 

writing portfolios. 

Paul Leslie, in Portfolio Approach to Learning: Application with Educational Technology 

Students, outlines a Portfolio approach to learning. He considers portfolio as a process and as 

a collection of work and reflection that is continuously developed and from which we 

continuously learn. Paul discusses how a portfolio approach can support a community of 

inquiry learning model where critical discourse is promoted as a result of the sharing of 

journals and access to examples of others’ work. Experiences with a portfolio approach at 

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other institutions are discussed including the concept of an institutional portfolio. This 

discussion leads to work being currently done at HCT, Sharjah Women’s College. 

Section Four: Blended Learning 

In their article, Diploma Work Experience: A Blended Learning Model, Aleya James and 

Andy O’Gorman, discuss the rationale for, and the development and evolution of, a virtual 

learning environment to support work experience for final-year Diploma students at HCT, 

Dubai Women’s College. They outline some best practices for facilitating a smooth transition 

between college and work and for exploiting learning opportunities, thereby benefiting 

students, college and companies. 

In Blended Learning for Success in the Knowledge-Based Economy, Dr Georgia Daleure, 

from the Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology, describes how blended learning can be 

used to maximize the efficiency of teaching and learning for students with specific challenges 

She uses the UAE post-secondary educational context to present an example showing that 

teachers can establish a “cycle of success” in which class time is spent doing interesting 

activities and providing motivational encouraging interaction that establishes the need for 

students to do assigned activities outside class designed to fill the gaps, increase needed 

competencies, and develop personal management skills. 

Section Five: Other eLearning Activities 

In their article, Developing 21st Century Faculty: An Online Program to Enhance Classroom 

Practice, Mark Curcher and Lana Hiasat, from HCT, Dubai Men’s College, and Hanna Teras, 

from the University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) in Finland, examine the design and 

implementation of an alternative approach to online faculty development, intended to 

enhance 21st century skills for a knowledge society. The program is based on the principles 

of authentic e-Learning and these have been used, together with social technologies, to create 

a certificate program for teaching in higher education. The objective of the program is to 

equip teaching faculty for the challenges they are facing in the evolving knowledge society 

working environment. 

In the final article in the volume, Dr Simon Hayhoe, in Using an iPad as an Assistive Device 

to Improve Technical Literacy: Trial Usage with an Emirati Student, presents a case study of 

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the use of the iPad 2 by a blind student at HCT, Sharjah Women’s College. Existing assistive 

technologies are cumbersome and embarrassing to use in front of peers, thereby limiting their 

effectiveness for learning. Simon discusses features of the iPad 2, such as a broad range of 

available literature and accessible software to enlarge text, change the color of the interface 

and provide a synthesized voice that may help overcome these problems. 

References 

Bonk, C.J. (2009). The Word is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education. 

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

Clarke, W., Logan, K., Luckin, R., Mee, A., and Oliver, M. (2009). Beyond Web 2.0: 

Mapping the technology landscapes of young learners. Journal of Computer Assisted 

Learning 25, 56-69. 

Dowling, S. (2011). Web-based learning: Moving from learning islands to learning 

environments. TESL-EJ 15, 2: 1- 27: Retrieved from http://www.tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej58/int.pdf. 

Ehlers, U-D., (2009). Web 2.0 – E-Learning 2.0 – Quality 2.0? Quality for new learning 

cultures. Quality Assurance in Education, 17, 3, 296-314. 

Friedman, T. L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New 

York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

Gray, K., Thompson, C., Sheard, J., Clerehan, R., and Hamilton, M. (2010). Students as Web 

2.0 authors: Implications for assessment design and conduct. Australasian Journal of 

Educational Technology 26, 1, 105-122. 

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