British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009 771–784

Reviews _994 771..784

Berg, Anne Marie & Eikeland, Olav ed applied to educational technology research in
(2008) Action research and organisation theory organisations, but this is not a specific topic in
Peter Lang (Oxford & Berne www.peterlang.net) the book.
ISBN 978-3-63156888-0 190 pp £27.30
Jo Matthews (received January 2009)
This book will appeal to anyone in the research Executive coach: Coaching for Responsible Leader-
community, but of course particularly to those ship, UK
who are action researchers. It is a series of [email protected]
chapters exploring the relationship between
action research and organisational theory,
especially looking at the tensions and synergies
between action research and more traditional Ferris, Pixy & Godar, Susan ed (2006) Teach-
epistemological research methods. ing and learning with virtual teams Information
Science (Hershey PA www.igi-pub.com) ISBN
Each chapter is an exploration of a different 1-59140-709-5 303 pp $69.95
aspect of action research in relation to organi-
sational theory, covering gender, industrial My motivation when I turned to this book was,
action research, ethical spaces in organisa- I suspect, similar to that of other potential
tions, new ways of carrying out leadership readers searching for some clear, practical,
research, change management, and the preferably evidence-based guidance on how to
historical transformations of the private- implement or improve some kind of team-
public relationship and current work life based learning. There is plenty of that here
developments. although the quality of evidence does vary.

I’m not sure how readers with no action The book’s concept follows the writers’ enthu-
research experience would make sense of this, siasm for variants of online problem-based
as—although it covers action research learning (pbl) to the extent that we should all
applications—it starts from an assumption of progress, like the book’s first section, “From
understanding the extended epistemology e-learning to learning in virtual teams”.
used in action research, and is written with a Through connecting distant individuals and
high level of technical research language. cultures, this approach can foster deep learn-
ing and even world peace (pp 28-9)!
Though myself an experienced action
researcher, I found the book hard going—but I Authors can treat technology in a number of
particularly like the way it explores the gaps roles as it facilitates virtual team-work. The
created by polarising different research most obvious is to investigate and overcome
methods and the impact this has on sound problems related to the distance between par-
organisational theory. It also explores the limi- ticipants. This is tacitly to acknowledge face-
tations of different types of research and the to-face as the optimum medium for learning
impact on the findings. and teaching. Hashimoto and Lehu (Chapter
10) describe a video conference intervention
It’s well balanced about all types of research, with the rooms arranged to create the impres-
not necessarily preferring any methodology, sion that the separated participants were just
but is more a critique of research in relation to at either end of the same space. With sufficient
organisational theory. use, the students seemed to see it this way.
Future-gazing along this aspiration, technol-
If you are carrying out any research into ogy may soon deliver (as teleporter Dr Mowry
organisations, then this book will help you to says) easier ways to “... forget the fact that
frame ways of doing it, and to identify the limi- you’re in different rooms.” What gets lost in the
tations of methods. The processes can easily be struggle to reach that level of co-presence, in
© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ,
UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
772 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

other words, before the technology actually Frehner, Carmen (2008) Email—SMS—
delivers it, is the effort of investigating how and MMS Peter Lang (Oxford & Berne www.
why teams make best use of the current varied peterlang.net) ISBN 978-3-03911-451-1 294
electronic toolset. Do the benefits outweigh the pp £38.20
risks and costs, and, if so, for whom?
Letter-homophones, g-clippings, abbrevia-
tion—language change or language deteriora-
I feel that a compelling case has yet to be made
tion? One of the chapters in this rather concise
for the “added value” of virtual teams, in other
analysis of how linguistic syntax has evolved
words, to the point that those who stick with
with advances in communication technology
traditional techno-pedagogies are scandalised.
summarises what question one is left pondering
I suspect that virtual team learning will, for
at the end; indeed has the integrity of conversa-
some time yet, be limited—for example, to pro-
tional language advanced, or reversed? This
grammes where students are on a career path
book would be of considerable interest to those
which expects them to function in virtual teams
who have observed the rapid change in how
(such as management in globalised industry),
society has adapted facets of the English lan-
or where the learning outcomes of the course
guage to suit the array of electronic communi-
are wedded to virtual team-work (as in Chapter
cation mediums newly available to us.
12, with courses such as on team-based
communication). Without these “embedded”
The first few chapters present statistical data
reasons, few will deliberately swap the safe
on the composition of asynchronous discourse
waters of lectures and libraries to add several
using the most popular forms of electronic
layers of electronic complexity and fragility to
communication, namely email and SMS; the
the already potentially fraught pedagogical
book then proceeds to contextualise each by
strategies of group-based learning models.
comparing and contrasting the evolution of
various words to the abbreviations and
Nevertheless, it was striking to read several pseudo-phonetic equivalents which have
accounts of how teaching staff had success- adapted to that form of transmission. Text mes-
fully implemented virtual teams in the face of sages (SMS) demonstrate one of the more
considerable cost and organisational resis- prominent changes in abbreviation and pho-
tance. These intrepid authors are to be con- netic alternatives to form “compressed shots”
gratulated on their insightful discussions of of information sent to the recipient, whereas
trust, virtual team configurations, the place of email lends itself to expand a message and
face-to-face meetings, and the critical matter of digress, as a traditional written letter would.
how best to prepare virtual teams. Research
into the concept of “member salience”, based If there is any criticism of an otherwise com-
on different combinations of physical or pelling evaluation, it is that perhaps the author
virtual co-presence, is one of the highlights of rather frequently uses concatenations of rela-
the book. tively complex linguistic terms to make other-
wise simple analyses and observations of
language. However, this is more than compen-
However, I was disappointed at the brevity
sated in the way the reader is engaged and led
with which assessment was discussed given
seamlessly through the intriguingly titled
the importance of this topic. Other weaknesses
chapters.
include a sparse index; calling pbl, email and
online forums “new”; and the heavy US bias.
The book concludes with a series of chapters
That last is apparent enough from the refer-
which put various questions regarding any
ence lists but I was surprised that one chapter’s
threats which this change has posed to the
bald pejorative comments about European
English language, particularly over such a
higher education made it past the reviewers.
short evolutionary period. This is reinforced by
the comparison of how (as an example) the
Mike Johnson (received November 2008)
German language has developed in this way, in
Lecturer, Cardiff University
parallel with the country’s uptake of commu-
[email protected]
nications technology; Frehner also looks at the

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

 Reviews 773

impact which pseudo-English borrowings have ters, to a greater or lesser degree, consider the
had on German conversation, and evaluates use of technology enhanced learning within
concerns which have arisen due to this. their particular field.

In conclusion, the book may be of particular That “Introduction to e-learning” aims “to con-
interest to someone who has witnessed the sider what we mean by e-learning; to give prac-
birth, and partaken in the adaptation, of tical advice about approaches to e-learning; to
pseudo-English vernacular expression within introduce practitioners to key tools and tech-
the realms of recent advances in digital com- nologies for use in effective e-learning; and to
munication. And, if nothing else, it may be provide an overview of current issues in
argued that it would be of greater interest (and e-learning and direct the reader to further
possibly amusement) to ponder how one may sources of information.” It includes useful sec-
relate one’s own experiences in using commu- tions on the context in which e-learning oper-
nication technology to the findings of this ates, platforms, e-learning in practice, and the
rather compelling book. role of the teacher in e-learning; and it briefly
considers wider developments such as Web 2.0,
Joshua Dimbylow (received January 2009) social networking sites, and the development of
eLearning Developer, Cardiff University School of reusable learning objects.
Medicine, UK
[email protected] Discussion of e-learning in each of the
discipline-specific chapters is relatively brief
but there are some instructive British case
studies of the use of technology to enhance
Fry, Heather et al ed (2009) Handbook for learning. These include the CASPAR system for
teaching and learning in higher education Rout- self and peer assessment in the Media School at
ledge (New York & London www.routledge.com) the University of Bournemouth, the use of a
ISBN 978-0-415-43464-1 525 pp £27.99 blended approach to the teaching of anatomy
at Peninsula Medical School (SW England),
and the use of personal response systems to
A staple of postgraduate certificate courses for promote active learning in the Department of
new teachers, the Handbook for teaching and Mechanical Engineering at the University of
learning in higher education has now reached its Strathclyde.
third edition. Like its predecessors, this edition
consists of contributions from established Necessarily in a book of this nature, the Hand-
experts in the field of higher education peda- book for teaching and learning in higher education
gogy, who between them offer the reader a provides a relatively superficial treatment of
comprehensive overview of the major aspects individual issues. This applies as much to
of learning and teaching and an introduction issues relating to technology-enhanced learn-
to issues specific to each of the major discipline ing as to other aspects of higher education
areas. Much of the content has been reworked pedagogy; thus, any serious student of this
to reflect the changing landscape of higher area would need to use the book as a spring-
education practice, not least the rapid expan- board for more in depth study. As a spring-
sion in all forms of technology enhanced board, however, this third edition works well. It
learning since the second edition appeared in considers e-learning in the wider context of
2003. Here I concentrate on how Fry & Co deal higher education teaching and learning and
with the relatively new field of e-learning. includes references to which the reader new to
the world of e-learning can use as a basis for
In this new edition, consideration of e-learning further investigation. As in previous editions,
follows this pattern of general overview fol- the reader is addressed directly and encour-
lowed by discussion of discipline specific topics. aged to reflect on how the ideas on offer relate
Sam Brenton, the head of e-learning at Queen to his/her own practice.
Mary College (University of London), contrib-
utes a chapter called “An introduction to One practical point: this third edition of the
e-learning”, while the discipline specific chap- Handbook for teaching and learning in higher edu-

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

774 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

cation is some seventy five pages longer than adoption of technology and its proliferation in
the previous one and, presumably in an education. In the first, “Doing technology” is
attempt to keep down the overall size and cost considered from the perspective of its imple-
of the book, the publishers have used a smaller mentation by institutions who have not
font and slightly thinner, less robust paper. adequately considered how it should be used in
Whilst the reduction in font size does not affect their rush to show that it is being used. The
the readability of the book, some users may notion that technology and its associated skills
find that the poorer paper quality reduces its have become privileged at the expense of good
longevity, particularly in the case of library pedagogy will ring true for many teachers cur-
copies. rently involved in battles to regain command of
learning and teaching. Here, however, the
Overall, this third edition is a thoughtful and empowerment of students is emphasised and
well written introduction to higher education this will challenge teachers who wish to main-
pedagogy that is a worthy successor to its pre- tain personal control of curriculum rather
vious versions, providing the novice teacher than sharing it with their students. Making
with sufficient understanding and points of students aware of the ways in which media
reference to follow up their particular inter- mediate and express content is one way to alert
ests. As such, it will be a valuable addition to them to hidden agendas and indoctrination
the bookshelf of any new lecturer or post- or to gaps in presentation. Similarly, the
graduate teaching assistant. institutional/commercial ownership and
therefore unit control of technology is high-
Sharon Buckley (received May 2009) lighted as an issue for diversity, social justice
Education Development Specialist, University of and the role of education in improving these
Birmingham social inadequacies. The use of interpretive or
[email protected] constructivist pedagogies are highlighted as
more appropriate to equip students to critically
interpret media than those reliant on trans-
mission of knowledge. As students become
Goldstein, Rebecca A ed (2007) Useful more empowered to construct their own
theory: Making critical education practical Peter knowledge, they develop the skills to recon-
Lang (Frankfurt & New York www.peterlang. struct others’ constructions and to comment
net) ISBN 0-8204-6307-8 243 pp £19.30 effectively on those they find wanting. This
proposition is true for traditional and technol-
This work is a well overdue compilation that ogy based learning but is probably more impor-
will interest any reader with an enquiring tant in the latter context—here the medium
mind and a predilection for thinking deeply increasingly allows access to more diverse
about intended and unintended social justice content from a wider range of sources.
consequences of developments in education.
The collection of articles arises out of group “Technology fluency” is the subject of the
thinking over a significant period and is, thus, second chapter on technology; it explores
authentic to its philosophical roots. It begins by equity issues of race, gender, age and location
laying the philosophical foundations, logical in relation to acquisition of technology compe-
sequence, and connections between chapters tencies needed for study and engagement in
and sections. Subsequent discussion of practi- society and the workforce. Excerpts from cases
cal approaches to implementing critical theo- in a digital divide initiative provide detailed
ries are solidly underpinned by ethical and snapshots of the local understandings of the
social justice points and counterpoints which participants and the implications of these for
cause the reader to consider personal beliefs participation and successful engagement.
and values about the issues under discussion. Implications for practice in “technology train-
ing” are significant.
In particular, the two chapters in Part 3
addressing “Critical praxis in the digital age” Many of us will identify with these ideals
should challenge many readers to consider as well as the need for change in institutional
critical perspectives arising from the rapid milieu to enable teachers to develop a

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

 Reviews 775

professional knowledge which assists them to Open University admit students without tradi-
frame their use of technology from a critical tional entry requirements—and speculate on
perspective. whether discrimination by qualification could
become as unacceptable as discrimination by
Dr Robyn Smyth (received November 2008) sex, class, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and age
Senior Lecturer Academic Developer: School of are now. They suggest that a more consistent
Rural Medicine, University of New England, policy of abolishing the need for prior qualifica-
Australia tions could overcome the inverse ageism of the
[email protected] current system, widen as well as increase
access, and truly transform HE.

This book packs a great deal of evidence and

Gorard, Stephen et al (2007) Overcoming the argument in its 154 pages and challenges
barriers to higher education Trentham Books many current perceptions, policies and priori-
(Stoke on Trent & Hershey PA www.trentham- ties. It is essential reading for all policy-makers,
books.co.uk) ISBN 978-1-85856-414-2 154 pp planners and academics interested in
£18.99 researching educational inequality in the
developed and developing world.
This book is an updated version of the authors’
review of the evidence on widening participa- Colin Latchem (received December 2008)
tion in HE which they undertook in 2004 for Open learning consultant, Australia
the Higher Education Funding Council for [email protected]
England (HEFCE). They found a lack of consis-
tency, completeness, and comparative data in
the findings on participation in HE—as well as
shortcomings in the methods used to assess the Hartley, James (2008) Academic writing and
interventions aimed at reducing these publishing Routledge (New York & London
inequalities. They concluded that none of the www.routledge.com) ISBN 978-0-415-
interventions tried so far has resulted in any 45322-6 196 pp £19.99
substantive change. For all of the recent
changes in English and Welsh HE—such as the My review can be summarised in one sentence.
introduction of part-time study, mature age This is a text which all people entering aca-
entry, acceptance of prior informal learning, demia should have on their shelves, and should
and conversion of polytechnics into expect to use throughout their writing careers;
universities—there has been no overall they will find it a rich and balanced source of
improvement in access. Conversely, the intro- information and advice on the many different
duction of a student contribution fee in Aus- types of writing in which they will be called to
tralia has not adversely affected participation engage. So—don’t borrow it, or skim read it;
in HE by students from lower income groups. buy it and refer to it often.

The authors therefore reason that the most But you expect more of me than that, so I begin
important determinants arise early in life—in by saying that this book surprised me. I
the family, peer group and compulsory school- expected from the title that it would consist
ing—and that post-16 events have far less merely of sound advice to academics who
influence because, by now, individuals’ identi- write, or aspire to write, and publish. I found
ties have been formed with a subjective oppor- instead a thorough yet readily assimilated
tunity structure that either includes or excludes summary of what has been found, and (implic-
HE. Therefore, they argue, to be fully effective, itly) advised, regarding effective academic
interventions are needed in the earlier years, for writing, and variations across that field.
example by reducing inequity in pre-school, Within that scholarly approach to content and
compulsory education and access qualifica- style, however, there is ample opportunity for
tions, and in poverty and disadvantage in advice to be readily drawn out for, and by,
society. Being even more confrontational, they thinking readers of various experience levels in
observe that HE institutions such as the UK regard to academic writing.

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

776 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

Hartley addresses, in a succession of distinct frequently. Get a copy for yourself, read it and
and often brief—yet always adequate— expect to rely upon it and be influenced by it
chapters, virtually every form of academic over the years, however experienced you cur-
writing which was in my mind as I began to rently are.
read. The structure of his chapters centres
upon what has, or in some cases has not, been John Cowan (received January 2009)
studied in regard to academic writing. This is Visiting Professor in Academic Development,
usually followed with good advice or reflection Edinburgh Napier University
about what a prospective writer may wish to [email protected]
take from these objectively reported analyses.

Hartley dwells briefly on coping with frustra-

tion or annoyance on receiving a critical Hayes, Denis (2006) Inspiring primary teach-
review. He might also have considered the ing Learning Matters (Exeter UK, www.
acute hurt arising from cruel reviews which, in learningmatters.co.uk) ISBN 1-84445-072-4
my experience, has deterred some of my 137 pp £12
undoubtedly able junior colleagues from ever
again trying to write for publication, and cer- This monograph addressed to primary teach-
tainly from reading a review of their writing. ers aims to investigate the complexity of
teaching, especially innovative and creative
Looking for other omitted topics, I was disap- teaching. Its main concern is with the prin-
pointed to see no consideration of differences ciples and practice that apply across the
in approaches to punctuation, whose absence curriculum—it does not refer to any specific
can often lead to significant ambiguity, yet subject.
whose enthusiastic inclusion can lead to accu-
sations of “pepper-potting commas”! Much of
Inspiring primary teaching looks in depth at
the editing of papers submitted by writers for
what characterises effective teachers and
whom English is not the first language can be
analyses key activities such as organising and
readily enhanced, in my experience, by simple
managing groups, questioning, maintaining
attention to punctuation. Also, I am rather
discipline, stimulating creativity. Great empha-
embarrassed to admit that I have found useful,
sis is given to enhancing communication in the
since my early years as a writer, style guides
classroom, promoting high quality dialogue
from sources ranging from tabloid newspapers
among teachers and pupils.
to more erudite publishers. This resource, too,
might have received attention, not simply as
rules to be respected in regard to a proposed The book is structured as a study text; each
submission, as for prompting reflection on topic is discussed in a very detailed way, start-
general style. ing from explicit key questions and ending
with a number of queries to help teachers to
With trepidation, having drafted the above become aware of their conceptions and to
comments in my usual manner, I turned to analyse their own practice. There is also a good
Hartley’s advice on writing book reviews (pp amount of suggested reading.
118-9), and found to my acute embarrassment
that I had disregarded most of what he says. Inspiring primary teaching is a bit slow if you
Above all, in his suggested items for inclusion, just want to read an informative text—but
I found no place for my simple and highly per- extremely helpful if you need help on how to
sonal report, which I hope the reviews editor work well with your classes. This is certainly a
will not delete—I regard it as the most impor- careful and reliable guide for all teachers who
tant aspect of this review if not all reviews. See wish to improve and systematise their practice.
the next sentence. ...
Giuliana Dettori (received May 2009)
I’m genuinely glad that I opted to review this Researcher at the Istituto Tecnologie Didattiche of
book: it goes straight onto my limited book- CNR, Genoa, Italy
shelves as a valued item; I expect to refer to it [email protected]

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

 Reviews 777

Ibrahim, Ismail Khalil ed (2009) Handbook ing technologist. It would also make a serious
of research on mobile multimedia Information hole in a library’s acquisition budget. So my
Science (Hershey PA www.igi-pub.com) ISBN recommendation would be not to purchase—
978-160566046-2 1154 pp $445 unless you are the CEO of a mobile technolo-
gies company and then it would look great in
This is the second edition of a “handbook” the glass fronted bookcase.
which first appeared in May 2006. A great deal
has happened in the field over the past three Nick Rushby (received March 2009)
years and this is reflected in this revision. Editor, British Journal of Educational Technology
[email protected]
The “handbook” is a substantial work in all
respects, hence the speech marks. The two
hardback volumes together weigh 3.31 kg—
over a half a kilo more than my elderly laptop Lockyer, Lori et al ed (2009) Learning design
and its power supply. As such it is significantly and learning objects Information Science
less mobile than the multimedia research that (Hershey PA www.igi-pub.com) ISBN 978-
it reports! Within the thousand pages (more if 15990461-1 914 pp £250
we include the contents pages, the notes on
contributors and the index) are 67 chapters by If you wish to consult a solid, up-to-date
200 contributors drawn from across the world. resource on learning design (LD) and learning
The detailed table of contents (which includes objects (LOs), then this two-volume, 900-page
brief abstracts) occupies eighteen pages. It is set is for you. In this edited book’s three sec-
difficult to say with certainty that every aspect tions (LD, LOs, and Integration), 43 chapters
of research on mobile multimedia is covered: by 92 authors from thirteen countries (includ-
but all of the fundamentals seem to be here. ing many well-established names in the area of
e-learning research) provide a view of the field
But what the BJET reader will not find is in a range of educational contexts. There are
research that directly impinges on learning contributions from 38 Australian, twelve
technology: the work reported in this hand- British, ten Canadian, ten American and seven
book is more general. To draw on one chapter Dutch authors, among others. The book con-
at random as an example, the fiftieth chapter tains research-based chapters, summaries of
deals with the design and implementation of a project findings and tutors’ descriptive
mobile and portable lifelog media system [one accounts of their experiences of LD and LOs.
based on a computer the user wears in order to
capture much or all of his experience—Editor]. This book and Beetham and Sharpe’s (Rout-
“This chapter provides solutions for some ledge 2007) Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age
issues emerging in this [lifelog media] system, share seven contributors and have been
such as mobility, user friendliness and mostly written for similar audiences. The main focus
on database performance.” Now, there are of Beetham and Sharpe’s work is on the peda-
applications for lifelog systems in learning and, gogical aspects of LD, drawing primarily on
if these are to be realised, these issues need to UK-based contributors and targeting pedagogi-
be addressed. But those are technical issues cal researchers and practitioners. Lockyer’s
and BJET readers are more likely to be book, in addition to the pedagogical angle on
concerned about learning issues. Throughout, LD, includes substantial contributions on tech-
the two volumes deal with technical aspects, nology and standards, applications, technical
at a level of detail that is more likely to be of issues and of course, LOs.
interest to hardware and software engineers
than to applications developers and users. So, The very good and detailed table of contents
an excellent book—but not one for learning helps readers identify the sections that are of
technologists. interest in their context. However, the editors’
attempt to attract such a wide audience of
A book of this magnitude commands a serious “learning designers” is risky in that few of the
price and this makes it hard, if not impossible, chapters of this expensive tome will actually be
to justify it as a purchase for the typical learn- relevant to the needs of particular individuals

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

778 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

or groups. Tutors, lecturers, school teachers, learning objects. Although this is not a book to
learning technologists, researchers, program- be read from cover to cover, the research evi-
mers, graphic and web designers, animation dence it presents can inform both strategic and
experts and many others with an interest in LD operational decisions in this current and
and LOs will benefit from this book but will also topical area.
leave many chapters untouched. The book
offers a plethora of concepts, taxonomies, pat- Dr Alejandro Armellini (received Fenruary 2009)
terns, examples, toolkits, frameworks and Senior Learning Designer, Beyond Distance
models. Some are presented in usable formats Research Alliance, University of Leicester, UK
and are adequately explained, but several are [email protected]
not entirely clear, intuitive or transferable. The
quality of the writing is also varied.

The LD section focuses on issues of pedagogy, Robertson, J et al (2008) Inside stories NILE
technology and standards. It describes uses of Press (www.narrativejourney.org) ISBN 978-1-
applications and software packages to achieve 4092-0510-4 291 pp €25.12 (paper) €11.17
specific pedagogical aims. IMS LD (a specifica- (download)
tion for a meta-language that enables the mod-
elling of learning processes) features This “narrative journey” is a monograph that
prominently, which makes parts of this section explores how new technology can support sto-
less accessible and appealing to many academ- rytelling skills in learners, and by this means
ics interested in LD. improve learning. It is written in the form of a
meta-narrative—that is, an articulated story
Results of research into the design and devel- that works as background and as container for
opment of LOs for pedagogical impact are pre- a number of different contents.
sented in the second section. The research
includes studies into the use of LOs for pur- The story that unfolds throughout the book
poses such as non-linear meaning-making, concerns five travellers who meet on a train
language needs of non-native speakers and heading for a conference on the Future of
learner motivation. Successful and cost- Learning: a teacher, a technologist, an educa-
effective storage, access and reusability of LOs tional researcher and two learners (a child and
are also discussed, as is the use of LOs in a teenager). The conversations among them
primary, secondary and higher education and with other travellers they meet during the
settings. journey provide the opportunity to tackle a
number of topics related to the educational use
Contributions under the third section address of storytelling; technology to support storytell-
the integration of LD and LOs into different ing (as well as other educational activities);
educational and disciplinary contexts and in and academic theory of narrative learning.
different modes of study, such as face-to-face or The presence of characters involved in differ-
distance learning. The challenges of effective ent ways in education allows the narrators to
integration of LOs and LD principles into present and compare different perspectives on
course design are discussed. This section offers the considered issues, as well as to point out
guidelines for the successful dissemination and that stories are not only for children but can
reuse of LOs through repositories and provides benefit learning at any level.
in-depth discussions on the many challenges
posed by the pedagogically sound integration The narrative form makes the book easy to
of LOs into effective LD. read even for non-experts, while the number of
references to theories and applications makes it
In conclusion, this is a valuable addition to the sound and accurate enough to keep the inter-
literature on technology-enhanced learning. est of a specialist. The frequent reference to
Authors from a wide range of backgrounds concrete activities that can be developed in
and educational settings help readers make class will certainly result a useful source of
sense of the rich, multi-disciplinary and fast- inspiration for professionals who wish to inno-
changing landscape of learning design and vate their teaching by means of an old cultural

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

 Reviews 779

artefact (narrative) given new power by the There is evidence of positive student feedback;
new tools of IT. These features make the book this adds well to the discussion, as do the refer-
of interest for a wide audience of people inter- ences to hosting podcasts, both from within an
ested in education from different perspectives, institutional VLE and more informally.
not only teachers and trainers but also
researchers, policy makers, parents, and (why The first chapter provides a useful chronology
not?) even students. of the development of podcasting techniques
and technologies with some future-gazing
Even though the background story is not and realistic identification of limitations and
always believable, the book makes for good barriers, while the second chapter presents a
reading. Not only did I enjoy it, but it gave me practitioner’s guide arranged around screen
the opportunity to deepen—in a pleasant and grabs for a commonly used audio recording
relaxed way—the field of narrative learning, software system. Almost any user, regardless
one that I consider extremely promising for the of confidence or experience, could begin to
future of education. produce reasonable audio files in a short
period.
Giuliana Dettori (received May 2009)
Researcher at the Istituto Tecnologie Didattiche of In addition the glossary and the discussion of
CNR, Genoa, Italy copyright issues prompt thinking about issues
[email protected] often overlooked in the rush to add new items
to the learner’s toolkit.

I recommend this little book to anyone inter-

Salmon, Gilly et al (2009) How to create ested in enhancing learning through the use of
podcasts for education Open University Press simply created, effective sound or sound and
(Maidenhead & McGraw-Hill, New York vision files.
www.openup.co.uk) ISBN 978-0-33523534-6
30 pp £4.99 Dr Robyn Smyth (received February 2009)
Senior Lecturer Academic Developer, School
How to create Podcasts for education is a very of Rural Medicine University of New England,
informative and useful little (sic) book for Australia
anyone wanting to enhance student learning [email protected]
with audio and/or video and one which is
easily accessible to the average computer user.
Smith, Emma (2008) Using secondary data in
Its practical advice with explanations of the
educational and social research McGraw-Hill
technology and surrounding technical jargon,
(Maidenhead, UK www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk) ISBN
as well as its pedagogical tips, makes this work
978-033522358-9 249 pp £21.99
ideal for teachers who are experimenting with
digital audio and video. The text is clearly
Although secondary data analysis (SDA) has a
written and makes a substantial case for using
relatively long history, going back to before the
podcasts, enhanced podcasts (audio podcasts
earliest census data in the UK and USA in the
with images, forming a sort of slide-show—
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it has
Editor), and vodcasts in teaching and learning.
remained rather marginal to contemporary
Based on seminal work undertaken as the
research studies. In the UK Research Assess-
technology emerged early this century, it
ment Exercise (RAE) of 2001, for example,
includes
SDA was listed by less than 1% of researchers
• a step-by-step guide to creating podcasts; as their “main method”.
• information on the software and computing
accessories necessary; and This book sets out to challenge some of the
• sound advice about the approaches to ensur- popular misconceptions and criticisms associ-
ing pedagogical usefulness and technical ated with SDA, especially in the field of educa-
quality. tion, where such quantitative approaches in

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

780 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

general remain more marginal. Although the For a potentially dry subject, the book remains
concept of SDA has caused some confusion, well focused and devoid of superfluous mate-
Smith presents a workable definition, advanc- rial, and largely succeeds in maintaining a
ing it as a form of re-analysis of existing data high level of interest by blending historical and
that need not be concerned, rather dauntingly, theoretical perspectives with numerous practi-
with large and unreliable datasets. The lack of cal examples in a complementary form. Of
engagement with quantitative data analysis in particular value are the sections which take
the social sciences is attributed to a lack of the reader step by step through a number of
trust in numeric data (which curiously— worked examples, indicating firstly the rel-
according to Smith—does not apply to qualita- evance of secondary data, and secondly a
tive or ethnographic analysis) and the failure series of data management techniques appli-
to adopt more mixed or methodologically cable to the analysis of larger datasets and
plural approaches. Smith argues that it is nec- aggregates (data that has been previously
essary to address the “underused” status of analysed and is available with a summary).
SDA and to do so by combining it with the new The focus throughout is on practical examples
political arithmetic tradition of research—an from social and educational research, while
approach which is based on social research, data from the PISA study and schools in Cali-
social equity and rather straightforward and fornia are introduced to bring to life the rel-
accessible numerical techniques which do not evance and interest of the analytical
require in-depth statistical knowledge. In this techniques.
respect the book utilises two online facilities,
CASWEB and NOMIS, which can be used to Though marginal, secondary data analysis is
produce summary statistics in a way that is advanced as a particularly useful technique to
easy to use. be developed by small-scale research projects
such as graduate or undergraduate disserta-
The book is written in an admirably clear style tions. In this case it can present students with
and is effectively structured throughout its opportunities to improve their awareness of
three parts with eight concise chapters. Part I the research design process as well as avoiding
consisting of four chapters introduces SDA in problematical ethical issues concerned with
the context of debates about its effectiveness data collection. The book’s intention—in
and reliability. Following the more theoretical which it largely succeeds—is to strengthen
introduction, the three chapters in Part II offer secondary data analysis as one technique in
a series of more practical examples, explaining the “methodological toolbox” available to
the potential of SDA to be an effective method researchers, one which has been on the
as part of a mixed approach. margin for far too long.

Finally, Part III consists of a conclusion and Michael Thomas (received January 2009)
three appendices. The appendices amount to Nagoya University of Commerce & Business,
approximately fifty pages, or one fifth of the Japan
entire book, and provide some highly relevant [email protected]
further information relating to sources of sec-
ondary data; to managing secondary datasets;
and to ways to access the economic and social
data service. The Preface promises an accom- Syed, Mahbubur Rahman ed (2009) Strate-
panying website, accessible from the author’s gic applications of distance learning technologies
Birmingham University staff pages; however, Information Science (Hershey PA www.igi-
there appears to be no such page at the time of pub.com) ISBN 978-159904480-4 336 pp
writing. $195

The book’s target readers—“research students Strategic applications of distance learning tech-
in education and those undertaking related nologies consists of some eighteen chapters,
professional, vocational and social each from a different contributor, and each
research”—are assumed to have no prior written as something like a stand-alone aca-
mathematical expertise or knowledge of SDA. demic paper. These eighteen chapters cover a

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

 Reviews 781

wide range of topics within the field of educa- pitched at a very broad readership; it seems
tional technology, ranging from educational unlikely to me to be of significant practical use
theory to content creation and sharing, to to anyone engaged in designing or delivering
systems and the back-end infra-structure distance teaching at present nor to anyone
involved in the delivery of educational interac- involved in high-level strategic planning for
tions to students. the future.

Unfortunately, for me this book doesn’t quite Nick Webb (received March 2009)
work. It seems to lack focus, both in the range eLearning Programme Manager, Cardiff School of
of topics covered and in the level at which they Medicine, UK
are pitched. In short, I’m not sure what the [email protected]
target reader group for this book is, if any.
Some chapters—such as those addressing edu-
cational theory—may be of interest to those
who are really teaching, while others go into Wisker, Gina et al (2008) Working one-to-one
great detail about the technical requirements with students Routledge (New York & London
and issues involved in developing new software www.routledge.com) ISBN 978-0-415-36531-
and systems, so may be of interest to research- 4 214 pp £17.99
ers and software developers within the field.
Yet other chapters look at highly strategic This book deals with some crucial facets of
issues (both at institutional and national supporting students like supervising, coach-
levels)—such as inter-institutional content ing, mentoring and personal tutoring. The first
federation—and may be of interest to those chapter sets the stage by explaining mentor-
involved with strategic planning ... . But I can’t ing, coaching, supervision and personal tutor-
see the book interesting any one group of ing, the generic listening and one-to-one
readers entirely. relationship skills like active listening, observ-
ing, empathy, non-judgmental work, and
That said, it’s not all bad. The chapters that are relationship-building. Chapter 2 elucidates
of relevance and interest to me are very inter- coaching and GROW as applied to the practice
esting. For instance, a number of them present of a coaching session; GROW is the acronym
excellent examples of how technology has for establish the Goal; examine the Reality of
been used with success to address specific the situation; consider the Options available;
(often subject-specific), real problems, and can confirm the Will to act ... and thus decide what
thereby enhance the distance learning process will happen.
in many academic fields. These chapters do
demonstrate how thinking outside the box and Chapter 3 is dedicated to “personal tutoring”.
innovating, with what is often common-place This includes “personal development plan-
technology, can produce excellent results. In ning” (pdp) where the students are enabled to
particular, work using speech recognition to own their learning and to develop the neces-
automatically index video lectures as part of a sary skills and personal confidence in their
whole lecture capture and playback system skills; here there are methods to audit this too.
seems highly innovative and applicable. Concern for physically challenged students is
However, this work, along with other examples also well shown here. Professional mentoring
from the book, represents work in-progress. (academics mentoring students and also new
The book does include some nice ideas, and staff) and peer mentoring are explained in
may well give some indication of where Chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses strategies and
e-learning technologies will be in the not-too- the approach one could use to supervise
distant future—but very little of what is pre- undergraduate projects and dissertations. An
sented in its pages would benefit someone on important aspect of this chapter is stressing
the ground, delivering distance-based educa- the necessity for “people skills” which enable
tion now. the supervisor to be a “good” supervisor and to
do justice to the job assigned by bridging learn-
In summary, this is a somewhat disjointed ing development and personal development of
book that presents some excellent ideas, but is the learner. The section “If things go wrong”

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

782 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

clearly identifies the supervisory arrange- • on-line resources for language teachers
ments which need to be thought about effec- (seven chapters);
tively by the supervisor at the time of assigning • multimedia and speech technology in lan-
the task to the student. guage learning (nine);
• computer mediated communication and
The next two chapters focus on different learn- language acquisition (seven);
ing approaches and styles, academic advising, • the use of large collections of writings in lan-
and work with students with disabilities, guage acquisition and learning (three);
including those with mental health concerns. • self-access support for language acquisition
Chapter 8 covers technological mechanisms and learning (two); and
related to supervising and supporting students • future directions in language teaching (two
one-to-one at a distance by using techniques chapters).
like online tutoring, social networking, audio
and video conferences, email and instant mes- Notably only two chapters deal with the
saging. Chapter 9 is about enabling students to current fashionable interest in Web 2.0
help themselves, formal peer support, supple- (Chapter 3, “Blogging and academic writing
mental instruction, self-managed groups and development”, and 28, “The CALL lab as a
networks as part of formal learning, TSGs facilitator for autonomous learning”). Other-
(tutorial support groups), peer pairing, peer wise the book presents a well-balanced snap-
support systems over a distance, buddy shot of prevalent trends in the multi-
systems and peer assisted learning. The last disciplinary area of CALL research in the first
two chapters offer practical comments and decade of the new millennium. The scope of
suggestions related to supervising Postgradu- the book is especially noteworthy, in that—
ates of different disciplines. unlike with many other shorter collections on
CALL research—a wide cross-section of inter-
Overall this book maintains a good balance national researchers are included from across
between theory and practice. The way the the educational spectrum, and the focus incor-
authors have intertwined the findings of other porates studies of CALL using Mandarin, Thai,
studies and case studies into the subject matter German, and French, in addition to the usual
helps the reader to put the views of the authors over-dominance of English.
firmly within the mainstream. Right from ren-
dering support to independent learning, to
coaching, to mentoring, to personal tutoring, CALL benefits from its proximity to research in
to peer groups, to diversity in the learning other disciplines, and one of the strengths of
population, to dissertation support—all the handbook is its inclusion of research per-
aspects receive good coverage. spectives from areas such as computer science
and speech technology. The book supports the
Ramesh C Sharma (received April 2009) development of a CALL approach that is based
Indira Gandhi National Open University, India on a dialogue with computer scientists in
[email protected] particular—one in which the opportunities
presented by technology are fully apparent
to language educators and underpin the
enhancement of learning with clearly
Zhang, Felicia & Barber, Beth ed (2008) identifiable learning outcomes. Hubbard’s cri-
Handbook of research on computer-enhanced tique of much CALL research, primarily its
language acquisition and learning Information small-scale focus, lack of rigorous methodol-
Science (IGI, Hershey PA www.igi-pub.com) ogy and research perspectives, was uppermost
614 pp $245 in the submission criteria for the collection. A
number of studies are longitudinal in nature
This handbook of research is an edited collec- rather than dealing with relatively isolated
tion consisting of thirty chapters, many of CALL tasks, and many of the authors have
which are empirical studies, covering six main a recognisable grounding in previous CALL
areas of relevance to teachers and researchers research studies. Furthermore, authors
in computer assisted language learning. These address the CALL projects in relation to wider
areas include issues concerned with technology integration

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

 Reviews 783

in the curriculum and the implications for an and higher education or between higher edu-
“informed use” of blended approaches to tech- cation and employment. Both those examples
nology and pedagogy. A number of chapters started in Britain about fifty tears ago, as the
stand out for special mention in this respect, result of some inter-play between the second
including Chapter 5, A Computer-Based world war’s loss of Empire and a tradition of
Reading Tutor for Young Learners; 12, Evalu- voluntary service at home.
ation of a Speech Interactive CALL System; 25,
Sharing Corpus Resources in Language Learn- The initiative described in this book is also
ing; and Chapter 27, Technology in Support of British—the work of the charity Hope One
Self-Access. World (HOW) set up twenty years ago by Liv-
erpool’s Hope University. HOW supports the
Integrating such a variety of practitioners work of SOS Children’s Villages by sending
and researchers, case studies and theory teams of university staff and students to Africa
papers, in a collection of this scope is a con- and South Asia for short periods to help the
siderable achievement, and the book should development of SOS teachers. As most of the
appeal to classroom teachers as well as to staff and students involved are from Hope’s
CALL researchers. There is a number of school of education, those people gain as much
minor typographical errors throughout the from the activity as the SOS schools and their
collection, however, which (while they do not communities and countries. The book is a set of
much mar the content) could have been accounts of the systems—including for SOS
eradicated by thorough copy editing. Never- teacher training and for Hope students’ work
theless, the handbook’s accessible style and experience—and their development and
helpful use of a glossary of key terms for each issues, all written by (as far as one can tell)
chapter make this a worthy addition to uni- UK-based people. There are also some personal
versity libraries and an appropriate CALL accounts from those involved. The eleven
reader for teacher training and professional chapters come in three groups—on social
development in language education. justice, partnership, and “learning” (which
means lessons learned on all sides).
Michael Thomas (received January 2009)
Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, There are some good ideas and good stories
Japan here for people involved in development
[email protected] education and educational development in less
fortunate places, whether that involvement
is through charities or otherwise.
Also received
McNamara, Gerry & O’Hara, Joe (2008)
Note that mention here does not preclude later, Trusting schools and teachers Peter Lang (Oxford
fuller review. & Berne www.peterlang.net) ISBN 978-0-8204-
8638-3 227 pp £19.40
Clarkson, Jean, et al ed (2008) In safe hands
Trentham Books (Stoke on Trent & Hershey Sub-titled “Developing educational profession-
PA www.trentham-books.co.uk) ISBN 978-1- alism through self-evaluation”, this unusual
85856-416-6 166 pp £16.99 book follows research in Ireland on self-
evaluation by schools, managers and teachers.
“Facilitating service learning in schools in the Though, as elsewhere, self- and internal evalu-
developing world” is this book’s sub-title— ation of educational quality in Ireland has
much more informative, even if much less grown very fast in recent years, this research
catchy, than the given title. Community, or vol- shows that there is far from sufficient expertise.
untary, service learning is the provision of How can we train managers and teachers to
learning-related services by unpaid people— carry out evaluation well enough that we can
”experts” in the context of pro bono work and “trust schools and teachers” to publish such
the efforts of such ngos as Voluntary Service accurate and complete pictures that they and
Overseas, or non-experts as with offenders and their stake-holders can make valid decisions
students in the “gap year” between schooling about how to proceed?

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.

784 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 40 No 4 2009

McNamara and O’Hara provide an academic conference, sub-titled “Values, concepts and
but accessible guide as to how school systems issues”, in Hong Kong in November 2005.
can proceed in the direction of more effective That PESA background may be what marks
internal evaluation. The book opens with three this treatment as special, as much of the
chapters on the background, starting with concern of the conference and of this report is
“The age of evaluation”, and three more on how much western philosophy dominates the
Irish developments and that research over the educational concepts of “critical thinking and
past decade. The bulk of the book—four [critical] learning”. It is appropriate then that
chapters—looks hard at moving towards effec- most of the eleven contributors are Hong
tive teacher self-evaluation and school internal Kong-based and as many come from UK as
evaluation. This part is a little confusing in that from Australia and US combined. In that the
the overall title is “Developing the self- theme that results is the tension between criti-
evaluating teacher”, whereas its first chapter is cal (in other words, questioning) learning and
very much about whole school evaluation rote learning, it is of importance to educa-
(including much on the SEF (school evaluation tional technologists. On the other hand, as one
form) in use in England for over half a decade might suspect, when eleven philosophers of
now). Further confusion follows the use of the education confer, we end up with—well,
same title for the next two chapters, though maybe not eleven, but more than a few—
the page headers of the first are “Training the definitive models of learning in this context.
self-evaluating teacher”. Title confusions there Also as one might suspect, there is no common
may be, but the text is well focussed and very outcome of the conference, no single state-
thought provoking. ment about the relevant use of the “critical
faculties” that will allow the rest of us to say
As external educational evaluation systems “Aha: this then is the way forward for global
soften, to be replaced by more and more inter- educational technology.”
nal evaluation, there should be more and more
interest in this excellent overview. Using it
The “rest of us” will not find this book easy
provides the basis of a quality way to monitor
going: it is not hard to read, but is highly spe-
one’s own quality as a teacher and that of
cialised in its academic nature—the pages are
one’s school.
full of references to people unknown to us and
quotes that assume too much of us. Even so,
Mason, Mark ed (2008) Critical thinking and the central thesis that we cannot expect to
learning Blackwell (Oxford & Malden MA www. transplant “Western” educational science and
blackwellpub.com) ISBN 978-1-4051-8107-5 technology into any other culture without
134 pp £19.99 careful study is very important. It is not novel,
of course, but it is important, and here there is
This collection arises from the Philosophers some hard evidence to support it.
of Education Society of Australasia (PESA)

© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Becta.