The aim of this publication is to discuss the broad question of quality when integrating technology into teaching and learning contexts. The book draws on the experiences of researchers and tutors working in different subject disciplines in order to focus on the commonalities identified when exploiting new technologies within a distinct pedagogical environment. This resource therefore hopes to offer students and teachers an insight into the various applications of technology in teaching and learning. This book can be dissected into a number of areas, including innovative research currently being undertaken at the fore of this technological revolution in order to support integration; the employment of technologies with a link to facilitating communities of membership; the use of specific Reusable Learning Objects designed for both secondary and tertiary education respectively; the use of e-portfolios for students, teachers and information workers; and the critical evaluation of technology. This resource therefore proposes to offer students and teachers an insight into the different applications of technology in teaching and learning. It is hoped that this can be drawn on by undergraduate and postgraduate students; instructional designers; educational managers; teachers; teacher trainers; academics; media technology students with the express intention of illuminating some of the quality issues surrounding the exploitation of technology for teaching and learning purposes.
About the Author: Dr Triona Hourigan is the ISSP Research Fellow in the Institute for the Study of Knowledge in Society at the University of Limerick, where she teaches courses in language technologies, second language acquisition, contemporary French cinema and media. Her areas of research include multimedia CALL, blog writing and e-learning; Web2.0 and CALL. Dr Liam Murray is a Lecturer at the University of Limerick. His research interests include computer-assisted language learning with particular emphasis on multimedia and text summary writing techniques; corpora and discourse analysis and electronic games for SLA purposes. Elaine Riordan is a PhD student at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Her research interests include English language teaching and teacher education, corpus linguistics and computer assisted language learning.