– CJLT : Changes in the World of Academic Publishing

An open issue of a journal is like a well-stocked and themed smorgesbord – there is a unique and pleasing range of high quality dishes on display, and everybody can find something that appeals, even to a highly discriminating palate. On board this Fall 2009 issue of CJLT are eight rich articles that offer readers a tempting choice of diverse research methods, questions, stances and ideas in a range of educational technology study and practice areas. Twenty Canadian and American authors, including several talented graduate students, have contributed their research and critical perspectives to this intellectual buffet. Whether one prefers to sample a bit of everything or load a plate with one favourite item, I am confident readers will find a study or idea to suit their taste.

scroll-down menu, drag-and-drop, keyboard entry) while doing multiple-choice activities. Study results, backed up by student comments, demonstrate that student preferences reflect the traits of the "spoiled child" who prefers activities that are fun, easy and fast and that will have a direct impact on grades.
Two papers present research conducted in online secondary school settings. In a design-based study of the use of videoconferencing for rural and urban secondary students, Li, Dyjur, Nicolson and Moorman summarize the effects of an inquiry-based learning environment on mathematics and science learning. Urban Grade 9 and rural Grade 8 students were connected with mathematicians/ scientists as e-mentors using videoconferencing.
Benefits were found for student learning, interest and confidence in math and science, along with significant gains in achievement, increased interest and heightened confidence. Guidelines for the development of inquiry-based learning environments supported with videoconferencing are presented. Philpott, Sharpe and Neville carried out a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of web-delivered learning with aboriginal students in coastal Labrador. The rural nature of many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, coupled with declining enrollment, has expanded the use of e-learning as a means to provide quality high school curriculum. A Community University Research Alliance partnered with stakeholders to explore the success of e-learning in the province. Within this alliance, the authors examined the success of e-learning for aboriginal students from the perspective of the students, parents and educators. Student performance was examined in comparison to provincial peers. This study provides insights into factors that support and hinder e-learning in coastal areas and also informs educators about the diverse learning characteristics and needs of aboriginal students. As Canadian educators are increasingly challenged to address achievement issues that continue to characterize aboriginal populations, this study offers important data on the viability of e-learning as a mode of curriculum delivery.
The two remaining papers bring the reader full circle to online learning in Faculties of Education and second language learning; one paper offers insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing web-based learning in higher education, and the other reviews the use of social software to address literacy and identity issues in second language learning. Surry, Grubb, Ensminger, and Ouimette studied the barriers and enablers to the implementation of web-based learning in colleges of education. Over 220 faculty members responded to a survey; close to half of the faculty had never taught a web-based course while more than half had taught online. Faculty report an overall neutral position about the readiness of colleges of education to implement web-based learning; financial resources, infrastructure, and support were seen as barriers to implementation while organizational culture, policies, a commitment to learning, and evaluation were seen as enablers to implementation. Open-ended responses reveal interesting differences about perceived lack of time and lack of social interaction between faculty who have taught online and those who have not. Jill Hutchinson presents a textured view and a clear position on the trend of using social software technology to address second language (L2) learner needs through authentic social interaction and scaffolding processes. Hutchinson explores how social software tools, through the lens of socio-constructivist theory, can support literacy development and improve linguistic power relationships, build self-esteem and encourage positive educational and identity experiences for L2 learners. Social software can connect education with real-life learning and interests and thus engage and motivate students. Social software can facilitate learning environments that are more learner-centred, informal and collaborative. Still, culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms and uneven access to technology reveal educational inequalities for English Language Learners. Recommendations for ongoing research on social software use focusing on issues of appropriateness and responsible use for L2 learners, acceptance of social tools and technology accessibility, are presented.

Academic Publishing in a Participatory Digital World
In a recent blogpost, a colleague started an online conversation with the question, 'do we need academic journals anymore?' (Bates, 2010). As the soon-to-be former editor of CJLT, my answer to this question is yes.
I believe the educational technology community continues to need and value peer-reviewed journal content.
The Canadian educational technology community needs to create, use, manage and critically evaluate bilingual and media enhanced peer-reviewed and open source forums for our research and scholarship; further, the international educational technology community needs to become multi-lingual and multi-cultural in the expanding online knowledge base.
As editor of CJLT, I have written about the value and necessity of peer-reviewed forums for the sharing and dissemination of academic research and scholarship in educational technology. I have tried to uncover the hidden tasks undertaken by the community of educational technology scholars in support of a peer-reviewed journal. For example, Jacobsen and Desjardins (2007) wrote: A great deal of hidden volunteer effort supports the scholarly review process of an academic journal. After a paper has been reviewed by the editorial team, it is blinded and sent to three expert peers for their assessment of the manuscript's quality and potential contribution to the field. Peer reviewers submit comments and a recommendation to the editorial team to aid in the publication decision-making process. At least 21 peer reviewers contributed their feedback and expertise to the review of the seven manuscripts in this issue. Peer review, by its very nature and, some would argue, by necessity, is anonymous. A journal maintains its scholarly integrity by employing a valid and reliable peer review process. (p. 6-7) In a subsequent editorial, I argued that we need to argue, debate and critically analyze the current state of our knowledge and practice in educational technology, and that academic journals offer a medium in which we can undertake part of this scholarly work.
Academic journals disseminate both new research and the critique of existing research as an important part of the inquiry and knowledge sharing process. Scholars rely on academic, peer-reviewed journals for research on which they can build their own investigations and scholarship. ... Good academic journals tend to publish competing and even contrasting articles about a particular research field, question or topic -this approach to academic debate, combined with disciplined inquiry, is believed to characterize a vigorous, growing and dynamic body of knowledge and reliable research in a discipline. Canadian academics believe it is a right and a responsibility to analyze, synthesize and critically evaluate the current knowledge base and to identify inaccuracies, faulty arguments and claims that are not well supported with evidence. (Jacobsen, 2008, i) Active, critical and informed debate helps educational technology researchers to grow and expand the field, to replace findings and to understand bleeding edge trends. Academic researchers, teaching scholars, graduate supervisors and graduate students in educational technology, campus and classroom teachers who create and use media and technology, journalists and citizens who aim to understand the latest technology trends and learning achievements in education, will continue to need reliable, trustworthy and credible peer-reviewed research on which to build ongoing scholarly, teaching and living efforts. The current academic journal publishing and peer review models have served and continue to serve the educational technology community well. That said, academic publishing also has to change and evolve in order to remain relevant, to be more responsive and timely, and to serve the global community well.
In my original comment on Bates' (2010) blog, I touched on several challenges and opportunities that face academic journals in a digital world. Here is the comment in full: You are asking a few good questions here, Tony. I believe that our academic journal publishing models DO need to evolve and change, and that the type and magnitude of change needed will take no small courage and a great deal of effort on the part of academics, faculties and institutions. As editor, I advocated for CJLT to become fully open-source and online in order to make present and past educational technology research freely and widely available. Going open-source and online is only the first small step for academic journals. Across disciplines, there is an enduring and widespread snobbery about "online" versus "serious, top-tier publishing in a paper journal" -going for tenure or promotion, anyone? I agree with my colleagues, Mark Bullen and Ryan Tracey, that there is a strong need for good academic research, and with Sean Lancaster, that the blind peer review process is vital for credible and trustworthy academic publishing. Peer reviewed academic journals also need to incorporate interactive and participatory social networking models in support of developing active academic research communities online. Key challenges that academic journals face include, but are not limited to: variable institutional support and academic merit for journal editors, heavy workload, quality and quantity of peer review, an enduring culture of snobbery and entitlement, and sustainable funding. Does academia have the appetite to change the status quo in academic journal publishing? We can always hope... (Jacobsen, 2010) When CJLT was both a print and an online journal, the editorial team was constrained by what it could publish in fixed time periods; we were limited by publication, printing and distribution costs. Open-source and online offer the "perfect storm of opportunity" for learning, as argued by Seely-Brown and Adler (2008)