Editorial Policies

Focus and Scope

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AIMS & SCOPE of the Journal

Every issue of this truly interdisciplinary, rigorously refereed Journal contains a wealth of information: articles of value and interest to you, the educator, researcher, scientist.

Designed to convey the latest in research reports and critical analyses to both theorists and practitioners, the Journal addresses four primary areas of concern:

The outcome effects of educational computing applications, featuring findings from a variety of disciplinary perspectives which include the social, behavioral, and physical sciences;

The design and development of innovative computer hardware and software for use in educational environments;

The interpretation and implications of research in educational computing fields;

The theoretical and historical foundations of computer-based education.

The term "education" is viewed in its broadest sense by the Journal's editors. The use of computer-based technologies at all levels of the formal education system, business and industry, home-schooling, lifelong learning and unintentional learning environments, are examined.

The wide variety of areas that the Journal explores is reflected in its distinguished Editorial Board, which includes prominent educational researchers, social and behavioral scientists, and computer and information experts.

This single Journal provides an international forum for interdisciplinary communication on an increasingly significant subject: research into the applications, effects, and implications of computer-based education.

 

Section Policies

Articles

Editors
  • Robert Seidman
Checked Open Submissions Checked Indexed Checked Peer Reviewed
 

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts accepted by the Executive Editor for review are sent out to two anonymous peer reviewers.

An editorial decision on whether or not to accept a manuscript for review can take up to two weeks. Peer review can take up to six weeks. A decision based upon peer reviews can take up to 2 weeks.

Upon receipt of an accepted revised manuscript, publication can take up to 9 months. However, a pdf of the manuscript could be posted to the publisher's web site sooner for purchase.

 

Publication Frequency

This Journal is published 8 times each calendar year over two volumes with 4 issues per volume. Subscriptions: Baywood Publishing Company

 

Open Access Policy

Access to publilshed articles can be obtained from: Baywood Publishing Company

 

Additional Information

The Journal is published in 2 volumes (4 issues each) every calendar year by Baywood Publishing Company. Issues available in print and online. Separate articles can be accessed as pdf files from Baywood Publishing Company

 

Special Issues Call for Papers

Youth, Social Media, and Learning

IMPORTANT DATES
Abstracts due: September 15, 2009
Submit manuscript: December 1, 2009
Decision Notification: January 15, 2010
Revised Final Paper Due: March 15, 2010


ISSUE FOCUS
This special issue of the Journal of Educational Computing Research will focus on young people’s learning with social media, where learning is defined as formal, informal or non-formal learning within or across a range of disciplines. Although there is much speculation about the technology-using practices and preferences of today’s so-called ‘digital natives,’ ‘cyberkids,’ or ‘net generation,’ many popular accounts fail to portray the diversity of young people’s experiences or substantiate their claims with research-based evidence. Therefore, this special issue will give priority to papers which make the experiences of young people (e.g., children ages 10 and up, including teenagers and young people under 25) a central focus. The issue will provide a forum for researchers to: (a) present empirical studies on young people’s learning (or lack thereof) within social networking sites, (b) present design studies on environments that incorporate social networking technologies, (c) critically review theoretical frameworks for examining these issues, and (c) discuss the methodologies or methodological issues for examining learning within social media/social network sites.

In the last 10 years, Internet access, the nature of the Web and contexts for learning have transformed, along with the emergence of desired competencies for learners, teachers, and administrators. Such shifts have impacted constructs for learning, instruction, and paths for future research (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hughes, 2009a, 2009b). Internet-connectivity in schools, homes, neighborhoods, and communities has become increasingly pervasive, enabling expanded sites for formal, informal, and non-formal learning. Moreover, technological advancements have contributed to the emergence of social media, a term often used interchangeably with Web 2.0 to define online applications which promote users, their interconnections, and user-generated content. Some speculate that social media are shifting how people discover, read and share news, information and content. Among young people, ninety percent of school-aged youth now use the Internet regularly, with the majority of adolescents aged 12 to 17 using social media (DeBell & Chapman, 2006; Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & Macgill, 2008; Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005).

Examples of social media include social network sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Ning; media sharing like YouTube and Flickr; social bookmarking such as Delicious and CiteULike; collaborative knowledge development through wikis; creative works like blogs and microblogging (e.g., Twitter, Blogger); content aggregation and organization, such as RSS feeds and tagging tools; and re-mixing or mash-ups of content from different content providers into new forms. Conceptually, social media seem to embody social constructivist views of ‘knowledge’ as decentralized, accessible, and co-constructed by and among a broad base of users.

It may be that social media, when used by young people in certain contexts, enable new forms of inquiry, communication, collaboration, knowledge development, peer support and review, and/or have cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. Currently, there is little published empirical work, and educators are unclear about whether such applications can support or inhibit learning and, if so, how and under what conditions.

To address these issues and advance the accumulation of research from which educators, researchers and students can draw, this special issue will focus on young people’s learning with social media.
By no means exhaustive, papers might address the following types of questions:
• What is the nature and depth of individual and distributed learning through these social media spaces?
• What learning paradigms and theories should we borrow, or build upon, to understand learning with social media?
• How do learners engage with others through the artifact creation and sharing processes, and what is the nature of their interconnections? Do communities of practice form, and if so, how?
• How and why do learners participate and create digital content within various learning spaces (e.g., formal learning settings and informal learning settings)?
• What are the barriers or enablers to learning using social media (e.g., skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed; tools and services used)?
• How do different groups of learners experience learning with social media?

Papers reporting findings from diverse and under-represented social backgrounds are especially welcome.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Potential authors should submit a preliminary proposal of 500 to 750 words by September 15, 2009 to the guest editor Christine Greenhow (greenhow@umn.edu). Please put "JECR Manuscript" in the subject line.

Proposals should include the central research question, the theoretical and/or empirical basis for the paper and preliminary findings, interpretations or insights.

Authors whose proposals are accepted will be invited to submit for review a full paper of roughly 7, 000 words by December 1, 2009.

The length of each manuscript is limited to 20 pages (about 7,000 words) including figures and references. Manuscripts should be written in Microsoft Word following the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Final submissions should be emailed to the guest editor, Christine Greenhow at greenhow@umn.edu. Again, please put "JECR Manuscript" in the subject line.

JECR is an interdisciplinary journal. Authors should plan for papers that will be accessible to non-specialists and try to make their paper relevant to this audience. More information about JECR can be found at: http://www.baywood.com/journals/PreviewJournals.asp?Id=0735-6331
Anticipated publication date for the issue is mid-2010 time frame.

Questions concerning this special issue and manuscripts for submission can be directed to:

Dr. Christine M. Greenhow
University of Minnesota
Institute for New Media/ C & I Dept
159 Pillsbury Drive SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Email: greenhow@umn.edu [please include "JECR manuscript" in subject line of email]

References
DeBell, M., & Chapman, C. (2006). Computer and Internet use by students in 2003 (NCES 2006–065). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

Greenhow, C., Robelia, E., & Hughes, J. (2009a). Research on learning and teaching with Web 2.0: Bridging conversations. Educational Researcher, 38(4), 280-283. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Publications/Journals/Educational_Researcher/3804/280-283_05EDR09.pdf

Greenhow, C., Robelia, E., & Hughes, J. (2009b). Web 2.0 and educational research: What path do we take now? Educational Researcher, 38(4), 246-259. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Publications/Journals/Educational_Researcher/3804/246-259_05EDR09.pdf

Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., Smith, A., & Macgill, A. R. (2008). Writing, technology, and teens. Washington, DC: Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from http://pewinternet.org/pdfs/
PIP_Writing_Report_FINAL3.pdf
Lenhart, A., Madden, M., & Hitlin, P. (2005). Teens and technology. Washington, DC: Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Tech
_July2005web.pdf

Guest Editor: Christine Greenhow, University of Minnesota
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BAYWOOD PUBLISHING COMPANY: Journal of Educational Computing Research