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This seminar will examine the possibilities and constraints of online communities in supporting teacher learning, both novice and experienced teachers, so addressing the national concerns for teacher retention and teacher quality in the USA. In particular, the speaker will focus on outlining a conceptual and methodological framework for characterizing interaction of experienced and novice teachers in informal network-based professional learning electronic or e-communities. The study has shown that integrating dialogic voices/utterances (Bakhtin, 1986) and using texts as "thinking device[s]" for generating new meanings (Lotman, 1990; Wertsch, 1991) are essential for effectively engaging practitioners. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, longitudinal discourse data, questionnaires, and interview responses were collected from public school teachers' email communications and subjected to analyses from discourse analytic and ethnographic perspectives, resulting in a characterization of engagement and a taxonomy of e-communities for evaluations. The findings suggest proposals for sustainable learning in network-based environments and policy. ; Diane Hui has just completed her doctoral dissertation in Education at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, USA. She is a Spencer scholar awarded by the Spencer Foundation in the US. She has conducted collaborative research from a multidisciplinary perspective, both in the US and UK. These projected were funded by the McDonnell Foundation (US), government agencies (UK), and the European Communities. One project assessed the use and reflection upon an inquiry-based curriculum across subjects, with the use of information technology. The other research explored the representational connection between the logical aspects taught in sciences and the social aspects in the humanities. Other research examined sustainability education and adult dyslexia in employment. Diane grew up in Hong Kong. She has degrees from Edinburgh Univeristy (UK) and Stirling University (UK), and has taught in Hong Kong, Scotland, and the USA. ; published_or_final_version ; Centre for Information Technology in Education, University of Hong Kong

Purpose – Charities are becoming recognised as playing an important part in communities by furthering government's social objectives through increasing support to disadvantaged members of society. As charities multiply in number, it becomes increasingly difficult for fund providers and contributors to determine which charity to support. In New Zealand there is a move towards providing public access to the financial accounts of charities to assist stakeholders in their decision making and to enhance transparency in charities. However, this assumes that these financial accounts are understandable by all stakeholders. This paper aims to identify four problems that limit the way forward for financial reporting by New Zealand charities. Design/methodology/approach – The first section of the paper comprises a review of the literature on charities' financial accounts with a particular focus on the four problems identified above. The paper then reports the results of eight interviews with charitable organisations, auditors and academics that have expertise in charity financial reporting, with a particular emphasis on the four identified problems. Findings – There was agreement that unresolved, these four problems could limit the way forward in financial reporting by New Zealand charities. Some recommendations are proposed that suggest a way forward with regard to these problems, so that the users of the financial reports of charities may benefit. Research limitations/implications – Highlights a need for further research into these problems to identify the feasibility of the proposed recommendations. Originality/value – The enactment of the Charities Act 2005 in New Zealand and its requirement to include financial accounts on a publicly available register has raised the profile of the financial reports of charities. However, there has been limited research into the financial reporting by New Zealand charities, so this paper is a timely evaluation of four specific problems that could limit the way forward of financial reporting by New Zealand charities.

The primary goal of engineering outreach is to attract prospective students to engineering education and the engineering profession. Gifted students, especially those identified as possessing unusually high abilities in science and technology, are especially promising students to attract to careers in engineering. It is critical to cultivate these students' interests and develop their potential for engineering while encouraging them to pursue engineering studies beyond K-12 education. This article presents examples of the successful learning outcomes of an ongoing University-based Electronics Technology Project Study (UETPS) program, a joint endeavor between the IEEE Hong Kong Section, the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and the Hong Kong Academy of Gifted Education (HKAGE). The UETPS program promotes electrical, electronic, and computer engineering education in Hong Kong and is aimed particularly at gifted students as well as their parents, teachers, and schools. Project applicants underwent formal identification procedures by the Gifted Education Section of the HKSAR Education Bureau and were identified as being gifted in the area of science and technology. Selected participants then participated in one-year research projects in electronics and computer engineering under the guidance of university professors in their respective engineering departments. This program addresses an urgent need of the engineering education sector by reaching out to highly talented K-12 students and their surrounding communities. According to the evaluation results, the UETPS program has significantly enhanced the participating students' interest in engineering as a career choice and encouraged them to pursue undergraduate studies in engineering. This article also discusses lessons learned and proposes strategies for future potential implementers. © 2009 IEEE. ; published_or_final_version