Editor's Note, April 2008
Elizabeth Haller
PhD Candidate and Instructor, Kent State University
E-mail: editoraee@hotmail.com
I want to start off this month’s issue by addressing a recent addition to the AEE Editorial Board and briefly discuss what this addition means to you, our readers. Over the past two years the position of AEE Web Editor has been filled by two individuals, both holding the position temporarily until a full-time Web Editor could be located. We truly appreciate all of the time and talent that both of these temporary Web Editors were able to give to the journal. Despite the best efforts of these individuals, however, the temporary nature of the position frequently led to delays in monthly publication as adjusting to server and/or software changes was often an issue associated with the “handing off” of the position from one Web Editor to the next. As a result of our commitment to our readership, we have been actively seeking an individual to fill the Web Editor position whose professionalism and familiarity with our software would mean a minimal degree of transition, thereby resulting in minimal interruptions to our publication. It is with great pleasure, therefore, that we send a warm and enthusiastic welcome to our new Web Editor, Nicholas Eastham. As you can see from his biography, available on our Editorial Staff page, Mr. Eastham is experienced in the field of Web Editing as well as in the topic of Educational Technology. We look forward to working with our new Web Editor and feel certain that you can look forward to more consistent publication dates. We at AEE thank you for sticking by us through publication delays and combined issues, and we hope that you will continue to enjoy our journal and all that we have planned for Academic Exchange Extra in the coming year.
As always, we invite your continued perusal and encourage you to submit articles, poetry, and fiction for consideration in future issues of AEE. Please review our Call for Papers on this site for more details on submission requirements. If you are unsure whether your contribution would be suitable under the terms of our Call for Papers, please send along an inquiry, and I will be happy to respond forthwith. As always, do not forget to check out Grist for the Mill for possible submission ideas.
Dan Lukiv starts off AEE’s feature articles with the seventh installment of his children’s novel titled “Quibils and Quirks”. The original text of this work was serialized in The Cariboo Observer during 1997 through 1999. According to Lukiv, this project, consisting of 108 short chapters, is designed for serialization and works perfectly for teachers who like reading to their students daily. As such, we will be running this novel with eleven chapters per issue through the May 2008 issue of AEE. Please refer to the August 2007 issue to read the “Forward” to this inventive work.
The second feature of this issue, “Effect of Interactive Metronome® Training on Elementary School Students”, comes to us from Jose E. Coll, Lee A. Teufel, and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie. According to the authors:
Interactive Metronome® (IM) is an instrument developed to provide a systematic method of improving timing, coordination, and rhythm through a person’s cognitive process. In particular, it can be used to coordinate motor planning and sequencing for children. Unfortunately, little is known about the efficacy of IM as a method of improving sensory integration. Thus, this investigation sought to assess the extent to which IM is a viable instrument in addressing integrated attention and motor skills among elementary age students. Findings revealed statistically significant increases in overall sensory motor skills, sensory motor skills using the hands, and sensory motor skills using the feet. Each of these increases was practically significant, with very large effect sizes, suggesting that by using the IM or a similar sensory integration program, children can increase their motor skills and sensory abilities, and significantly decrease their delay responses.
The final feature of this issue is titled “Cultural & Symbolic Systems: An Eco-History Reflection of my Grandmother.” Author Linda Elmer states: “Looking through the lens of eco-psychology, this piece is on my grandmother’s coming of age, but not under the tutelage of her parents, [rather under the influence] of a rowboat and a lake. Using an oral history interview with my mother, along with my own experience of growth, I come to understand my grandmother’s life in a new way.”
This month’s Poet’s Corner contribution, “will i teach in Ulaan Batur?” comes to us from Rodelen Paccial, who states: “This poem was written a few years back when I was mulling over whether to pursue medicine or continue teaching Biology. I was surfing for any teaching job offers when I stumbled upon an interesting one in Ulaan Batur, Mongolia. The "i's" in the poem are small letters as it reflects my feeling of smallness in a big, wide world at the time I was writing it.”
READ, ENJOY, AND CONTRIBUTE!
You are invited to join AE Extra staff!
Send your ideas and/or writing sample
to the Editor-in-chief:
Elizabeth Haller
Kent State University (e-mail: editoraee@hotmail.com)
Academic Exchange Extra invites reader response to any writings in this issue--especially articles advancing the scholarly debate of issues raised.
