On the Road to an International Platform for Exchanging Research for Information and Technology in Education and Learning

Abstract

Information and Technology in Education and Learning (ITEL) was recently launched as a joint international journal published by the Japan Society for Educational Technology (JSET) and the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in Education (JSiSE). As the successor of Educational Technology Research published by JSET and The Journal of Information and Systems in Education published by JSiSE, ITEL aims to be an international platform for communicating research in educational technology and information systems in education. One of the important goals of ITEL is to enhance researchers’ and students’ ability to disseminate achievements in educational technology and information systems in education in Japan. As many educational researchers around the globe know, educational practices and research in Japan for improving students’ learning processes, such as “lesson study,” have been carried out for decades at an excellent level from an international perspective[1]. Researchers in information systems or technology have also investigated systemic improvements in educational environments using innovative technologies in a timely manner. However, most of our research achievements were published only in Japanese journals, therefore such publications could not be disseminated to people around the world. This means that Japan is in danger of becoming isolated from international academic or educational practices, where many insightful scholars exchange and build their research to explore and advance educational environments. Taking into consideration the complex and unique background and context of culture and practices in education and learning in Japan, this journal was launched to serve as a booster for scholars and students associated with the above-mentioned societies to collaborate and disseminate promising research successfully. Another important goal of ITEL is to create a forum for international exchange of research on information and technology in education and learning. Concretely speaking, we have welcomed students and researchers from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond to our universities and institutions. We have often hosted international conferences on information and technology in education and learning in Japan. We believe that such opportunities for research exchange produce material that fosters international research connections with various countries. There are also ongoing exchanges with researchers who advance the latest knowledge through their study abroad. With the help of such researchers, we would like to introduce a variety of leading research and practices conducted around the world. In this way, we hope to create new communities of educational practices and research with international cooperation in the area of information and technology in education and learning. Teaching and learning are closely related to the information and technologies that support various forms of communication. In the area of information and technology in education and learning, not only educational technology and information systems in education, but also educational psychology, cognitive science, the learning sciences, data and information science, and various other fields of humanities and social sciences, as well as information technology, strive for the advancement of research every day. We expect that ITEL will be a bridge not only to reach Asia, but also to span the globe, by bringing together a wide range of research on information and technology in education and learning from various disciplines. The name of the journal, ITEL, reflects our hope for it to be a place where insightful research on information and technology in education and learning from various countries and domains can be put together and where researchers can communicate with each other. Editorial