This book presents a peer reviewed selection of extended versions of ten original papers that were presented at the 15th International Symposium on Computers in Education (SIIE 2013) held in Viseu, Portugal. The book provide a representative view of current Information and Communications Technology (ICT) educational research approaches in the Ibero-American context as well as internationally. It includes studies that range from elementary to higher education, from traditional to distance learning settings. It considers special needs and other inclusive issues, across a range of disciplines, using multiple and diverse perspectives and technologies to furnish detailed information on the latest trends in ICT and education globally. Design, development and evaluation of educational software; ICT use and evaluation methodologies; social web and collaborative systems; and learning communities are some of the topics covered.

From the nation that elected Barack Obama in the flames of economic disaster comes the first novel of the New Era, The Mere Future, by award-winning novelist, activist, and playwright Sarah Schulman. In this dystopian vision, New York City has morphed into an idealized version of itself, the result of what the newly elected mayor calls The Big Change. Rent is cheap, homelessness is over, and everyone works in Marketing. Despite the utopian surface, however, there is a disturbing malaise that infects the population. Our heroine, a lowly copywriter, and her girlfriend Nadine just want to fall in love all over again, but can't help noticing that the social packaging may not be recyclable.

Serious games provide a unique opportunity to fully engage students more than traditional teaching approaches. Understanding the best way to utilize these games and the concept of play in an educational setting is imperative for effectual learning in the 21st century. Gamification in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is an innovative reference source for the latest academic material on the different approaches and issues faced in integrating games within curriculums. Highlighting a range of topics, such as learning through play, virtual worlds, and educational computer games, this publication is ideally designed for educators, administrators, software designers, and stakeholders in all levels of education.

Out of the Ashes is the definitive history of the Provisional Irish Republican movement, from its formation at the outset of the modern Troubles up to and after its official disarmament in 2005. Robert White, a prolific observer of IRA and Sinn Féin activities, has amassed an incomparable body of interview material from leading members over a thirty-year period. In this defining study, the interviewees provide extraordinary insights into the complex motivations that provoked their support for armed struggle, their eventual reform, and the mind-set of today’s ‘dissidents’ who refuse to lay down their arms. Those interviewed stem from every stage of the Provisionals’ history, from founding figures such as Seán Mac Stiofáin, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Joe Cahill to the new generation that replaced them: Martin McGuinness, Danny Morrison, and Brendan Hughes among others. Out of the Ashes is a pioneering history that breaks new ground in defining how the Provisionals operated, caused worldwide condemnation, and were transformed by constitutional politics.

From the Diggers seizing St. George Hill in 1649 to Hacktivists staging virtual sit-ins in the 21st century, from the retributive fantasies of Robin Hoods to those of gangsta rappers, culture has long been used as a political weapon. This expansive and carefully crafted reader brings together many of the classic texts that help to define culture as a tool of resistance. With concise, illuminating introductions throughout, it presents a range of theoretical and historical writings that have influenced contemporary debate, and includes a number of new activist authors published here for the first time. Cultural Resistance Reader is both an invaluable scholarly resource and a tool for political activists. But most importantly it will inspire everyday readers to resist.

This thematically-arranged study traces the emergence of visible gay and lesbian communities across the Republic of Ireland and their impact on public perceptions of homosexuality. Along the way it explores the critical and hidden activism of lesbian women, the role of rural provincial activists, the importance of interactions with international gay and lesbian organisations and the extent to which HIV and AIDS impacted the gay rights campaign. Gay and Lesbian Activism in the Republic of Ireland, 1973-93 focuses in particular on activists' efforts to engage with the different religious organisations in Ireland, the Trade Union movement, Irish political parties and the media, and how these efforts in turn shaped the strategies and activities of gay and lesbian organisations. McDonagh argues that gay and lesbian activists mounted an effective campaign to improve both the legal and social climate for Ireland's gay and lesbian citizens. In doing so, gay and lesbian individuals were important agents of social and political change in the Republic of Ireland in the period from the 1970s to the early 1990s, particularly in relation to Irish sexual mores. The book also helps to contextualise the changes in perceptions of homosexuality that have taken place in recent years and encourages scholars of Irish history to further explore the contribution of Ireland's LGBTQ+ community in transforming Irish society in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The period from 1976 to 1982 is widely regarded as a crucial turning point in the Irish Troubles. As time has passed the historic prison hunger strikes of 1980 and 1981 have taken on near mythic resonance, somewhat distorting the broader picture of the Irish republican struggle against criminalization. Focusing on the popular movement outside the prisons, Smashing H-Block gives us a gripping, thorough account of this fateful time and reveals how these years of protest reshaped and revitalized modern Irish republicanism. Drawing on extensive archival research and the widest range of sources available, F. Stuart Ross paints a compelling portrait of the last great wave of activism and mobilization with the nationalist population. He argues that the protests outside of the infamous H-Blocks of Maze Prison challenged republican orthodoxy, while, more broadly, he examines the importance of popular grassroots movements in effecting political and social change.