The Meaning of the Virtual YMCA After School Program for Former Participants: An Exploratory Study

Research has shown that after school programs can provide children with opportunities that help foster positive development and adaptation. Current research meets the need for identifying short term outcomes, program standards, and short term evaluation techniques, however less understood is the lasting meaning of participation for previous participants after their participation. The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning and perceived impacts of participation in a preventative, skill-building after school program for former participants. Using an exploratory case study approach, interviews were conducted with six previous participants of the Virtual YMCA and a former school principal. Reconstructed narratives and analyzed transcripts show that participants do still derive meaning and significance from their participation in the program, although highly individualized. Significant aspects of the program are identified, as well as the participant’s perceived impacts which are still present today. Discussion for practitioners, researchers, and funders is provided.

Canadian National Exhibition Advertisement - 1925

Advertisement for the Canadian National Exhibition Toronto, reads: Aug. 29, Sept. 12, 1925 Hoot Mon! For the Canadian National Exhibition Toronto.

Instagram, Social Media, and the "Like": Exploring Virtual Identity's Role in 21st Century Students' New Socialization Experience

Personal technologies and social media use have changed the socialization experience of our 21st century learners. As learners have a new, embodied, virtual identity that is an omnipresent force within their social interactions, this study sought to examine how virtual identity influences student relationships both within and outside of a school context. This study also explored how personal technologies and social media use have influenced learners’ perceptions of their own 21st century learning. Using a qualitative inquiry, purposeful sampling was employed to recruit 6 participants between the ages of 15 to 19 to examine their social networking site use and education experience. Data were collected from single, one-on-one semi-structured interviews in which participants discussed their experiences using social media. Data were also collected from the teens’ personal Instagram accounts, and a personal reflexive researcher’s journal was kept for triangulation of data. Open and axial coding strategies alongside constant comparative methods were used to analyze data. Participants shared how they and their peers use social media, the pressures and expectations from other users, social media’s influence on peer relationships, and how social media influences their choices in the physical realm. All 6 participants explained that their teachers do not talk to them about their social media use, and even offered critiques of the school system itself and its inability to prepare students for the new realities of a digital world. This study concludes that while social media is very influential on students’ socialization, educators should be more concerned about the lack of guidance and support that students receive in school in terms of appropriate social media use and the navigation of virtual identity.

Canadian National Exhibition Button

Canadian National Exhibition button attached to a ribbon which says "C.N.E. 1914 cadets".

Certificate with a coloured picture of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 1886

Certificate, 51 cm. x 75 cm. with a coloured picture of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 1886. This was presented with a commemorative medal to Henry Pafford who was the Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake 1863-74, 1876-1880 and 1888-1896. He also ran a drug store and a fruit farm. The award is signed by the Executive President and Secretary to the Royal Commission. [There is no indication what the award is for and the medal is not included in this collection], n.d.

Certificate with a coloured picture of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 1886

Certificate, 51 cm. x 75 cm. with a coloured picture of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 1886. This was presented with a commemorative medal to W. Woodruff. The award is signed by the Executive President and Secretary to the Royal Commission. [There is no indication what the award is for and the medal is not included in this collection], n.d.

Diagnóstico y propuesta de estructura organizacional del Departamento de Educación a Distancia de la UANL para el programa de repatriación virtual que captura el capital intelectual de científicos mexicanos

Tesis (Maestría en Psicología Laboral) UANL

El futuro de la banca de la sucursal a la banca virtual por Ivonne Ruth Jeannette Cornejo Niño

Tesis (Maestría en Administración de Empresas con Especialidad en Finanzas) U.A.N.L.

La educación y los nuevos retos de la cultura del conocimiento y un caso práctico sobre implantación de la educación virtual

[Tesis] ( Maestría en Informática con Especialidad en Administración de la Información) U.A.N.L.

Propuesta de un modelo de educación virtual, como solución a las barreras educativas

[Tesis] ( Maestría en Informática Administrativa con Especialidad en Administración de Informática) U.A.N.L.

Universidad virtual como apoyo a la educación

Tesis ( Maestro en Ciencias de la Administración con Especialidad en Sistemas) U.A.N.L.

La novela virtual: intertextualidad y posmodernismo la cita Neobarroca

Tesis ( Maestría en Letras Españolas) U.A.N.L.

Estudio de la Localización virtual satélite.

Tesis (Maestría en Ciencias Computacionales con Especialidad en Teleinformática) UANL, 2011.

Evaluación del desempeño al personal que integra la dirección de tecnología y de apoyo educativo, en contribución del quehacer académico de una universidad virtual.

Tesis (Maestría en Psicología con orientación Laboral y Organizacional) UANL, 2013.

Control of a tibio-femoral virtual joint by means of a hybrid EEG-EMG scheme.

Tesis (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering) UANL, 2014.