An Open and Social Spaced Repetition System for Language Learning

In the last decades big improvements have been done in the field of computer aided learning, based on improvements done in computer science and computer systems. Although the field has been always a bit lagged, without using the latest solutions, it has constantly gone forward taking profit of the innovations as they show up. As long as the train of the computer science does not stop (and it won’t at least in the near future) the systems that take profit of those improvements will not either, because we humans will always need to study; Sometimes for pleasure and some other many times out of need. Not all the attempts in the field of computer aided learning have been in the same direction. Most of them address one or some few of the problems that show while studying and don’t take into account solutions proposed for some other problems. The reasons for this can be varied. Sometimes the solutions simply are not compatible. Some other times, because the project is an investigation it’s interesting to isolate the problem. And, in commercial products, licenses and patents often prevent the new projects to use previous work. The world moved forward and this is an attempt to use some of the options offered by technology, mixing some old ideas with new ones.

Raumfigurationen und Macht in Atemschaukel

[EN] Atemschaukel approaches the falling apart and survival in a historically loaded space, such as a labour camp. This novel offers a relevant research field for the space analysis, focused from the perspective of the Spatial Turn, as not only this theoretical frame but also Herta Müller herself conceive of space as a process, unterstood as a reciprocal interaction with the social practice, thus as a spatial and social construct. The representation of space in Atemschaukel is described in this article as a “swinging movement between boxes and abyss”, where the discourse of Leopold Auberg’s memories oscillates between closed and square spaces, on one hand, and open and giddy spaces, on the other hand. In this oscillating movement it is the open spaces that will most clearly show the process of inner destruction of the subject in such oppressive situations as on labour camps, as well as the permanent damages of deportation.

IKASNABAR 2014 International Conference. Microcontents, miniMOOCs and mLearning

[ES]Ikasnabar es una conferencia para hablar de tendencias en educación, sobre las nuevas tecnologías en el ámbito educativo y conocer personas que están generando buenas ideas y prácticas en su quehacer diario. Este libro intenta recoger todo ello con las contribuciones de autores noveles y de renombre que buscan la excelencia en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Tres tendencias importantes de aprendizaje se están expandiendo. Microcontenidos, aprendizaje móvil y MOOCs son la cara de una misma moneda: microaprendizaje con contenido rico, abierto y desmenuzado. A medida que el consumo de Internet desde dispositivos móviles aumenta, el aprendizaje móvil con tecnologías como HTML5, software para MOOC, plataformas de contenidos de vídeo, etc., están siendo algunas de las claves de la nueva revolución en el ámbito educativo. El microcontenido hace referencia a los pequeños trozos de información digital en un estado permanente de flujo y circulación. Es a menudo un único tema, limitado en longitud, que se consume rápidamente y con frecuencia limitado por el software o por el dispositivo. Se trata de la puesta en común de recursos. Se basa en la interacción humano-a-humano con los medios de comunicación de Internet. El otro tema central de esta conferencia es el de los MOOC realizados por los profesores que quieren tomar ventaja en el comienzo de esta nueva era de la educación abierta con calidad. MOOCs son, básicamente, cursos abiertos y es necesario recordar los puntos esenciales de este tipo de instrucción. Los miniMOOCs son alternativas con menos horas en el proceso de aprendizaje. Hoy en día, un buen MOOC podrá ser la mejor tarjeta de presentación para profesores, expertos y estudiantes. Vivimos en tiempos de cambio con ámbitos en los que se mezcla el aprendizaje formal e informal, y las universidades y colegios deberíamos estar atentos a esto.

Jarduera Fisikoaren eta Kirolaren Zientzien ikasleen postura eta bizkarreko mina.

[EUS] Lan honen helburua egoera posturala eta bizkarreko minaren pertzepzioaren azterketa sakonagoa egitea da. Bizkarreko min zein desoreka posturalek gaur egun duten nagusitasuna ikusita, egoera azaleratu eta honen kausak zeintzuk diren ezagutu nahi dira. Honetarako UPV-EHUko Jarduera Fisikoaren eta Kirolaren Zientzien Fakultateko ikasleen (n=25) postura-aldaketak zein bizkarreko minaren magnitudea eta pertzepzioa nolakoak diren aztertuko ditugu. Egindako analisia longitudinala izan da. Ikasketetan sartu zirenean lehenengo neurketa egin zitzaien eta ikasketen azkeneko urtean azken neurketa. QPS-200 Shekel Posture Analyzer erremintari esker pisuaren banaketaren datu numerikoak lortu ditugu. Bizkarreko mina eta pertzepzioari dagozkienez, NASS osasun galdetegia erabili izan da. Posturaren neurketek erakutsi dutenez, bariazio handiena pertsonen artekoa da. Hetereogeneotasun handiena aurre-atze banaketak azaleratu duelarik, gehienbat lehenengo neurketan (2012: DS=9,33 begiak zabalik eta DS=9,99 begiak itxita; 2014: DS=7,37 begiak zabalik eta DS=7,94 begiak itxita). Aurkitu den efektu signifikatibo bakarra (p<0.05), bestalde, neurketa data da. Bizkarreko minaren pertzepzioak gora egin du urteak aurrera joan ahala (subjektuen %64 2012an; subjektuen %72 2014an) baina egunerokotasunean minak sortzen dituen zailtasunak behera egin du (%28 2012an; %20 2014an).

Cost effectiveness of a combination of instruments for global warming: a quantitative approach for Spain

Climate change is an important environmental problem and one whose economic implications are many and varied. This paper starts with the presumption that mitigation of greenhouse gases is a necessary policy that has to be designed in a cost effective way. It is well known that market instruments are the best option for cost effectiveness. But the discussion regarding which of the various market instruments should be used, how they may interact and what combinations of policies should be implemented is still open and very lively. In this paper we propose a combination of instruments: the marketable emission permits already in place in Europe for major economic sectors and a CO(2) tax for economic sectors not included in the emissions permit scheme. The study uses an applied general equilibrium model for the Spanish economy to compute the results obtained with the new mix of instruments proposed. As the combination of the market for emission permits and the CO(2) tax admits different possibilities that depend on how the mitigation is distributed among the economic sectors, we concentrate on four possibilities: cost-effective, equalitarian, proportional to emissions, and proportional to output distributions. Other alternatives to the CO(2) tax are also analysed (tax on energy, on oil and on electricity). Our findings suggest that careful, well designed policies are needed as any deviation imposes significant additional costs that increase more than proportionally to the level of emissions reduction targeted by the EU.