Semi-automatic generation of learning domain modules for technology supported learning systems

In a time when Technology Supported Learning Systems are being widely used, there is a lack of tools that allows their development in an automatic or semi-automatic way. Technology Supported Learning Systems require an appropriate Domain Module, ie. the pedagogical representation of the domain to be mastered, in order to be effective. However, content authoring is a time and effort consuming task, therefore, efforts in automatising the Domain Module acquisition are necessary.Traditionally, textbooks have been used as the main mechanism to maintain and transmit the knowledge of a certain subject or domain. Textbooks have been authored by domain experts who have organised the contents in a means that facilitate understanding and learning, considering pedagogical issues.Given that textbooks are appropriate sources of information, they can be used to facilitate the development of the Domain Module allowing the identification of the topics to be mastered and the pedagogical relationships among them, as well as the extraction of Learning Objects, ie. meaningful fragments of the textbook with educational purpose.Consequently, in this work DOM-Sortze, a framework for the semi-automatic construction of Domain Modules from electronic textbooks, has been developed. DOM-Sortze uses NLP techniques, heuristic reasoning and ontologies to fulfill its work. DOM-Sortze has been designed and developed with the aim of automatising the development of the Domain Module, regardless of the subject, promoting the knowledge reuse and facilitating the collaboration of the users during the process.

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.

Ikas-Komunitateak: solasaldi dialogiko literarioak eta irakur-laguna, Etxebarriko Kukullaga eskolan.

[EUS] Egungo informazioaren gizartean, etengabeko aldaketa sakonak jasaten eta sortzen ditugu, halaber gure gizabanako harremanetan ere. Hala ere, hezkuntzak oraindik ez du aldaketa handirik egin, izan ere, nahiko estatikoa izaten jarraitzen du eta bertan ematen diren harremanak zeharo hierarkikoak dira. Honengatik guztiagatik, ikerketa honen xede nagusia, Ikas-Komunitateak eta honen barruan dagoen Etxebarriko KUKULLAGA LHI (Bizkaia) aztertzea izango da. Horrez gain, eskolarekin batera diseinatu dudan proiektua aurkeztuko dut, zeinean Ikas-Komunitateen bi jarduera burutzen diren: irakur-laguna eta solasaldi dialogiko literarioak. Bertan, Lehen Hezkuntzako 6. mailako eta 5 urteko ikasleek parte hartu dute. Aipatzekoa da lortutako emaitzak guztiz baikorrak izan direla eta epe-laburrerako ezarritako helburuak lortu direla. Horrez gain, epe-luzerako helburuak hein handi batean beteko direla aurreikusten da. Beraz, argi dago, zentroetan antolakuntza egoki bat ematen bada, Ikas- Komunitateen proiektuarekiko inplikazioa badago eta komunitatearen kohesioa lortzen bada, hezkuntza sistema hein batean alda daitekeela. Hori gertatuz gero, edozein motatako pertsonak hezkuntza emaitzarik onenak lor ditzake eta baita informazioaren gizarte honetan jarduten ikas dezake ere.

Learning to perceive in the sensor motor approach: Piaget's theory of equilibration interpreted dynamically

Learning to perceive is faced with a classical paradox: if understanding is required for perception, how can we learn to perceive something new, something we do not yet understand? According to the sensorimotor approach, perception involves mastery of regular sensorimotor co-variations that depend on the agent and the environment, also known as the "laws" of sensorimotor contingencies (SMCs). In this sense, perception involves enacting relevant sensorimotor skills in each situation. It is important for this proposal that such skills can be learned and refined with experience and yet up to this date, the sensorimotor approach has had no explicit theory of perceptual learning. The situation is made more complex if we acknowledge the open-ended nature of human learning. In this paper we propose Piaget's theory of equilibration as a potential candidate to fulfill this role. This theory highlights the importance of intrinsic sensorimotor norms, in terms of the closure of sensorimotor schemes. It also explains how the equilibration of a sensorimotor organization faced with novelty or breakdowns proceeds by re-shaping pre-existing structures in coupling with dynamical regularities of the world. This way learning to perceive is guided by the equilibration of emerging forms of skillful coping with the world. We demonstrate the compatibility between Piaget's theory and the sensorimotor approach by providing a dynamical formalization of equilibration to give an explicit micro-genetic account of sensorimotor learning and, by extension, of how we learn to perceive. This allows us to draw important lessons in the form of general principles for open-ended sensorimotor learning, including the need for an intrinsic normative evaluation by the agent itself. We also explore implications of our micro-genetic account at the personal level.