MOOCs, Open educational resources and social networking: bridging the gap between informal and formal learning

MOOCs and open educational resources (OER) provide a wealth of learning opportunities for people around the globe, many of whom have no access to formal higher education. OER are often difficult to locate and are accessed on their own without support from or dialogue with subject experts and peers. This paper looks at whether it is possible to develop effective learning communities around OER and whether these communities can emerge spontaneously and in a self-organised way without moderation. It examines the complex interplay between formal and informal learning, and examines whether MOOCs are the answer to providing effective interaction and dialogue for those wishing to study at university level for free on the Internet.

Dynamic Social and Media Content Syndication for Second Screen

Social networking apps, sites and technologies offer a wide range of opportunities for businesses and developers to exploit the vast amount of information and user-generated content produced through social networking. In addition, the notion of second screen TV usage appears more influential than ever, with viewers continuously seeking further information and deeper engagement while watching their favourite movies or TV shows. In this work, the authors present SAM, an innovative platform that combines social media, content syndication and targets second screen usage to enhance media content provisioning, renovate the interaction with end-users and enrich their experience. SAM incorporates modern technologies and novel features in the areas of content management, dynamic social media, social mining, semantic annotation and multi-device representation to facilitate an advanced business environment for broadcasters, content and metadata providers, and editors to better exploit their assets and increase their revenues.

Alumnado con necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y el consumo de las TIC en la Región de Murcia

Este artículo tiene como objetivo abordar la dimensión formativa y comunicativa entre las Tecnologías dela Información y la Comunicación (TIC) y el alumnado de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria para establecer un mayor conocimiento sobre qué y cómo estos jóvenes las usan, acceden a sus formatos e interaccionan con sus contenidos. Así se presentan los resultados de una investigación, realizada en 15 centros educativos de titularidad pública y concertada dela Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia (España), en la que se ha pretendido conocer el equipamiento, uso y consumo de medios digitales (Internet, redes sociales, teléfono móvil, consola de videojuegos y televisión) del alumnado con necesidad específica de apoyo educativo, según la LOE (2006), escolarizado en 3º y 4º de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) y la existencia de diferencias respecto del alumnado sin dichas necesidades educativas. Para ello, 2734 alumnos, de los que 487 tenían necesidad específica de apoyo educativo, participaron a través de un cuestionario de 73 ítems con cuatro opciones de respuesta. Los datos fueron analizados con el paquete estadístico SPSS for Windows 15.0, utilizando estadísticos descriptivos. De los resultados conseguidos en esta investigación destacamos que en todas las dimensiones analizadas no existen grandes diferencias entre los dos grupos de alumnos que hemos establecido, pues se aprecia que determinados medios digitales usuales, como Internet, teléfono móvil, consola de videojuegos y televisión, son utilizados por todo el alumnado participante. No obstante, existen matices importantes que marcan diferencias entre ellos.

Redes sociales de lectura: del libro de caras a la LIJ 2.0

Entre las múltiples posibilidades que nos ofrecen los distintos servicios de redes sociales y microblogging, algunos objetivos fundamentales para su uso didáctico pueden ser el fomento de la lectura y el desarrollo de la competencia lectoliteraria. Contrariamente a lo que muchas voces plantean, que las ven como una distracción frente a la lectura tradicional, las redes sociales son un espacio de conversación y lectura donde, con dinámicas adecuadas, se puede trabajar la comprensión lectora desde muy distintas perspectivas, siendo un espacio central de lo que se ha definido como LIJ 2.0 (Literatura y Lectura Infantil y Juvenil en la Web Social).

New Approaches for Teaching Soil and Rock Mechanics Using Information and Communication Technologies

Soil and rock mechanics are disciplines with a strong conceptual and methodological basis. Initially, when engineering students study these subjects, they have to understand new theoretical phenomena, which are explained through mathematical and/or physical laws (e.g. consolidation process, water flow through a porous media). In addition to the study of these phenomena, students have to learn how to carry out estimations of soil and rock parameters in laboratories according to standard tests. Nowadays, information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide a unique opportunity to improve the learning process of students studying the aforementioned subjects. In this paper, we describe our experience of the incorporation of ICTs into the classical teaching-learning process of soil and rock mechanics and explain in detail how we have successfully developed various initiatives which, in summary, are: (a) implementation of an online social networking and microblogging service (using Twitter) for gradually sending key concepts to students throughout the semester (gradual learning); (b) detailed online virtual laboratory tests for a delocalized development of lab practices (self-learning); (c) integration of different complementary learning resources (e.g. videos, free software, technical regulations, etc.) using an open webpage. The complementary use to the classical teaching-learning process of these ICT resources has been highly satisfactory for students, who have positively evaluated this new approach.

The Conservation of our Built Heritage, in Particular Statues in Aberdeen, Evaluated Through a Social and Historical Context and Their Impact, Through the Use of 3D Scanning

Cultural heritage sites all over the world are at risk due to aggressive urban expansion, development, wars and general obsolescence. Not all objects are recorded in detail although they may have social and historical significance. For example more emphasis is placed on the recording of castles and palaces than on crofters’ cottages or tenement blocks, although their history can be just as rich. This paper will investigate the historic fabric of Aberdeen through the use of digital scanning, supported by a range of media including old photographs and paintings. Dissemination of social heritage through visualisations will be explored and how this can aid the understanding of space within the city or specific area. Focus will be given to the major statues/monuments within the context of the city centre, exploring their importance in their environment. In addition studying why many have been re-located away from their original site, the reasons why, and how we have perhaps lost some of the social and historical importance of why that monument was first located there. It will be argued that Digital Media could be utilised for much more than re-creation and re-presentation of physical entities. Digital scanning, in association with visualisation tools, is used to capture the essence of both the cultural heritage and the society that created or used the sites in association with visualisation tools and in some way re-enacting the original importance placed upon the monument in its original location, through adoption of BIM Heritage.