Remote phenology: Applying machine learning to detect phenological patterns in a cerrado savanna

Plant phenology has gained importance in the context of global change research, stimulating the development of new technologies for phenological observation. Digital cameras have been successfully used as multi-channel imaging sensors, providing measures of leaf color change information (RGB channels), or leafing phenological changes in plants. We monitored leaf-changing patterns of a cerrado-savanna vegetation by taken daily digital images. We extract RGB channels from digital images and correlated with phenological changes. Our first goals were: (1) to test if the color change information is able to characterize the phenological pattern of a group of species; and (2) to test if individuals from the same functional group may be automatically identified using digital images. In this paper, we present a machine learning approach to detect phenological patterns in the digital images. Our preliminary results indicate that: (1) extreme hours (morning and afternoon) are the best for identifying plant species; and (2) different plant species present a different behavior with respect to the color change information. Based on those results, we suggest that individuals from the same functional group might be identified using digital images, and introduce a new tool to help phenology experts in the species identification and location on-the-ground. ©2012 IEEE.

Uma análise crítica dos ideários pedagógicos contemporâneos à luz da teoria de A. N. Leontiev

O presente artigo objetiva demonstrar o alcance das pedagogias do aprender a aprender (DUARTE, 2001), uma vez que elas fundamentam as propostas educacionais no âmbito nacional e no internacional, na atualidade; bem como apresentar suas principais premissas, que mantêm sua filiação ao pragmatismo e ao irracionalismo e, no limite, submetem o desenvolvimento humano à ordem do capital. Tais proposições se contrapõem ao objetivo humanizador da educação escolar pressuposto na produção teórica do psicólogo soviético Alexis Leontiev. Como resultados, temos que, dessas produções, é possível extrair subsídios para o enfrentamento do processo de esvaziamento do ensino escolar e do papel do professor engendrado pelas referidas pedagogias. Além disso, pretendese evidenciar a impossibilidade de aproximações entre as produções da psicologia histórico-cultural com outras correntes pedagógicas que estão a serviço da legitimação e do revigoramento da sociedade capitalista.

O conteúdo intelectual do lazer no processo do aprender a envelhecer

This qualitative study aimed to investigate the resonances of the intellectual content of leisure for older adults. A mixed questionnaire containing ten questions was applied to a sample of fifty older adults people of both genders. Data were descriptively analyzed by thematic content analysis technique and showed that such experiences encourage reflection and the exercise of citizenship. Among the intellectual contents to qualitatively fulfill free time availability were elected by the sample: watching news on TV (70%), videos on health and aging (55%), reading newspapers, magazines and books (54%), playing strategic games (35%) and visiting museums (8%). It can be concluded that the experiences sharpen the critical and intellectual creativity and subsidize better understanding of aging, involving the construction of knowledge and expanding the opportunities of learning to learn, to be, and to live.

As pedagogias do aprender a aprender e algumas ilusões da assim chamada sociedade do conhecimento

O artigo considera a pedagogia das competências como uma das pedagogias do aprender a aprender e apresenta quatro posicionamentos valorativos contidos no lema aprender a aprender: 1) é mais desejável a aprendizagem que ocorra sem a transmissão de conhecimentos por alguém; 2) o método de construção do conhecimento é mais importante do que o conhecimento já produzido socialmente; 3) a atividade do aluno deve ser impulsionada pelos interesses e necessidades do indivíduo; 4) a educação deve preparar os indivíduos para um constante processo de adaptação e readaptação à sociedade em acelerado processo de mudança. Defende que as pedagogias do aprender a aprender pertencem a um universo ideológico carregado de ilusões acerca da assim chamada sociedade do conhecimento e conclui apresentando cinco dessas ilusões.

O lema aprender a aprender na literatura de informática educativa

This paper makes a characterization of pedagogical conceptions found in the educational informatics literature in Brazil as well as in the work of Seymour Papert given the undeniable influence of this author in that literature. We identified a strong hegemony in this field of learning-to-learn pedagogy by means of constructivism, constructionism, learning projects and pedagogy of competencies among others. We make a critical analysis of these trends in light of the historical-critical pedagogy pointing to a number of aspects that need further discussion, highlighting the problematic opposition between teaching and learning.

A educação escolar e a relação entre o desenvolvimento do pensamento e a apropriação da cultura: a psicologia de A. N. Leontiev como referência nuclear de análise

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Lazer: significados e ressonâncias da educação não-formal do idoso

Pós-graduação em Ciências da Motricidade - IBRC

A degradação ambiental do Córrego Ribeirão Preto: uma proposta metodológica para o ensino de geografia no ensino médio

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Proposta Curricular do Estado de São Paulo: retorno do discurso regulativo da tylerização na educação pública

This paper analyses how innovations and educational reforms affect curricular construction at public schools. It aims at reflecting if the Curricular Proposal for the state of São Paulo preserves the autonomy and identity of schools, if it respects their pedagogical political project, without attempting to homogenize them; how it changes every‐day school life, teacher’s practices, interpersonal relationships and power relations. We depart from the presupposition that this proposal adopts principles of the educational reforms started in the middle of the 90s, such as: adoption of national guidelines; introduction of market mechanisms, generating the fragility of teachers’ representation and their de‐ professionalization; relativity of the State’s role; stimuli to partnerships between public and private institutions in the fields of administration, allocation of financial resources for teaching    and implementation of external evaluating systems. At the same time, official discourse highlights decentralization, democratic administration, community participation. Some of these principles are recurrent in curriculum reforms: emphasis on the knowledge society, pedagogy of competencies and of learning to learn. In this way, we understand that the proposal aims at homogenizing school knowledge and curriculum practices, representing the notion of curriculum as product. We consider that the novelty and relevance of implemented measures demand further research, and that will be implemented by the author in 2010.

A criatividade na arte e na educação escolar: uma contribuição à pedagogia histórico-crítica à luz de Georg Lukács e Lev Vigotski

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

O casamento entre o ensino religioso e as teses pós-modernas

This paper aims to base the thesis that the varied currents of the post-modern thought, in so far as have recourse to relativism to a greater or lesser degree, contribute to the legitimation of the religious education in public schools and, in a broader aspect, the religion in the public spaces. The methodological resource used to demonstrate the link between post-modern thought and religious education is the analysis at the historical and dialectical materialism perspective of publications produced to increase teachers on this discipline that is, in compliance with the Constitution, optional for students and mandatory for public elementary schools. The subject of this analysis is the learning content and has as prime concern to highlight the discourse of legitimation recurrent in authors when it is explicit in itself and explicit when it does not. The “religious education in public schools” as object of study allows us to understand the relationship between the post-modern thought, with its hegemony space within the human sciences and contextualized in the neoliberal economic environment, and the “learning to learn” pedagogies currently hegemonic in the educational landscape. We intend to contribute to the legal debate on laity, the philosophical debate on post-modernism and especially to the debate on the pedagogical theories in the educational fundaments.

Uma perspectiva crítico-dialética das pedagogia do aprender a aprende e o uso da tecnologia como facilitador na educação: revisitando as políticas educacionais

This article proposes an analysis of two interrelated contemporary phenomenon, which are - the pedagogy of "learning to learn" and the resources used as learning facilitators. Both are considered as strategic instruments to current educational policy, being referenced and quoted in national and international documents. For sake of them, methodological changes occurred in learning: teaching got to be outside the classroom, the learning mediator instrument stopped to focus on the figure of the teacher, new methods of teaching were invented and the students get a quickly practical and accurate access to the information. However, from a critical-and-dialectical perspective, this study aims to raise questions about these changes and understand through the concept of mediation, the role of the educational practice, especially at school, currently are taking place in our society.

Aprendendo a aprender: comece pela capa

From the book of Newton Duarte (2000) Vigotysky and “Learning to Learn”, you can make a compelling reflection of the cover, a masterpiece of the artist Max Ernst, “Birds, too: Bird-Snake and Scarecrow” by 1921 (in Bischoff, 1993) and the phrase “Learning to Learn”. Compare and interpret the theme of Vygotsky with the picture is our purpose, because look at the painting on the surface of the cover is meaningless by itself, is necessary to seek a dual mechanism of visual perception on what it represents. It is a metaphor. Such explicit representation abroad and, by analogy, implicitly synthesizes the inside of a slogan that has become a symbol of the innovative teaching positions

Perspectivas críticas na pesquisa sobre formação de professores de Ciências

This text is in theoretical study, with consideration of the authors of the critical perspective of education and training of science teachers. We indicate a set of principles and concepts of some philosophers, like Habermas and Gramsci and theoretical education in a critical bias, as Freire, Saviani, Giroux and Duarte, which can enrich the discussions in the field of science teacher education. Some of these concepts: organic intellectual philosophy of praxis, inconclusiveness, incompleteness, dialogue and problematization, communicative action, critical pedagogies of learning to learn, dialectical relationship between theory, culture and depth psychology. Thus, we intend to explain the richness of the dialogue among this perspective and its implications for the training of science teachers.

A framework for learning in humanoid simulated robots

One of the most important characteristics of intelligent activity is the ability to change behaviour according to many forms of feedback. Through learning an agent can interact with its environment to improve its performance over time. However, most of the techniques known that involves learning are time expensive, i.e., once the agent is supposed to learn over time by experimentation, the task has to be executed many times. Hence, high fidelity simulators can save a lot of time. In this context, this paper describes the framework designed to allow a team of real RoboNova-I humanoids robots to be simulated under USARSim environment. Details about the complete process of modeling and programming the robot are given, as well as the learning methodology proposed to improve robot's performance. Due to the use of a high fidelity model, the learning algorithms can be widely explored in simulation before adapted to real robots. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.