Desarrollos y tejidos actuales en el campo de la tecnología educativa : Caleidoscopio en movimiento

El artículo propone algunas construcciones analíticas que articulan perspectivas actuales y que ofrecen pistas para repensar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje cuando hay mediación tecnológica. A partir de un breve recorrido por el campo de la Tecnología Educativa desde sus orígenes a la actualidad, se centra en tres "tejidos" (en tanto articuladores de ideas). El primero da cuenta de una perspectiva cognitiva y refiere a la mente participativa como constructo que ofrece un prisma para comprender la cognición en tiempos de redes sociales; el segundo, centrado en la enseñanza recupera la idea de la reconstrucción del aprendizaje experiencial; el último aborda la tendencia en las formas de producción. Estas tres tendencias conforman un "caleidoscopio" que ofrece una desmitificación de la relación entre tecnología e innovación y entre tecnología y motivación y una perspectiva más compleja para generar cambio educativo.

E-learning systems support of collaborative agreements: a theoretical model

This paper introduces a theoretical model for developing integrated degree programmes through e-learning systems as stipulated by a collaboration agreement signed by two universities. We have analysed several collaboration agreements between universities at the national, European, and transatlantic level as well as various e-learning frameworks. A conceptual model, a business model, and the architecture design are presented as part of the theoretical model. The paper presents a way of implementing e-learning systems as a tool to support inter-institutional degree collaborations, from the signing of the collaborative agreement to the implementation of the necessary services. In order to show how the theory can be tested one sample scenario is presented.

Riskmática: Una tecnología educativa desarrollada con Unity

Historically, teachers have always searched for a connection with their students to make education interesting and a vital experience. In the 19th century, pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi taught children how to sum using wood blocks. His successors have followed his legacy and today they use a wide variety of media, including board games, in order to reach out to their students. These methods are denominated educational technologies, which are defined as the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. With the advent of the information technologies, teachers have at their disposal new media with which they can increase the interest of their students. This technologic revolution is changing the present educational model. The objective of this dissertation is to develop an educational videogame in order to help students learn mathematics. To reach this goal, the videogame has been developed with the game engine Unity as the main tool. Additionally, agile software development methodologies as well as other software engineering techniques have also been used. The result is Riskmatica, an educational videogame based on geographical domination in which knowledge is the best weapon. The players must conquer enemy teritories answering correctly a mathecatical question. Moreover the videogame has the functionality required to configure a new game and input new questions. To conclude, this project has created an educational technology which greatly appeals to students and that can be used by the educators to improve their lessons in mathematics.---RESUMEN---A lo largo de la historia, los educadores siempre han buscado conectar con los alumnos para poder captar su interés y hacer que la educación se convierta en una experiencia vital. El pedagogo Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi conseguía esto en el siglo XIX, enseñando a niños a contar con bloques de madera. Sus sucesores han seguido su legado y hoy en día utilizan variedad de medios con los que motivar a sus alumnos, en algunos casos los juegos de mesa. Estos métodos son denominados tecnologías educativas, que se definen como los estudios y prácticas éticas que facilitan y mejoran la enseñanza, mediante la creación, el uso y el empleo de procesos y recursos tecnológicos. Con el advenimiento de las tecnologías de la información, los educadores tienen a su disposición un nuevo medio con el que llegar al alumnado. Esta revolución tecnológica está cambiando el modelo educativo actual. El objetivo de este proyecto es el de crear un videojuego educativo que ayude a los alumnos a estudiar matemáticas. Para lograrlo se ha utilizado el popular motor de videojuego Unity como herramienta principal. También se han empleado metodologías ágiles de desarrollo además de otras técnicas de ingeniería del software. El resultado es Riskmática, un videojuego educativo de dominación geográfica en el que el arma más eficaz es el conocimiento. Los jugadores deberán conquistar territorios a sus adversarios mediante la respuesta de preguntas de carácter matemático. Además el videojuego cuenta con la funcionalidad necesaria para configurar una partida e introducir nuevas preguntas. Como conlusión, este proyecto ha logrado crear una tecnología educativa muy atractiva para los alumnos con la que los profesores pueden mejorar la enseñanza de las matemáticas.

Distance Education and the Evolution of Online Learning in the United States

Online education is no longer a trend, rather it is mainstream. In the Fall of 2012, 69.1% of chief academic leaders indicated online learning was critical to their long-term strategy and of the 20.6 million students enrolled in higher education, 6.7 million were enrolled in an online course (Allen & Seaman, 2013; United States Department of Education, 2013). The advent of online education and its rapid growth has forced academic institutions and faculty to question the current styles and techniques for teaching and learning. As developments in educational technology continue to advance, the ways in which we deliver and receive knowledge in both the traditional and online classrooms will further evolve. It is necessary to investigate and understand the progression and advancements in educational technology and the variety of methods used to deliver knowledge to improve the quality of education we provide today and motivate, inspire, and educate the students of the 21st century. This paper explores the atioevolution of distance education beginning with correspondence and the use of parcel post, to radio, then to television, and finally to online education.

Evaluation of hybrid and distance education learning environments in Spain

This article describes the adaptation and validation of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) for use in investigating the qualities found in distance and hybrid education psycho-social learning environments in Spain. As Europe moves toward post-secondary student mobility, equanimity in access to higher education, and more standardised degree programs across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) the need for a high quality method for continually assessing the excellence of distance and hybrid learning environments has arisen. This study outlines how the English language DELES was adapted into the new Spanish-Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (S-DELES) for use with a Bachelor of Psychology and Criminology degree program offering both distance and hybrid education classes. We present the relationships between psycho-social learning environment perceptions and those of student affect. We also present the asynchronous aspects of the environment, scale means, and a comparison between the perceptions of distance education students and their hybrid education counterparts that inform the university about the baseline health of the information and communication technologies (ICT) environment within which the study was conducted.

Inclusion of immersive virtual learning environments and visual control systems to support the learning of students with Asperger syndrome

This paper presents the use of immersive virtual reality systems in the educational intervention with Asperger students. The starting points of this study are features of these students' cognitive style that requires an explicit teaching style supported by visual aids and highly structured environments. The proposed immersive virtual reality system, not only to assess the student's behavior and progress, but also is able to adapt itself to the student's specific needs. Additionally, the immersive reality system is equipped with sensors that can determine certain behaviors of the students. This paper determines the possible inclusion of immersive virtual reality as a support tool and learning strategy in these particular students' intervention. With this objective two task protocols have been defined with which the behavior and interaction situations performed by participant students are recorded. The conclusions from this study talks in favor of the inclusion of these virtual immersive environments as a support tool in the educational intervention of Asperger syndrome students as their social competences and executive functions have improved.

Providing Collaborative Support to Virtual and Remote Laboratories

Virtual and remote laboratories (VRLs) are e-learning resources that enhance the accessibility of experimental setups providing a distance teaching framework which meets the student's hands-on learning needs. In addition, online collaborative communication represents a practical and a constructivist method to transmit the knowledge and experience from the teacher to students, overcoming physical distance and isolation. This paper describes the extension of two open source tools: (1) the learning management system Moodle, and (2) the tool to create VRLs Easy Java Simulations (EJS). Our extension provides: (1) synchronous collaborative support to any VRL developed with EJS (i.e., any existing VRL written in EJS can be automatically converted into a collaborative lab with no cost), and (2) support to deploy synchronous collaborative VRLs into Moodle. Using our approach students and/or teachers can invite other users enrolled in a Moodle course to a real-time collaborative experimental session, sharing and/or supervising experiences at the same time they practice and explore experiments using VRLs.

Las expectativas hacia la integración de las TIC en educación desde una perspectiva fenomenológica

El presente artículo, desde una perspectiva fenomenológica, lleva a cabo una reflexión crítica en torno a las significaciones construidas socialmente en relación al uso de la tecnología, tomando como base las expectativas hacia la integración de las TIC, como predisposiciones que un determinado sujeto tiene para actuar. Se aboca a comprender, describir y profundizar en torno a las expectativas que profesores y estudiantes, como principales sujetos implicados de manera directa en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, tienen de las TIC como recursos de apoyo a la formación.

Expectativas que poseen los docentes universitarios de carreras de Pedagogía en relación al uso de las TIC

Este artículo presenta un estudio cualitativo realizado en la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Católica del Maule (Chile), en relación a las expectativas de los académicos en torno a la integración de las TIC en educación. Se expone el diseño metodológico basado en el análisis de contenido y la codificación abierta de la teoría fundamentada, y en el cual se ha utilizado el programa de análisis cualitativo ATLAS.ti (CQDAS). En general, los académicos poseen altas expectativas respecto a los efectos que se producen al utilizar las TIC respecto a diversos aspectos.

Delphi study for the design and validation of a questionnaire about digital competences in higher education

The study of digital competence remains an issue of interest for both the scientific community and the supranational political agenda. This study uses the Delphi method to validate the design of a questionnaire to determine the perceived importance of digital competence in higher education. The questionnaire was constructed from different framework documents in digital competence standards (NETS, ACLR, UNESCO). The triangulation of non-parametric techniques made it possible to consolidate the results obtained through the Delphi panel, the suitability of which was highlighted through the expert competence index (K). The resulting questionnaire emerges as a good tool for undertaking future national and international studies on digital competence in higher education.

Ensenyar i aprendre literatura en contextos digitals: reptes i necessitats didà ctiques

En aquest article es presenta una perspectiva del desenvolupament de la tecnologia al servei de l'ensenyament. El docent del segle XXI ha d'acomplir amb objectius cognitius, metodològics i tecnològics per a abastir el seu alumnat dins dels paràmetres de competència curricular, com també els instrumentals. La generació que està a les nostres aules són usuaris i gestors d'una societat en què estan consolidant habilitats i coneixements transversals que han de formar-se a l'escola tant com ho fan a l'àmbit domèstic.

Negotiating, Communicating, Collaborating: A Sociocultural View of Online Program Development

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-05

A conceptual model of personalized virtual learning environments

The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is one of the fastest growing areas in educational technology research and development. In order to achieve learning effectiveness, ideal VLEs should be able to identify learning needs and customize solutions, with or without an instructor to supplement instruction. They are called Personalized VLEs (PVLEs). In order to achieve PVLEs success, comprehensive conceptual models corresponding to PVLEs are essential. Such conceptual modeling development is important because it facilitates early detection and correction of system development errors. Therefore, in order to capture the PVLEs knowledge explicitly, this paper focuses on the development of conceptual models for PVLEs, including models of knowledge primitives in terms of learner, curriculum, and situational models, models of VLEs in general pedagogical bases, and particularly, the definition of the ontology of PVLEs on the constructivist pedagogical principle. Based on those comprehensive conceptual models, a prototyped multiagent-based PVLE has been implemented. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the learning achievements by comparing personalized and non-personalized systems. The result indicates that the PVLE we developed under our comprehensive ontology successfully provides significant learning achievements. These comprehensive models also provide a solid knowledge representation framework for PVLEs development practice, guiding the analysis, design, and development of PVLEs. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.