Alternative financing instruments for Spanish cooperative

The search for funding is an ongoing task of the company, which is exacerbated, particularly in times of economic crisis, affecting also to the cooperatives. Cooperative legislation available to these entities various instruments of external financing through the issuance of securities (bonds, equity securities, special shares), to them accounts are added in participation, but without much detail in the legal texts. At work we investigate their potential, by looking, especially in those last; We seek to clarify their legal status and contrast their potential as a technical instrument, alternative for funding in the area of cooperative societies. Finally, we also see the impact of the recent Law 5/2015, of promoting business financing in the cooperative sector and ended up proposing some policy adjustments.

The Spanish social tariff and renewable energy cooperatives: situation and perspectives

Social tariffs are, along with transfer payments and energy efficiency measures, an instrument to alleviate energy poverty. The name of the Spanish social tariff is ���bono social���, and it was established in 2009. To qualify for bono social, the electricity consumer should meet any of the socioeconomic requirements stipulated by law and contract the electricity supply with a ���comercializadora de referencia���, companies that are required to offer the bono social by law.Renewable energy cooperatives, a recent phenomenon in Spain, are not comercializadoras de referencia, so they are not obliged to offer the bono social. This does not mean there are no cooperative members at risk of energy poverty or vulnerable consumers.This study has two objectives. The first is to sketch the socioeconomic profile of members of the renewable energy cooperatives. The second is to analyze if these members are entitled to the bono social, or would be to other subsidized prices with different requirements to those of the bono social.For this purpose, we conducted a survey to members of the largest renewable energy cooperative in Spain, Som Energia. The results show that the members of renewable energy cooperatives are exposed to energy poverty risk, although its reach depends on the definition of vulnerable consumer.

Teacher attitudes and best practices with ICT faculty Adult Continuing Education in Andalusia

The present paper reports the results of a study aiming to describe the attitudes of teachers in adult continuous education in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain) towards the use and integration of information and communication technologies (ITC) in the educational centres they work in, while identifying those factors that favour the development of good practice. It is a mixed methods descriptive research, and information collection techniques include a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. A total number of 172 teachers were surveyed, as well as 18 head teachers and coordinators, in adult education. For questionnaire validation the expert judgment technique was used, as they were selected by the ��expert competence coefficient�� or ��K coefficient�� procedure. To improve its psychometric properties, construct validity was determined by means of Varimax factor analysis and maximum likelihood extraction (two factors were extracted). Confidence was set by Cronbach's alpha (0.88). The interview guide was also validated by this group of experts. Results point out, on one hand, that teachers hold positive attitudes towards ICT regarding both ICT's role in professional development and their ease of use and access. On the other hand, among the most important factors for ICT-supported good educational practices lies in ICT's capacity to favour personalized work.

How teachers of Geography and History of Secondary Education assess?

The purpose of this article is to analyse the assessment procedures and instruments used by teachers of Geography and History of Compulsory Secondary School (ESO) in the Region of Murcia (Spain). The data have been extracted implementing a survey technique proceeded by a descriptive analysis. The results show that teachers generally have a traditional conception of assessment, reflected in the fact that they think that assessment should not change when teaching strategies are changed or when they innovate. On the other hand, although they consider that is necessary to employ a variety of instruments to assess well and to prevent school failure, they still use exams as the most objective and essential instrument in the assessment, while they don���t apply continuous assessment, only tests in a continuous way. The implementation of similar research in other areas or in other subjects shows the existence of contrasts in teacher assessment practices.

Predictors of attitudes toward inclusion of students with special educational needs in future education professionals

One of the main pillars in the development of inclusive schools is the initial teacher training. Before determining if it is necessary to make changes (and of what type) in training programs or curriculum guides related to the attention to diversity and inclusive education, the attitudes of future education professionals in this area should be analyzed. This includes the identification of the relevant predictors of inclusive attitudes. The research reported in this article pursued this objective, doing so with a quantitative survey methodology based on the use of cross-sectional structured data collection and statistical analyses related to the quality of the attitude questionnaire (factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha), descriptive statistics, correlations, hypothesis tests for difference of means, and regression analysis in order to predict attitudes towards inclusion in education. Firstly, the results show that the participants held very positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with special educational needs. Particularly, older respondents, those with a longer training and, to a lesser extent, women and those who had been in touch with disabled people stood out within this attitude. Secondly, it is evidenced that self-transcendence values ���and, more weakly, contact, function as robust predictors of attitudes of future practitioners towards the inclusion of students with special needs. Some applications for the initial professionalization of educators are suggested in the discussion.

El an��lisis de libros de texto: una estrategia metodol��gica en la formaci��n de los profesionales de la educaci��n

A pesar de la progresiva introducci��n de nuevos recursos en las aulas fruto del desarrollo de las TICs, el libro de texto sigue siendo uno de los materiales m��s utilizado y cuyo protagonismo en la configuraci��n de la pr��ctica escolar ha sido decisivo, por lo que debe ocupar nuestra atenci��n en la formaci��n inicial de los profesionales de la educaci��n. Durante los cursos acad��micos 2012-13 y 13-14, hemos realizado en el marco de la asignatura de An��lisis y dise��o de materiales para la educaci��n y la formaci��n del tercer curso del grado de Pedagog��a de la Universidad de Oviedo una pr��ctica formativa de an��lisis de libros de texto escolares que nos ha permitido analizar contextualizadamente y desde una perspectiva te��rico-pr��ctica, cuestiones tales como: papel del profesorado en el desarrollo e innovaci��n del curr��culum, papel de las editoriales en la interpretaci��n del curr��culum oficial, an��lisis de tareas y mensajes en los manuales escolares, criterios para juzgar la calidad did��ctica de los materiales, etc. El an��lisis cualitativo de treinta informes desarrollados por 120 estudiantes sobre diferentes libros de texto nos ha permitido identificar sus principales fortalezas y debilidades en varias dimensiones (aspectos formales, metodolog��a, mensajes, implicaciones para la profesionalidad docente) y nos permite concluir que se trata de una experiencia formativa relevante en la formaci��n inicial de cualquier profesional de la educaci��n.

Instrumentos de evaluaci��n utilizados en la formaci��n inicial del profesorado y su coherencia para el desarrollo de competencias profesionales en los estudiantes: visi��n del alumnado, egresados y profesorado

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la frecuencia con que se utilizan diferentes instrumentos y procedimientos de evaluaci��n desde el punto de vista del profesorado, del alumnado y de los egresados en la formaci��n inicial de maestros y profesores especialistas en Educaci��n F��sica, as�� como el grado de coherencia ���relaci��n- percibido por cada uno de esos grupos implicados entre dichos instrumentos y procedimientos de evaluaci��n y el desarrollo de las competencias profesionales que se pretende adquieran los estudiantes. La muestra objeto de estudio est�� compuesta por 199 alumnos, 67 egresados y 53 profesores de las titulaciones de Magisterio (especialidad de Educaci��n F��sica) y Ciencias de la Actividad F��sica y el Deporte de las universidades de Valladolid, Salamanca y Le��n. Los resultados muestran una clara discrepancia entre los distintos grupos analizados, tanto en lo referido al tipo de instrumentos de evaluaci��n utilizados, como en la valoraci��n del grado de coherencia entre estos y el desarrollo de las competencias profesionales de los futuros maestros.

Teachers��� perception of visual deficiencies and their impact on students

The sense of vision is people���s main source of information acquisition, hence the importance of a right diagnosis and correction, if necessary, of any faults for proper learning, especially in the early years of schooling. This article discusses the results of a survey of teachers in Andalusian schools that aimed at highlighting their knowledge of their students��� possible visual deficiencies, and its possible impact on school performance. The results indicate that such knowledge is generally limited to the type of refractive anomalies, and that they think that such anomalies are well treated in their students. Despite the importance they attach to these deficiencies on school learning, they think that other factors may have a greater role. They also consider that better training on this topic is necessary.

Uso problem��tico de las redes sociales en estudiantes universitarios

Los avances que est��n produci��ndose en el ��mbito acad��mico con el surgimiento de herramientas de la Web 2.0 y el empleo masivo por parte de los estudiantes de la redes sociales para comunicarse entre ellos, est�� haciendo que el panorama educativo se encuentre ante unos desaf��os a los que tiene que dar respuesta. La investigaci��n que aqu�� se presenta tuvo como objetivo principal analizar el estado del empleo de la redes sociales por parte alumnado universitario, as�� como los posibles malos h��bitos y usos problem��ticos de las mismas. Se utiliz�� como instrumento de recogida de informaci��n un cuestionario ���ad hoc��� con un total de 23 ��tems. Se concluye que el alumnado en general no posee malos h��bitos en el empleo de las redes sociales, igualmente los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que su utilizaci��n no est�� plenamente integrada en las instituciones universitarias de educaci��n superior, as�� como que los estudiantes no las emplean/usan como herramienta fundamental para las resoluci��n de cuestiones acad��micas.

Alien gosd in the new epics: Noah remythologised through the ancient astronaut hypothesis in Abel's Montagut's "La gesta d'Utnoa"

Modern scientific world-view has undermined traditional myths, the functional survival of which seems to depend today in the West on a positivist justification. This would place them in the field of real History, through their study and revitalization by pseudoscientific disciplines such as the Atlantis and the ancient astronaut hypotheses. These have inspired new epic poems in (regular) verse that combine classic and/or biblical myths with a (pseudo)scientific modern world-view. For example, the critical rewriting of Noah���s myth by using the ancient astronaut hypothesis as a fictional device to produce a contemporary kind of plausibility allowed Abel Montagut to renew epic poetry, updating it also by adopting science fiction chronotopes in order to structure his fictional construction and to generate a high ethical sense for our time. Thus, his Poemo de Utnoa (1993) / La gesta d���Utnoa (1996), which has become a major classic of the literature in Esperanto thanks to its original version in this language, is a landmark of both science fiction and neo-biblical epics. This poem is written from a secular and purely literary perspective.

La evoluci��n de destinos tur��sticos litorales consolidados. An��lisis comparado de Balneario Camnori�� (Brasil) y Benidorm (Espa��a)

El objetivo de este trabajo consiste en estudiar la evoluci��n de los destinos tur��sticos litorales consolidados a partir del an��lisis comparado entre Balneario Cambori�� y Benidorm. Se trata de dos destinos localizados en contextos territoriales y tur��sticos diferentes, en los que se contrastan de manera emp��rica los indicadores de evoluci��n de los destinos y se vinculan las din��micas evolutivas con el modelo territorial-tur��stico resultante en cada destino. El an��lisis realizado permite contrastar los postulados de los modelos evolutivos cl��sicos (Butler, 1980) e incorporar los nuevos planteamientos de la geograf��a econ��mica evolutiva. La investigaci��n delimita cronol��gicamente los periodos de desarrollo de ambos destinos para identificar los factores con mayor incidencia en la evoluci��n de los mismos. Una evoluci��n marcada, fundamentalmente, por la ubicaci��n geogr��fica, la planificaci��n y gesti��n urbanotur��stica a diferentes escalas, la dependencia de determinados mercados emisores y la influencia de factores macroecon��micos. Un conjunto de factores interrelacionados que dibujan trayectorias dispares para los destinos analizados.

���The new Cagliostro���: Onofroff, Rub��n Dar��o and his story "La esfinge"

The article retraces the career of the famous hypnotist Onofroff and particularly his visit to Buenos Aires, where his activity, in 1895, provoked many discussions and some public embarrassment. In this context Dar��o, using a pseudonym, published his cr��nica ���La esfinge���. We reproduce ���La esfinge���, transcribing the original text of La Naci��n, with annotations identifying the literary and theosophical sources Dar��o used when he wrote it.

Dogs in the paradise: The influence of the cynical philosophy in the construction of the myth of the good savage

This paper studies the influence of cynic philosophy in the construction of the myth of the good savage. In the first part it studies the importance of cynicism in the XVI century and how the cynic influence of Erasmus, More and Montaigne was fundamental to the way that Europe approached the American indigenous. In the second part it studies the cynic motives that could have influenced in the construction of the myth of the good savage.