Web Classroom Application. Digital technologies to study theory, history and criticism of architecture at Escuela Superior de Arquitectura UPMadrid. The search for some guides to direct the inquiry learning

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The judicious utilization of new technologies through authentic learning in higher education: A case study

Though technology holds significant promise for enhanced teaching and learning it is unlikely to meet this promise without a principled approach to course design. There is burgeoning discourse about the use of technological tools and models in higher education, but much of the discussion is fixed upon distance learning or technology based courses. This paper will develop and propose a balanced model for effective teaching and learning for “on campus” higher education, with particular emphasis on the opportunities for revitalisation available through the judicious utilisation of new technologies. It will explore the opportunities available for the creation of more authentic learning environments through the principled design. Finally it will demonstrate with a case study how these have come together enabling the creation of an effective and authentic learning environment for one pre-service teacher education course at the University of Queensland.

Deschooling society? A lifelong learning network for sustainable communities, urban regeneration and environmental technologies

The complexity and multifaceted nature of sustainable lifelong learning can be effectively addressed by a broad network of providers working co-operatively and collaboratively. Such a network involving the third, public and private sector bodies must realise the full potential of accredited flexible and blended formal learning, contextual opportunities offered by enablers of informal and non formal learning and the affordances derived from the various loose and open spaces that can make social learning effective. Such a conception informs the new Lifelong Learning Network Consortium on Sustainable Communities, Urban Regeneration and Environmental Technologies established and led by the Lifelong Learning Centre at Aston University. This paper offers a radical, reflective and political evaluation of its first year in development arguing that networked learning of this type could prefigure a new model for lifelong learning and sustainable education that renders the city itself a creative medium for transformative learning and sustainability.

Cognitive Approach to e-Learning in Sciences and Technologies

This article describes the approach adopted and the results obtained by the international team developing WBLST (Web Based Learning in Sciences and Technologies) a Web-based application for e-learning, developed for the students of “UVPL: Université Virtuelle des Pays de la Loire”. The developed e-learning system covers three levels of learning activities - content, exercises, and laboratory. The delivery model is designed to operate with domain concepts as relevant providers of semantic links. The aim is to facilitate the overview and to help the establishment of a mental map of the learning material. The implemented system is strongly based on the organization of the instruction in virtual classes. The obtained quality of the system is evaluated on the bases of feedback form students and professors.

Transforming Mathematics Learning for Students and Teachers with Digital Technologies

Силия Хойлс, Ричардс Нос - Това представяне е вдъхновено от делото на Сиймър Пепърт и много други от целия свят (включително Джим Капут и наши колеги от България), които са работили и работят в духа на конструкционизма и с които сме имали щастието да си сътрудничим в областта на математическото образование и дигиталните технологии в течение на десетилетия.

Discover the Thracians - An Approach for Use of 2D and 3D Technologies for Digitization of Cultural Heritage in the Field of E-learning

Information and communication technologies (ICT) offer an easier access to and a multi-perspective view of cultural heritage artifacts and may also enrich and improve cultural heritage education through the adoption of innovative learning/teaching methods. This paper examines the different practices and opportunities for digitization of cultural artifacts with historical significance and describes the work on a pilot project concerning the development of e-learning materials in the Thracian cultural and historical heritage. The proposed method presents an approach based on a combination of 2D and 3D technologies to facilitate the overall process of digitization of individual objects. This approach not only provides greater opportunities for presenting the Thracian heritage but also new perspectives for studying it - students, scientists, PhD students will have the opportunity to work with the materials without having access to them.

The effects of word prediction and text-to-speech technologies on the narrative writing skills of students with specific learning disabilities

This study investigated the effects of word prediction and text-to-speech on the narrative composition writing skills of 6, fifth-grade Hispanic boys with specific learning disabilities (SLD). A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to explore the efficacy of word prediction and text-to-speech alone and in combination on four dependent variables: writing fluency (words per minute), syntax (T-units), spelling accuracy, and overall organization (holistic scoring rubric). Data were collected and analyzed during baseline, assistive technology interventions, and at 2-, 4-, and 6-week maintenance probes. ^ Participants were equally divided into Cohorts A and B, and two separate but related studies were conducted. Throughout all phases of the study, participants wrote narrative compositions for 15-minute sessions. During baseline, participants used word processing only. During the assistive technology intervention condition, Cohort A participants used word prediction followed by word prediction with text-to-speech. Concurrently, Cohort B participants used text-to-speech followed by text-to-speech with word prediction. ^ The results of this study indicate that word prediction alone or in combination with text-to-speech has a positive effect on the narrative writing compositions of students with SLD. Overall, participants in Cohorts A and B wrote more words, more T-units, and spelled more words correctly. A sign test indicated that these perceived effects were not likely due to chance. Additionally, the quality of writing improved as measured by holistic rubric scores. When participants in Cohort B used text-to-speech alone, with the exception of spelling accuracy, inconsequential results were observed on all dependent variables. ^ This study demonstrated that word prediction alone or in combination assists students with SLD to write longer, improved-quality, narrative compositions. These results suggest that word prediction or word prediction with text-to-speech be considered as a writing support to facilitate the production of a first draft of a narrative composition. However, caution should be given to the use of text-to-speech alone as its effectiveness has not been established. Recommendations for future research include investigating the use of these technologies in other phases of the writing process, with other student populations, and with other writing styles. Further, these technologies should be investigated while integrated into classroom composition instruction. ^

Disabling and Enabling Technologies for Learning in Higher Education for All : Issues and Challenges for Whom?

Integration, inclusion, and equity constitute fundamental dimensions of democracy in post-World War II societies and their institutions. The study presented here reports upon the ways in which individuals and institutions both use and account for the roles that technologies, including ICT, play in disabling and enabling access for learning in higher education for all. Technological innovations during the 20th and 21st centuries, including ICT, have been heralded as holding significant promise for revolutionizing issues of access in societal institutions like schools, healthcare services, etc. (at least in the global North). Taking a socially oriented perspective, the study presented in this paper focuses on an ethnographically framed analysis of two datasets that critically explores the role that technologies, including ICT, play in higher education for individuals who are “differently abled” and who constitute a variation on a continuum of capabilities. Functionality as a dimension of everyday life in higher education in the 21st century is explored through the analysis of (i) case studies of two “differently abled” students in Sweden and (ii) current support services at universities in Sweden. The findings make visible the work that institutions and their members do through analyses of the organization of time and space and the use of technologies in institutional settings against the backdrop of individuals’ accountings and life trajectories. This study also highlights the relevance of multi-scale data analyses for revisiting the ways in which identity positions become framed or understood within higher education.

Collaborative technologies, higher order thinking and self-sufficient learning: A case study of adult learners

The inclusion of online elements in learning environments is becoming commonplace in Post Compulsory Education. A variety of research into the value of such elements is available, and this study aims to add further evidence by looking specifically at the use of collaborative technologies such as online discussion forums and wikis to encourage higher order thinking and self-sufficient learning. In particular, the research examines existing pedagogical models including Salmon’s five-stage model, along with other relevant literature. A case study of adult learners in community-based learning centres forms the basis of the research, and as a result of the findings, an arrow model is suggested as a framework for online collaboration that emphasises the learner, mentions pre-course preparation and then includes three main phases of activity: post, interact and critique. This builds on Salmon’s five-stage model and has the benefit of being flexible and responsive, as well as allowing for further development beyond the model, particularly in a blended learning environment.

Learning techniques for automatic email message tagging

A organização automática de mensagens de correio electrónico é um desafio actual na área da aprendizagem automática. O número excessivo de mensagens afecta cada vez mais utilizadores, especialmente os que usam o correio electrónico como ferramenta de comunicação e trabalho. Esta tese aborda o problema da organização automática de mensagens de correio electrónico propondo uma solução que tem como objectivo a etiquetagem automática de mensagens. A etiquetagem automática é feita com recurso às pastas de correio electrónico anteriormente criadas pelos utilizadores, tratando-as como etiquetas, e à sugestão de múltiplas etiquetas para cada mensagem (top-N). São estudadas várias técnicas de aprendizagem e os vários campos que compõe uma mensagem de correio electrónico são analisados de forma a determinar a sua adequação como elementos de classificação. O foco deste trabalho recai sobre os campos textuais (o assunto e o corpo das mensagens), estudando-se diferentes formas de representação, selecção de características e algoritmos de classificação. É ainda efectuada a avaliação dos campos de participantes através de algoritmos de classificação que os representam usando o modelo vectorial ou como um grafo. Os vários campos são combinados para classificação utilizando a técnica de combinação de classificadores Votação por Maioria. Os testes são efectuados com um subconjunto de mensagens de correio electrónico da Enron e um conjunto de dados privados disponibilizados pelo Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC). Estes conjuntos são analisados de forma a perceber as características dos dados. A avaliação do sistema é realizada através da percentagem de acerto dos classificadores. Os resultados obtidos apresentam melhorias significativas em comparação com os trabalhos relacionados.