Virtual Pedagogical Agents as Aids for High School Physics Teachers
The Pathway project is improving the quality of physics teaching and the number of available physics teachers by providing virtual expert help on issues of pedagogy and content. The project combines Carnegie Mellons Synthetic Interviews and state-ofthe- art digital video library technology with pedagogical advances developed at Kansas State University, and materials contributed by master teachers. The Synthetic Interview is a technology and technique that creates an anthropomorphic interface i
Design and architecture of an online system for Vocational Education and Training
E-learning and tele-training have been evolved over time from a newborn trend for complementing the learning process to a major form of education and training for supporting mainly geographically scattered users. Learning and training, can be applied to a wide variety of fields and areas, each of which is accompanied by some special characteristics related to the field of learning/training, to the tools needed for the realization of the training process as well as to the familiarization of the t
Collaborative Multi-professional Narrative Based e-learning. An application to teaching Medical Stat
The present paper describes e-CNA (e-Collaborative Narrative Analysis), a web based multi-agent environment where different agents contribute to the exploration and social co-construction of the meanings of a set of narratives. The paper also describes an action-research e-learning experiment aimed to involve the students of different courses and a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals in a blended online educational project on qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in hea
The Influence of Game Features on Collaborative Gaming: A Process-oriented approach
Game technology and design are creating powerful collaborative gaming experiences that can be exploited pedagogically. Building on a research trends from various fields, a process-oriented model is adopted to evaluate the instructional potential of games, considering both their surface and deep structure. Two experimental approaches are adopted. Through reflective evaluation the Neurocognitive skills employed, Perceived Competence Facilitation and Perceived usefulness of games are determ
Streaming media as an alternative to direct student instruction for performing science experiments
In the present paper a comparison between the ideas of two groups of students, both of which were taught the same physics laboratory curriculum but using two different instruction approaches is presented. The experimental group was asked to watch some videos including the associated links to Physics theory explaining the phenomena to be observed, gather the information needed and then perform the experiments involved, while the control group followed the traditional lab teaching practice. The ai
Awareness of the capabilities and use of social software attributes within and outside the education
This paper reports early findings of an ongoing study to determine the use and impact of social educational software at undergraduate level. It summarizes the theoretical background to the educational use of social software and suggests directions for future research. The primary aim of the study was to capture and describe the extent and patterns of use of educational software and Web 2.0 technologies among first year undergraduate technology students taking the Web Development module. Results
Evaluating Wiki as a tool to promote quality academic writing skills
In this study we investigated undergraduate teacher trainees' use of wikis, focusing on the use of shared spaces to communicate ideas and generate course specific content. We explored how students, through such activities, were to able to improve their academic writing skills. We discuss writing as a social practice and discuss how wikis might promote better academic writing. With data derived from student discussion boards and a post-module e-mail questionnaire (N=35) our findings indicate that
XML and Databases for E-Learning Applications
XML has become a standard format in information exchange and integration on the Web. Much research has been conducted in recent years on XML technology, which has led to new developments in this field. The effective combination of XML and relational databases for portable Internet data exchange and data management is the technology platform of choice for the Internet Applications. Our paper describes the relationship between XML and relational databases and its potential as an enabling technolog
Reusing Streaming Contents in Engineering and Education Courses
Bolognas process and the opening of university teaching to new educational scenarios provide an opportunity for the implementation of innovative and active methodologies.
This paper describes a practice implemented by the share and reuse of learning contents using streaming technology. Streaming technology was used since it promotes the support of pedagogical activity as a dynamic resource and oriented to a model of shared learning.
The motivation beyond this idea was the share of teachers e
Teaching Our Youngest: A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child Care and Family Providers
This guide suggests how to read aloud to children, develop their listening and speaking skills, teach about letters and numbers, and build their background knowledge and thinking skills. The booklet is designed to help people who work with young children create rich learning environments.
To set up pedagogical experiments in a virtual lab: methodology and first results
This paper concerns a methodology for setting up web based experiments by distinguishing two perspectives: the learning perspective (which tasks will be scheduled for pupils and tutors, how they are planned and what learning objectives they may attempt), and separately, the experiment perspective (how teachers or researchers may use trails of this experiment, the first to improve their teaching, the last to various research objectives). The both are described by computable scenarios expresse
Measuring the responsiveness of e-learning materials to varying learning styles using EDUSA method
The strength of the acceptance by a particular e-learner for a particular e-learning material depends on two main factors: 1) the ability of the e-learner to vary his or her learning style, especially in terms of pace, and 2) the ability of the e-learning material to offer a sufficient responsiveness in adaptation to the corresponding learning style of the particular e-learner. E-learning materials that better adapt to the varying learning styles of e-learners have a larger "contact area" than t
Motor-Manipulatory Behaviours and Learning: an Observational Study
In this paper we investigated the role of motor-manipulatory behaviour in the learning modalities of thirty-five primary school children interacting with a Lego MindStorms kit. In particular, by means of an observational taxonomy of childrens behaviour, we analysed the video records of two observational sessions regarding the learning activities during the building of a small robot. Our results demonstrated that motormanipulatory behaviours are strictly linked to cognitive processes, and that
Investigating mental representations in children interacting with small mobile robots
This research aimed at investigating the acquisition of comprehension of a robotic system in school age children by using two different methods: concept maps and interviews. We demonstrated that concept maps are an important instrument of verification of knowledge, offering the possibility to graphically re-examine the expressed knowledge, and training children to decompose a problem (analysis) and re-compose it in a more structured way (synthesis). The interviews confirmed the subjects abilit
Learning with the Web 2.0: The Encyclopedia of Life
In the 1990s, the World Wide Web has revolutionized the way in which knowledge seekers satisfy their thirst for knowledge. During the recent years, a technological and social paradigm shift called Web 2.0 attracted a lot of attention in the Internet community and is considered a major evolution of the web. New online applications make it easier for individuals to learn, using the vast information provided by the Internet and the collective intelligence of its users. The Encyclopedia of Life, a g
Interactive computer aided learning in social science education: strategies, scenarios, tools, and e
This paper presents the e-learning project Strategies for Networked Learning at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Vienna, its structure, objectives and technological infrastructure. Furthermore, it discusses a blended learning case study and the selected results of an evaluation of blended learning courses conducted within the project. As these evaluations indicate, blended learning scenarios need to be very well planned and evaluated by considering the
Mashing The MUVE - A Mashup Model for Collaborative Learning in Multi-User Virtual Environments
Mashup technologies offer opportunities for students to become proactive, collaborative and engaged. However the primary metaphors are asynchronous, allowing reflexive and expansive dialogue (Palloff & Pratt 1999) but limit dynamic collaborative learning. This paper will present a model being evaluated at the Open University using a mashup immersive learning environment to offer collaborative learning in a situated, constructivist context. The pilot project will be used to map pedagogy and learn
Special Session OER: Integrating OER and Instructional Design Towards a more holistic view
Instructional Design (ID) has been introduced as a fundamental approach to design learning environments with a strong focus on media usage. In this regard, recent transformations in the realm of ICT have gained an increasing influence on learning and teaching practices, thus challenging conventional methods. Advocators of sophisticated web-based tools such as Weblogs, Wikis, or e-portfolios which are at the heart of the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement proclaim a new dimension of le
Analysis of three different models used to acquire three e-learning solutions at the same university
The Universtiy of Pretoria has been using an electronic assessment system since 1991 and a learning management system (LMS) since 1998. Both systems required urgent upgrading. In 2003 a further need arose in the Faculty of Health Sciences, for an electronic portfolio system. The Department for Education Innovation has thus implemented three new systems during the past three years: a new electronic assessment system, an upgraded LMS, and an electronic portfolio system. This paper analyzes the adv
Designing and application of E-portfolio for teacher training
Portfolio is not just a magic word but it is mandatory for everyone in today's free market. Some companies started their own portfolios for employee assessment. Other has them for optimization purposes or even education. Each of us first encounter portfolio in schools. Big books with grades and other useful data were in them. In the teacher education we also have portfolios and the most important is teacher training portfolio. Based on this portfolios employees decide who to hire or not. With th
