A learning experience in the fields of economics and business: creation of student-managed inter-university virtual networks

With this article we shall describe the learning experience carried out by our students in the fields of Economics and Business at the Universities of Huelva and University of Seville within an active- and cooperative-learning framework involving creation of virtual networks between our students and others who were attending diverse universities in Spain and abroad, thus allowing us to strengthen interactions and information exchanges among students, also allowing them to apprehend on their own the characteristics of economic and business and entrepreneuring realities in which they are immersed and, very specially, the use of virtual communities in the Internet

Using ODL and ICT to develop the skills of the unreached: a contribution to the ADEA triennial of the Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning

Innovation in technology is occurring at rapid pace thus shrinking the distances and making information and knowledge more than ever accessible to everyone irrespective of where the person resides. This paper consists of four main articles. The first one deals with technological trends. The second one focuses on the deployment and use of open and distance education mode in rural areas by documenting initiatives that embrace information and communication technologies (ICTs). Due to challenges faced in rural areas only a few success stories/cases currently exist and some of these are cited in this article. The challenges faced in the deployment of ICT enhanced ODL have been highlighted as well as the potential of developing and delivering effective and relevant ODL programmes in rural areas in order to ensure that issues of educational equity and social exclusion rural communities are adequately addressed. ICTs in ODL are perhaps the greatest tool to date for self-education and value addition to any community’s development efforts, yet poor rural communities particularly in Africa do not have the necessary awareness, skills or facilities to enable themselves to develop using ICTs. Inadequate ICT infrastructures in rural areas remain a major source for the digital divide in Africa and for under-performance of distance learners. The third one analyses the support provided to ODL learners who often encounter difficulties in completing their studies through the distance education mode due to loneliness, uncertainties and de-motivation. ICT has not been able to sufficiently support distance learners in overcoming those obstacles efficiently. An investigation regarding those learning supports has been conducted in ten distance learning institutions, along with an intensive literature review with the aim of understanding the high percentage of dropout rates of distant learners. The learners’ interactions have been scrutinized through content analysis of their synchronous exchanges, during a completely online course. After taking into account the limited technical and human resources in Africa, a technological virtual environment along with a pedagogical framework has been proposed with the aim of giving adequate educational support to them. The fourth article has explored The Open University (UK) and its efforts to use new technologies to deliver online courses to difficult-to- reach learners in prison environments. The case study analysed here is an international course (called, B201- Business Organisations and their environments) which also touches an African cohort of learners. The implications for designing and delivering online ODL to the complex unreachable environments of prisons anywhere, and particularly in Africa, have been discussed

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS) as a Tool for Intercultural Education. A collaborative experience in secondary education in Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, Mexico

This paper discusses the collaborative experience of creating educational materials for a secondary school in Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, México. In this school, students from Nahuatl, Tun savi, Me'phaa and Spanish speaking communities live and learn together. The intercultural context provides challenges for science education that we sought to address. The use of collaborative technologies in science classes has made visible the cultural diversity in the classroom, helping students and teachers recognize themselves as active agents in the construction of common knowledge and in sharing their\ud knowledge. This experience also shows the importance of ICTs as technologies of expression that reinforce individual and collective identity in intercultural contexts

Collaborative learning and co-author students in online higher education: a-REAeduca – collaborative learning and co-authors

The technologies themselves cannot be analyzed as instruments per se, nor can they be exhausted in their relation with science. There is a social and even an individual dimension that affects our own way of relating to society. It is in open education that we have been developing our educational practices. This chapter presents a collaborative learning activity, the curricular unit Materiais e Recursos para eLearning, part of an on-line Master in Pedagogy of eLearning, Universidade Aberta, Portugal. In the present work, the authors dedicate their attention to co-learning and co-research, as processes that help to exemplify some situations, the a-REAeduca. The data collection was supported essentially by the content analysis technique.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Research methodologies in creative practice: literacy in the digital age of the twenty first century - learning from computer games

Literacy remains one of the central goals of schooling, but the ways in which it is understood are changing. The growth of the networked society, and the spread of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), has brought about significant changes to traditional forms of literacy. Older, print based forms now take their place alongside a mix of newer multi-modal forms, where a wide range of elements such as image, sound, movement, light, colour and interactivity often supplant the printed word and contribute to the ways in which meaning is made. For young people to be fully literate in the twenty-first century, they need to have clear understandings about the ways in which these forms of literacy combine to persuade, present a point of view, argue a case or win the viewers’ sympathies. They need to know how to use them themselves, and to be aware of the ways in which others use them. They need to understand how digital texts organise and prioritise knowledge and information, and to recognise and be critically informed about the global context in which this occurs. That is, to be effective members of society, students need to become critical and capable users of both print and multimodal literacy, and be able to bring informed and analytic perspectives to bear on all texts, both print and digital, that they encounter in everyday life. This is part of schools’ larger challenge to build robust connections between school and the world beyond, to meet the needs of all students, and to counter problems of alienation and marginalisation, particularly amongst students in the middle years. This means finding ways to be relevant and useful for all students, and to provide them with the skills and knowledge they will need in the ICT-based world of the Twentyfirst century. With respect to literacy education, engagement and technology, we urgently need more information as to how this might be best achieved

Harnessing Technology: new modes of technology-enhanced learning: opportunities and challenges

A report commissioned by Becta to explore the potential impact on education, staff and learners of new modes of technology enhanced learning, envisaged as becoming available in subsequent years. A generative framework, developed by the researchers is described, which was used as an analytical tool to relate the possibilities of the technology described to learning and teaching activities. This report is part of the curriculum and pedagogy strand of Becta's programme of managed research in support of the development of Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008-14. A system-wide strategy for technology in education and skills. Between April 2008 and March 2009, the project carried out research, in three iterative phases, into the future of learning with technology. The research has drawn from, and aims to inform, all UK education sectors

From technologies for a few to technologies for all. Analysis of inclusive technologies perception in teachers in training

The paper presents the results of a survey conducted with teachers of lower and upper secondary schools who attended, in e-Learning mode, the specialization course for support in 2020 at the University of Macerata (Italy). The purpose of the survey was to: (1) extrapolate the teachers' point of view on the inclusive use of technologies at the beginning of the laboratory, (2) highlight the presence or absence of an inclusive logic underlying the teaching approach generally chosen in the use of tools and technological applications and finally, (3) analyze teachers in training perception about the skills they think they have learned at the end of the laboratory. Referring to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the inclusive logic underlines the importance of knowing how to design educational interventions mediated by technologies that can be used by all students (not only those with Special Educational Need) therefore the presence/absence of the design aspect in teachers in training was considered fundamental to set up the laboratory path. In addition, the creation of the laboratory on the Teams platform has allowed teachers in training to learn and experience the inclusive potential that e-Learning can have if supported by a good design framework. In the contribution, the results of the investigation and the organization of the laboratory will be presented

Perspectivas sobre Aprendizagem Colaborativa em Aulas Mediadas por tic como Impulsionador da Aprendizagem de Línguas

This article advocates for the implementation of collaborative learning in ict-mediated classes where a foreign language is taught. A documentary research analysis that involved reviewing academic articles was conducted to obtain a deeper understanding of this emerging instructional method. It offers a description of the advan-tages using different technologies has on language teaching and learning processes and how those technolo-gies can be used to provide collaborative learning environments. The distinctions between collaboration and cooperation are explained. The theoretical contributions that are central to the understanding of collaborative learning are outlined. Collaborative learning and its benefits are described. It has been found that collaborative learning enhances academic achievement through the development of a variety of social and critical thinking skills that require meaningful interactions and the willingness to embrace innovative ways to teach. Moreover, it was also found that using ict can increase the effectiveness of this teaching method since greater levels of motivation, creativity, and inclusion can be achieved.Este artículo aboga por la implementación del aprendizaje colaborativo en las clases mediadas por las ticdonde se enseña una lengua extranjera. Se realizó un análisis de investigación documental que involucró la revisión de artículos académicos para obtener una comprensión más profunda de este método de instrucción emergente. Se ofrece una descripción de las ventajas que tiene el uso de diferentes tecnologías en los proce-sos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de idiomas y cómo esas tecnologías pueden usarse para proporcionar entor-nos de aprendizaje colaborativo. Se explican las distinciones entre colaboración y cooperación. Se esbozan las contribuciones teóricas que son centrales para la comprensión del aprendizaje colaborativo. Se describe el aprendizaje colaborativo y sus beneficios. Se encontró que el aprendizaje colaborativo mejora el rendimiento académico a través del desarrollo de una variedad de habilidades sociales y de pensamiento crítico que requie-ren interacciones significativas y la voluntad de adoptar formas innovadoras de enseñar. Además, también se estableció que el uso de las tic puede aumentar la efectividad de este método de enseñanza ya que se pueden lograr mayores niveles de motivación, creatividad e inclusión.Este artigo defende a implementação da aprendizagem colaborativa em aulas mediadas por tic onde uma língua estrangeira é ensinada. Uma análise de pesquisa documental que envolveu a revisão de artigos aca-dêmicos foi realizada para obter uma compreensão mais profunda desse método instrucional emergente. Ele oferece uma descrição das vantagens que o uso de diferentes tecnologias têm nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem de línguas e como essas tecnologias podem ser usadas para fornecer ambientes de apren-dizagem colaborativa. As distinções entre colaboração e cooperação são explicadas. São delineadas as contribuições teóricas que são centrais para a compreensão da aprendizagem colaborativa. A aprendizagem colaborativa e seus benefícios são descritos. Descobriu-se que a aprendizagem colaborativa melhora o des-empenho acadêmico por meio do desenvolvimento de uma variedade de habilidades de pensamento social e crítico que exigem interações significativas e a vontade de adotar formas inovadoras de ensinar. Além disso, verificou-se também que a utilização das tic podem aumentar a eficácia deste método de ensino, uma vez que poderão alcançar maiores níveis de motivação, criatividade e inclusã

Constructivismo y metodología colaborativa mediada por TIC en educación superior usando webquest

The present article presents an experience of educational innovation framed in the constructivist approach and the collaborative methodology conducted with students of the Degree in Primary Education, in the module “ICT Applied to Education”. The experience consisted of making the students competent in the design, creation and evaluation of WebQuests and Scavenger Hunts. To this end, globalising and competence-based strategies were used, with which the students learn, through a work project, to perform specific tasks designed by the teacher and carried out in collaborative groups based on constructivist models from an active learning. In this case, the students are taught what a WebQuest is by using a WebQuest designed by the teacher, who then gives them the task of creating a WebQuest or Scavenger Hunt designed for students in primary education. This experience is structured in three learning phases, as well as an initial evaluation (pretest) and a final evaluation (post-test) to verify the extent of learning of the students. During the process, instruments of self-evaluation, heteroevaluation and coevaluation were used to enhance learning. The results show that the learning of these students increased, both in their didactic competence and in the use of ICT, using an alternative methodology to the traditional one.En este artículo queremos dar a conocer una experiencia de innovación docente enmarcada en el enfoque constructivista y la metodología colaborativa, realizada con alumnos del Grado de Maestro de Educación Primaria en la Asignatura de Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación aplicadas a la Educación. Se trata de hacer a los alumnos competentes en el diseño, elaboración y evaluación de Webquest y “caza del tesoro”. Para ello utilizamos, estrategias de aprendizaje globalizador y de tipo competencial, donde los alumnos aprenden, a través de un proyecto de trabajo, a realizar unas determinadas tareas diseñadas por el profesor y llevadas a cabo en grupos colaborativos basado en modelos constructivistas desde un aprendizaje activo. En el caso que nos ocupa se enseña a los estudiantes qué es una Webquest utilizando una Webquest diseñada por la profesora, y que exige en la tarea la realización de una Webquest o “caza del tesoro” dirigida a alumnos de Educación Primaria. Esta experiencia se estructura en 3 fases de aprendizaje, además de una evaluación inicial (pre-test) y otra final (post-test) para verificar el grado de aprendizaje de los alumnos. Durante el proceso también se utilizan instrumentos de autoevaluación, heteroevaluación y coevaluación que favorecen el aprendizaje. Los resultados demuestran el incremento superior del aprendizaje de los estudiantes tanto en su competencia didáctica, como en el uso de las TIC, utilizando una metodología alternativa a la tradicional