Orchestrating Technology for Web-based Education

In this paper we present AulaNet, an environment for creating, updating and attending Web-based courses. Here, we illustrate some dynamics of three experiments of course development and delivery with AulaNet, pointing out their features, discussing how easy and how difficult is to orchestrate technology for educational purposes

CODILA: A Collaborative and Distributed Learning Activity applied to software engineering courses in Latin American Universities

Software engineering is a highly relevant area in the academia and also in the industry. Typically, there is an important demand for well-trained software engineers, since the code in consumer products is doubling every two years approximately [4], [16]. Professionals who have finished their studies in Computer Science or Informatics have many job opportunities, because there is an unsatisfied demand for these professionals.Software engineering is a highly relevant area in the academia and also in the industry. Typically, there is an important demand for well-trained software engineers, since the code in consumer products is doubling every two years approximately [4], [16]. Professionals who have finished their studies in Computer Science or Informatics have many job opportunities, because there is an unsatisfied demand for these professionals

WEB-BASED DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMMES: AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF ITS CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

Organizations have been making in the last years heavy investments in Web-based distance learning initiatives. Despite the many uncertainties that this involves, part of the teaching and learning processes are moving towards the Internet. These uncertainties bring about difficulties for managers, who face the challenge of keeping the focus on essential and relevant aspects that will assure programmes success. However, what would these factors be? This article aims at answering this question by identifying the critical success factors of Web-based distance learning programmes. With this objective, nine semi-structured interviews with experts were held and two case studies were carried out. Results point to the existence of five critical success factors, namely (1) the experience and background of the program teams, (2) the students’ characteristics and behavior, (3) the learning model, (4) the technology and (5) the establishment of strategic alliances

Teaching Software Engineering from a Collaborative Perspective: Some Latin-American Experiences

Teaching software engineering has been recognized as an important challenge for computer science undergraduate programs. Instruction in such area requires not only to deliver theoretical knowledge, but also to perform practical experiences that allow students to assimilate and apply such knowledge. This paper presents some results of two Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) experiences that involved students of software engineering courses from four Latin American Universities. The obtained results were satisfactory and indicate the reported collaborative activity could be appropriate to address teaching software engineering.Teaching software engineering has been recognized as an important challenge for computer science undergraduate programs. Instruction in such area requires not only to deliver theoretical knowledge, but also to perform practical experiences that allow students to assimilate and apply such knowledge. This paper presents some results of two Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) experiences that involved students of software engineering courses from four Latin American Universities. The obtained results were satisfactory and indicate the reported collaborative activity could be appropriate to address teaching software engineering

Um estudo comparativo entre o uso do computador e da videoconferência na educação a distância

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção, Florianópolis, 2000O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma revisão bibliográfica identificando os meios e estratégias de apoio que contribuem com a implementação da educação a distância na sala de aula eletrônica, realçando duas mídias importantes: a Internet e a videoconferência. Um outro propósito desta pesquisa é analisar cada uma das mídias separadamente e averiguar suas diferenças e semelhanças. Mas é impossível estudar a Internet e a videoconferência sem observar a maneira como ambas são amplamente usadas em todo o mundo como um meio de apresentar idéias em ação para uma platéia interessada. É também realçado que estas mídias são capazes de integrar as descobertas de muitas disciplinas por meio de cursos bem projetados, que utilizem materiais cuidadosamente planejados e atividades interativas promovendo um ambiente eficiente de ensino-aprendizado

O papel da internet como fonte de pesquisa nas séries iniciais

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção.A pesquisa deve ser uma atitude cotidiana nos alunos que se defrontam com os instrumentos informatizados. O aprender busca a autonomia de professores e alunos, impulsiona a refletir e criticar sua própria experiência e dela extrair conhecimentos. A formação escolar vem hoje revestida de novas tarefas. De um lado porque deve preparar as novas gerações para viver conscientemente numa sociedade informatizada, de outro porque deve formar indivíduos que terão de exercer sempre um maior número de profissões caracterizadas por funções de tipo não repetitivo onde serão solicitadas, cada vez mais, capacidades para afrontar, comunicar e se auto-atualizar. Manter-se ainda como instituição de mudanças sociais, diante daquelas promovidas pela sociedade, é um grande desafio para a escola e para os profissionais da educação preocupados em contribuir para a formação de indivíduos capazes de compreender, interagir e transformar o mundo, indivíduos capazes de se auto-conduzir por este universo tão múltiplo. Este desafio requer estratégias eficientes de ensino, que contribuam efetivamente para o processo de construção do conhecimento de forma estimulante e motivadora recuperando o dinamismo da escola e estimulando os processos cognitivos facilitadores da aprendizagem. A pesquisa leva o aluno a pensar, a socializar-se a construir o próprio conhecimento, desde que ocorra comprometimento por parte de todos os envolvidos no processo ensino-aprendizagem. Devemos considerar que a condução adequada de uma pesquisa, quer seja realizada através de bibliografia ou com o uso da Internet como fonte, dependerá da concepção de educação que o professor possui

An architecture for integration of a graphical tool to synchronous communication systems applied to a collaborative learning environment

Orientador: Wu-Shin TingDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de ComputaçãoResumo: Este trabalho trata da problemática envolvida na colaboração entre pessoas mediada pelo computador. Esta área tem crescido bastante principalmente no que se refere ao aprendizado colaborativo. Há uma ênfase, nestes ambientes, na comunicação textual em preterimento do uso de linguagens visuais que existem em diversas áreas do conhecimento. Esta ênfase acontece para que os ambientes atuais possam ser usados em diversas áreas e isso acarreta em um empobrecimento na capacidade de comunicação suportada. Esta tese apresenta uma arquitetura que pode ser usada pelos ambientes de colaboração para que seja possível a integração de aplicações gráficas de colaboração às ferramentas de comunicação genéricas (por exemplo, um bate-papo). Estas aplicações gráficas suportariam alguma linguagem visual de um determinado contexto específico. Com esta integração de ferramentas de comunicação haveria um complemento das linguagens verbal e visual ocasionando uma melhoria na comunicação suportada por estes ambientes. Além disso, é mostrado um ambiente de aprendizado colaborativo, denominado CoLab, que aplica esta arquitetura e um experimento, para testar o CoLab e a arquitetura de integração, foi conduzido e analisadoAbstract: This work deals with problems involved in computer-mediated communication (CMC). This field has been growing in the context of collaborative learning. Most research efforts has gone into solving textual CMC problems in detriment of the visual communication ones. This is probably because current systems are intended to act in a broad range of fields. On the other side, such systems have poor support to convey information that is ubiquitously represented by visual symbols. Using both textual and visual communication together may allow us to do more cognitive work. Visual symbols are better for providing spatial relationships and details, where as texts are better for passing abstract concepts. An architecture that supports the integration of collaborative graphic applications into textual generic communication tools is proposed. The graphic application may support visual communication through graphic symbols of specific context. Based on the proposed architecture a collaborative learning system, called CoLab, was developed and an experiment was conducted and analyzedMestradoEngenharia de ComputaçãoMestre em Engenharia Elétric

Communication technology and education

Probably as far back as people can remember, education has drawn on communication technologies, either to teach students how to use them effectively or to make use of those technologies in the educational process itself. In the former instance, the educational sector typically follows a cultural valuation that regards a given technology as so essential that people cannot leave its use or teaching to chance—reading and writing provide the clearest examples here, with schools teaching both the mechanics of writing and reading (forming or deciphering letters, spelling properly, adhering to a common grammar, and so on) and the composition of texts, arguments, expositions, explanations, essays, etc. In the latter instance, schools use communication technology to provide information or to connect with their students: again, books provide an historical example as does educational television more recently. A great deal of existing research in pedagogy, learning theory, and classroom management examines how learning with technology occurs and how to measure its impact (Jonassen, 2004). Similarly, a great deal of writing addresses the practical issues of making the best use of communication in or for the classroom. This review will not address the learning theory or the pedagogy, except indirectly as it appears in other studies; it will focus instead specifically on the communication technology—a very wide field— and how educators incorporate the various means of communication in the schooling of a younger generation. These typically occur in two ways: distance education and supplemental education. Distance education refers to the use of communication technology to reach students who cannot or do not physically attend a school. Supplemental education refers to the use of communication technology to supplement face-toface or in-school programs. Looking at the recent past (the last 10 years or so), this review will examine published studies discussing communication in or for schools as well as some more accessible online materials describing current work.