46,711 research outputs found
Accessible user interface support for multi-device ubiquitous applications: architectural modifiability considerations
The market for personal computing devices is rapidly expanding from PC, to mobile, home entertainment systems, and even the automotive industry. When developing software targeting such ubiquitous devices, the balance between development costs and market coverage has turned out to be a challenging issue. With the rise of Web technology and the Internet of things, ubiquitous applications have become a reality. Nonetheless, the diversity of presentation and interaction modalities still drastically limit the number of targetable devices and the accessibility toward end users. This paper presents webinos, a multi-device application middleware platform founded on the Future Internet infrastructure. Hereto, the platform's architectural modifiability considerations are described and evaluated as a generic enabler for supporting applications, which are executed in ubiquitous computing environments
¿Pueden los MOOC cerrar la brecha de oportunidades?: La contribución del diseño pedagógico social inclusivo
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are open courses made available online at no cost to the user and designed
to scale up, allowing for a large number of participants. As such, they are a disruptive new development which has
the potential to widen access to higher education since they contribute to social inclusion, the dissemination of
knowledge and pedagogical innovation. However, assuring quality learning opportunities to all cannot be simply
reduced to allowing free access to higher education. On the contrary, it implies assuring equitable opportunities for
every participant to succeed in their learning experience. This goal depends on the quality of the learning design. To
be successful, a massive open online learning experience has to empower learners and to facilitate a networked
learning environment. In fact, MOOCs are designed to serve a high heterogeneity of profiles, with many differences
regarding learning needs and preferences, prior knowledge, contexts of participation and diversity of online platforms.
Personalization can play a key role in this process. In this article, the authors describe the iMOOC pedagogical model
and its later derivative, the sMOOC model, and explain how they contributed to the introduction of the principles
of diversity and learner equity to MOOC design, allowing for a clear differentiation of learning paths and also of
virtual environments, while empowering participants to succeed in their learning experiences. Using a design-based
research approach, a comparative analysis of two course iterations each representing each model is also presented
and discussed.Los cursos en línea abiertos y masivos (MOOC) son cursos abiertos disponibles en línea sin costo para el usuario y
diseñados para ampliarse, permitiendo un gran número de participantes. Como tales, son un nuevo desarrollo
disruptivo que tiene el potencial de ampliar el acceso a la educación superior, ya que contribuyen a la inclusión social,
la difusión del conocimiento y la innovación pedagógica. Sin embargo, garantizar oportunidades de aprendizaje de
calidad para todos no puede reducirse simplemente a permitir el acceso gratuito a la educación superior. Por el
contrario, implica asegurar oportunidades equitativas para que cada participante tenga éxito en su experiencia de
aprendizaje. Este objetivo depende de la calidad del diseño de aprendizaje. Para tener éxito, una experiencia de
aprendizaje en línea abierta y masiva debe empoderar a los alumnos y facilitar un entorno de aprendizaje en red. De
hecho, los MOOC están diseñados para servir a una gran heterogeneidad de perfiles, con muchas diferencias con
respecto a las necesidades y preferencias de aprendizaje, conocimiento previo, contextos de participación y diversidad
de plataformas en línea. La personalización puede jugar un papel clave en este proceso. En este artículo, los autores
describen el modelo pedagógico iMOOC y su derivada posterior, el modelo sMOOC, y explican cómo contribuyeron a la introducción de los principios de diversidad y equidad en el diseño MOOC, lo que permite una clara
diferenciación de las rutas de aprendizaje y también de entornos virtuales, al tiempo que permite a los participantes
tener éxito en sus experiencias de aprendizaje. Usando un enfoque de design-based research, también se presenta y discute
un análisis comparativo de dos iteraciones del curso, cada una representando cada modelo
From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet
This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)
How can I use video to improve teacher engagement with my school’s abundant ICT equipment?
This paper examines how video can be used to enhance teacher engagement with ICT as a teaching tool. The Connect School Project, South Dublin County Council’s ubiquitous computing initiative, equipped St. Aidan’s with a vast amount of information and communication technologies (ICT). A review of appropriate literature indicated that the use of such technologies in class could lead to effective teaching and learning environments, increase student self-esteem and could bridge the ‘digital-divide’ that might exist between students in disadvantaged areas and those in more affluent communities. Through two cycles of enquiry, I planned and produced a video which modelled how the laptops and associated hard and software could be used effectively in class. The video aimed to represent all stakeholders in the school: management, teachers and students. In this way a top-down endorsement of the use of ICT as a teaching and learning tool was communicated. I feel that if teachers are to embrace the use of technology in class, pedagogical as well as technical support must be provided. Using video to model effective practice could be an ideal way to provide such support
Case study : The University of Strathclyde in Glasgow
Describes the Millennium Student Initiative which equipped students in the business school with laptops. Curricular redesign made these an essential part of the pedagogic proces
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Digital inclusion - the vision, the challenges and the way forward
This paper considers the vision and aspiration of digital inclusion, and then examines the current reality. It looks beyond the rhetoric to provide an analysis of the status quo, a consideration of some facilitators and challenges to progress and some suggestions for moving forward with renewed energy and commitment. The far-reaching benefits of digital inclusion and the crucial role it plays in enabling full participation in our digital society are considered. At the heart of the vision of universal digital inclusion is the deceptively simple goal to ensure that everyone is able to access and experience the wide-ranging benefits and transformational opportunities and impacts it offers. The reality is a long way from the vision: inequality of access still exists despite many national campaigns and initiatives to reduce it. The benefits and beneficiaries of a digital society are not just the individual but all stakeholders in the wider society. Research evidence has shown that the critical success factors for successful digital participation are (i) appropriate design and (ii) readily available and on-going ICT (Information and Communication Technology) support in the community. Challenges and proven solutions are presented. The proposition of community hubs in local venues to provide user-centred ICT support and learning for older and disabled people is presented. While the challenges to achieve digital inclusion are very considerable, the knowledge of how to achieve it and the technologies which enable it already exist. Harnessing of political will is necessary to make digital inclusion a reality rather than a vision. With the cooperation and commitment of all stakeholders actualisation of the vision of a digitally inclusive society, while challenging, can be achieved and will yield opportunities and rewards that eclipse the cost of implementation
Adventures in the Not Quite Yet: using performance techniques to raise design awareness about digital networks
Technologists promise a future in which pervasive, distributed networks enable radical change to social and political geographies. Design of these abstract, intangible futures is difficult and carries a special risk of excluding people who are not equipped to appreciate the ramifications of these technological changes. The Democratising Technology (DemTech) project has been exploring how techniques from performance and live art can be used to help people engage with the potential of ubiquitous digital networks; in particular, how these techniques can be used to enfranchise people with little technical knowledge, but who nonetheless will have to live with the design consequences of technical decisions. This paper describes the iterative development of a performance workshop for use by designers and community workers. These workshops employ a series of simple exercises to emulate possible processes of technological appropriation: turning abstract digital networks into imaginable, meaningful webs. They were specifically designed to target a technologically excluded group, older people, but can also be used with other groups. We describe the process of workshop development and discuss what succeeded with our test groups and what failed. In offering our recommendations for working in this space, we consider the methodological issues of collaborating across science/art/design borders and how this impacted on evaluation. And we describe the final result: a recipe for a performance workshop, also illustrated on a DVD and associated website, which can be used to explore the dynamics of technical and social change in the context of people’s own lives and concerns.
Keywords:
Performance; Older People; Marginalisation; Person-Centred; Ubiquitous Digital Networks; Interdisciplinary; Technology; Future; Evaluation</p
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Multimodal and ubiquitous computing systems: supporting independent-living older users
We document the rationale and design of a multimodal interface to a pervasive/ubiquitous computing system that supports independent living by older people in their own homes. The Millennium Home system involves fitting a resident’s home with sensors – these sensors can be used to trigger sequences of interaction with the resident to warn them about dangerous events, or to check if they need external help. We draw lessons from the design process and conclude the paper with implications for the design of multimodal interfaces to ubiquitous systems developed for the elderly and in healthcare, as well as for more general ubiquitous computing applications
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Technology and Caregiving: Emerging Interventions and Directions for Research.
An array of technology-based interventions has increasingly become available to support family caregivers, primarily focusing on health and well-being, social isolation, financial, and psychological support. More recently the emergence of new technologies such as mobile and cloud, robotics, connected sensors, virtual/augmented/mixed reality, voice, and the evermore ubiquitous tools supported by advanced data analytics, coupled with the integration of multiple technologies through platform solutions, have opened a new era of technology-enabled interventions that can empower and support family caregivers. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for identifying and addressing the challenges that may need to be overcome to effectively apply technology-enabled solutions for family caregivers. The paper identifies a number of challenges that either moderate or mediate the full use of technologies for the benefit of caregivers. The challenges include issues related to equity, inclusion, and access; ethical concerns related to privacy and security; political and regulatory factors affecting interoperability and lack of standards; inclusive/human-centric design and issues; and inherent economic and distribution channel difficulties. The paper concludes with a summary of research questions and issues that form a framework for global research priorities
Working Document on Gloss Ontology
This document describes the Gloss Ontology. The ontology and associated class
model are organised into several packages. Section 2 describes each package in
detail, while Section 3 contains a summary of the whole ontology
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