Experiences with iPads in primary schools

Los ordenadores-tablet están acaparando toda la atención en estos momentos y forman parte de nuestra vida cotidiana. Por ello, no es de extrañar que en el ámbito educativo se hayan arbitrado fórmulas para incorporarlos en las aulas. La presente investigación pretende mostrar las estrategias llevadas a cabo en determinadas experiencias con iPads en escuelas primarias austriacas. Por un lado, se describe el desarrollo de las aplicaciones (apps) educativas apropiadas para su empleo en aulas. Y por otro, cada lección apoyada en las tecnologías es analizada y evaluada desde una perspectiva técnica. Las aportaciones más representativas de la investigación evidencian las diversas fórmulas de utilización de este tipo de ordenadores para promover una influencia positiva en la enseñanza, también se apuntan recomendaciones prácticas sobre cómo deberían ser usados en aulasTablet computers gain enormous attention nowadays and become more and more part of our daily life. Due to this it is not astonishing that even the educational sector is thinking about the use of such wearable devices in the classroom. Our research study aims to give insights about real life experiences with iPads in Austrian primary schools. Therefore we describe the development of appropriate learning apps and their use in classrooms. Finally each technology-enhanced lesson is observed as well as evaluated afterwards with the help of the cut-off technique. The research work carries out different circumstances the use of tablet computers has a positive influence on teaching and learning and gives practical hints how they should be used in classrooms.Grupo FORCE (HUM-386). Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar de la Universidad de Granad

Team Igniter: an adaptive toolkit to guide and leverage collaboration in teams seeking to problem-solve and innovate

Even though interdisciplinarity has been constantly debated and supported during faculty meetings at RIT, still, academic programs confine themselves into silos, hampering student integration. The struggle to effectively collaborate becomes evident in the existent on campus initiatives that challenge students from different disciplines to work together. The consequence is the under-utilization of the students\u27 potential which leads to mediocre outcomes. This thesis investigated main collaboration problems typical of groups seeking to problem-solve such as groupthink, production blocking, social loafing and social anxiety. These issues were studied in the academic context through a user-centered methodology that involved observations and interviews with college students. The proposed solution integrated user experience (UX) methods with social psychology’s research findings and game design dynamics into a toolkit constituted of both digital and tangible components that complemented each other to offer an interactive and immersive experience. The purpose of the toolkit was to provide a fluid framework to guide teams seeking innovation in order to leverage student collaborations and thus promote a truly academic synergy that is likely to lead to more innovative ideas and solutions

Incorporating Augmentative and Alternative Communication Usage In Functional Therapy For Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study

Current research discusses the communicative limitations of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study examined the influence of communicative devices on improving an individual with ASD’s functional communicative abilities. This study incorporated a qualitative research methodology, which included a modified ethnographic interview and several hours of clinical observation. This data was then cyclically reviewed for patterns. By incorporating various Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices into therapy and daily life, the participant was able to produce longer utterances and clarify his communicative intent and messages. This research adds to the literature by describing the importance of AAC systems in enhancing the functional communication of individuals with ASD

Tablet use in schools: A critical review of the evidence for learning outcomes

The increased popularity of tablets in general has led to uptake in education. We critically review the literature reporting use of tablets by primary and secondary school children across the curriculum, with a particular emphasis on learning outcomes. The Systematic Review methodology was used and our literature search resulted in 33 relevant studies meeting the inclusion criteria. A total of 23 met the minimum quality criteria and were examined in detail (16 reporting positive learning outcomes, 5 no difference and 2 negative learning outcomes). Explanations underlying these observations were analysed, and factors contributing to successful uses of tablets are discussed. While we hypothesise how tablets can viably support children in completing a variety of learning tasks (across a range of contexts and academic subjects), the fragmented nature of the current knowledge base, and the scarcity of rigorous studies, make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. The generalisability of evidence is limited and detailed explanations as to how, or why, using tablets within certain activities can improve learning remain elusive. We recommend that future research moves beyond exploration towards systematic and in-depth investigations building on the existing findings documented here.We gratefully acknowledge a donation from ARM Holdings Ltd. that partially supported this literature review.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcal.1212

Development of an Information System to Enhance Students Reading Literacy

The research study at hand aims to answer the question, whether an innovative information system can be implemented that will help to enhance reading literacy of elementary pupils. Based on predefined reading tests this web-based system evaluates the reading literacy of pupils. It consists of two primary parts; the system that creates and evaluates such reading tests and the test platform itself. In order to assess the system a field test was conducted. Therefore it was tested in two school classes. In the course of this study reading tests were carried out and retrieved data and results were evaluated. Despite some minor usability problems, the system performed very well. The test system delivered good estimations of the reading capabilities of single pupils and classes. Of special interest is the system’s analysis of the created reading tests since the system is capable of evaluating reading test according to their difficult

Effective iPad Instruction: A Qualitative Study Comparing Classroom Practices to the Technology Integration Matrix

Technology has become a natural part of our students’ lives. The use of iPads in classrooms has increased, and educators are becoming more experienced using them during instruction. Research needs to focus on providing educators with examples of effective instructional practices with iPads. To provide samples of effective instruction, this qualitative study used evidence from classroom observations and aligned the lessons to the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). Lessons were observed and aligned to the Adoption, Adaptation, and Infusion levels of the TIM with Active, Collaborative, Constructive, and Authentic learning attributes. In addition this study investigated the perceptions teachers and principals had about their journey with iPads and the impact on their schools, classrooms, and students. Three elementary schools in West Virginia were chosen by means of purposeful sampling, and classroom observations and interviews were used as methods of data collection. Four main themes emerged from the data: lessons that fall higher on the TIM created more student ownership of their learning; iPads increased student engagement and provided more opportunities for collaboration; effective student-centered instructional practices led to more effective implementation of iPad integration versus teacher-centered instruction; and strong leadership in a school contributed to the effective implementation of iPads

Designing for Shareable Interfaces in the Wild

Despite excitement about the potential of interactive tabletops to support collaborative work, there have been few empirical demonstrations of their effectiveness (Marshall et al., 2011). In particular, while lab-based studies have explored the effects of individual design features, there has been a dearth of studies evaluating the success of systems in the wild. For this technology to be of value, designers and systems builders require a better understanding of how to develop and evaluate tabletop applications to be deployed in real world settings. This dissertation reports on two systems designed through a process that incorporated ethnography-style observations, iterative design and in the wild evaluation. The first study focused on collaborative learning in a medical setting. To address the fact that visitors to a hospital emergency ward were leaving with an incomplete understanding of their diagnosis and treatment, a system was prototyped in a working Emergency Room (ER) with doctors and patients. The system was found to be helpful but adoption issues hampered its impact. The second study focused on a planning application for visitors to a tourist information centre. Issues and opportunities for a successful, contextually-fitted system were addressed and it was found to be effective in supporting group planning activities by novice users, in particular, facilitating users’ first experiences, providing effective signage and offering assistance to guide the user through the application. This dissertation contributes to understanding of multi-user systems through literature review of tabletop systems, collaborative tasks, design frameworks and evaluation of prototypes. Some support was found for the claim that tabletops are a useful technology for collaboration, and several issues were discussed. Contributions to understanding in this field are delivered through design guidelines, heuristics, frameworks, and recommendations, in addition to the two case studies to help guide future tabletop system creators