314,164 research outputs found

    Informal learning recognition through a cloud ecosystem

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    Learning and teaching processes, like all human activities, can be mediated through the use of tools. Information and communication technologies are now widespread within education. Their use in the daily life of teachers and learners affords engagement with educational activities at any place and time and not necessarily linked to an institution or a certificate. In the absence of formal certification, learning under these circumstances is known as informal learning. Despite the lack of certification, learning with technology in this way presents opportunities to gather information about and present new ways of exploiting an individual’s learning. Cloud technologies provide ways to achieve this through new architectures, methodologies, and workflows that facilitate semantic tagging, recognition, and acknowledgment of informal learning activities. The transparency and accessibility of cloud services mean that institutions and learners can exploit existing knowledge to their mutual benefit. The TRAILER project facilitates this aim by providing a technological framework using cloud services, a workflow, and a methodology. The services facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge associated with informal learning activities ranging from the use of social software through widgets, computer gaming, and remote laboratory experiments. Data from these activities are shared among institutions, learners, and workers. The project demonstrates the possibility of gathering information related to informal learning activities independently of the context or tools used to carry them out

    Informal learning recognition through a cloud ecosystem

    Get PDF
    Learning and teaching processes, like all human activities, can be mediated through the use of tools. Information and communication technologies are now widespread within education. Their use in the daily life of teachers and learners affords engagement with educational activities at any place and time and not necessarily linked to an institution or a certificate. In the absence of formal certification, learning under these circumstances is known as informal learning. Despite the lack of certification, learning with technology in this way presents opportunities to gather information about and present new ways of exploiting an individual’s learning. Cloud technologies provide ways to achieve this through new architectures, methodologies, and workflows that facilitate semantic tagging, recognition, and acknowledgment of informal learning activities. The transparency and accessibility of cloud services mean that institutions and learners can exploit existing knowledge to their mutual benefit. The TRAILER project facilitates this aim by providing a technological framework using cloud services, a workflow, and a methodology. The services facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge associated with informal learning activities ranging from the use of social software through widgets, computer gaming, and remote laboratory experiments. Data from these activities are shared among institutions, learners, and workers. The project demonstrates the possibility of gathering information related to informal learning activities independently of the context or tools used to carry them out

    The Impact of Collaboration, Problem Solving, and Creativity on Computer Programming Education for Middle School Girls

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    Despite high scores and abilities, girls lose interest in science and math throughout middle school. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the computer science research field will grow 19% by 2026; however, only 18% of the bachelor’s degrees in computer science are earned by women in the United States (ComputerScience.org, 2021). New technology and inventions are being created without the benefit of more diverse perspectives and input from females. There is a need to engage girls and maintain their interest throughout middle school and beyond. Additional research needs to be conducted about the impact and best practices used during out-of-school time programs to encourage and motivate girls to stay engaged in STEM, including computer programming (Koch, 2014). This study investigated the relationship between middle school girls’ interest in computer programming and the opportunities to collaborate, solve problems, and use their creativity while participating in computer programming activities led by female role models during the 4-H Girls Tech Challenge, an informal education program. Research questions are the following: 1) In what ways did the 4-H Girls Tech Challenge experience, which included components of problem solving, collaboration, creativity and female role models, affect the attitudes of middle school girls towards computer programming? 2) To what extent did the 4-H Girls Tech Challenge experience affect the attitude of middle school girls towards potentially pursuing careers related to computer science and technology? Evidenced by other studies, experiences in which collaboration, problem solving, and creativity are present have been shown to increase knowledge about computer programming and engagement in STEM (Cooper & Heaverlo, 2013; Wu-Rorrer, 2019; Hayden et al., 2011). A qualitative study employing interviews with previous participants was utilized to determine how the components of collaboration, problem solving, and creativity of the 4-H Girls Tech Challenge affected the attitudes of middle school girls towards computer programming and careers in computer science. Educators will benefit from learning more about best practices that engage, motivate, and retain more girls in STEM. An increase in the number of women in the STEM workforce will maximize innovation, creativity, and competitiveness (Hill et al., 2010)

    Technology, Pedagogy and Digital Production: A Case Study of Children Learning New Media Skills

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    This article presents an analysis of data from a project which investigated children and young people's learning of digital cultures in informal settings in Britain. The project aimed to build links between young peoples' leisure and learning experiences, by engaging with the content and styles of learning connected with digital cultures in homes and community centres. The focus of this article is on a computer games making course for young people age 9 – 13. The article looks specifically at issues around technology and pedagogy. Questions are raised about types of software used with this age range, and the article includes a discussion of the models of learning which describe young people?s interactions with digital cultures

    Mobile technologies: prospects for their use in learning in informal science settings

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    Recent developments in mobile technologies have offered the potential to support learners studying a variety of subjects. In this paper we explore the possibilities related to science learners and in particular focus on science learners in informal settings and reflect on a number of recent projects in order to consider the prospects for such work. The debate on informal learning acknowledges the complexity of the area and the difficulty of defining informal learning. One view is to consider the settings in which learning takes place as a continuum from formal settings, e.g. university, to social structures, e.g. friendship groups (Sefton-Green, 2004). The literature on science learning with mobile devices at this very 'informal' end of the spectrum is currently sparse and so in the paper we reflect on some projects and possibilities across the continuum. Our main focus is how mobile devices can support informal learning in science and research possibilities. Some of the recent research on mobile learning has used an activity theoretical perspective, including one of the case studies we discuss and in the final part of the paper we highlight the influence of activity theory in helping us to consider the complexity of the learning settings
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