HE BYOD—ready or not?

This chapter presents the results and analysis of a quantitative study of students and staff at Sheffield Hallam University on how they are using their own smart devices to support student learning and enhance the student experience at Sheffield Hallam University. It also looks at which smart apps staff and students use

Social Media for Senior Citizens: An Introductory Course

The Woburn Council on Aging is a municipal, volunteer board appointed by the Mayor of Woburn. The Woburn COA operates the Woburn COA Senior Center as a resource for the community\u27s senior citizen population. The Senior Center provides information, referrals, information, outreach, advocacy, transportation, health screening, nutrition, education, peer support, recreation, volunteer development and intergenerational programming for members of the community. Educational programs on the use of technology are offered monthly at the Woburn COA Senior Center though members have expressed interest in learning more about social media applications and how they can be used to communicate with family and friends. The Woburn COA Senior Center did not have any courses available on the specific topic of social media and thus a training course was requested to meet this need. A new educational series on the use of Social Media, presented in an easy-to-follow format and geared towards beginner-level computer users, was developed for this project. To fully support the goals of the Woburn COA Senior Center in relation to educating their members on the topic of social media, a number of different educational materials were created for use. Keeping in line with the analysis conclusions and the instructional strategy plan that was established early in the instructional design process, a self-paced computer-based tutorial with narration was developed and will be made available to Woburn COA Senior Center users at the conclusion of four scheduled classroom session series

Machine learning and medicine: book review and commentary

This article is a review of the book “Master machine learning algorithms, discover how they work and implement them from scratch” (ISBN: not available, 37 USD, 163 pages) edited by Jason Brownlee published by the Author, edition, v1.10 http://MachineLearningMastery. com. An accompanying commentary discusses some of the issues that are involved with use of machine learning and data mining techniques to develop predictive models for diagnosis or prognosis of disease, and to call attention to additional requirements for developing diagnostic and prognostic algorithms that are generally useful in medicine. Appendix provides examples that illustrate potential problems with machine learning that are not addressed in the reviewed book

Digital Rhetoric: Doing Things with Words Online

It is through rhetorical principles applied to digital writing that online writers can be heard above the din confronting weary online browsers. The synergy between classical rhetoric and new media practices leads to persuasive and memorable digital writing. Despite the hurried clip and the complex nature of technology, grounding writing in firm rhetorical concepts can produce compelling online content. The purpose of this capstone project is to teach specific audiences how to do things with words online through a series of three modules whose unifying themes include the broad topics of targeting niche audiences, persuasive writing, and using the digital medium of communications

Empowering Female English Language Learners to Pursue Computer Science Fields: A Practical 4-Hour Workshop for Beginning Teachers in High School

Female English language learners (FELLs) are not taken under consideration when trying to attract new student populations to computer science fields. Frequently, females are studied cohesively without regard to their individual distinctions and challenges. This unique population has to overcome traditional gender perceptions and linguistic confronts when considering the field of computer science. This paper provides a practical four-hour workshop for novice teachers in high school that are eager to empower female English language learners (FELLs) that demonstrate potential or are interested in entering computer science fields. An overview of research within the last ten years is exhibited, which includes the current state of females in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, female attitudes toward computers and computer science, science content instruction strategies for English language learners (ELLs), and blogging as an educational tool. The provided practical workshop curriculum considers the linguistic, cultural, and computational needs of FELLs as well as the role of the family in assisting FELLs in pursuing computer science fields. The outlined four-hour workshop catered toward novice teachers in high school includes blogging strategies that involve basic html coding exercises, pair, group, and whole member activities, and Internet research exercises. Upon completion of the workshop, novice teachers will be ready to encourage FELLs to enter computer science fields

A study of the effective use of social software to support student learning and engagement

This study examined the use of social software in the UK further and higher education sectors to collect evidence of the effective use of social software in enhancing student learning and engagement. In this study, data from 26 initiatives, where social software tools have been employed, has been collected, analysed and synthesised. The cases chosen give a spread of tools, subject areas, contexts (part-time, full-time or distance learning), levels of study, and institutions (higher and further education). A case study methodology was followed and both educators and students were interviewed to find out what they had done, how well it had worked, and what they had learned from the experiences. This study provides insights about the: educational goals of using social software tools; enablers or drivers within the institution, or from external sources which positively influence the adoption of social software; benefits to the students, educators and institutions; challenges that may influence a social software initiative; and issues that need to be considered in a social software initiative

A Flipped Classroom Model for Inquiry-Based Learning in Cyprus Primary Education Context

In this article, we present the outcomes of the pilot phase of a multi-case study being conducted in Cyprus. The study aims to develop and propose universal design principles of using a Flipped Classroom (FC) approach as a pedagogical structure of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) applicable across primary education context in Cyprus. The universal design principles refer to the general guidelines most primary teachers can follow when designing their lessons by integrating the two instructional models of FC and IBL, and to the specific pedagogical strategies teachers can use for different school subjects to motivate and improve their students' learning processes through Networked Lerning (NL) opportunities. Providing teachers with those principles (i.e. guidelines and strategies) is particularly important given the lack of instructional experiences of Cyprus primary school teachers in implementing a FC model in their classroom practices and a wide range of subject matters that those teachers need to teach. There has been a limited focus, in previous research concerning the FC model, on its effectiveness within the primary education context and also in relation to the NL technologies used. The pilot study aims to primarily address this research gap, develop the IB-FC model and present potential benefits of using the IB-FC model in primary school context. The learning process based on the IB-FC model includes pre-class, in-class and after-class activities. During the pre-class phase, students explore the learning content provided by the teacher at home and obtain an entrance ticket which is used during class time for the IBL facilitated by a series of classroom activities, which require the students to be creative and collaborative. Forums and other features of online learning platforms are utilized so as to promote NL through collaboration and communication. The after-class phase involves self-assessment procedures and the completion of an e-portfolio page. After the first pilot-nature of iteration of implementing the model, participant students’ learning experiences and perceptions on this new learning scenario were collected through focus groups and reflection forums. Based on our findings from the pilot study, the IB-FC framework including important pedagogical principles and additional instructional tools have been developed and offered to seven primary school teachers in the current stage of our multi-case study, through which the framework will be further developed and refined

Social Isolation Meets Technological Innovation: Towards Developing A Model Of Communication Among Parents Who Homeschool

The purpose of this study was to understand how a sample of homeschoolers were using blogs. In this study of homeschoolers and their blog use, a content analysis of 25 blogs with entries from September 2006, February 2007, and June 2007 were studied. The subjects were homeschoolers who blogged; 19 were females, three were males, and six did not clearly identify themselves as male or female. Seven themes emerged through a content analysis: resources, succeeding at homeschooling, homeschooling and fun, advice, questioning homeschoolers, current events, and socialization. These themes were verified through a word count listing from the software used to collect the data from the sample of blogs. The findings indicate that homeschoolers are not using blogs in the traditional sense, as an online journal. The findings also support that homeschoolers are posting openly about their teaching. The homeschoolers in this sample are sharing resources with each other

My watch begins : identification and procedural rhetoric on second screens and social networks.

Digital rhetoric creates opportunities for examining rhetoric as it evolves daily. This evolution may be described in terms of network circulation and immediate opportunities for publishing and creating. This project analyzes mobile applications and live feeds used during television broadcasts, where rhetoric is closely tied to the work of identifying with another point of view. Producers and designers of dual-screen applications prompt us to answer how we would act if we assumed the role of protagonist and saw the world through her or his eyes. These questions support the idea that identification is not just a relative of empathy or a way to engage emotionally with the text but also a way to approach problems and sharpen observation. From this dissertation’s findings we may reconsider the work of seeing and perspectival shifting as part of a sophisticated procedure of reflexive role play and public intellectualism. In addition, the analysis provides information about how mobile devices and second screens work to support consensus and a preferred reading (viewing) of popular narratives and group performances, thereby calling into careful consideration how we use such devices to influence others. Finally, the dissertation’s work helps us understand new forms of viral communication and the velocity (Ridolfo and DeVoss) at which they are transmitted. Consequently, we may approach textual artifacts as “living documents” and consider how such “living” properties may change our perceptions of authorship and composing. In Chapter One, “My Watch Begins: Complex Narrative, Transmedia, and Point of View,” I begin by offering an overview of my methodological approach to these applications. I situate the work of identification on mobile devices within the larger conversation surrounding transmedia and how it encourages viewers to participate in contemporary television narratives. This section provides explanations of how the terms procedural rhetoric (as introduced first by Ian Bogost), prosopopoiea (from ancient rhetoric), and point of view (from narrative theory) will function in this project, with most of the attention given to procedural and rhetorical studies of the various programs and websites associated with audience writings. This chapter also calls attention to the difference between empathy and perspective shifting. An example from contemporary culture that helps illustrate this difference and provides space for conversation is the viral blog post “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother.” This editorial, written in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, features identification techniques used as persuasive tools but does so in a problematic way that might be better handled with a nuanced and careful study of how identification operates in other settings. Central to this project are questions addressing how we discuss and document the acts of viewing/seeing/looking, and in what ways the process of seeing from multiple perspectives is currently being lauded in society and the academy. In Chapter Two, “If You See Something, Say Something: Syncing Audience Viewing and Response,” I reveal two opening examples that illustrate these premises: one from a Walking Dead advertisement that features the protagonist’s eye and one from a Department of Homeland Security ad-“If You See Something, Say Something.” These examples dovetail into a specific analysis of syncing devices, or dual screen viewing experiences, and the actual rhetoric accompanying the requests to see from multiple perspectives (“If you were Rick, you would ___”). I also call attention to shows where the act of identifying with the protagonist raises questions about the limitations of perspectives. To be specific, I suggest that the white middle-class male is the paradigm of identification exercises for shows that encourage participation from viewers. Examples from television suggest that women and minorities are less likely to be the characters with whom we align our interests; therefore, I argue we should interrogate this trend and think reflexively about the act of identifying. In Chapter Three, “Choreographing Conversation through Tagging, Tokens, and Reblogs,” I argue that analysis of audience reactions via live feeds and blogging platforms shows that textual artifacts, through increased circulation, promote a certain form of identification through consensus. This consensus reveals the tendency of viewers to gravitate toward preferred readings (viewings) of narratives and to identify with characters closely resembling themselves. By constituting viewers in a rhetoric specific to each fictional world, producers encourage identification and help secure appropriate and largely positive viewer behaviors through conversations online. Specifically, digital activities like “checking in” to a show and writing with specific hashtags become markers of narrative involvement. Producers, in turn, engage in reciprocal action by promoting or displaying fan activity on their own feeds, thereby sponsoring the work of the audience. While such activity often leads to conformity, I argue that these moments of group consensus may act as springboards for future conversation about other perspectives and narrative outcomes. In Chapter Four, “Texts as Bodies, Bodies as Texts: Tumblr Role Play and the Rhetorical Practices of Identification,” the rhetorical analysis of these online sites and mobile applications then leads to questions of how we perceive embodiment during identification. In this section I look closely at the writing found on the microblogging site Tumblr, where viewers of television narrative engage in role playing their favorite protagonists and creating dialogue with fellow role players. This practice, operating outside the jurisdiction of producer-designed apps, reveals new patterns of the work of identification. With attention to the ideas of Katherine Hayles and Deleuze and Guattari, we may reconsider how text, once circulated, acts as an extension of and a replacement for the physical body. Still, the work of these bloggers demonstrates that identification is still a personal investment that refers to and gives credit to the person behind the computer screen. This chapter reveals a productive tension between the embodied author’s work and the nature of writing as it moves through networks. In my conclusion I explain how these applications and online tools have implications for the writing classroom. Students are frequently told that good writers and thinkers must see a problem or an issue from multiple perspectives. This project focuses intensely on the work of shifting perspectives and how those perspectives are represented in writing. Its implications for teaching productive source integration and research may be applied to the first-year writing classroom but also the graduate class curriculum, where novice scholars learn to extend, oppose, and ally themselves with the scholars who have come before them