The smartphone in the context of the classroom in the primary school and in the higher education

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are implementing unique changes in the most diverse fields nowadays. The smartphone, in particular, because of its technological convergence characteristics and because it is a tool that everyone owns and carries with them, it is an added value for the school and for the student that owns a personalized mobile resource. However, the school is resistant to its inclusion in education and there are contradictory studies: some reveal perverse effects on education, but others show their potentialities [1-3]. This fact shows the importance of teacher training in the selection of a methodology that responds to the inclusion of this tool in education. How to use the smartphone in education? It is a challenge that we intend to answer by showing the potential of this emerging technology in the process of teaching and learning with children from 6 to 9 years of age (primary school) and with adults of higher education (engineering course). In this study, the use of smartphones was observed in three classrooms of the primary school, involving about 60 children, and in higher education classes, involving about 50 students. We used a qualitative approach, case study. Data were collected from direct observers of the educational practices in the different contexts. For data analysis, we used description and data interpretation. The results show that teachers adopt a socio-constructivist methodology centring the student in the learning process: (1) in the use of the tool (technical domain), (2) in the accomplishment of the task, (3) in the reflection and argumentation of the results obtained, (4) knowledge sharing, (5) behaviour management, attitudes, task leadership and (6) self-criticism. It is also verified that they use the smartphone as a resource to motivate the student, stimulate concentration on the task, facilitate the understanding of content, encourage participation in the activity and promote interaction and sharing with others. In addition, the use of smartphones generates emotions and develops cross curricular skills in education as well as facilitating access to information, stimulates the creation of creative engineering projects that have satisfied students not only for the novelty, but also for finding that a pocket tool can perform interesting monitoring and remote control tasks. Thus, the results show that smartphones have a high potential in education, as they can promote an opportunity for methodological recreation and modernization, offer research potential, the development of new educational equipment and tools, new ways of consolidating and evaluating curricular content, development of other expressive abilities in the academic, social and personal life of an individual, as well as develop autonomy and stimulate the satisfaction of the students by returning to education the motivation of the student. It is also a clever way of educating this new generation by finding other ways of learning to learn, learning to do and building knowledge, learning to be and being with others.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The smartphone in the context of the classroom in the primary school and in the higher education

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are implementing unique changes in the most diverse fields nowadays. The smartphone, in particular, because of its technological convergence characteristics and because it is a tool that everyone owns and carries with them, it is an added value for the school and for the student that owns a personalized mobile resource. However, the school is resistant to its inclusion in education and there are contradictory studies: some reveal perverse effects on education, but others show their potentialities [1-3]. This fact shows the importance of teacher training in the selection of a methodology that responds to the inclusion of this tool in education. How to use the smartphone in education? It is a challenge that we intend to answer by showing the potential of this emerging technology in the process of teaching and learning with children from 6 to 9 years of age (primary school) and with adults of higher education (engineering course). In this study, the use of smartphones was observed in three classrooms of the primary school, involving about 60 children, and in higher education classes, involving about 50 students. We used a qualitative approach, case study. Data were collected from direct observers of the educational practices in the different contexts. For data analysis, we used description and data interpretation. The results show that teachers adopt a socio-constructivist methodology centring the student in the learning process: (1) in the use of the tool (technical domain), (2) in the accomplishment of the task, (3) in the reflection and argumentation of the results obtained, (4) knowledge sharing, (5) behaviour management, attitudes, task leadership and (6) self-criticism. It is also verified that they use the smartphone as a resource to motivate the student, stimulate concentration on the task, facilitate the understanding of content, encourage participation in the activity and promote interaction and sharing with others. In addition, the use of smartphones generates emotions and develops cross curricular skills in education as well as facilitating access to information, stimulates the creation of creative engineering projects that have satisfied students not only for the novelty, but also for finding that a pocket tool can perform interesting monitoring and remote control tasks. Thus, the results show that smartphones have a high potential in education, as they can promote an opportunity for methodological recreation and modernization, offer research potential, the development of new educational equipment and tools, new ways of consolidating and evaluating curricular content, development of other expressive abilities in the academic, social and personal life of an individual, as well as develop autonomy and stimulate the satisfaction of the students by returning to education the motivation of the student. It is also a clever way of educating this new generation by finding otherinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Web 2.0 technologies for learning: the current landscape – opportunities, challenges and tensions

This is the first report from research commissioned by Becta into Web 2.0 technologies for learning at Key Stages 3 and 4. This report describes findings from an additional literature review of the then current landscape concerning learner use of Web 2.0 technologies and the implications for teachers, schools, local authorities and policy makers

A proposal for 4th year e.s.o students to explore the cultural journey of learning: around the world in 6 days.

The main purpose of the present dissertation is to analyze the benefits of gamification, cooperation and cultural knowledge in the teaching of EFL in Secondary Education. These three pivotal tenets were considered in the design of the Lesson Plan as they were coherent with the results obtained from classroom observation and reflection and from two different surveys done among students. Consequently, the Unit, entitled Around the World in 6 Days, consists of a learning path of six lessons around five different countries focused on their main cultural descriptors with the aim of expanding students' intercultural identity and strengthening values such as tolerance and respect for diversity. Having in mind both CLT and curriculum framework, the proposal was also conceived to boost various motivational levels and meant to develop Students’ academic and personal growth to promote a lifelong learning. Furthermore, the use of ICTs, authentic materials, creative and interactional tasks and the development of the seven keys competences was emphasized while the cognitive processes were worked from the less complex to the more complex, being efficiency in communication the ultimate goal

Usability and digital inclusion: standards and guidelines

This article aims at discussing e-government website usability in relation to concerns about digital inclusion. E-government web design should consider all aspects of usability, including those that make it more accessible to all. Traditional concerns of social exclusion are being superseded by fears that lack of digital competence and information literacy may result in dangerous digital exclusion. Usability is considered as a way to address this exclusion and should therefore incorporate inclusion and accessibility guidelines. This article makes an explicit link between usability guidelines and digital inclusion and reports on a survey of local government web presence in Portugal

Integrating ICT in a Didactic Unit: Lights, Camera, Action!

In Spain, the educational system is focused on traditional teacher-centred methods. Nevertheless, this traditional approach does not engage students anymore. Prensky (2001) claims that students have changed and our educational system was not designed to teach today's students. Today's students are digital natives, they were born into the digital world and they have spent their entire lives using technology. Therefore, taking this into account is paramount to capture the students’ interest in class. This work has been designed to integrate the use of ICT in a Spanish high school where traditional approach is the predominant methodology amongst teachers. The didactic unit designed and described in this paper has been implemented in a third year of Compulsory Secondary Education with the objective of combining a traditional approach with a task-based approach. This didactic unit includes the use of ICT in a wide variety of activities in order to deal with diversity awareness and to cope with the different learning styles students may have. Results indicate that the use of ICT is highly motivating for the students, that students perform better on the tasks which imply the use of computers opposed to the use of traditional materials and that they are willing to work in collaborative groups.Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Professor/a d'Educació Secundària Obligatòria i Batxillerat, Formació Professional i Ensenyaments d'Idiomes. Codi: SAP419. Curs acadèmic 2014-201

Political literacy

This chapter draws upon a range of ideas and debates and seeks to place these in the context of ‘political literacy’ as defined in the Crick Report: ‘… learning about and how to make themselves effective in public life through knowledge, skills and values…'. ‘Political literacy’ is therefore not simply concerned with describing or even analysing political institutions and government, but is about being able to have an input and being able to exercise rights and responsibilities. Although, as noted elsewhere, the Crick Report (1998: 11) identified three main areas for ‘effective education for citizenship’ – social and moral responsibility, community involvement and political literacy – there is considerable overlap between concerns with ‘political literacy’ and concerns with ‘active citizenship’, and, indeed, for many people there is little or no distinction to be made between the two. This chapter therefore inevitably draws upon ideas and debates from the wider agenda, although it seeks to place these in the context of ‘political literacy’ as defined in the Crick Report (1998: 13

Teacher competence development – a European perspective

This chapter provides an European perspectives on teacher competence development

Community-based mentoring and innovating through Web 2.0

The rise of social software, often termed Web 2.0, has resulted in heightened awareness of the opportunities for creative and innovative approaches to learning that are afforded by network technologies. Social software platforms and social networking technologies have become part of the learning landscape both for those who learn formally within institutions, and for those who learn informally via emergent web-based learning communities. As collaborative online learning becomes a reality, new skills in communication and collaboration are required in order to use new technologies effectively, develop real digital literacy and other 21st century skills