Sorting Through and Sorting Out: The State of Content Sharing in the E-Learning

On 22-24 September 2002, a group of 22 education and information technology specialists gathered on the campus of the University of California at Irvine (UCI), for a symposium on the state of educational "content sharing." (See participant list.) The meeting was sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Education Program and the UCI Distance Learning Center. This paper summarizes the themes that emerged from that gathering. Most papers can be characterized as collaborative, but this one is particularly deserving of that adjective. The presentation here is an attempt to synthesize the ideas of all the participants, expressed in numerous conversational and written exchanges pre-, during and post-meeting. While every effort has been made to present the range of views, surely not all participants would agree with the emphases and interpretations herein.This report includes a hyper-linked bibliography and footnotes for additional web-based material on e-learning topics. Links are provided for the reader's convenience only, and represent neither an endorsement nor a guarantee of the accuracy of the content of the associated sites. Comments and questions about this document are welcomed, however, and should be directed to the author or the meeting sponsors

Board games as a teaching tool for technology classes in Compulsory Secondary Education

Aquest treball estudia la tècnica coneguda com game-based learning, és a dir, l’ús dels jocs com a eina didàctica. Primer que res, es fa recerca sobre els treballs ja existents i es veu que, tot i haver-hi articles sobre game-based learning, és difícil trobar-ne de relacionats amb la tecnologia, més enllà d’ensenyar a programar. A continuació, es revisen els continguts curriculars i les competències de secundària i es relacionen amb alguns jocs de taula ja existents, dels quals es detallen breument les regles de joc. Es veu que hi ha continguts curriculars, pels quals es difícil trobar un joc que hi encaixi. A més a més, es desenvolupa la idea d’un nou joc de taula, basat en el ja existent Party & Co., per treballar alguns dels continguts curriculars pels quals no s’ha trobat cap joc existent que s’hi escaigui. Finalment, s’explica una experiència duta a terme durant el període de pràctiques en el centre escolar al curs de 3r d’ESO. Es disposava de tres grups i en tots tres es va seguir la mateixa programació: classe introductòria expositiva, una sessió de muntatge de robots LEGO, 4 sessions de programació i un petit test. En un dels tres grups, però, es va fer una classe prèvia extra on es va jugar a un joc de taula anomenat RoboRally. Els objectius eren dobles: que aprenguessin la importància de l’algorísmica i que s’ho passessin bé. Els resultats mostren que aquest grup va treballar més i millor. En el treball s’analitzen els resultats obtinguts

Curricular orientations to real-world contexts in mathematics

A common claim about mathematics education is that it should equip students to use mathematics in the ‘real world’. In this paper, we examine how relationships between mathematics education and the real world are materialised in the curriculum across a sample of eleven jurisdictions. In particular, we address the orientation of the curriculum towards application of mathematics, the ways that real-world contexts are positioned within the curriculum content, the ways in which different groups of students are expected to engage with real-world contexts, and the extent to which high-stakes assessments include real-world problem solving. The analysis reveals variation across jurisdictions and some lack of coherence between official orientations towards use of mathematics in the real world and the ways that this is materialised in the organisation of the content for students

Living Green Is a Lifestyle Choice

Duncan Reid \u2710 is dedicated to living a sustainable lifestyle. He\u27s made his mark on campus and with students, professors, and administrators, for his dedication to the environment

Sustentabilidade nos projetos de design : uma proposta para aplicar a sustentabilidade na educação e na prática profissional

Higher education institutions have a responsibility to contribute to a more sustainable development. However, this contribution hasn’t always been consequential, especially when the focus is more on the construction of mere tools for sustainability, than on the process of internal transformation. That is, on the development of a true training for sustainability, consequently for a curriculum more oriented towards sustainability and with valid contributions for sustainable development, namely in the regions where they are based. On the other hand, ecodesign analysis tools, namely checklists, have been used successfully in companies, but also in education, and have made an important contribution to sustainability, fundamentally in the environmental and economic dimensions. Consolidated experiences in these areas have shown that employing these tools implies a contextualization of their use, in the case of their application in a teaching context, among students, or in a business environment, among professionals. It depends on the social, economic, and business context of the region or country, but, in the specific case of an application in education, it also depends on the type of subjects and the teaching and learning methods. In addition, the usefulness of the checklists is observed in various contexts of everyday life, but also in the professional environment and in teaching, as it is a tool that can help teachers and students to guide projects towards the final objectives, also valuing the process of getting there. The present study emerged from an investigation carried out within the scope of sus- tainability in communication design projects, involving several curricular units of a communication design course. Its final objective is to formulate a proposal for the application of sustainability to education and professional practice in this field of design. The main intention is to encourage design practices that consider aspects of environmental, social and economic sustainability, consolidating the training of students for a more sustainable development. At the methodological level, the study was grouped into four phases of action. In the first phase, the state of the art was analysed, the most appropriate method was chosen – an Ecodesign Checklist – and developed to evaluate communication design projects and to introduce improvements in products sustainability and design projects. Three curricular units from the third year of the Communication Design bachelor’s degree were selected, which allowed to carry out the communication design project (Communication Design IV subject), create ecodesign strategies (Sustainable Design subject) and plan their graphic production (Graphic Production I subject). Within this context a packaging and labelling design problem was defined as the project to be carried out evolving the subjects, having in mind the region where the school is located. To this end, an Ecodesign Checklist for Packaging and Labelling was developed, which allowed the design aspects for sustainability to be articulated between the three curricular units. In a second methodological phase, the Packaging and Labelling Ecodesign Checklist, was implemented and a first assessment study was carried out, regarding the potential contributions to the main aspects of sustainable development and to the training and curriculum of students involved. In addition to put in practice the Packaging and Labelling Ecodesign Checklist, surveys were also carried out with the involved students, in order to assess the impact of using the method on their curricular training and on their design practices. It is expected that in a third phase, this study can be applied to other subjects of the Communication Design degree and in a fourth phase to be extended to professional practice.reflections obtained in the first two methodological phases of this investigation, evaluating the importance of conducting the inquiry into a more holistic perspective, which includes a curriculum and training for sustainability, transposing the limits of the design project or of the designed products. It is also presented here the study contributions evaluation, specifically the Ecodesign Checklist for Packaging and Labelling, for the “Sustainable Development Goals - 2030” in Portugal and in the region where the higher education institution is located, highlighting the aspects considered as fundamental, and within the reach of design and communication designers. The first presented results are exploratory, as the intention is to develop the study by comparing results on a continuous basis. The evaluation of the Packaging and Labelling Ecodesign Checklist was carried out considering the academic universe in which it was implemented and intends to establish improvement parameters for its use. These parameters include the ease of use of the Checklist; the achievement of ecodesign objectives and of social and economic sustainability; and the contribution to students' training in the scope of sustainability. Some of the criteria initially defined for this study, specifically criteria related to collaborative practices applied to the field of design, were conditioned by the constraints of social confinement. However, it is expected to apply and test these criteria in the next round of the Ecodesign Checklist implementation. This article presents the first analyses and importance that this area of design has inAs instituições de ensino superior têm a responsabilidade de contribuir para um desenvolvimento mais sustentável. Contudo, esta contribuição nem sempre tem sido consequente, especialmente quando o foco está mais na construção de meros instrumentos de sustentabilidade, do que no processo de transformação interna. Ou seja, no desenvolvimento de uma verdadeira formação para a sustentabilidade, consequentemente para um currículo mais orientado para a sustentabilidade e com contribuições válidas para o desenvolvimento sustentável, nomeadamente nas regiões onde se encontram sediadas. Por outro lado, os instrumentos de análise de concepção ecológica, nomeadamente listas de verificação, têm sido utilizados com sucesso nas empresas, mas também na educação, e têm dado um importante contributo para a sustentabilidade, fundamentalmente nas dimensões ambiental e económica. Experiências consolidadas nestas áreas demonstraram que a utilização destas ferramentas implica uma contextualização da sua utilização, no caso da sua aplicação num contexto de ensino, entre estudantes, ou num ambiente empresarial, entre profissionais. Depende do contexto social, económico e empresarial da região ou país, mas, no caso específico de uma aplicação na educação, depende também do tipo de disciplinas e dos métodos de ensino e aprendizagem. Além disso, a utilidade das listas de controlo é observada em vários contextos da vida quotidiana, mas também no ambiente profissional e no ensino, pois é uma ferramenta que pode ajudar professores e estudantes a orientar projectos para os objectivos finais, valorizando também o processo de lá chegar. O presente estudo surgiu de uma investigação realizada no âmbito da sustentabilidade em projectos de design de comunicação, envolvendo várias unidades curriculares de um curso de design de comunicação. O seu objectivo final é formular uma proposta para a aplicação da sustentabilidade na educação e na prática profissional neste campo do design. A principal intenção é encorajar práticas de design que considerem aspectos de sustentabilidade ambiental, social e económica, consolidando a formação de estudantes para um desenvolvimento mais sustentável. A nível metodológico, o estudo foi agrupado em quatro fases de acção. Na primeira fase, foi analisado o estado da arte, foi escolhido o método mais apropriado - uma Ecodesign Checklist - e desenvolvido para avaliar projectos de design de comunicação e introduzir melhorias na sustentabilidade dos produtos e projectos de design. Foram seleccionadas três unidades curriculares a partir do terceiro ano do bacharelato em Design de Comunicação, o que permitiu realizar o projecto de design de comunicação (disciplina de Design de Comunicação IV), criar estratégias de design ecológico (disciplina de Design Sustentável) e planear a sua produção gráfica (disciplina de Produção Gráfica I). Neste contexto, foi definido um problema de design de embalagem e rotulagem como sendo o projecto a ser realizado, evoluindo as disciplinas, tendo em conta a importância que esta área de design tem na região onde a escola está localizada. Para este fim, foi desenvolvida uma EcoDesign Checklist para Embalagem e Rotulagem, que permitiu que os aspectos de design para sustentabilidade fossem articulados entre as três unidades curriculares. Numa segunda fase metodológica, foi implementada a EcoDesign Checklist para Embalagem e Rotulagem, e foi realizado um primeiro estudo de avaliação, relativamente às potenciais contribuições para os principais aspectos do desenvolvimento sustentável e para a formação e currículo dos estudantes envolvidos. Para além de pôr em prática a EcoDesign Checklist para Embalagem e Rotulagem, foram também realizados inquéritos com os estudantes envolvidos, a fim de avaliar o impacto da utilização do método na sua formação curricular e nas suas práticas de concepção. Espera-se que, numa terceira fase, este estudo possa ser aplicado a outros temas do curso de Design de Comunicação e, numa quarta fase, ser alargado à prática profissional. Este artigo apresenta as primeiras análises e reflexões obtidas nas duas primeiras fases metodológicas desta investigação, avaliando a importância de conduzir o inquérito numa perspectiva mais holística, que inclui um currículo e formação para a sustentabilidade, transpondo os limites do projecto de concepção ou dos produtos concebidos. Apresenta-se também aqui a avaliação dos contributos do estudo, especificamente a EcoDesign Checklist para Embalagem e Rotulagem, para os "Objectivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável - 2030" em Portugal e na região onde se localiza a instituição de ensino superior, destacando os aspectos considerados fundamentais, e ao alcance dos designers de design e comunicação. Os primeiros resultados apresentados são exploratórios, uma vez que a intenção é desenvolver o estudo através da comparação de resultados numa base contínua. A avaliação da EcoDesign Checklist para Embalagem e Rotulagem foi levada a cabo considerando o universo académico em que foi implementada e pretende estabelecer parâmetros de melhoria para a sua utilização. Estes parâmetros incluem a facilidade de utilização da Checklist; a realização dos objectivos de concepção ecológica e de sustentabilidade social e económica; e a contribuição para a formação dos estudantes no âmbito da sustentabilidade. Alguns dos critérios inicialmente definidos para este estudo, especificamente critérios relacionados com as práticas de colaboração aplicadas ao campo da concepção, foram condicionados pelos constrangimentos do confinamento social. Contudo, espera-se que estes critérios sejam aplicados e testados na próxima ronda de implementação da Eco-Design Checklist.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Meeting technological challenges? Design and technology in schools 2007–10

Using evidence from Her Majesty’s Inspectors’ focused surveys of primary and secondary schools, this report evaluates the provision of design and technology (D&T) in the curriculum. Most pupils in all of the schools visited enjoyed designing and making products, solving problems and seeing their ideas taking shape. Achievement and provision in D&T were good in about two thirds of the primary schools and just under half of the secondary schools, particularly where up-to-date technologies were used and explained accurately to pupils. However, a lack of subject-specific training for teachers undermined efforts to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills, particularly in using electronics, developing control systems and using computers to aid designing and making. The report also addresses the challenges presented to schools in modernising the D&T curriculum so that it keeps pace with global technological development

Embedding blended learning in a university’s teaching culture: experiences and reflections

Blended learning, the combination of traditional face-to-face teaching methods with authentic on-line learning activities, has the potential to transform student learning experiences and outcomes. In spite of this advantage, university teachers often find it difficult to adopt new on-line techniques, in part because institutional practices are still geared to support more traditional approaches. This paper describes how a project, funded to support international collaboration to enhance learning and teaching in Geography, has allowed a university to explore models for change. It briefly examines the associated issues of sharing and repurposing resources; it reflects on the impact of the project on local strategy, and the importance of sustaining the collaborations and approaches to learning and teaching after the funding is completed

Education for sustainable development: improving schools - improving lives

This report draws on visits to 14 schools between September 2005 and December 2008 to determine how successful each was in developing pupils’ experience and understanding of sustainable development, and whether an increased commitment to sustainability had wider benefits. The report provides examples of specific actions that led to improvement, which may help other institutions in striving to meet the Government’s target for all schools to be sustainable schools by 2020

WOW Factors in Secondary Science

Booklet of exciting practicals to do with Secondary school pupils. Each activity tested and written up by a Secondary PGCE or GTP student; some updated by other students in the following year. Templates all follow the same pattern and include risk assessments, materials needed, links to the curriculum et