The effects of the size and weight of a mobile device on an educational game

In this paper, we present an educational game for an iPhone and a Tablet PC. The main objective of the game was to reinforce children's knowledge about the water cycle. The game included different interaction forms like the touch screen and the accelerometer and combined AR mini-games with non-AR mini-games for better gameplay immersion. The main differences between the two devices were screen size and weight. A comparative study to check how these differences affect different aspects was carried out. Seventy-nine children from 8 to 10 years old participated in the study. From the results, we observed that the different characteristics (screen size and weight) of the devices did not influence the children's acquired knowledge, engagement, satisfaction, ease of use, or AR experience. There was only a statistically significant difference for the global score in which the iPhone was scored higher.We would like to highlight that the scores for the two devices and for all the questions were very high with means of over 4 (on a scale from 1 to 5). These positive results suggest that games of this kind could be appropriate educational games and that the mobile device used may not be a decisive factor. (C)2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was funded by the Spanish APRENDRA project (TIN2009-14319-C02). We would like to thank the following for their contributions: The "Escola d'Estiu" and especially Juan Cano, Miguelon Gimenez, and Javier Irimia. This work would not have been possible without their collaboration. Noemi Rando, Encarna Torres, Severino Gonzalez, M. Jose Vicent, Patricia Liminana, Tamara Aguilar, Alfonso Lopez, Yolanda Martinez, Enrique Daunis, M. Jose Martinez, and Eloy Hurtado for their help. The children's parents who signed the agreement to allow their children to participate in the study. The children who participated in the study. The ETSInf for letting us use its facilities during the testing phase.Furió Ferri, D.; González Gancedo, S.; Juan Lizandra, MC.; Seguí, I.; Costa, M. (2013). The effects of the size and weight of a mobile device on an educational game. Computers and Education. 64:24-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.12.015S24416

TIC na educação: ambientes pessoais de aprendizagem nas perspectivas e práticas de jovens

Resumo Este artigo examina concepções, práticas e perspectivas de um grupo de jovens do ensino médio (EM) sobre como aprendem com as tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC). Apresenta uma discussão fundamentada em empiria, constituída por dezenove desenhos e catorze entrevistas, parte do corpo de dados coletado em uma pesquisa mais ampla que objetivou explorar possibilidades abertas pela integração da ideia de ambientes pessoais de aprendizagem (APA) no EM integrado. Baseia-se em uma análise semiótica social que tomou como ferramental teórico-metodológico a gramática de Gunther Kress e Theo van Leeuwen. A discussão sugere que, nas representações de seus respectivos APA, as quais apontam para os usos que fazem das TIC em suas práticas de aprendizagem, incluindo plataformas de redes sociais, já legitimamente aceitas em seu repertório de recursos de apoio ao trabalho escolar, os jovens não parecem apresentar usos surpreendentes de artefatos digitais. De fato, os desenhos aparentam ser caracterizados pela ausência de ações criativas e formas de engajamento produtivo com seu entorno imediato e com o mundo: os jovens parecem posicionar-se, predominantemente, como receptores, sugerindo que suas apropriações dessas tecnologias na aprendizagem são fortemente mediadas por elementos de uma cultura escolar tradicional e hierarquizada. Ao sugerir um cenário que parece marcado pela reprodução de relações usuais da educação bancária, fundamentada na pedagogia da transmissão, a discussão aponta para limites da utilidade da categoria nativos digitais, desafiando expectativas prometeicas e descontextualizadas do potencial transformador das TIC

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome in 41 adults: the illness, the patients, and problems of management

BACKGROUND: Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) is a disorder characterized by recurrent, stereotypic episodes of incapacitating nausea, vomiting and other symptoms, separated by intervals of comparative wellness. This report describes the clinical features, co-morbidities and problems encountered in management of 41 adult patients who met the diagnostic criteria for CVS. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of adults with CVS seen between 1994 and 2003. Follow-up data were obtained by mailed questionnaires. RESULTS: Age of onset ranged from 2 to 49 years. The duration of CVS at the time of consultation ranged from less than 1 year to 49 years. CVS episodes were stereotypic in respect of their hours of onset, symptomatology and length. Ninety-three percent of patients had recognizable prodromes. Half of the patients experienced a constellation of symptoms consisting of CVS episodes, migraine diathesis, inter-episodic dyspeptic nausea and a history of panic attacks. Deterioration in the course of CVS is indicated by coalescence of episodes in time. The prognosis of CVS is favorable in the majority of patients. CONCLUSION: CVS is a disabling disorder affecting adults as well as children. Because its occurrence in adults is little known, patients experience delayed or mis-diagnosis and ineffectual, sometimes inappropriately invasive management

Gender variability in e-learning utility essentials: evidence from a multi-generational higher education cohort

The paper reports a quantitative investigation into the nuances of gender perspectives of E-Learning utility across the social categorisations of Generation X, Y, and Z in the current phenomena of accelerated usage of e-learning in the emerging multi-generational undergraduate cohorts. Using multi-generational undergraduate cohorts (N = 611), taking a mandatory online course in a Business School curricular. With multi-group partial least-squares analysis, the study shows differences exist in the utility of e-learning within gender and Generations of X, Y, and Z. These differences may not be apparent when examined at only the gender level, which has led other researchers to conclude the gender gap is narrowing. However, we establish that within gender and across generations in a developing country context, the gender divide is not narrowing at the same pace as found in other developed countries. To accelerate the implementation of e-learning in traditional (faceto-face) undergraduate programmes globally, there is the need to contextualize Course Development, Learner Support, Assessment, and User Characteristics factors along with the different genders, and across generations to improve Results Demonstrability and Student Overall Satisfaction of utility of e-learning. In developing countries, there is a need to enhance Institutional factors to strengthen the drive to e-learning

Recruitment and Retention of Volunteers: Problems in the Belgian Armed Forces

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe