How technology can support initial teacher training: a case study

This paper illustrates a three-year case study regarding a course in educational technology that addressed about 150 student teachers per year. The paper outlines the main problems of initial teacher training in Italy (most of which are probably common to several countries) and the solutions adopted. Starting from the 2001 edition of the course, which was entirely based on a face-to-face approach, e-learning techniques have been introduced in increasingly significant parts of the course. The paper presents the main difficulties faced during course design, delivery and evaluation and discusses the adopted solutions as well as future development

Tra balere e barchette di carta: linguaggio figurato e dimensione socio-identitaria

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Editoriale

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Imparare ad imparare con le tecnologie

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Progettare e condurre l\u27apprendimento in rete: un corso blended per futuri insegnanti

What are the main issues connected with the design and development of distance learning courses? How to plan effective courses taking into account the context requirements, the contents to be delivered, the learning needs, the resources available? This paper analyses the instructional design decisions and the delivery strategies of a blended course in Educational Technology, run by ITD-CNR for the local Postgraduate School for Secondary Teaching. The course designers developed criteria for harmonising and integrating the face-to-face and the online course components, with the aim to take advantage of their specific features. These criteria derive from a model that comprises four dimensions: the cognitive dimension, focused on the course themes and contents; the teaching dimension, focused on the teaching and learning strategies; the social dimension, focused on the interaction among participants, and the meta-cognitive dimension, focused on the reflection on the learning path and the teaching profession.Quali sono le problematiche che emergono nella progettazione e nella conduzione di iniziative di formazione in rete? Come riuscire a tener conto delle caratteristiche del contesto di formazione e della popolazione obiettivo, dei contenuti e degli obiettivi didattici per proporre interventi efficaci? In questo contributo si mettono a fuoco i principali criteri che sono stati seguiti nella progettazione e conduzione di un corso blended erogato dall\u27ITD-CNR nell\u27ambito della Scuola di Specializzazione per l\u27Insegnamento Secondario dell\u27Universit? degli Studi di Genova. Particolare attenzione ? dedicata agli aspetti che hanno contribuito a creare o rinsaldare i legami tra le attivit? svolte in presenza e quelle effettuate online. La presentazione ? organizzata intorno a quattro aspetti: a livello cognitivo, sui temi e i contenuti oggetto del corso; a livello didattico, sulle strategie di insegnamento che sono state messe in atto al fine di facilitare i processi di apprendimento; a livello sociale, sulle interazioni tra i partecipanti e sulla costituzione della comunit? di apprendimento; e, infine, a livello metacognitivo, sulla riflessione inerente il percorso di apprendimento e la professione dell\u27insegnante

Online learning: attitudes, expectations and prejudices of adult novices

The main attitudes, expectations and misconceptions of adult novices towards online learning have been investigated through a survey carried out within two different web-based courses. The data emerged from the two contexts showed several similarities: the reasons for the choice of the online approach, a positive perception of the method, a negative perception of the heavy commitment required, some resistance due to logistic and cultural difficulties. The main misconceptions include the tendency to overestimate the time flexibility offered by the collaborative approach and the inclination to underestimate the commitment required and the educational potential of written communication

Rethinking post-graduate training in the age of distraction. The experience of the course “Digital competences at school”

This article introduces the course “Digital competences at school”, held at the University of Florence in the academic year 2016-2017 as a case of post-graduate training. The course was mainly delivered online and was based on a gradual collaboration process including project-based work. Participants were about thirty. They were mostly teachers showing very different levels of engagement, which led rethinking the initial methodological model. In particular, the collaborative aspect, which was rather demanding in terms of time and commitment, was redesigned in more sustainable forms, enhancing the idea of a shared teaching presence. Ripensare la formazione post-lauream nell’era della distrazione. L’esperienza del perfezionamento “Le competenze digitali nella scuola” Il contributo presenta come caso di formazione post-lauream il corso di perfezionamento “Le competenze digitali nella scuola”, realizzato presso l’Università degli Studi di Firenze nell’anno accademico 2016-2017. Il corso era erogato prevalentemente online ed era improntato a una progressiva collaborazione in ottica di project-based work. I corsisti sono stati circa una trentina, per lo più provenienti dal mondo della scuola, ed hanno avuto modalità di partecipazione molto differenziate, che hanno portato a rivisitare il modello metodologico iniziale. In particolare, l’aspetto collaborativo, risultato piuttosto oneroso in termini di tempo ed impegno, è stato ripensato in forme più sostenibili, valorizzando l’idea di una teaching presence condivisa

Rethinking post-graduate training in the age of distraction. The experience of the course “Digital competences at school”

This article introduces the course “Digital competences at school”, held at the University of Florence in the academic year 2016-2017 as a case of post-graduate training. The course was mainly delivered online and was based on a gradual collaboration process including project-based work. Participants were about thirty. They were mostly teachers showing very different levels of engagement, which led rethinking the initial methodological model. In particular, the collaborative aspect, which was rather demanding in terms of time and commitment, was redesigned in more sustainable forms, enhancing the idea of a shared teaching presence.Ripensare la formazione post-lauream nell’era della distrazione. L’esperienza del perfezionamento “Le competenze digitali nella scuola”Il contributo presenta come caso di formazione post-lauream il corso di perfezionamento “Le competenze digitali nella scuola”, realizzato presso l’Università degli Studi di Firenze nell’anno accademico 2016-2017. Il corso era erogato prevalentemente online ed era improntato a una progressiva collaborazione in ottica di project-based work. I corsisti sono stati circa una trentina, per lo più provenienti dal mondo della scuola, ed hanno avuto modalità di partecipazione molto differenziate, che hanno portato a rivisitare il modello metodologico iniziale. In particolare, l’aspetto collaborativo, risultato piuttosto oneroso in termini di tempo ed impegno, è stato ripensato in forme più sostenibili, valorizzando l’idea di una teaching presence condivisa

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 introductions in Mozambique using pandemic-scale phylogenies: a retrospective observational study

9 hojas, 4 figuras, 1 tabla. Demographic data of the participants are available in the appendix (pp 40–42). Genome sequences are publicly available on GISAID. All scripts used for the analysis, and beta and delta subtree files are publicly available at https://gitlab.com/tbgenomicsunit/mozcovid. The study protocol (appendix pp 1–35) and clinical questionnaire (appendix pp 36–39) will be available with publicationBackground: From the start of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, global sequencing efforts have generated an unprecedented amount of genomic data. Nonetheless, unequal sampling between high-income and low-income countries hinders the implementation of genomic surveillance systems at the global and local level. Filling the knowledge gaps of genomic information and understanding pandemic dynamics in low-income countries is essential for public health decision making and to prepare for future pandemics. In this context, we aimed to discover the timing and origin of SARS-CoV-2 variant introductions in Mozambique, taking advantage of pandemic-scale phylogenies. Methods: We did a retrospective, observational study in southern Mozambique. Patients from Manhiça presenting with respiratory symptoms were recruited, and those enrolled in clinical trials were excluded. Data were included from three sources: (1) a prospective hospital-based surveillance study (MozCOVID), recruiting patients living in Manhiça, attending the Manhiça district hospital, and fulfilling the criteria of suspected COVID-19 case according to WHO; (2) symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection recruited by the National Surveillance system; and (3) sequences from SARS-CoV-2-infected Mozambican cases deposited on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data database. Positive samples amenable for sequencing were analysed. We used Ultrafast Sample placement on Existing tRees to understand the dynamics of beta and delta waves, using available genomic data. This tool can reconstruct a phylogeny with millions of sequences by efficient sample placement in a tree. We reconstructed a phylogeny (~7·6 million sequences) adding new and publicly available beta and delta sequences. Findings: A total of 5793 patients were recruited between Nov 1, 2020, and Aug 31, 2021. During this time, 133 328 COVID-19 cases were reported in Mozambique. 280 good quality new SARS-CoV-2 sequences were obtained after the inclusion criteria were applied and an additional 652 beta (B.1.351) and delta (B.1.617.2) public sequences were included from Mozambique. We evaluated 373 beta and 559 delta sequences. We identified 187 beta introductions (including 295 sequences), divided in 42 transmission groups and 145 unique introductions, mostly from South Africa, between August, 2020 and July, 2021. For delta, we identified 220 introductions (including 494 sequences), with 49 transmission groups and 171 unique introductions, mostly from the UK, India, and South Africa, between April and November, 2021. Interpretation: The timing and origin of introductions suggests that movement restrictions effectively avoided introductions from non-African countries, but not from surrounding countries. Our results raise questions about the imbalance between the consequences of restrictions and health benefits. This new understanding of pandemic dynamics in Mozambique can be used to inform public health interventions to control the spread of new variants. Funding: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials, European Research Council, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca.This publication was produced by MozCovid which is part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the EU (grant number RIA2020EF-3005-MozCOVID). The COVID-19 testing was supported by Emory Global Health Institute, University of Emory, through the CHAMPS Program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (under the grant OPP1126780 to Robert Breiman, subcontract SC00003286). This work was also supported by the European Research Council under the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program grant (101001038; TB-RECONNECT), the European Commission–NextGenerationEU (Regulation EU 2020/2094), through CSIC’s Global Health Platform (PTI Salud Global), the Departament d’Universitats i Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR; 2021 SGR 01517), and the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spanish Government) Project PID2019–104477RB-I00. CISM is supported by the Government of Mozambique and the Spanish Agency for International Development. ISGlobal is a member of the CERCA Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya (http://cerca.cat/en/suma/). We also acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and State Research Agency through the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023 Program (CEX2018–000806-S).Peer reviewe

COVID-19 outcomes in people living with HIV: Peering through the waves

Objective: To evaluate clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients infected with HIV, and to compare with a paired sample without HIV infection. Methods: This is a substudy of a Brazilian multicentric cohort that comprised two periods (2020 and 2021). Data was obtained through the retrospective review of medical records. Primary outcomes were admission to the intensive care unit, invasive mechanical ventilation, and death. Patients with HIV and controls were matched for age, sex, number of comorbidities, and hospital of origin using the technique of propensity score matching (up to 4:1). They were compared using the Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact tests for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon for numerical variables. Results: Throughout the study, 17,101 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, and 130 (0.76%) of those were infected with HIV. The median age was 54 (IQR: 43.0;64.0) years in 2020 and 53 (IQR: 46.0;63.5) years in 2021, with a predominance of females in both periods. People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and their controls showed similar prevalence for admission to the ICU and invasive mechanical ventilation requirement in the two periods, with no significant differences. In 2020, in-hospital mortality was higher in the PLHIV compared to the controls (27.9% vs. 17.7%; p = 0.049), but there was no difference in mortality between groups in 2021 (25.0% vs. 25.1%; p > 0.999). Conclusions: Our results reiterate that PLHIV were at higher risk of COVID-19 mortality in the early stages of the pandemic, however, this finding did not sustain in 2021, when the mortality rate is similar to the control group