Factors affecting the design and development of a personal learning environment : research on super-users

After speculation in the literature about the nature of Personal Learning Environments, research in the design and development of PLEs is now in progress. This paper will report on the first phase of our research on PLE, the identification process of what potential users would consider to be important components, applications and tools in a PLE. The methodology included surveying super-users on their use of existing tools, applications and systems and their preferences in learning, in order to enhance the development of a PLE and reach a specification that potential learners will find useful and empowering in their learning. The research resulted in suggestions on factors affecting technology use and uptake, human factors and attitudes, and interface design that need to be factored in the design and development of a PLE.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Online Distance Learning for Francophone Teachers and School Principals

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Distance Learning among Teachers and School Principals in Francophone Institutions: An Initial Knowledge Repository Associated to Individual Competencies and Organizational Capabilities for Collaborative Work

More and more teachers and school principals in French-language minority contexts in Canada enroll in Web-based Distance Learning education programs. To reach instructional objectives, they are invited to complete collaborative learning activities using information and communication technologies (ICT). A number of studies have demonstrated the advantages of collaborative learning and practice communities for professional development. However, few studies have addressed the resources, knowledge and competencies adults need to possess to progress in a distance learning context. All the more, we know little about the knowledge management practices of educational institutions, although they offer more and more distance learning opportunities. As part of their research on organizational capabilities for the implementation of e-Government, St-Amant and Renard (2005) have elaborated a framework for the development of capabilities. According to the authors, two management fields need to be mastered in order to manage the development of organizational capabilities: problem resolution management and knowledge management. These two fields are strongly interrelated. Inspired by this work, our study aims to create and evaluate an initial knowledge repository associated with individual competencies as well as organizational capabilities for collaborative work supported by ICT in a distance learning context. This article reports on preliminary results obtained from experimentation conducted with Francophone teachers and school principals enrolled in an online distance learning program, as well as the knowledge and know-how included in an initial knowledge repository. According to the results of this study, the majority of participants found the repository useful since it has improved the quality of their work and made it easier to reach instructional objectives.Dans les communaut\ue9s \ue0 minorit\ue9 francophone du Canada, de plus en plus d'enseignants et de directeurs d'\ue9cole s'inscrivent aux programmes de formation \ue0 distance sur le Web. Ces professionnels sont invit\ue9s \ue0 participer \ue0 des activit\ue9s d'apprentissage en collaboration qui font appel aux technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) pour atteindre leurs objectifs institutionnels. Un certain nombre d'\ue9tudes ont d\ue9montr\ue9 les avantages des communaut\ue9s d'apprentissage et de pratique en collaboration pour le perfectionnement professionnel. Cependant, peu d'\ue9tudes ont port\ue9 sur les ressources, sur les connaissances et sur les comp\ue9tences n\ue9cessaires au succ\ue8s de la formation \ue0 distance. De plus, nous savons peu de choses sur les pratiques de gestion des ressources des \ue9tablissements d'enseignement, malgr\ue9 le fait qu'ils offrent de plus en plus de formations \ue0 distance. Dans leur recherche sur les capacit\ue9s organisationnelles n\ue9cessaires \ue0 la mise en \u153uvre du gouvernement \ue9lectronique, St Amant et Renard (2005) ont \ue9labor\ue9 un cadre de d\ue9veloppement des capacit\ue9s. Selon les auteurs, pour \ueatre en mesure de prendre en charge le d\ue9veloppement des capacit\ue9s organisationnelles, il faut ma\ueetriser deux champs de gestion : la gestion de la r\ue9solution des probl\ue8mes et la gestion des connaissances. Ces deux champs sont \ue9troitement li\ue9s.Inspir\ue9s par cette recherche, nous avons entrepris une \ue9tude qui vise la mise sur pied et l'\ue9valuation d'un premier d\ue9p\uf4t de connaissances sur les comp\ue9tences individuelles et sur les capacit\ue9s organisationnelles n\ue9cessaires aux collaborations faisant appel aux TIC dans le cadre des formations \ue0 distance. Le pr\ue9sent article expose les r\ue9sultats pr\ue9liminaires d'une enqu\ueate men\ue9e aupr\ue8s d'enseignants et de directeurs d'\ue9cole francophones participant \ue0 un programme de formation \ue0 distance en ligne ainsi que les connaissances et les comp\ue9tences devant figurer dans ce d\ue9p\uf4t de connaissances initial. Selon les r\ue9sultats de l'\ue9tude, la majorit\ue9 des participants ont jug\ue9 que le d\ue9p\uf4t de connaissances \ue9tait utile, car il leur avait permis d'am\ue9liorer la qualit\ue9 de leur travail et d'atteindre leurs objectifs institutionnels plus facilement.NRC publication: Ye

Participatory Videoconferencing for Groups

For decades after its introduction, videoconferencing remained a marginal communications medium, used primarily by corporate businesses. However in recent years videoconferencing has been taken up by a wide range of individuals, groups and communities. Videoconferencing occurs when people at geographically dispersed sites communicate with each other by transmitting audio and visual data through videoconferencing systems. Group videoconferencing - or multi-site videoconferencing - refers to linking individuals or groups of people in three or more sites using videoconference systems. This unique method of communicating face-to-face without being there in-person is currently being used for education and learning, health and medicine, meetings and conferences, personal communication and community-building. Group videoconferencing does not necessarily lead to participation and knowledge retention; for this to occur it must be used thoughtfully and strategically. Based on the work of researchers and practitioners in the field and an analysis of participatory videoconferencing literature, this paper suggests potential good practices for increasing participation during group videoconferences.Pendant les d\ue9cennies qui ont suivi son introduction, la vid\ue9oconf\ue9rence est demeur\ue9e un moyen de communication marginal, utilis\ue9 principalement par les entreprises commerciales. Toutefois, au cours des derni\ue8res ann\ue9es, une vaste gamme de personnes, de groupes et de collectivit\ue9s ont commenc\ue9 \ue0 l'utiliser. Les vid\ue9oconf\ue9rences ont lieu dans des conditions o\uf9 des personnes se trouvant \ue0 des lieux dispers\ue9s sur le plan g\ue9ographique communiquent ensemble en s'envoyant des donn\ue9es visuelles et sonores au moyen d'un syst\ue8me de vid\ue9oconf\ue9rence. Les vid\ue9oconf\ue9rences de groupe - ou vid\ue9oconf\ue9rences multisites - relient des personnes ou des groupes de personnes se trouvant \ue0 trois emplacements ou plus en faisant appel \ue0 des syst\ue8mes de vid\ue9oconf\ue9rence. Cette m\ue9thode de communication unique permettant de communiquer en face \ue0 face sans \ueatre au m\ueame emplacement est utilis\ue9e actuellement pour l'\ue9ducation et l'apprentissage, la sant\ue9 et la m\ue9decine, les r\ue9unions et les conf\ue9rences, les communications personnelles et le d\ue9veloppement de l'esprit communautaire. Les vid\ue9oconf\ue9rences de groupe ne m\ue8nent pas n\ue9cessairement \ue0 la participation et \ue0 la conservation du savoir; pour que cela se produise, elles doivent \ueatre utilis\ue9es de mani\ue8re r\ue9fl\ue9chie et strat\ue9gique. Cet expos\ue9 se fonde sur le travail de chercheurs et de praticiens du domaine et une analyse de la litt\ue9rature portant sur les vid\ue9oconf\ue9rences participatives. Cet expos\ue9 sugg\ue8re des pratiques exemplaires visant \ue0 accro\ueetre la participation au cours des vid\ue9oconf\ue9rences de groupe.NRC publication: Ye

Applying Advanced User Models and Input Technologies to Augment Military Simulation-Based Training

The paper presents the current state of requirement specification for an initiative based tactics virtual training environment. The methodology for collecting requirements followed three concurrent processes of task analysis, simulated firearms specification, and cognitive modeling. Prior research in Close Quarter Battle tasks analysis and cognitive modeling applications provide an initial identification of key perceptual and motor primitives for the development of constructive simulations. Both task analysis and cognitive modeling sections report on some of these initial requirements. A short description of simulated firearms specifications is also presented. A conclusion summarizes the paper.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

BVC-SI - Technical Update Report

NRC publication: Ye

The VELTIC hypermedia system: For school principals in the promotion of the French language in Canada

In the Canadian context, the survival of French as a minority language, with the related issues of linguistic and cultural vitality, is a major concern. TheFrench-language minority school systems in Canada are in a constant state of change because of the increasing cultural diversity of their students, their task in promoting the French language in an official-language minority setting (Gerin-Lajoie, 2006). Thus, are school principals well equipped to contribute to the promotion of the French language and Francophone identity construction? Few studies have taken up the challenge of investigating French-language vitalization through ethno-linguistic practices that support school principals in the promotion of the French language and Francophone identity construction. The goal of our research on the development of pedagogical objects (Van der Maren, 2003) consists of creating a catalogue of ethno-linguistic vitalization practices (elv practices) from principals, to distribute them in a hypermedia system of resources and to evaluate them. A pan-Canadian study was undertaken to document elv practices among 234 school principals. According to preliminary results, the majority of principals consider it useful to collect, in one site, all the elv practices put in place by other French school principals. This paper will present a five step approach for developing pedagogical objects in a hypermedia system of resources (http://veltic.ca).Au Canada, la survie du fran\ue7ais en tant que langue minoritaire et les questions li\ue9es au dynamisme culturel et linguistique constituent des pr\ue9occupations majeures. \uc9tant donn\ue9 que les \ue9tablissements scolaires francophones du Canada se trouvent dans un \ue9tat constant de changement en raison de la diversit\ue9 culturelle de leurs \ue9l\ue8ves, ils se doivent de promouvoir la langue fran\ue7aise dans un contexte o\uf9 cette langue officielle est en minorit\ue9 (Gerin-Lajoie, 2006). Par cons\ue9quent, les directeurs d'\ue9cole disposent-ils des outils n\ue9cessaires pour contribuer \ue0 la promotion de la langue fran\ue7aise et de la construction d'une identit\ue9 francophone? Peu d'\ue9tudes ont relev\ue9 le d\ue9fi d'enqu\ueater sur la vitalisation de la langue fran\ue7aise par des pratiques ethnolinguistiques qui aident les directeurs d'\ue9cole \ue0 promouvoir la langue fran\ue7aise et la construction d'une identit\ue9 francophone. Le but de notre recherche sur l'\ue9laboration d'outils p\ue9dagogiques (Van der Maren, 2003) consiste \ue0 cr\ue9er un catalogue des pratiques en mati\ue8re de vitalisation ethnolinguistique (pratiques VEL) des directeurs d'\ue9cole afin de les int\ue9grer \ue0 un syst\ue8me de ressources hyperm\ue9dia et de les \ue9valuer. Une \ue9tude pancanadienne a \ue9t\ue9 ex\ue9cut\ue9e afin de documenter les pratiques VEL de 234 directeurs d'\ue9cole. Selon les r\ue9sultats pr\ue9liminaires, la plupart des directeurs consid\ue8rent utile de compiler, dans un seul site, toutes les pratiques VEL mises en place par d'autres directeurs d'\ue9coles francophones. Ce document pr\ue9sente une approche \ue0 cinq \ue9tapes visant \ue0 \ue9laborer des outils p\ue9dagogiques dans un syst\ue8me de ressources hyperm\ue9dia (http://veltic.ca).NRC publication: Ye

Perspective Taking and Attitude Change Among Adolescent Participants Using Video technologies: A Case Study

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

BVCam in the Virtual Classroom

The objective of this report is to document our study of technologies used and developed by the NRC-IIT project, the Broadband Visual Communication Strategic Initiative (BVC-SI). In particular, this report provides analysis of the effectiveness of the Broadband Virtual Camera (BVCam) in the Virtual Classroom.Ce rapport a pour but de documenter nos \ue9tudes sur les technologies utilis\ue9es et con\ue7ues par le projet de l'ITI CNRC, intitul\ue9 Initiative strat\ue9gique en mati\ue8re de communication visuelle \ue0 large bande (CVLB). Il pr\ue9sente notamment une analyse de l'efficacit\ue9 de la cam\ue9ra virtuelle \ue0 large bande (BVCam) dans la classe virtuelle.NRC publication: Ye

A Virtual Game Environment for Learning Initiative-Based Tactics

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye