Education across borders : Towards e-Didactics of International Module in Socio-cultural Aspects of ICT

Articles presented in this issue address topics related the initiative Moodle for International Learning. Within this initiative Nesna University College launched international e-learning course ‘ICT in Society and Work Life’ (ITL 103). The course was provided within the structure of ‘ICT and Learning’ studies and was based on the previous Norwegian version ‘IKT i samfunn og arbeidsliv’. The issue contains texts written by the authors from Norway and Poland who contributed to the realization of the idea of joining students of various nationalities within a learning experience supported by Moodle Learning Management System. The opening paper is the contribution from senior lecturer Hallstein Hegerholm who originated the idea of ‘ICT and Learning’ studies and elaborated on the principles on which digital portfolio operates in Nesna University College. These principles lay foundations for the mode of work within all the six e-learning modules realized under the common name ‘ICT and Learning’. The paper presents the establishment of ‘ICT and Learning’ studies and the description of the digital portfolio. The following contribution is made by Per Arne Godejord, the dean of the Faculty of Scientific Subjects within the structure of which ‘ICT and Learning’ studies were provided. The paper addresses the topic of distance education and presents brief history of establishing e-learning in Nesna University College. It also contains references to the process of internationalization initiated by NUC within the courses provided with the support of Moodle Learning Management System. These references are framed by recommendations elaborated on by Norwegian national policy on internationalization within educational sector. Subsequent two papers are contributed by Polish researches from University of Szczecin: prof Maria Czerepaniak-Walczak and dr Elzbieta Perzycka. Prof. Czerepaniak Walczak coveres thoroughly the issues related to the connections between the concept of internationalization and higher education settings. Dr Perzycka explores the question of competencies enabling the provision of ‘useful’ education in online environment. She refers to the issues of both teachers and students competencies through the prism of information culture and information literacy. The final contributions are made by the researchers who actively participated in the realization of the module ‘ICT in Society and Work Life’: dr Beata Godejord (Nesna University, Poland) and dr Wioletta Kwiatkowska (Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland). Dr B. Godejord was the lecturer in the course and originator of the idea of utilizing blogs as tools for e-learning. Her paper addresses the issue of educational qualities of blogging. Blogging is showed through the perspective of the concept of New Learning, effective learning environment, connective learning and e-learning practices and skills. Dr Wioletta Kwiatkowska monitored and supported the participation of students from Poland. Her paper presents the analysis of students’ comments on their co-students’ blogs. In her analysis she utilizes the classification of interaction categories „Interaction Process Analysis” by Robert F. Bales, pointing to interesting conclusions. The works on the development of international e-learning module ‘ICT in Society and Work Life’ are continued. In this academic year (2011/2012) one on the Polish private colleges – Academy of Business in Dabrowa Gornicza – decided to include the module in their study plans and make it obligatory for two groups of sociology students. We are looking forward to this experience and hope for developing international online studies on a broader scale

The development of an interactive mathematics app for mobile learning

Low achievement in mathematics education has been an increasing problem in the recent years in some countries. According to a 2010 study from the U.S. Department of Education, blended learning classes produce statistically better results than their face-to-face. There is also an increasing number of students using smartphones and tablets in schools. Mobile devices gained popularity as an educational tool and there are many schools that use them frequently in educational activities to improve learning. In this paper, we present the development of an application for smartphones and tablets to provide activities that students can do outside the classroom or at home and increase the time they spend learning and practicing mathematics. With this app students solve mathematic activities and are helped by the presentation of videos with the problems resolutions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Læringsstøttende bruk av Moodle

Prosjektet var rettet mot en klasse deltidsstudenters bruk av læringsplattformen Moodle i pedagogikkfaget. Målet med prosjektet var: - Fremme studentenes pedagogikkfaglige læring - Bevisstgjøre studentene om ulike læringspreferanser - Økt bruk av digital læringsplattform - Utvikle studentenes forståelse av sammenhenger mellom kommunikasjonsformer via digitale verktøy og perspektiver på læring - Bidra til utvikling innen det pedagogikkfaglige fellesskapet - Mål for kompetanseheving i egen undervisning i pedagogikkfage

Breaking barriers in learning math: architecture of the MILAGE Learn+ App

Conferência realizada em Lisboa de 16-17 de novembro de 2018.The purpose of the present conference paper is to describe the conceptual framework underpinning the design of a mobile app to teach and learn math in secondary schools. The mobile learning concept is part of a societal model that assumes digital skills as vital in the ability to analyze and produce digital information, apply creative skills and innovation (technological and methodological), and engage in collaborative work. Self-directed learning and learner autonomy explicitly accept responsibility for their learning in the sense of sharing the setting of learning goals, taking initiatives in planning and executing learning activities, and regularly reviewing their learning and evaluating their goals. Mobile learning may become an autonomous activity, selfmotivated, and promote informal learning or/and be part of the school experience. Counseling, self and peerassessment, and peer-to-peer collaboration are some of the requirements underlying the design of the MILAGE Learn+mobile app, an interactive artifact intended for learning mathematics in secondary schools.This research was supported by “MILAGE: Interactive Mathematics by implementing a Blended-Learning model with Augmented Reality and Game Books” (Nº2015-1-PT01-KA201-012921), an Erasmus+ Project, funded by the European Union. Also it was supported by Consejería de Economía e Infraestructuras, Secretaría General de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Junta de Extremadura to make technological research and development, dissemination and transfer knowledge activities by research groups belong to University of Extremadura (Spain). Ref. GR15096. Research Group: Nodo Educativo (SEJ035) and REUNI+D (Red Universitaria de Investigación e Innovación Educativa).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Promoting autonomous work of students with the MILAGE Learn+ app

In this paper, we present the MILAGE Learn+ app, developed for smartphones and tablets in order to promote autonomous work of students in the process of learning mathematics. With this app students solve mathematics activities and get help by playing videos with problem resolutions. Autonomous learning and effective self-regulatory strategies are very important in learning; without these, students might not be able to exploit learning opportunities outside classrooms. For that, an important way of supporting learning autonomy is to promote student-centered learning approaches. Students can use mobile devices to implement a blended learning model and use the MILAGE Learn+ app that allows the implementation of student-centered learning approaches involving students with different skills. For this purpose, the app accommodates gaming mechanics dealing with complexity and detail. It has three different levels of problems complexity: beginners, intermediate and advanced. On the other hand, each problem can have two levels of explanations/resolutions: detailed and concise. These features provide the same opportunities to all students. So, low-achieving students that may struggle to learn the materials covered in class can watch the video resolution as many times as they want until they understand the subject. But students have also access to complex maths problems that may provide additional stimulation for top performers. In this way, we provide a platform where students can work autonomously, and the app is also capable of accommodating students with different mathematic skills.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Breaking barriers in learning math: architecture of the MILAGE Learn+ App

The purpose of the present conference paper is to describe the conceptual framework underpinning the design of a mobile app to teach and learn math in secondary schools. The mobile learning concept is part of a societal model that assumes digital skills as vital in the ability to analyze and produce digital information, apply creative skills and innovation (technological and methodological), and engage in collaborative work. Self-directed learning and learner autonomy explicitly accept responsibility for their learning in the sense of sharing the setting of learning goals, taking initiatives in planning and executing learning activities, and regularly reviewing their learning and evaluating their goals. Mobile learning may become an autonomous activity, self- motivated, and promote informal learning or/and be part of the school experience. Counseling, self and peer- assessment, and peer-to-peer collaboration are some of the requirements underlying the design of the MILAGE Learn+ mobile app, an interactive artifact intended for learning mathematics in secondary schools

Læringsstøttende bruk av Moodle

Prosjektet var rettet mot en klasse deltidsstudenters bruk av læringsplattformen Moodle i pedagogikkfaget. Målet med prosjektet var: - Fremme studentenes pedagogikkfaglige læring - Bevisstgjøre studentene om ulike læringspreferanser - Økt bruk av digital læringsplattform - Utvikle studentenes forståelse av sammenhenger mellom kommunikasjonsformer via digitale verktøy og perspektiver på læring - Bidra til utvikling innen det pedagogikkfaglige fellesskapet - Mål for kompetanseheving i egen undervisning i pedagogikkfage

Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with problematic social media use among young adults: a scoping review protocol

Abstract Objective: Social media has become a primary channel for communication among young individuals, concurrent with a surge in problematic social media use. Consequently, understanding the factors contributing to problematic social media use among this age cohort becomes increasingly pertinent. The objective of this scoping review is to examine and map the evidence of predominant demographic and psychosocial factors associated with problematic social media use among young adults. Introduction: Systematic reviews have explored the adverse health effects of problematic social media use among adolescents and young adults. However, evidence on the associated factors is dispersed throughout the literature, highlighting the necessity for a scoping review. Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will encompass studies examining problematic social media use among young adults aged 18 to 29 years in the general non-clinical population. It will include both quantitative and qualitative research assessing demographic characteristics and psychosocial factors contributing to problematic social media use within this age group. Methods: Databases Medline, Embase, and Scopus will be searched using keyword searches to retrieve relevant articles published from 2019 to 2024. The scoping review will include studies published in English that present evidence on factors associated with problematic social media use among young adults, excluding grey literature. Title and abstract screening will be conducted simultaneously, with two reviewers independently screening abstracts and full text articles and piloting the data extraction form. Thematic analysis will be employed to analyse the findings. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics review is considered unnecessary for this scoping review since it solely analyses publicly available data. The outcomes of our research will be shared through peer-reviewed journal publications and presentations at scientific conferences. Additionally, findings will be disseminated in plain language and posted on the websites and blogs of relevant stakeholders, including policymakers and service providers for students. We will also present the findings to young adults, such as educators, counsellors, and social workers, aiming to enhance awareness regarding problematic social media use and its associated factors