Shared knowledge: The result of negotiation in non-hierarchical environments

The knowledge building can be seen as a collaborative process of which negotiation is a fundamental aspect. The use of technology to support this process has been attempted in various groupware systems. However, there is no adequate support system for the process of negotiation, which generally relies on voting as the element for reaching agreement in decision-making. On the other hand, the best approaches to this problem have been formalised in learning environments where there is a clear hierarchical structure. When the environment is not hierarchical, new problems arise which require special attention. This article presents a model of knowledge building that has negotiation as its basis in a group that is non-hierarchical in its structure. The model is implemented on a prototype tool named ShaKnoMa, which is tested on common tasks in an environment such as that proposed here. For the knowledge representation, concept maps are used which act a scaffolding to classify, index and search the information

Collaborative model for remote experimentation laboratories used by non-hierarchical distributed groups of engineering students

Remote experimentation laboratories (REL) are systems based on real equipment that allow students to carry out a laboratory practice through the Internet on the computer. In engineering, there have been numerous initiatives to implement REL over recent years, given the fundamental role of laboratory activities. However, in the past efforts have concentrated on laboratory groups interacting face to face, disregarding the capacities of distributed student collaborative environments. This article proposes a model for the implementation of REL in a distributed collaborative scenario, focusing on two crucial key elements: shared knowledge and interaction for collaboration. The model focuses on the methodological aspects of executing REL in a distributed collaborative scenario and disregards technical aspects of the implementation. This study analyses distributed collaborative scenarios where the teacher plays a fundamental role in REL configuration to ensure group collaboration. The new model introduced presents diverse aspects that are associated with the methodological implementation of REL in the field of engineering; hence it is to be regarded as a foundation for teachers developing REL in distributed collaborative scenarios

Remote lab experiments: opening possibilities for distance learning in engineering fields

Remote experimentation laboratories are systems based on real equipment, allowing students to perform practical work through a computer connected to the internet. In engineering fields lab activities play a fundamental role. Distance learning has not demonstrated good results in engineering fields because traditional lab activities cannot be covered by this paradigm. These activities can be set for one or for a group of students who work from different locations. All these configurations lead to considering a flexible model that covers all possibilities (for an individual or a group). An inter-continental network of remote laboratories supported by both European and Latin American institutions of higher education has been formed. In this network context, a learning collaborative model for students working from different locations has been defined. The first considerations are presented

Remote lab experiments: Opening possibilities for distance learning in engineering fields

Remote experimentation laboratories are systems based on real equipment, allowing students to perform practical work through a computer connected to the internet. In engineering fields lab activities play a fundamental role. Distance learning has not demonstrated good results in engineering fields because traditional lab activities cannot be covered by this paradigm. These activities can be set for one or for a group of students who work from different locations. All these configurations lead to considering a flexible model that covers all possibilities (for an individual or a group). An inter-continental network of remote laboratories supported by both European and Latin American institutions of higher education has been formed. In this network context, a learning collaborative model for students working from different locations has been defined. The first considerations are presented

E-learning modules in courses. Fostering autonomy in learning

The breakthrough of information and communication technologies and their smooth incorporation into daily living has brought a cultural change in both, society and education. The traditional and formal paradigms and contexts represent new challenges of adjustments that consider the new kind of student that goes to university classrooms. Thus, the educational model from Universidad Católica de Temuco considers an intensive use of ICT in the educational process, and a gradual growth of the autonomy of students during training. In the Computer Science program, these elements of the model have been partially addressed through the incorporation of e-learning modules that foster autonomy. A technological platform was implemented to support an e-learning methodology. The methodology used in the study is described in this article. The outcomes obtained in courses where the methodology was applied were successful, which made possible new initiatives that include the suggested improvements from the assessment of the conducted experiences

Remote lab experiments: opening possibilities for distance learning in engineering fields

Remote experimentation laboratories are systems based on real equipment, allowing students to perform practical work through a computer connected to the internet. In engineering fields lab activities play a fundamental role. Distance learning has not demonstrated good results in engineering fields because traditional lab activities cannot be covered by this paradigm. These activities can be set for one or for a group of students who work from different locations. All these configurations lead to considering a flexible model that covers all possibilities (for an individual or a group). An inter-continental network of remote laboratories supported by both European and Latin American institutions of higher education has been formed. In this network context, a learning collaborative model for students working from different locations has been defined. The first considerations are presented.Education for the 21 st century - impact of ICT and Digital Resources ConferenceRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Understanding the role of mobile ad hoc networks in non-traditional contexts

With the rapid development of short-range wireless technology new venues to apply it in more sophisticated, complex, and dynamic environments have been opened. Nevertheless, the applicability of such technology in nontraditional settings like face-to-face encounters and disaster relief environments, remains unclear. This article describes a research effort aimed to narrow that gap by means of using two non-traditional settings as case studies; face-to-face encounters among unacquainted people and first responders in urban disaster relief environments. Among the results obtained are: a) interactions among unacquainted people may be promoted, though the level of interaction becomes easily constrained due to the current state of RF technology and the design of the experiments, and b) it is feasible to obtain a reliable communication platform for first responders operating in disaster relief missions. These results supports the idea that short-range wireless technology may play both a facilitator and a promoter role in face-to-face contexts, and at least a facilitator role in the case of users co-located in highly dynamic contexts.8th IFIP/IEEE International conference on Mobile and Wireless CommunicationRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

A Mobile Portfolio to Support Communities of Practice in Science Education

Online Communities and Social Computing Second International Conference, OCSC 2007, Held as Part of HCI International 2007, Beijing, China, July 22-27, 2007. ProceedingsPractice activities are a key issue for science education students. Typically, these activities are carried out by a community of practice (practicing students and professors) using physical or centralized electronic portfolios. However, these alternatives are limited when the community members need to share the portfolio resources, any time and anywhere. This limitation is also present when support for high interactivity among these persons is required. This paper presents a new kind of portfolio which is able to work in autonomous, client-server, and peer-to-peer manners. This mobile portfolio is fully distributed; therefore, it improves the flexibility to conduct interactions or share portfolio resources among the members of a community of practice. The functionality and stability of the tool have been tested by the developers and the results obtained are encouraging. The use of this distributed portfolio is expected to help science students and professors to enhance practice activities, interactions and interchange of experiences and resources

Distributed mixture-of-experts for Big Data using PETUUM framework

Today, organizations are beginning to realize the importance of using as much data as possible for decision-making in their strategy. The finding of relevant patterns in enormous amount of data requires automatic machine learning algorithms, among them, a popular option is the mixture-of-experts that allows to model data using a set of local experts. The problem of using typical learning algorithms over Big Data is the handling of these large datasets in primary memory. In this paper, we propose a methodology to learn a mixture-of-experts in a distributed way using PETUUM platform. Particularly, we propose to learn the parameters of mixture-of-experts by adapting the standard stochastic gradient descent in a distributed way. This methodology is applied to people detection with standard real datasets considering accuracy and precision metrics among other. The results show a consistent performance of mixture-of-experts models where the best number of experts varies according to the particular dataset. We also evidence the advantages of the distributed approach by showing the almost linear decreasing of average training time according to the number of processors. In a future work, we expect to apply this methodology to mixture-of-experts with embedded variable selection

A produção de uma cartilha sobre Bioinvasão como ferramenta complementar para o ensino de Biodiversidade Vegetal na disciplina de Ecologia / The production of a booklet on Bioinvasion as a complementary tool for teaching Plant Biodiversity in the discipline of Ecology

A temática sobre as Plantas Nativas e Exóticas do Brasil é pouco abordada nas disciplinas do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas da UECE. Diante disso, o objetivo desse trabalho é aliar o conteúdo teórico ao prático na disciplina de Ecologia, assim como conhecer a flora nativa e exótica do Brasil presente no Campus da UECE em Fortaleza e tornar os alunos cientes dos impactos causados no ambiente por essas plantas. Para tanto, foi produzida uma cartilha pelos alunos da disciplina de Ecologia. Espera-se que esta cumpra os objetivos perante os leitores e que desenvolva um pensamento crítico acerca das temáticas relacionadas ao tema como: Arborização urbana, Desmatamento, Reflorestamento, Utilidades das Plantas, dentre outros. Espera-se também que essas informações possam chegar as escolas, para que os alunos tenham essa consciência desde o ensino básico