Making with Micro:bit : Teachers and Students Learning 21st Century Competences through the Innovation Process

Innokas Network works with schools and other stakeholders to develop 21st Century Competences in education. In this work we present a maker pilot study in which Innokas Network introduced Finnish teachers to the Innovation Process and the Micro:bit programmable device for supporting students’ 21st Century Competences. We show preliminary results of the study and discuss the relevance of maker projects and the Innovation Process for learning 21st Century Competences in the Finnish educational context. 100 participating Finnish teachers received in-service training in Micro:bit technology and learned to apply the technology within the Innovation Process. After the training, the teachers used the technology in class projects. They reported on their projects using blog narratives and research questionnaires. In addition, 850 participating students answered a questionnaire on their experiences. The results of an initial analysis point to a positive view of the maker-related Innovation Process and Micro:bit technology as a way for both teachers and students to learn 21st Century Competences.Peer reviewe

Future of the Finnish engineering education : a collaborative stakeholder approach

The dissertation sheds light on how to develop the Finnish engineering education to face the anticipated challenges of the future based primarily on the views of the key stakeholders. The research questions are: What kind of a framework can be developed for selecting participants for a group communication process of key stakeholders when aiming at capturing future prospects and enhancing development of engineering education nationally, in this case in the context of Finland (RQ 1)? What are the future prospects and development proposals for the Finnish engineering education based on the views of the key stakeholders on the past, present and future, as well as literature and statistics describing the long-term development and present (RQ 2)? The study can be regarded as a strategic prospective foresight study, the subsequent focus being on option and commitment reasonability. The primary sources of knowledge are three stakeholder group communication processes: an anonymous Argument Delphi, an Open Futures Search event, and the work process of the National Collaboration Group for the Finnish Engineering Education. The theoretical discussion for developing the participant selection framework consists of stakeholder concept and identification, creation of knowledge, and member and group characteristics. By combining this with empirical experiences gathered during stakeholder processes, the researcher develops a framework for participant selection. The key findings of the study regarding future prospects of the Finnish engineering education and key proposals for action are summarized in eight statements. The researcher argues that the most severe skills shortages of engineering graduates compared to future needs are in collaborative learning skills. The study contains a proposal for a conceptual model for enhancing the collaborative learning skills of graduates. The study suggests that face-to-face group communication has potential for providing several benefits over anonymous group communication in futures studies. The researcher claims that the most important advantage is the possibility to mobilize both individual- and collective-driven social learning cycles through face-to-face dialogue that enables grasping of tacit knowledge, and through presencing the emerging self-transcending knowledge. However, because of the problem of groupthink, the researcher maintains that anonymous group communication is a useful additional tool in initiating change and bringing potentially conflicting and delicate issues up to discussion, and thereby improving identification of different options for the future. The research contribution of the study is three-fold. First, the results of the study have high practical value for the development of the Finnish engineering education. Second, the framework developed for participant selection and the experiences gathered during the three group communication processes with stakeholders, are useful in developing engineering education also outside Finland. Third, the researcher contributes to the development of futures research methodologies by discussing the differences in knowledge creation between anonymous and face-to-face group communication methodologies

Understanding the Value Co-creation Potential of Social Robots in Primary School Education

While social robotics have great value creation potential in education, their fit remains unclear, and usage limited. We utilize the lens of Service-dominant (S-D) logic in investigating how value co-creation (and co-destruction) may occur among actors in the educational use of social robots. Our thematic analysis of 10 qualitative interviews with primary school teachers underscores that social robotics herald value co-creation potential by complementing traditional classroom teaching, enabling student engagement and motivation, and supporting teachers in their work. In addition, we identify value co-destruction dimensions relating to teachers’ earlier experiences, attitudes and prejudices towards social robots which could lead to resistance to change and inequalities between teachers and students. This study extends previous understandings of educational social robot use and offers practical guidance to educators and authorities on the matter

Designing and Structuring the Invention process

This chapter describes how teachers can learn, design, and structure invention projects at school. Two process models are presented: project-based engineering and learning by collaborative design, highlighting knowledge creation, science, engineering, and design practices. By elaborating on these models and previous learning and designing by making research, the invention pedagogy process model and its structural phases is introduced. This model has been found to be beneficial in supporting the implementation of the project in practice. Through a case example from a university-level teacher education course, the focus is on how student teachers become acquainted with the invention pedagogy and pedagogical design of the invention project.Peer reviewe

Improving in-service teacher educators’ competences through design-based research

Experiences shows that the knowledge of species among teacher students has decreased the last twenty years, and recent research from different parts of the world shows the same: The knowledge of species is decreasing. As an introduction to their science teacher education 39 students followed a course over seven weeks, where they learned more about plant and animal species in three different biotopes: forest, mountain and freshwater. The students replied to a questionnaire five weeks after the course. Both the three days field course and making their own collection of different plants and animals had great positive impact on the students learning of species. The students expressed that the practical work with plants and animals has increased their interest in science, will have positive impact on their work as science teachers and has increased their pleasure to be out in nature. The author ask for a discussion about species knowledge, biodiversity and field work in teacher education.Peer reviewe

Framework for Technological Competence in Invention Projects

This chapter examines invention pedagogy from the perspective of technological competence that students appropriate through participating in invention processes. We present the theoretical background and propose a framework for technological competencies in invention projects with five, overlapping dimensions: (1) crafting, (2) designing, (3) engineering, (4) programming, and (5) reflecting, documenting, and sharing. Each dimension is elaborated through its central concepts, aims, examples of the technological tools and pedagogical practices associated with their use. We also discuss the dimensions, as a part of invention project planning, and the relevance of the framework for the future work of teachers and researchers. We argue that the conceptualization and operationalization of technology competence supports both teachers and students in reaching a broad and in-depth understanding of the surrounding socio-technological environment. Further, we claim that technological competence supports students in learning to create solutions and innovations that build a better future for them and for others.Peer reviewe

Transcriptional Expression of the ompA, cpaf, tarp, and tox Genes of Chlamydia trachomatis Clinical Isolates at Different Stages of the Developmental Cycle

The transcriptional gene expression patterns of Chlamydia trachomatis have mainly been studied using reference strains propagated in cultured cells. Here, using five low-passage-number C. trachomatis clinical isolates that originated from asymptomatic or symptomatic female patients, the in vitro expression of the ompA, cpaf, tarp, and tox genes was studied with reverse transcriptase real-time PCR during the chlamydial developmental cycle. We observed dissimilarities in the gene expression patterns between the low-passage-number clinical isolates and the reference strains. The expression of ompA and the peak of the tox expression were observed earlier in the reference strains than in most of the clinical isolates. The expression of cpaf was high in the reference strains compared with the clinical isolates at the mid-phase (6–24 hours post infection) of the developmental cycle. All of the strains had a rather similar tarp expression profile. Four out of five clinical isolates exhibited slower growth kinetics compared with the reference strains. The use of low-passage-number C. trachomatis clinical isolates instead of reference strains in the studies might better reflect the situation in human infection