Twitter como recurso metodológico no Ensino Superior: uma experiência educacional com alunos do Serviço Social

El perfil del estudiante universitario está experimentando cambios significativos que obligan a las universidades a replantearse nuevas estrategias metodológicas para favorecer los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. En este trabajo se analizan los principales resultados derivados de un proyecto de innovación apoyado en la incorporación de Twitter como recurso metodológico colaborativo, colectivo e innovador en Educación Superior. El objetivo general del estudio es explorar el impacto educativo del uso de Twitter como recurso didáctico, y cómo perciben los estudiantes la utilidad de este instrumento integrado en una metodología participativa. La muestra se compone de 137 estudiantes de primer curso del Grado en Trabajo Social de la Universidad Pablo de Olavide, de Sevilla (España). Se trata de un estudio ex post facto y transversal, que parte de una metodología descriptiva, utilizando instrumentos de recogida y análisis de la información de corte cualitativo y cuantitativo. En líneas generales, los resultados obtenidos tras el análisis de la participación, de los comentarios elaborados por los estudiantes y del contenido audiovisual compartido, abordan cuestiones centradas en la influencia del uso de Twitter para la mejora de la dinámica natural del desarrollo académico en la asignatura de Introducción a la Pedagogía Social, observando como aporta numerosos beneficios en la creación colectiva del aprendizaje, desde la colaboración, la participación y la cohesión de grupo.The profile of the university student is undergoing significant changes that are forcing universities to rethink new methodological strategies to favour teaching-learning processes. In this paper we analyze the main results derived from an innovation project supported by the incorporation of Twitter as a collaborative, collective and innovative methodological resource in Higher Education. The general objective of the study is to explore the educational impact of the use of Twitter as a teaching resource, and how students perceive the usefulness of this instrument integrated into a participatory methodology. The sample is composed of 137 first-year students of the Degree in Social Work of Pablo de Olavide University, Seville (Spain). It is an ex post facto and transversal study, which starts from a descriptive methodology, using instruments for the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative information. In general terms, the results obtained after the analysis of participation, of the comments made by the students and of the shared audiovisual content, address questions centred on the influence of the use of Twitter for the improvement of the natural dynamics of academic development in the subject of Introduction to Social Pedagogy, observing how it provides numerous benefits in the collective creation of learning, from collaboration, participation and group cohesion.O perfil do estudante universitário está passando por mudanças significativas que obrigam as universidades a repensarem novas estratégias metodológicas para favorecer os processos de ensino-aprendizagem. Este artigo analisa os principais resultados derivados de um projeto de inovação apoiado na incorporação do Twitter como recurso metodológico colaborativo, coletivo e inovador no Ensino Superior. O objetivo geral do estudo é explorar o impacto educacional da utilização do Twitter como recurso didático, e como os alunos percebem a utilidade deste instrumento integrado em uma metodologia participativa. A amostra é constituída por 137 alunos do primeiro ano do Curso de Licenciatura em Serviço Social da Universidade Pablo de Olavide, Sevilha (Espanha). Trata-se de um estudo ex post facto e transversal, que parte de uma metodologia descritiva, utilizando instrumentos qualitativos e quantitativos de coleta e análise das informações. Em linhas gerais, os resultados obtidos após a análise da participação, os comentários feitos pelos alunos e o conteúdo audiovisual compartilhado, abordam questões focadas na influência do uso do Twitter para melhorar a dinâmica natural de desenvolvimento acadêmico na disciplina de Introdução à Pedagogia Social, observando como ela proporciona inúmeros benefícios na criação coletiva de aprendizagem, a partir da colaboração, participação e coesão do grupo

Linear prediction of weak records: the discrete case

We characterize the family of discrete distributions for which the best mean square error predictor of a future weak record is a linear function of a past or observed weak record

Order statistics from overlapping samples: bivariate densities and regression properties

In this paper we are interested in the joint distribution of two order statistics from overlapping samples. We give an explicit formula for the distribution of such a pair of random variables under the assumption that the parent distribution is absolutely continuous (with respect to the Lebesgue measure on the real line). The distribution is identified through the form of the density with respect to a measure which is a sum of the bivariate Lebesgue measure on R2 and the univariate Lebesgue measure on the diagonal {(x, x) : x ∈ R}. We are also interested in the question to what extent conditional expectation of one of such order statistic given another determines the parent distribution. In particular, we provide a new characterization by linearity of regression of an order statistic from the extended sample given the one from the original sample, special case of which solves a problem explicitly stated in the literature. It appears that to describe the correct parent distribution it is convenient to use quantile density functions. In several other cases of regressions of order statistics we provide new results regarding uniqueness of the distribution in the sample. Nevertheless the general question of identifiability of the parent distribution by regression of order statistics from overlapping samples remains open.Ministry of Science and Technology, TaiwanMinisterio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO). EspañaNational Science Center, Polan

The synthesis of LSE classifiers: From representation to evaluation

This work presents a first approach to the synthesis of Spanish Sign Language's (LSE) Classifier Constructions (CCs). All current attempts at the automatic synthesis of LSE simply create the animations corresponding to sequences of signs. This work, however, includes the synthesis of the LSE classification phenomena, defining more complex elements than simple signs, such as Classifier Predicates, Inflective CCs and Affixal classifiers. The intelligibility of our synthetic messages was evaluated by LSE natives, who reported a recognition rate of 93% correct answers

Synthesizing mood-affected signed messages: Modifications to the parametric synthesis

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies,70, 4 (2012) DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2011.11.003This paper describes the first approach in synthesizing mood-affected signed contents. The research focuses on the modifications applied to a parametric sign language synthesizer (based on phonetic descriptions of the signs). We propose some modifications that will allow for the synthesis of different perceived frames of mind within synthetic signed messages. Three of these proposals focus on modifications to three different signs' phonologic parameters (the hand shape, the movement and the non-hand parameter). The other two proposals focus on the temporal aspect of the synthesis (sign speed and transition duration) and the representation of muscular tension through inverse kinematics procedures. These resulting variations have been evaluated by Spanish deaf signers, who have concluded that our system can generate the same signed message with three different frames of mind, which are correctly identified by Spanish Sign Language signers

Spanish Sign Language synthesis system

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Visual Languages and Computing. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Visual Languages and Computing,23, 3, (2012) DOI: 10.1016/j.jvlc.2012.01.003This work presents a new approach to the synthesis of Spanish Sign Language (LSE). Its main contributions are the use of a centralized relational database for storing sign descriptions, the proposal of a new input notation and a new avatar design, the skeleton structure of which improves the synthesis process. The relational database facilitates a highly detailed phonologic description of the signs that include parameter synchronization and timing. The centralized database approach has been introduced to allow the representation of each sign to be validated by the LSE National Institution, FCNSE. The input notation, designated HLSML, presents multiple levels of abstraction compared with current input notations. Redesigned input notation is used to simplify the description and the manual definition of LSE messages. Synthetic messages obtained using our approach have been evaluated by deaf users; in this evaluation a maximum recognition rate of 98.5% was obtained for isolated signs and a recognition rate of 95% was achieved for signed sentences

Microstructural characterization of Ru-doped NiCoCrAlYTa coupons treated by thermal oxidation

Isothermal oxidation of sintered Ru-doped and undoped Ni-alloy coupons in the range of 1173–1423 K was investigated. To assess the effect of Ruthenium doping, microstructural characterization was performed to compare the samples before and after oxidation treatment at 1173 K. Furthermore, cyclic oxidation tests on the Ru-doped and undoped coupons were carried out in a thermogravimetry apparatus at 1223 and 1323 K. The addition of 0.8 wt.% of Ru in NiCoCrAlYTa powders sintered coupons does not degrade the material’s resistance to oxidation conditions

Hybrid paradigm for Spanish Sign Language synthesis

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10209-011-0245-9This work presents a hybrid approach to sign language synthesis. This approach allows the hand-tuning of the phonetic description of the signs, which focuses on the time aspect of the sign. Therefore, the approach retains the capacity for the performing of morpho-phonological operations, like notation-based approaches, and improves the synthetic signing performance, such as the hand-tuned animations approach. The proposed approach simplifies the input message description using a new high-level notation and storage of sign phonetic descriptions in a relational database. Such relational database allows for more flexible sign phonetic descriptions; it also allows for a description of sign timing and the synchronization between sign phonemes. The new notation, named HLSML, is a gloss-based notation focusing on message description in it. HLSML introduces several tags that allow for the modification of the signs in the message that defines dialect and mood variations, both of which are defined in the relational database, and message timing, including transition durations and pauses. A new avatar design is also proposed that simplifies the development of the synthesizer and avoids any interference with the independence of the sign language phonemes during animation. The obtained results showed an increase of the sign recognition rate compared to other approaches. This improvement was based on the active role that the sign language experts had in the description of signs, which was the result of the flexibility of the sign storage approach. The approach will simplify the description of synthesizable signed messages, thus facilitating the creation of multimedia-signed contents

The Euro System as a Laboratory for Neoliberalism: The Case of Spain

Since the 1970s, neoliberalism has evolved from ideology to political agenda, from political program to public policy, and from public policy to a system that replaces democratic control over economic policy with a system of elite economic management. This process of change has been possible due to the endorsement of a meta-political theory that destroys democracy and legitimizes technocratic despotism, financial deregulation, the debasement of labor into a new proletariat, and the purging of constitutional politics. In this article, we analyze this profound transformation of social and legal relations in the “euro system” and, specifically, in the regressive policies that have emerged from the “crisis” in Spain, a peripheral country of the European Union. The problems in contemporary Europe are a direct consequence of the neoliberal version of European economic unity. Their solution will depend on the capacity of the member states to create a social Europe that strengthens institutional democracy and develops universal systems of social protection. This, in turn, will depend on the ability of citizens to remodel state institutions in accordance with new social goals that place life at the center