Implantación de Software Libre en el Centro de Desarrollo Infantil (CENDI) No. 4

El presente proyecto consiste en la implantación de Software Libre en el Centro de Desarrollo Infantil (CENDI) No. 4, que es un centro de educación infantil de niños de 0 a 6 años con equipos antiguos de recursos limitados, de forma que se incorporen programas que sean adecuados a la edad de los niños, y además el profesorado pueda aprovechar los ordenadores, todo ello con el menor coste posible, debido a que el presupuesto del centro es muy limitado.Aquest projecte consisteix en la implantació de programari lliure al Centre de Desenvolupament Infantil (CENDI) No 4, que és un centre d'educació infantil de nens de 0 a 6 anys amb equips antics de recursos limitats, de manera que s'incorporin programes que siguin adequats a l'edat dels nens, i que a més el professorat pugui aprofitar els ordinadors, tot això amb el menor cost possible, atès que el pressupost del centre és molt limitat.This project involves the implementation of Free Software in the Children's Development Center (CENDI) No. 4, a nursery school or kindergarten for children from 0-6 years with old computers and limited resources, in order to incorporate software more appropriate to the age of the children and allowing also the teachers to take advantage of the computers, and at the lowest possible cost, because the school budget is very limited

Supporting teacher orchestration of across-spaces learning situations

La tesis doctoral trata sobre la orquestación de situaciones de aprendizaje “a través de espacios” (across-spaces, AS, en inglés): situaciones de aprendizaje que integran actividades que tienen lugar en múltiples espacios físicos y virtuales, y donde se da una transición suave, o continua, entre los distintos espacios. En particular, la tesis intenta proporcionar herramientas conceptuales y tecnológicas para apoyar a los docentes en la orquestación de este tipo de situaciones de aprendizaje, que puedan incluir espacios físicos, web y mundos virtuales 3D. Siguiendo la Metodología de Investigación de Desarrollo de Sistemas, y con un paradigma de investigación interpretativo subyacente, se proponen dos constructos (modelo de POI y noción de cubo de aprendizaje o learning bucket) y dos sistemas (GLUEPS-AR y Bucket-Server), para ayudar a los docentes en la orquestación de situaciones de aprendizaje AS. Para la evaluación de las propuestas, se realizaron múltiples análisis de características, estudios pilotos y estudios de evaluación, enmarcados en un modelo de evaluación “receptivo”Departamento de Teoría de la Señal y Comunicaciones e Ingeniería TelemáticaNota: In reference to IEEE copyrighted material which is used with permission in this thesis, the IEEE does not endorse any of Universidad de Valladolid's products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. If interested in reprinting/republishing IEEE copyrighted material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution, please go to http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/rights_link.html to learn how to obtain a License from RightsLink. If applicable, University Microfilms and/or ProQuest Library, or the Archives of Canada may supply single copies of the dissertation

Temperature fluctuations in a relativistic gas: Pressure corrections and possible consequences in the deconfinement transition

In this work, we study the effects of random temperature fluctuations on the equation of state of a non-interacting, relativistic fermion gas by means of the replica method. This picture provides a conceptual model for a non-equilibrium system, depicted as an ensemble of subsystems at different temperatures, randomly distributed with respect to a given mean value. We then assume the temperature displays stochastic fluctuations $T = T_0 + \delta T$ with respect to its ensemble average value $T_0$, with zero mean $\overline{\delta T} = 0$ and standard deviation $\overline{\delta T^2} = \Delta$. By means of the replica method, we obtain the average grand canonical potential, leading to the equation of state of the fermion gas expressed in terms of the excess pressure caused by these fluctuations with respect to the ideal gas at uniform temperature. We further extend our results for the ideal Bose gas as well. Our findings reveal an increase in pressure as the system's ensemble average temperature $T_0$ rises, consistently exceeding the pressure observed in an equilibrium state. Finally, we explore the implications for the deconfinement transition in the context of the simple Bag model, where we show that the critical temperature decreases.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Psychometric Study of a Scale of Measurement of the Digital Stories Creation Using Utellstory

The purpose of this paper is to validate a scale about learning how to use the Utellstory software for the creation of digital stories. The questionnaire was provided to a sample of 142 and 276 students from Masters in Inclusive Education and Early Childhood Education Degree of the University of Córdoba (Spain), respectively. The data were subjected to an analysis of reliability and validity through the use of exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses. The results revealed an instrument with correct validity and reliability that demonstrate that the model is stable and consistent with the starting theoretical assumptions

Using virtual learning environments in bricolage mode for orchestrating learning situations across physical and virtual spaces

Producción CientíficaTeachers usually implement their pedagogical ideas in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in a continuous refinement approach also known as “bricolage”. Recently, different proposals have enabled the ubiquitous access to VLEs, thus extending the bricolage mode of operation to other learning spaces. However, such proposals tend to present several limitations for teachers to orchestrate learning situations conducted across different physical and virtual spaces. This paper presents an evaluation study that involved the across-spaces usage of Moodle in bricolage mode and learning buckets (configurable containers of learning artifacts) in multiple learning situations spanning five months in a course on Physical Education in the Natural Environment for pre-service teachers. The study followed a responsive evaluation model, in which we conducted an anticipatory data reduction using an existing orchestration framework (called “5 + 3 aspects”) for structuring data gathering and analysis. The results showed that learning buckets helped the teachers in the multiple aspects of orchestration, overcoming the limitations of alternative approaches in some specific orchestration aspects: helping the involved teachers to connect different physical and physical spaces, while supporting technologies and activities of their everyday practice, and transferring part of the orchestration load from teachers to students. The results also suggested lines of future improvement, including the awareness of outdoor activities.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project TIN2011-28308-C03-02 and TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA277U14 and VA082U16

Game of Blazons: Helping teachers conduct learning situations that integrate web tools and multiple types of augmented reality

Producción CientíficaSeveral studies have explored how to help teachers carry out learning situations involving Augmented Reality (AR), a technology that has shown different affordances for learning. However, these proposals tend to rely on specific types of AR, focus on particular types of spaces, and are generally disconnected from other technologies widely used in education, such as VLEs or Web 2.0 tools. These constraints limit the possible range of activities that can be conducted and their integration into the existing classroom practice. GLUEPS-AR is a system that can help overcome these limitations, aiding teachers in the creation and enactment of learning situations that may combine multiple types of AR with other common web tools. This paper presents an evaluation study conducted on Game of Blazons, a learning situation carried out by two university teachers using GLUEPS-AR, and framed within two days of outdoor activities in a village in Spain. The evaluation showed that GLUEPS-AR provided an affordable support to the participant teachers to integrate several activities that made use of multiple types of AR, common web tools and augmented paper, into a unique learning situation.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Projects TIN2011-28308-C03-02 and TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA082U16

Understanding student behavior and perceptions toward earning badges in a gamified MOOC

Producción CientíficaDespite the advantages of MOOCs, such as the open and free access to education, these courses are criticized for students’ lack of motivation and their high dropout rates. Gamification is a technique used to increase student motivation and engagement in small-scale educational contexts. However, the effects of gamification on student engagement have been scarcely explored in MOOC environments, and the findings so far are inconsistent. To address this gap, this research work examines the students’ behavior toward earning badges and how it relates to their engagement in a gamified MOOC. According to the results, the behaviors toward badges of the active students were generally positive and significantly correlated with other variables measuring their engagement (e.g., pageviews, submitted tasks, forum posts), although this positive behavior seems to decrease throughout the course. Additionally, students that reported high motivation by badges at the end of the course showed a higher engagement level than those that were not appealed by badges.European Regional Development Fund, under project grants TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R and TIN2017-85179-C3-2-RJunta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. Project VA082U16 and VA257P18)European Commission, under project grant 588438-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-KA

Temporal Griffiths Phases

Disorder is an unavoidable ingredient of real systems. Spatial disorder generates Griffiths phases (GPs) which, in analogy to critical points, are characterized by a slow relaxation of the order parameter and divergences of quantities such as the susceptibility. However, these singularities appear in an extended region of the parameter space and not just at a (critical) point, i.e. there is generic scale invariance. Here, we study the effects of temporal disorder, focusing on systems with absorbing states. We show that for dimensions $d \geq 2$ there are Temporal Griffiths phases (TGPs) characterized by generic power-law spatial scaling and generic divergences of the susceptibility. TGPs turn out to be a counterpart of GPs, but with space and time playing reversed roles. TGPs constitute a unifying concept, shedding light on the non-trivial effects of temporal disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; Accepted in PR

Learning Buckets: Helping Teachers Introduce Flexibility in the Management of Learning Artifacts Across Spaces

Producción Científicaechnology offers rich opportunities for learning across different physical and virtual spaces. However, most of current across-spaces proposals are either highly teacher-centered, inflexible in the students’ self-management of learning artifacts during the enactment, or allow the teacher little/no control of such students’ management of artifacts. Moreover, these proposals tend to be disconnected from the practices and tools that are usual in the classroom. How can we achieve a middle ground between keeping the teacher in control of across-spaces situations and, at the same time, providing students with a degree of flexibility to manage learning artifacts? Aiming to address such challenge we propose the notion of learning bucket, and the Bucket-Server, a system implementing such notion. A learning bucket is a container of learning artifacts which are generated and/or accessed across-spaces by the students during the enactment, according to constraints configured by teachers at design time. The responsive evaluation conducted, based on a feature analysis and a pilot study with experts, suggests that learning buckets can help evolve from teacher- to student-centered approaches, while maintaining the teacher in control of students’ actions. The evaluation also indicates that the Bucket-Server surpasses the support provided by alternative proposals to across-spaces learning.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project TIN2014- 53199-C3-2- R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación – Ref. VA277U14