Determinants of the Intention to Use MOOCs as a Complementary Tool: An Observational Study of Ecuadorian Teachers

New technological advances and globalization have undoubtedly given rise to new forms of learning. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are a kind of evolution on e-learning, have the endorsement of prestigious universities around the world, and are transforming the traditional teaching–learning process. In Ecuador, these online courses are based on the Basic General Education system and are neither popular among students nor widely used by teachers in their teaching method, thus, this teaching system is not considered as an official qualification. The inclusion of this tool in the Ecuadorian educational system as a learning resource would expand access to equal opportunities to students and teachers from all over the country. Therefore, our proposal is to use the MOOCs as a source with all the instructional contents of the subject and as classwork based on the flipped-classroom method. In this way, such resources can be an aid to traditional high school classes, and the average grade achieved by students through this platform, as well as the student’s participation, may be part of the formal evaluation system in any institution. With the purpose of measuring the level of confidence in online education and the usage of MOOCs as a tool for teachers’ work, a descriptive and analytical approach has been taken in this study. A quantitative survey was administered to 696 Basic General Education teachers who took used this type of course. The results of this investigation show that 93.9% of the teachers trust the online education; 89% are ready to use MOOCs as a teaching–learning resource and 79% would use MOOCs as part of the final grade. These data prove that MOOCs could be a complementary tool for Basic General Education in Ecuador, so they could contribute to improve learning outcomes and the development of traditional education

Evaluating Video Games as Tools for Education on Fake News and Misinformation

Despite access to reliable information being essential for equal opportunities in our society, current school curricula only include some notions about media literacy in a limited context. Thus, it is necessary to create scenarios for reflection on and a well-founded analysis of misinformation. Video games may be an effective approach to foster these skills and can seamlessly integrate learning content into their design, enabling achieving multiple learning outcomes and building competencies that can transfer to real-life situations. We analyzed 24 video games about media literacy by studying their content, design, and characteristics that may affect their implementation in learning settings. Even though not all learning outcomes considered were equally addressed, the results show that media literacy video games currently on the market could be used as effective tools to achieve critical learning goals and may allow users to understand, practice, and implement skills to fight misinformation, regardless of their complexity in terms of game mechanics. However, we detected that certain characteristics of video games may affect their implementation in learning environments, such as their availability, estimated playing time, approach, or whether they include real or fictional worlds, variables that should be further considered by both developers and educators

Discord como plataforma virtual de ensino online durante a pandemia COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Spanish authorities to declare the state of alarm and suspend face-to-face education, which lead to the search for new alternatives to meet the educational demand. This study describes the experience of 20 professors from the School of New Interactive Technologies of the University of Barcelona during the first months of digital teaching with the Discord platform. Discord enables creating multiple sequences of classes, reduces system load, and can be used on various low-resource platforms and devices. Through the direct observation of classes, interviews, and a literature review, we studied (1) the online teaching skills of professors prior to the pandemic; (2) the use of Discord and teaching techniques; (3) the problems detected, and (4) their recommendations. These results may help other professors organize online teaching in critical contexts with Discord as a virtual teaching platform[1].   [1] Marta Acosta PlataLa pandemia de COVID-19 obligó a las autoridades españolas a declarar el estado de alarma y suspender la enseñanza presencial, por lo que fueron necesarias nuevas iniciativas para atender la demanda educativa. Este estudio describe la experiencia de 20 profesores de la Escuela de Nuevas Tecnologías Interactivas de la Universidad de Barcelona durante los primeros meses de docencia digital con la plataforma Discord. Discord permite crear múltiples secuencias de clases, reducir la carga del sistema y puede usarse en diversas plataformas y dispositivos con pocos recursos. Mediante la observación de clases, entrevistas y una revisión bibliográfica, estudiamos (1) las competencias de enseñanza en línea del profesorado antes de la pandemia; (2) el uso de Discord y técnicas pedagógicas; (3) los problemas detectados y (4) sus recomendaciones. Los resultados pueden ayudar a otros docentes a organizar la enseñanza en línea en contextos críticos con Discord como plataforma de enseñanza virtual. Palabras clave: enseñanza en línea, aprendizaje, pandemia, COVID-19.A pandemia COVID-19 obrigou as autoridades espanholas a declarar estado de alarme e suspender o ensino presencial, razão pela qual foram necessárias novas iniciativas para responder à procura educacional. Este estudo descreve a experiência de 20 professores da Escola de Novas Tecnologias Interativas da Universidade de Barcelona durante os primeiros meses de ensino digital com a plataforma Discord. O Discord permite que você crie várias sequências de classes, reduza a carga do sistema e pode ser usado em várias plataformas e dispositivos com poucos recursos. Por meio de observação de aulas, entrevistas e uma revisão da literatura, estudamos (1) as competências de ensino online dos professores antes da pandemia; (2) o uso de Discord e técnicas de ensino; (3) os problemas detectados e (4) suas recomendações. Os resultados podem ajudar outros professores a organizar o ensino online em contextos críticos com o Discord como uma plataforma de ensino virtual

Discord como plataforma virtual de ensino online durante a pandemia COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Spanish authorities to declare the state of alarm and suspend face-to-face education, which lead to the search for new alternatives to meet the educational demand. This study describes the experience of 20 professors from the School of New Interactive Technologies of the University of Barcelona during the first months of digital teaching with the Discord platform. Discord enables creating multiple sequences of classes, reduces system load, and can be used on various low-resource platforms and devices. Through the direct observation of classes, interviews, and a literature review, we studied (1) the online teaching skills of professors prior to the pandemic; (2) the use of Discord and teaching techniques; (3) the problems detected, and (4) their recommendations. These results may help other professors organize online teaching in critical contexts with Discord as a virtual teaching platform[1].   [1] Marta Acosta PlataLa pandemia de COVID-19 obligó a las autoridades españolas a declarar el estado de alarma y suspender la enseñanza presencial, por lo que fueron necesarias nuevas iniciativas para atender la demanda educativa. Este estudio describe la experiencia de 20 profesores de la Escuela de Nuevas Tecnologías Interactivas de la Universidad de Barcelona durante los primeros meses de docencia digital con la plataforma Discord. Discord permite crear múltiples secuencias de clases, reducir la carga del sistema y puede usarse en diversas plataformas y dispositivos con pocos recursos. Mediante la observación de clases, entrevistas y una revisión bibliográfica, estudiamos (1) las competencias de enseñanza en línea del profesorado antes de la pandemia; (2) el uso de Discord y técnicas pedagógicas; (3) los problemas detectados y (4) sus recomendaciones. Los resultados pueden ayudar a otros docentes a organizar la enseñanza en línea en contextos críticos con Discord como plataforma de enseñanza virtual. Palabras clave: enseñanza en línea, aprendizaje, pandemia, COVID-19.A pandemia COVID-19 obrigou as autoridades espanholas a declarar estado de alarme e suspender o ensino presencial, razão pela qual foram necessárias novas iniciativas para responder à procura educacional. Este estudo descreve a experiência de 20 professores da Escola de Novas Tecnologias Interativas da Universidade de Barcelona durante os primeiros meses de ensino digital com a plataforma Discord. O Discord permite que você crie várias sequências de classes, reduza a carga do sistema e pode ser usado em várias plataformas e dispositivos com poucos recursos. Por meio de observação de aulas, entrevistas e uma revisão da literatura, estudamos (1) as competências de ensino online dos professores antes da pandemia; (2) o uso de Discord e técnicas de ensino; (3) os problemas detectados e (4) suas recomendações. Os resultados podem ajudar outros professores a organizar o ensino online em contextos críticos com o Discord como uma plataforma de ensino virtual

Implementation Barriers to Augmented Reality Technology in Public Services

Technology has become an essential element in today's digital life. The way users interact with different business services is changing thanks to Augmented Reality (AR), and the use of this technology in handhelds is gaining importance nowadays. Public and private organizations cannot be left behind, and they should strive to meet the demand for interactive services with AR. Through this review, we identified four potential major barriers to AR implementation, three of which were present in actual applications. We found that these barriers were similar across areas and that they were mainly related to the technology itself rather than to user interaction. For each of the barriers, we present a list of possible solutions or enablers that can help overcome the detected limitations