Dynamic Customization of eTextBooks

Proceedings of: International Workshop on Cloud Education Environments (WCLOUD 2012). Antigua, Guatemala, 15-16 November, 2012.There is no reason eBooks should be monolithic containers of digital information, handled only with tools emulating their counterparts in paper. In this article, we propose to structure electronic text books (eTextBooks) as large numbers of low-granularity units that can be created, replaced and deleted independently by learning communities. We also propose a software service to dynamically deliver content units to eBook devices according to specified requirements. Our software service is deployed in public clouds infrastructure.This work was partially supported by the State of Madrid (Spain) under the contract number eMadrid S2009/TIC-1650 (e-Madrid) and EEE CICYT TIN2011-28308-c03-1.Publicad

Embedding Augmented Reality Experiences in E-books

Proceedings of: IED EUROPE: 2nd European Immersive Education Summit. París, France, 26-27 November, 2012.E-books marketplace is evolving faster than ever. New devices and technologies are coming into scene almost every month. In this paper we are going to review the main devices availables for e-book publishing and rendering and their associated formats, with special attention to the EPUB3 format, which is called to be adopted as the standard for the industry. We will explain the new possibilities offered by by this specification, with special focus on the scripting capabilities that will allow to implement augmented reality (AR) experiences inside e-books. We demonstrate also how to embed this AR experiences in the e-book thanks to new javascript libraries.This research has been partially supported by the following projects: The Spanish project “Learn3: Towards Learning of the Third Kind” (TIN2008-05163/TSI) funded by the Spanish “Plan Nacional de I+D+i” of the Ministry of Research and Innovation; The project “eMadrid: Investigaci´on y desarrollo de tecnolog´ıas para el e-learning en la Comunidad de Madrid” (S2009/TIC-1650) funded by the Government of the Region of Madrid.publicad

Impact of an augmented reality system on students' motivation for a visual art course

In this paper, the authors show that augmented reality technology has a positive impact on the motivation of middle-school students. The Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) (Keller, 2010) based on the ARCS motivation model (Keller, 1987a) was used to gather information; it considers four motivational factors: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. Motivational factors of attention and satisfaction in an augmented-reality-based learning environment were better rated than those obtained in a slides-based learning environment. When the impact of the augmented reality system was analyzed in isolation, the attention and confidence factors were the best rated. The usability study showed that although this technology is not mature enough to be used massively in education, enthusiasm of middle-school students diminished most of the barriers found. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.This research has been partially supported by the Spanish national projects Learn3 (grant TIN2008-05163/TSI) and EEE (grant TIN2011-28308-C03-01) and the Madrid regional project eMadrid (grant S2009/TIC-1650).Publicad

Assessment of Knowledge and Competencies in 3D Virtual Worlds: A Proposal

Proceedings of: Key Competencies in the Knowledge Society World Computer Congress (KCKS 2010). Brisbane, Australia, September 20-23, 2010.Digital natives demand a more active approach to learning. Moreover, the acquisition and assessment of competencies, rather than the mere transmission of information, is becoming more relevant in the Knowledge Society. 3D virtual worlds are a promising environment to meet both of these requirements. In a 3D virtual world, learners are immersed in a rich environment that allows them to have an active experience through their avatars and interaction devices. The learning process in traditional learning management systems has been widely studied, but there is relatively little literature about the use of 3D virtual worlds for learning, although the expectations are high and the possibilities opened immense. This paper focuses on an important part of the teaching and learning process: the assessment. Our aim is to present a set of techniques adapted to this novel 3D medium that allows assessing knowledge, skills, and competencies by using the elements inherent to 3D virtual worlds (avatars, synthetic characters, smart objects) and take advantage of the new dimension introduced.This research is supported by the following projects: The Spanish project “Learn3: Towards Learning of the Third Kind” (TIN2008-05163/TSI) within the Spanish “Plan Nacional de I+D+I”, the Madrid regional project “eMadrid: Investigación y Desarrollo de tecnologías para el e-learning en la Comunidad de Madrid” (S2009/TIC-1650), the European eContentPlus Project “iCoper: Interoperable Content for Performance in a Competency-driven Society” (PPI-2008-A-12).Publicad

Enhancing Acquisition and Distribution of Knowledge in Professional Environments using 3D Virtual Worlds

Proceedings of: 2nd Sig-ProTEL Workshop on the Analysis of Requirements of Professional Learning from Multiple Stakeholder Perspective. Barcelona, 28 September 2010In this paper we explore how the use of 3D Virtual Worlds can help to teach specific competencies useful in a professional environment. Concretely, we present a pattern for practicing and learning the competency of acquisition and distribution of knowledge. A number of features available on 3D Virtual Worlds make this approach particularly interesting, as an alternative to face-to-face collaboration.This research has been partially supported by the following projects: the Spanish project “Learn3: Towards Learning of the Third Kind” (TIN2008-05163/TSI), the Madrid regional project “eMadrid: Investigación y Desarrollo de tecnologías para el e-learning en la Comunidad de Madrid” (S2009/TIC-1650), and the European eContentPlus project “iCoper: Interoperable Content for Performance in a Competency-driven Society” (PPI-2008-A-12).Publicad

Higher Immersive Profiles Improve Learning Outcomes in Augmented Reality Learning Environments

Augmented reality (AR)-based learning environments are argued to foster cognitive and emotional involvement. Immersion has been identified as one of the driving forces that promote learning in technology-based learning environments. This study evaluated the learning effectiveness and immersion appeal of an AR-marker-based learning activity targeted at practicing basic chemistry concepts. Data were collected from a cohort of 124 middle school students in Mexico and analyzed using pretest–posttest comparisons and cluster analysis. The results suggest that students with higher immersive learning profiles achieve better learning outcomes compared with those with lower immersive profiles.The authors acknowledge the eMadrid Network, which is funded by the Madrid Regional Government (Comunidad de Madrid) with grant No. P2018/TCS-4307. This work also received partial support from FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades—Agencia Estatal de Investigación through project Smartlet (TIN2017-85179-C3-1-R) and received partial support from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The publication is part of the I+D+i project “H2O Learn” (PID2020-112584RB-C31). We also acknowledge the program PRODEP in Mexico that supported this work (511-6/2019-8474)

Collaborative learning in multi-user virtual environments

Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have captured the attention and interest of educators as remote collaborative learning environments due to their immersion, interaction and communication capabilities. However, productive learning interactions cannot be considered a given and careful consideration of the design of learning activities and organizational support must be provided to foster collaboration. In this paper, a model to support collaborative learning in MUVEs is presented. This model enables the scaffolding of learning workflows and organizes collaborative learning activities by regulating interactions. Software architecture is developed to support the model, and to deploy and enact collaborative learning modules. A user-centered design has been followed to identify successful strategies for modeling collaborative learning activities in a case study. The results show how interactions with elements of 3D virtual worlds can enforce collaboration in MUVEs.Publicad

Cultura económica en nuestras aulas

El presente Trabajo de Fin de Máster resume la experiencia pedagógica del mismo e incluye las tres actividades más relevantes realizadas durante el curso. Además, se ofrece una visión personal del ámbito de la educación actual y se ofrecen unas conclusiones y propuestas de futuro para el Máster Cursado

Experimenting with electromagnetism using augmented reality: Impact on flow student experience and educational effectiveness

Educational researchers have recognized Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology with great potential to impact affective and cognitive learning outcomes. However, very little work has been carried out to substantiate these claims. The purpose of this study was to assess to which extent an AR learning application affects learners' level of enjoyment and learning effectiveness. The study followed an experimental/control group design using the type of the application (AR-based, web-based) as independent variable. 64 high school students were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group to learn the basic principles of electromagnetism. The participants' knowledge acquisition was evaluated by comparing pre- and post-tests. The participants' level overall-state perception on flow was measured with the Flow State Scale and their flow states were monitored throughout the learning activity. Finally, participants' perceptions of benefits and difficulties of using the augmented reality application in this study were qualitatively identified. The results showed that the augmented reality approach was more effective in promoting students' knowledge of electromagnetic concepts and phenomena. The analysis also indicated that the augmented reality application led participants to reach higher flow experience levels than those achieved by users of the web-based application. However, not all the factors seem to have influence on learners' flow state, this study found that they were limited to: concentration, distorted sense of time, sense of control, clearer direct feedback, and autotelic experience. A deeper analysis of the flow process showed that neither of the groups reported being in flow in those tasks that were very easy or too difficult. However, for those tasks that were not perceived as difficult and included visualization clues, the experimental group showed higher levels of flow that the control group. The study suggests that augmented reality can be exploited as an effective learning environment for learning the basic principles of electromagnetism at high school provided that learning designers strike a careful balance between AR support and task difficulty.This research has been partially supported by the Spanish project EEE (TIN2011-28308-C03-01, Plan Nacional de I+D+i, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad) and the eMadrid network (S2009/TIC-1650, Comunidad de Madrid).Publicad

Creating Test Questions for 3D Collaborative Virtual Worlds: the WorldOfQuestions Authoring Environment

In this paper we introduce, describe and evaluate WorldOfQuestions, an authoring environment for the creation and delivery of tests in 3D Collaborative Virtual Worlds. This environment is composed of an extended, customized version of the Open Wonderland platform and a form-based editor. Its aim is to make the most of 3D world features, such as immersion and interactivity, when implementing multiple choice, ordering and essay questions enriched with multimedia elements and 3D objects. A group of teaching professionals was asked to work with the environment, in order to evaluate its usefulness and ease of use. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) based framework was used for this evaluation. According to the educators interviewed, the most important aspects to consider regarding the behavioral intention to use the tool were the academic subject being taught, the student profiles, the environment learning curve and the time requirements.This research has been partially supported by the Spanish national projects Learn3 (grant TIN2008-05163/TSI) and EEE (grant TIN2011-28308-C03-01) and the Madrid regional project eMadrid (grant S2009/TIC-1650).publicad