Multimedia Games for Fun and Learning English in Preschool

Based on the assumption that educational software addressing Primary school learners must comprise a set of features to encourage children’s creativity and development, the appropriate design of second language hypermedia adaptive games for Primary School children can pose a wide range of challenges for both the language teacher and computer specialist alike. Factors such as the educational context, cognitive abilities, linguistic constraints, conceptual and psychomotor restrictions, and so on, contribute to challenging professionals with linguistic, content and technology adaptation queries to be coped with. Based on the results from multi-factorial analysis, this paper aims firstly to demonstrate that the design of hypermedia tasks can be optimally implemented by following previous phases of data collection on preferred items, questioning approach for the creation of a hypermedia system which has led us to analyze learning factors in order to deal with the possible linguistic, conceptual and technological demands in the children’s learning environment. General results in the preliminary phases of the study indicate the need to veer the path towards a more adapted means of communicating with children, findings from which we have devised a set of hypermedia tasks which provide the adaptation of the information presented to the student according to individual objectives, interests and/or knowledge

A Parallel Meta-Heuristic Approach to Reduce Vehicle Travel Time in Smart Cities

The development of the smart city concept and inhabitants’ need to reduce travel time, in addition to society’s awareness of the importance of reducing fuel consumption and respecting the environment, have led to a new approach to the classic travelling salesman problem (TSP) applied to urban environments. This problem can be formulated as “Given a list of geographic points and the distances between each pair of points, what is the shortest possible route that visits each point and returns to the departure point?”. At present, with the development of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and increased capabilities of sensors, a large amount of data and measurements are available, allowing researchers to model accurately the routes to choose. In this work, the aim is to provide a solution to the TSP in smart city environments using a modified version of the metaheuristic optimization algorithm Teacher Learner Based Optimization (TLBO). In addition, to improve performance, the solution is implemented by means of a parallel graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture, specifically a Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) implementation.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Research State Agency under Grant RTI2018-098156-B-C54 co-financed by FEDER funds, and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Grant TIN2017-89266-R, co-financed by FEDER funds

¿Pueden los cuidados verdes mejorar el compromiso con un estilo saludable en personas con patología crónica?

[Resumen] En el año 2011 Louv acuñó la expresión “ Cuidados Verdes “ para referirse a la actividad física en entornos naturales prescrita por un sanitario y con finalidades terapéuticas.Su eficacia ha sido demostrada en diversas plantas de hospitalización, en entornos laborales y en la comunidad con enfermos mentales, obteniéndose mejoras de salud significativas directamente vinculadas a una disminución del estrés y un aumento de la autoestima, frente a quienes realizaron el mismo nivel de actividad en entornos urbanos o dentro de instalaciones deportivas. Estos hallazgos sugieren la posibilidad de utilizarlos para promover un cuidado salutógenico en personas con patología crónica. Metodología: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado controlado realizado a doble ciego en una muestra de personas con patología crónica de la comarca de Ferrol, de conformidad con las recomendaciones CONSORT para ensayos clínicos. Resultados Esperados: Se espera evidenciar que los cuidados verdes tienen potencial para mejorar el compromiso con un estilo de vida más saludable en personas con patología crónica.Traballo fin de grao (UDC.FEP). Enfermarí

Influencia del número de llaves en la resistencia a cortante de juntas secas postensadas

La resistencia a cortante en las juntas secas es una parte importante del diseño de estructuras de dovelas postensadas. Sin embargo, la formulación de las distintas normativas no se ajusta al comportamiento de las juntas con llaves múltiples. En este trabajo se analiza el comportamiento en fractura de las juntas secas con llaves bajo solicitaciones de cortante, centrándose en la influencia del número de llaves en la resistencia de la junta y la tensión tangencial media. Para ello, se modeliza en elementos finitos cuatro tipos de junta, de una a siete llaves. Los resultados muestran que la tensión tangencial media transferida por la junta disminuye al aumentar el número de llaves, siendo este efecto menor conforme aumenta la tensión de compresión actuante en la junta. En este trabajo se presenta una fórmula de ajuste de los resultados numéricos obtenidos incluyendo un factor que considera la dependencia del número de llaves.The shear strength of dry joints plays an important role in the design of prestressed segmental structures. However, the formulations of different design codes do not conform to the behavior of multiple-keyed joints. This paper ana - lyzes the fracture behavior of dry keyed joints under shear loading, focusing on the influence of the number of keys on the joint capacity and its average shear stress. It has been developed a finite element model of four different types of joints, with a number of keys varying between one and seven. The results show that the average shear stress transferred across the joint decreases with the number of keys but this effect is less appreciated as the prestressing stress increases. In this paper it is presented a formula of adjustment of the obtained numerical results including a factor with the dependence on the number of keys

Settings-Free Hybrid Metaheuristic General Optimization Methods

Several population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithms have been proposed in the last decades, none of which are able either to outperform all existing algorithms or to solve all optimization problems according to the No Free Lunch (NFL) theorem. Many of these algorithms behave effectively, under a correct setting of the control parameter(s), when solving different engineering problems. The optimization behavior of these algorithms is boosted by applying various strategies, which include the hybridization technique and the use of chaotic maps instead of the pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs). The hybrid algorithms are suitable for a large number of engineering applications in which they behave more effectively than the thoroughbred optimization algorithms. However, they increase the difficulty of correctly setting control parameters, and sometimes they are designed to solve particular problems. This paper presents three hybridizations dubbed HYBPOP, HYBSUBPOP, and HYBIND of up to seven algorithms free of control parameters. Each hybrid proposal uses a different strategy to switch the algorithm charged with generating each new individual. These algorithms are Jaya, sine cosine algorithm (SCA), Rao’s algorithms, teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO), and chaotic Jaya. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms perform better than the original algorithms, which implies the optimal use of these algorithms according to the problem to be solved. One more advantage of the hybrid algorithms is that no prior process of control parameter tuning is needed.This research and APC was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Research State Agency under Grant RTI2018-098156-B-C54 co-financed by FEDER funds, and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Grant TIN2017-89266-R, co-financed by FEDER funds

Estrategia para elevar la calidad de la labor educativa que desarrollan los docentes de la IED. Nueva Esperanza, basada en la aplicación de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación

El Proyecto abordo las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (NTICs) desde la interdisciplinariedad involucrando los valores, actitudes y aptitudes de los docentes frente al proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, teniendo en cuenta el punto de vista cognitivo y aplicando su conocimiento en las diferentes áreas e involucrándolas en la sala de informática para mostrarles a los estudiantes que sus temas pueden ser aplicados en su vida diaria con ayuda de los computadores, aplicaciones didácticas y programas enfocados a las diferentes temáticas de la educación y el conocimiento, incorporándolas al Proyecto Educativo Institucional (PEI) , Plan de Estudios Institucional y el Currículo.The project addresses the new technologies of Information and Communication (NICT) from interdisciplinarity involving values, attitudes and skills of teachers in front of the teaching-learning process, taking into account the cognitive point of view and applying their knowledge in different areas and involved in the computer room to show students that their themes can be applied in their daily lives with the help of computers, applications and educational programs tailored to the different areas of education and knowledge, incorporating the Education Project Institucional (PEI), Curriculum and Institutional Curriculu

Multipopulation-based multi-level parallel enhanced Jaya algorithms

To solve optimization problems, in the field of engineering optimization, an optimal value of a specific function must be found, in a limited time, within a constrained or unconstrained domain. Metaheuristic methods are useful for a wide range of scientific and engineering applications, which accelerate being able to achieve optimal or near-optimal solutions. The metaheuristic method called Jaya has generated growing interest because of its simplicity and efficiency. We present Jaya-based parallel algorithms to efficiently exploit cluster computing platforms (heterogeneous memory platforms). We propose a multi-level parallel algorithm, in which, to exploit distributed-memory architectures (or multiprocessors), the outermost layer of the Jaya algorithm is parallelized. Moreover, in internal layers, we exploit shared-memory architectures (or multicores) by adding two more levels of parallelization. This two-level internal parallel algorithm is based on both a multipopulation structure and an improved heuristic search path relative to the search path of the sequential algorithm. The multi-level parallel algorithm obtains average efficiency values of 84% using up to 120 and 135 processes, and slightly accelerates the convergence with respect to the sequential Jaya algorithm.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Grant TIN2015-66972-C5-4-R and Grant TIN2017-89266-R, co-financed by FEDER funds (MINECO/FEDER/UE)

Design and assessment of adaptative hypermdia games for English acquisition in preschool

La creciente popularidad de los juegos hipermedia llega mucho más allá de los límites del entretenimiento e interfieren en muchos ámbitos educativos. El crecimiento de las tecnologías de juegos ha creado nuevos entornos de enseñanza a través de propuestas que combinan el aprendizaje con la diversión y motivan las expectativas que hacen que el uso de juegos digitales sea una tendencia relevante en situaciones de aprendizaje versátil en todos los niveles educativos. Sobre la base de la aplicación de la Shaiex, financiado por el gobierno de Extremadura (España) y desarrollado por el grupo de investigación GexCALL, el objetivo del presente trabajo es doble. En primer lugar, se analizan los pasos y requisitos para el diseño de juegos adaptables para la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera en el nivel preescolar. Explorar las premisas generales para la tarea de adaptación al personalizar el contenido a las necesidades de los niños y sus habilidades, la ejecución del diseño completo se describe en función de su aplicabilidad. En segundo lugar, una evaluación de la adaptación juegos diseñados es realizada, basada en el supuesto de que la selección de experiencias digitales apropiadas al desarrollo para satisfacer las expectativas de los usuarios y maximizar su potencial de aprendizaje deben someterse a una evaluación cuidadosa.The increasing popularity of hypermedia games is reaching far beyond the boundaries of entertainment and edging its way into many educational domains. The growth in game technologies has created new teaching environments through proposals combining learning with fun and motivating expectations which make the use of digital games a relevant trend in versatile learning situations at all educational levels. Based on the implementation of the Shaiex project, funded by the government of Extremadura (Spain) and develop by the research group GexCALL, the aim of this paper is twofold. First, it analyses the steps and requirements for the design of adaptive games for the teaching of English as a foreign language at the preschool level. Exploring the general premises for task adaptation by personalizing content to children’s needs and abilities, the implementation of the whole design is described in light of its applicability. Second, an assessment of the adaptive games designed is conducted, based on the assumption that selecting developmentally appropriate digital experiences to meet users’ expectations and to maximize their learning potential should undergo careful evaluation.peerReviewednotPeerReviewe

Language learning through handheld gaming: a case study of an English course with engineering students

El siglo XXI es la generación de Digital Game-Based Learning, una generación que creció con las tecnologías y contribuyendo a la prevalencia de los juegos digitales [Chuang et al., 10]. Así, el uso de consolas portátiles (Nintendo DS o SONY PSP) para el entretenimiento en todas las edades ha aumentado dramáticamente, al igual que la disponibilidad de los juegos que satisfagan necesidades específicas, las necesidades o preferencias de los usuarios. Aunque este campo de aplicaciones no está exenta de limitaciones, tales como la conectividad, la facilidad de uso y limitaciones técnicas [Moisés, 08; Hussain y Adeeb, 09], el aprendizaje móvil está ahora en el programa a todos los niveles de la educación [Cheon et al., 12; Frohberg et al., 2009; Suki y Suki, 07]. En este estudio analizamos cómo Nintendo utiliza tecnología móvil para enseñar vocabulario, gramática, pronunciación, escritura y habilidades de escucha puede ayudar a mejorar el entorno de aprendizaje y los resultados en inglés para estudiantes de ingeniería. La doble investigación apunta a (1) evaluar la satisfacción del estudiante con la tecnología móvil y (2) medir el aprendizaje del estudiante con Nintendo DS. A la luz de estas hipótesis, los resultados muestran cómo la introducción de dispositivos móviles puede aumentar el interés de los alumnos y la motivación en el proceso de aprendizaje, fomentar la integración de actividades y aumentar el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes.The 21st century is the generation of Digital Game-Based Learning, a generation growing up with technologies and contributing to the prevalence of digital games [Chuang et al., 10]. Thus, the use of mobile consoles (Nintendo DS or SONY PSP) for entertainment at all ages has increased dramatically, as has the availability of games that meet specific needs, requirements or users preferences. Though this field of applications is not exempt from constraints such as connectivity, usability and technical limitations [Moses, 08; Hussain and Adeeb, 09], mobile learning is now on the agenda at all levels of education [Cheon et al., 12; Frohberg et al., 09; Suki and Suki, 07]. In this study we analyze how Nintendo mobile technology used to teach vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, writing and listening skills can help to improve the learning environment and the results in English for Engineering students. The two-fold investigation aims to (1) evaluate the student’s satisfaction with mobile technology and (2) measure student learning with Nintendo DS. In the light of these hypotheses, the results show how the introduction of mobile devices can increase students’ interest and motivation in the learning process, fostering the integration of activities and increasing the academic performance of students.peerReviewe