Designing an e-tutoring system for large classes: mixed-method research

This study aimed at assessing the perceptions of 167 teachers about the tutoring system adopted in an online training course involving teachers from 20 Schools of Sesimbra, Setúbal and Palmela counties. The course, called “Distributed Knowledge with Web 2.0”, was officially certified as a blended learning modality, with the duration of 50 hours, 41 of which occurred online in two editions, the first in February and the second in July of 2012, each one of them involving respectively 82 and 85 teachers, divided in four classes with about 20 trainees each. This blended learning course was designed at producing educational materials in digital format, and included autonomous and group activities, knowledge sharing and reflection. A learning environment, supported by the Ning platform, was set up. At the end of the course, the trainees answered to a pencil and paper survey, in order to evaluate the adopted online tutoring strategy. Additionally the trainees’ final reports contained evidence of how the trainees assessed the tutoring model component of the course; both the survey and the reports were the basis for this research. The results show that the teachers who attended the two course editions disclosed very positive perceptions about online learning, a modality they consider adequate to their current professional status and conditions. The trainees also showed their intention of, in the future, opting for blended training arrangements. Future developments of this study involve a content analysis of the tutor’s posts, in order to understand more accurately the tutor’s messages characteristics, in their social and cognitive dimensions

El español en los Estados Unidos

SANTOS-SOPENA, Óscar O. El español en los Estados Unidos; reseña del libro: Domnita Dumitrescu & Gerardo Piña-Rosales (eds.) (2013). El español en los Estados Unidos: E Pluribus Unum? Enfoques multidisciplinarios. Nueva York: Academia Norteame-ricana de la Lengua Española, 390 páginas

Whalesong

HESS debates student loan bill -- Task force studies ways to slice university budget -- Jones House for daycare facility -- Fellowship: a chance to see the Orient -- Anders nabs Fulbright: selected from field of 400 -- EDITORIAL -- LETTERS -- Message in Perseverance potent today as in 1937 -- Study Center extends benefits to UAJ students -- March ski-a-thon raises 18,000 in pledges -- Basketball season bounces to a finish -- Intramural BB season ends -- Update: House Bill 161 -- Hubbard featured in statewide UA publication -- Dunne busy organizing UAJ Native Club -- Graduates urged to prepare for tremendous change -- In search of the perfect Juneau meal -- What value on human life? -- One of five V.C. finalists visits campus -- Peer advisement: a new concept in helping people -- Artists for Peace to tour USSR this fall -- UAJ's Rosenthal back on tour in Alaska -- Historical/contemporary art on display -- Classified -- UAJ students named to Chancellor's and Dean's lists -- Are the costs of UAJ athletics/activities worth it? -- Benefits of Maharishi Technology discussed at UA

Conhecimento distribuído com a web 2.0: Perceções de docentes em relação a uma ação de formação em regime de blended-learning

Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar as perceções de 86 docentes em relação a uma ação de formação online realizada no contexto de formação contínua de professores, pertencentes a 20 Agrupamentos de Escolas dos concelhos de Sesimbra, Setúbal e Palmela. A ação de formação creditada com o título “Conhecimento Distribuído com a Web 2.0” foi realizada pelo Centro de Formação Ordem de Santiago em regime de blended learning. Foi concebida com o objetivo de criar materiais didáticos em formato digital, para organização e partilha de informação e criação de conhecimento e de autoformação por parte dos docentes. Foi construído um ambiente de aprendizagem suportado na plataforma de comunicação Ning. No fim da ação foi aplicado um questionário de avaliação das diversas dimensões do curso que constituiu a base para o estudo que aqui se apresenta. As dimensões avaliadas foram 1) design da plataforma, 2) estratégias e atividades, 3) conteúdos, 4) materiais, 5) gestão do tempo, 6) tutoria, 7) interação online, 8) atitude em relação ao ensino online e 9) disponibilidade para frequentar o ensino online. Os professores foram ainda indagados acerca do regime utilizado e sobre a possibilidade de voltarem a frequentar ações de formação em regime de blended learning. Os resultados obtidos revelam que os docentes têm perceções bastante positivas sobre a aprendizagem online. A larga maioria dos docentes (82,9%) indicou ainda que no futuro prefere optar por ações de formação em regime de blended learning. Este estudo vai ainda ser desenvolvido no que diz respeito ao conceito de satisfação dos docentes com a formação, relacionando-o com a relevância dos conhecimentos e competências adquiridos para a alteração das práticas profissionais e a visibilidade da atividade dos docentes junto a comunidade escolar

La reutilización del documento fotográfico a través del estudio de la obra de Lewis Carroll: Alicia en el País de las Maravillas y Alicia a través del espejo

Actas de las Cuartas Jornadas Imagen, Cultura y Tecnología celebradas el 4, 5 y 6 de julio de 2005 en la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPublicad

Libro del entendimiento (fragmentos)

Poem

Context storage using NoSQL

With the ubiquity and pervasiveness of mobile computing, together with the increasing number of social networks, end-users have learned to live and share all kinds of information about themselves. As an example, Facebook reports that it has currently 500 million active users, 200 million of which access its services on mobile systems; moreover, users that access Facebook through mobile applications are twice as active as non-mobile users, and it is used by 200 mobile operators in 60 countries [1]. More specific mobile platforms such as Foursquare, which unlike Facebook only collects location information, reports 6.5 million users worldwide, and also has a mobile presence (both with a web application and iPhone / Android applications) [2]. Context- aware architectures intend to explore this increasing number of context information sources and provide richer, targeted services to end-users, while also taking into account arising privacy issues. While multiple context management platform architectures have been devised [3], this paper focuses primarily on Context- Broker-based architectures, such as the ones proposed in the projects Mobilife [4] and C-Cast [5]. More specifically, it focuses on the context management platform XCoA [6]. This platform uses XMPP for its main communication protocol, and publishes context information in a Context-Broker. This context information is provided by Context-Agents, such as mobile terminals, sensor networks and social networks. Due to the nature of the XMPP protocol, the context information is provided in XML form. This paper proposes the usage of a NoSQL storage system for the purpose of context information storage and retrieval in an XMPP broker-based context platform such as XCoA, together with a full-text searching engine. Through a comparison made through prototypes, the paper clearly demonstrates the advantages of NoSQL storage systems applied to the area of Context Management

Need for standardization in scientific illustration

El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar las nociones o conceptos transmitidos habitualmente mediante símbolos en las ciencias de la vida, así como determinar cuáles son las combinaciones de signos más utilizadas actualmente para expresar dichos conceptos y establecer cuáles de ellas se podrían considerar consolidadas por el uso repetido. Con dicho fin, se analizó una muestra de 3894 figuras extraídas de aquellos tratados científicos de carácter generalista que habían sido objeto de préstamo más frecuente en las bibliotecas de las facultades de Medicina, Biología y Veterinaria. Para cada una de las ilustraciones contenidas en ellos se identificaron los diferentes conceptos que habían sido representados mediante símbolos y se organizaron en una tabla. Posteriormente se analizaron para cada uno de estos conceptos los símbolos y recursos gráficos empleados para su representación, determinando las combinaciones más prevalentes. Entre las conclusiones de este estudio cabe destacar la falta de homogeneidad en los símbolos utilizados para expresar un determinado concepto, existiendo notables diferencias entre ellos incluso dentro de un mismo tratado, lo que podría disminuir su efectividad. Por otra parte, también se detectó un uso abusivo de algunos símbolos para representar conceptos muy distintos entre sí, lo que puede conducir a una mayor ambigüedad en su interpretación. Por estas razones se hace aconsejable establecer unas normas en la utilización de símbolos en el dibujo científico.The aim of this study was to identify ideas or concepts usually transmitted through images in the life sciences and also identify the most commonly used combinations of signs to express these concepts and establish which of them might be considered consolidated by continued use. For this purpose, a sample of 3894 figures was analyzed. These images were extracted from the most provided scientific books in the libraries of the faculties of Medicine, Biology and Veterinary. In each illustration different concepts that had been represented by symbols were identified and organized in a table. Then we analyzed for each of these concepts graphic symbols and resources used for their representation and we determining the most prevalent combinations. Later, for each of these concepts we analyzed the symbols and graphic resources used for its representation, and the most prevalent combinations were determined. Among the conclusions of this study include the lack of homogeneity in the symbols used to express a given concept. There are notable differences between them even within a single treaty, which could reduce its effectiveness. Furthermore, overuse of some symbols to represent concepts very different was also detected, which can produce a greater ambiguity in interpretation. For these reasons it is advisable to establish rules on the use of symbols in scientific drawing