An Approach for Evaluating Web-Based Collaborative Environments

The paper presents a study of Web-based Collaborative Environments (CE) with regard to the type and frequency of the embedded tools. A classification is made by the type of tools most frequently included. A model for evaluating and choosing an appropriate environment in a concrete context is proposed

The-more-it-changes-the-samer-it-gets Principle in the Context of Mathematics and Informatics Education

The paper presents some observations from the authors’ teaching experience with teachers and students in a Logo and a Toon Talk environment. The effect of having different representations of the same notion is explored in the context of some important mathematics and informatics concepts and structures. A comparison is made between using visual (TT-like) and script based programming languages for educational purposes

WebLabs: Virtual collaborative learning experience for researchers, teachers and students

The paper presents experiences from a 3 year international project, WebLabs: New representational infrastructure for e-learning, in which researchers, teachers and young students from UK, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Sweden, Portugal and Italy participated. The project explored innovative pedagogy based on the integration of constructionist learning approach and virtual co-learning. For the purposes of the project a visual programming environment, Toon Talk, and a virtual collaborative system, Wplone, were adopted, and special instruments - webreports - were designed and developed. The experience proved that mathematical and science concepts, usually considered as difficult and unattainable for young children, can be made accessible and meaningful to them, by using different representations as well as group co-learning and reflection

Data Driven User Requirements Specification in the UNITE Project.

The talk describes the process of user requirements specification in the UNITE project. The UNITE system - an integrated system for authoring and delivery of high quality eLearning activities for the secondary school students - consists of three main components: Software Platform, Pedagogical Framework and Learning Scenarios. The unique needs of the UNITE project demand a specification process that is capable to capture not only traditional software related user requirements but also pedagogical and learning scenario requirements, as well. A “data driven”, “bottom-up” approach was chosen as only capable to addressthese specific needs