elearning_label_learning_and_society
ICERI2013 - Call for papers
ICERI2013, the 6th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, will be held in Seville (Spain) from 18 to 20 November 2013.
A platform to discuss the latest developments in the fields of teaching and learning methodologies, educational projects and new technologies applied to Education and Research, ICERI2013 is inviting authors to submit research papers based on a wide array of topics, which they may present in person during the event or virtually. The submission deadline is July 11th.
Two ISBN publications will be produced with all the accepted abstracts and papers, and all accepted contributions will be included in the IATED Digital Library to form part of its database of innovative projects in Education and Technology.
ICERI2013 Publications will be included in Google Scholar and sent to be reviewed for their inclusion in the ISI Conference Proceedings Citation Index.
More than 700 delegates from 75 different countries are expected to attend ICERI2013 in Seville.
Microsoft Mathematics 4.0
Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 is a free online algebra system with a friendly user interface and a step-by-step equation solver which aims to help students understand the path to a correct answer. Its powerful visualization tools also help to capture students’ imaginations and keep them engaged, allowing their comprehension to rise exponentially.
Mathematics 4.0 can help students understand mathematics, science, and tech-related concepts with powerful, easy-to use tools including a graphing calculator, unit converter, triangle solver, and equation solver.
Step-by-step solutions are provided for each problem, so students can learn problem solving skills fast and easy. An improved Computer Algebra System (CAS) helps teachers share and solve more complex equations and functions. It’s capable of handling many subjects, including pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, physics, and chemistry.
Handwriting recognition is also included, so all students can write out problems by hand.
Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 is part of the Microsoft Partners in Learning free online resources for educators and schools.
8 out of 10 underline benefits of European projects for innovation in the classroom
More than 8 in 10 people involved in an EU-funded initiative aimed at encouraging innovative teaching methods and improved learning materials for children say the scheme had a positive and lasting impact on them. The same proportion also states that it would have been impossible to achieve the same results without European support, according to a new study released by the European Commission.
The “Study of the Impact of Comenius Centralised Actions: Comenius Multilateral Projects and Comenius Multilateral Networks” was conducted for the European Commission by the Greek educational organisation Ellinogermaniki Agogi from December 2010-December 2012. It conducted a survey among participants in 145 projects and networks.
The projects were funded through the EU's Comenius scheme, which supports a range of activities, from school partnerships to teacher training and the eTwinning school network. Part of the Lifelong Learning Programme, which will be succeeded by Erasmus for All from January 2014, Comenius allocates around €13 million a year to support the development of new teaching methods and materials.
The study found that the most positive impact was on individuals directly involved in projects, who said that it broadened their views, increased access to best practice and innovation, and improved their professional skills in ICT, languages and management.
The benefits highlighted most by organisations included the opportunity to develop new links and synergies, both within the institution and with others. Systemic impact through the projects and networks is less strongly felt, but most respondents say it exists, for instance where teacher training modules and content developed within a project or network are integrated into established courses.
"Our aim is to help schools to provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to reach their full potential,” said Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. “The added value of this European initiative is that it exposes teachers and schools to different approaches and expertise, which results in more innovative solutions in the classroom.”
What will schools be like in 2030?
Major changes will take place by 2030 if school education is based on the active participation of the students themselves; the enthusiasm and engagement of digital natives constitute the new milestone for our educative systems.
UK Survey of Academics 2012
The UK Survey of Academics 2012 examines the attitudes and behaviours of academics at higher education institutions across the United Kingdom. Published in May 2013, the objective of the study is to provide the entire sector with timely findings and analysis that help them plan for the future.
The survey, funded and guided by Jisc and Research Libraries UK and conducted by Ithaka S+R, covers a range of areas: from how academics discover and stay abreast of research, to their teaching of undergraduates; how they choose research topics and publication channels, to their views on learned societies and university libraries, and their collections.
The Survey of Academics 2012 confirms that the open web is the first port of call for academics starting research. It also confirms that libraries have an important role to play in both surfacing open content on the web and ensuring open content is accessible through library systems.
Key findings include:
Access limitations – While 86% of respondents report relying on their college or university library collections and subscriptions, 49% indicated that they would often like to use journal articles that are not in those collections.
Use of open resources - If researchers can’t find the resources or information they need through their university library, 90% of respondents often or occasionally look online for a freely available version.
The Internet as starting point – 40% of researchers surveyed said that when beginning a project they start by searching the Internet for relevant materials, with only 2% visiting the physical library as a first port of call.
Following one’s peers – The findings suggest that the majority of researchers track the work of colleagues and leading researchers as a way of keeping up to date with developments in their field.
Emergence of e-publications – The findings show that e-journals have largely replaced physical usage for research, but that contrasting views exist on replacement of print by e-publications, where print still holds importance within the Humanities and Social Sciences and for in-depth reading in general.
Broadcast Yourself! Internet and playful media practices
The paper “Broadcast Yourself! Internet and playful media practices” (2007) presents a work- in-progress research about video self production on the Internet that is part of a broader research project which explores the ways current media practices convey a 'playful' relationship with digital technologies in popular culture.
The increasing relevance of video on the Internet as a cultural phenomenon can be traced through a set of related practices around viewing, searching, producing, mixing, sharing and distributing short video productions - generally of low technical quality through web sites of enormous popularity like YouTube, Revver or Blip TV.
These practices allow us to understand media consumption from a transformative point of view that, allegedly, breaks down the division between production and consumption of cultural products redefining the role of the audience.
The research of Gemma San Cornelio, Ruth Pagès, Elisenda Ardèvol and Antoni Roig, from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), tries to demonstrate that in many of these self productions, play has a crucial role in shaping the relationship between its producers, their audiovisual products and their expected audiences.
Networked Learning: Call for papers
The Networked Learning in Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Professional Development Conference, which will take place at the University of Edinburgh, 7-9 April 2014, is now accepting paper submissions.
The 9th Edition of this international conference will provide a place for researchers and practitioners involved in network learning to meet and exhange ideas. Keynote Speakers will include Professor Neil Selwyn & Professor Steve Fuller. All submissions will be peer reviewed, and accepted papers published in conference proceedings.
Further details on submission at:
http://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/call/themes.htm
Full Conference Details can be found at: http://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/
French children and parents: internet use and perception survey results
“Children and parents: internet use and perception” is a study carried out in January 2013 in France to analyse the perception, sometimes divergent, of parents and children about the use of Internet.
Commissioned by the Institut Français d'Opinion Publique (IFOP) to RSA on the occasion of the Safer Internet Day 2013, celebrated on 5 February, the study counted with the participation of 403 young people aged 11 to 17 and 402 parents.
The survey focused on five main areas: context of Internet use by children, perceived level of safety on the Internet, Internet behaviour, perceptions and attitudes on social networks, experiences of children and their rights on the Internet.
The EUROCALL Review
"The EUROCALL Review" is a biannual online magazine published by the European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL), a network of language teaching professionals.
Edited by EUROCALL's President, Ana Gimeno, member of the Department of Applied Linguistics, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), the publication includes regular section offering information about Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) issues, upcoming events, special interest groups (SIGs), on-going projects, recommended websites, reports and good practice examples in language learning, among other subjects.
EUROCALL aims to:
- promote the use of foreign languages within Europe
- provide a European focus for the promulgation of innovative research, development and practice relating to the use of technologies for language learning
- enhance the quality, dissemination and efficiency of CALL materials
- support Special Interest Groups
OCW Universidad de Alicante
The OpenCourseWare programme of the University of Alicante (Spain) offers more than 350 free and open courses, making it one of the top contributors in Spanish to the international OpenCourseWare Consortium.
Hundreds of teachers have already participated in the OCW-UA project since its creation in 2007 as one of the major initiatives from the University to allow the promotion of open knowledge, improve the quality of teaching materials and increase their distribution.
In 2011 the University of Alicante was awarded with the Landmark Site for OpenCourseWare Excellence for its materials and innovations, including integration with institutional repositories, export-to-wiki functionality and search and discoverability tools.