Author: Miquel Àngel Prats i Fernández
Education and new technologies are always controversial. Beyond the mere introduction of Information Technology in schools, the fundamental debate is to find a way to innovate our methodology and transform our education in a way in which it reflects the world around us.
Communicative competence involves more than just grammar and vocabulary knowledge. It has four components: linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence. Linguistic competence involves word and sentence formation skills. Sociolinguistic competence involves appropriate language use for settings, topics, and expressing attitudes. Discourse competence involves combining language into conversations and texts. Strategic competence involves understanding misunderstandings and expressing ideas without perfect knowledge. Models of communicative competence include linguistic, sociolinguistic, and strategic dimensions.
We now use more information in our day-to-day life than before. The volume of information available through radio, television, internet, books, newspapers, and magazines has enlarged manifold, both in developed and developing countries. Increased flows of information between parties, individuals as well as organizations, have made interactions information-intensive. The unprecedented advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed societies in both developed and developing countries in ways that were unimaginable not so long ago. The way we conduct our personal lives, the way we build and maintain interpersonal relationships, and the way we engage in production and distribution activities have undergone changes that have long-run implications for the society in general and for the economy in particular.
This document provides an overview of robotics, including its history, types, main parts, and applications. It discusses how robotics began as a way to replace human labor and has evolved. The main types of robots covered are wheeled, swimming, aerial, and humanoid robots. The key parts that enable robots include control systems, sensors, manipulators, end-effectors, and actuators. Applications highlighted are industrial robotics, military robotics, and medical robotics. In industry, robots are used for tasks like pick and place, welding, and assembly. They are also used in dangerous situations like bomb detection and exploration. In medicine, applications include surgery, training, and telesurgery.
Voice morphing is a technique that modifies a source speaker's speech to sound like it was spoken by a target speaker. It works by analyzing the source speech into an excitation signal and filter components, then resynthesizing it with the pitch and vocal characteristics of the target speaker. The key steps are detecting the pitches of the source and target speakers, scaling the source pitch to match the target, then resynthesizing the source speech using the target's vocal filter characteristics and the pitch-scaled excitation signal. Voice morphing was developed in 1999 and has applications in text-to-speech, dubbing, voice disguising, and public announcement systems.
Content-Based Instruction:Teaching Methods and StrategiesLara Mae Ebora
Content-based instruction focuses on teaching language through academic content. It uses three main methods: grammar-translation which focuses on rules and translation; direct method which uses only the target language; and audio-lingual which drills grammar through memorization without explicit instruction. Content-based instruction also uses learning activities to improve language skills, build vocabulary, develop discourse skills, and foster communication and study strategies. It aims to develop both declarative knowledge of content and procedural language knowledge as a tool for learning, as well as teaching learning strategies to promote learner autonomy.
Teaching approach: Communicative language method
Compiled by:
Asamaporn Sukket
Arisara Sawathasuk
Pawarit Pingmuang
Faculty of Education
Chiang Mai University
Communicative competence involves more than just grammar and vocabulary knowledge. It has four components: linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence. Linguistic competence involves word and sentence formation skills. Sociolinguistic competence involves appropriate language use for settings, topics, and expressing attitudes. Discourse competence involves combining language into conversations and texts. Strategic competence involves understanding misunderstandings and expressing ideas without perfect knowledge. Models of communicative competence include linguistic, sociolinguistic, and strategic dimensions.
We now use more information in our day-to-day life than before. The volume of information available through radio, television, internet, books, newspapers, and magazines has enlarged manifold, both in developed and developing countries. Increased flows of information between parties, individuals as well as organizations, have made interactions information-intensive. The unprecedented advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed societies in both developed and developing countries in ways that were unimaginable not so long ago. The way we conduct our personal lives, the way we build and maintain interpersonal relationships, and the way we engage in production and distribution activities have undergone changes that have long-run implications for the society in general and for the economy in particular.
This document provides an overview of robotics, including its history, types, main parts, and applications. It discusses how robotics began as a way to replace human labor and has evolved. The main types of robots covered are wheeled, swimming, aerial, and humanoid robots. The key parts that enable robots include control systems, sensors, manipulators, end-effectors, and actuators. Applications highlighted are industrial robotics, military robotics, and medical robotics. In industry, robots are used for tasks like pick and place, welding, and assembly. They are also used in dangerous situations like bomb detection and exploration. In medicine, applications include surgery, training, and telesurgery.
Voice morphing is a technique that modifies a source speaker's speech to sound like it was spoken by a target speaker. It works by analyzing the source speech into an excitation signal and filter components, then resynthesizing it with the pitch and vocal characteristics of the target speaker. The key steps are detecting the pitches of the source and target speakers, scaling the source pitch to match the target, then resynthesizing the source speech using the target's vocal filter characteristics and the pitch-scaled excitation signal. Voice morphing was developed in 1999 and has applications in text-to-speech, dubbing, voice disguising, and public announcement systems.
Content-Based Instruction:Teaching Methods and StrategiesLara Mae Ebora
Content-based instruction focuses on teaching language through academic content. It uses three main methods: grammar-translation which focuses on rules and translation; direct method which uses only the target language; and audio-lingual which drills grammar through memorization without explicit instruction. Content-based instruction also uses learning activities to improve language skills, build vocabulary, develop discourse skills, and foster communication and study strategies. It aims to develop both declarative knowledge of content and procedural language knowledge as a tool for learning, as well as teaching learning strategies to promote learner autonomy.
Teaching approach: Communicative language method
Compiled by:
Asamaporn Sukket
Arisara Sawathasuk
Pawarit Pingmuang
Faculty of Education
Chiang Mai University
Innovation, informational literacy and lifelong learning: creating a new cultureeLearning Papers
This article reflects on the impact of informational innovations and their interdependence with lifelong learning. Today, the object of knowledge and learning is increasingly based on digital information, which means we need to make serious efforts to construct a new culture of lifelong learning.
Author: Ana Isabel Ruiz López
The education of people with visual impairment in Spain hinges on the fact that students are mainstreamed in schools chosen either by the students themselves or their families. The introduction of digital technologies in schools poses a new challenge for visually impaired students.
Net4voice: new technologies for voice-converting in barrier-free learning env...eLearning Papers
Authors:Elena Luppi, Raffaella Primiani, Carla Raffaelli, Daniela Tibaldi, Ivan Traina, Anna Violi.
The Net4Voice project aims to increase the quality of learning opportunities promoting the adoption of barrier-free learning environments and the development of innovative methodologies which use speech recognition (SR) technologies.
The Geoscience Concept Inventory WebCenter provides new means for student ass...eLearning Papers
Authors: Emily M. Geraghty Ward, Julie C. Libarkin, Director, Stuart Raeburn, Gerd Kortemeyer.
Faculty adopt information and communication technologies (ICT) with the assumption that they enhance student learning. In the geosciences, new curricula employ tools such as Google Earth to aid in the interpretation of three-dimensional landscapes and the processes that create them.
This special printed edition is a collection of five selected articles published during 2007/08 in the digital eLearning Papers. The editorial board has considered these articles of special interest to readers, and wishes to contribute with this initiative to the diffusion of knowledge and good practices in eLearning.
The challenge of quality in peer-produced eLearning contenteLearning Papers
The document discusses the challenge of ensuring quality in peer-produced eLearning content. It notes that peer production is becoming an important method for creating eLearning content, but the decentralized nature can undermine quality if not properly managed. The document introduces the QualityScape method developed by the European QMPP project as an important approach for assuring quality of peer-produced eLearning content. QualityScape views quality as the result of the interplay between peer production and peer validation processes, taking a holistic approach to enabling effective peer content creation while maintaining standards.
From Open Educational Resources to Open Educational PracticeseLearning Papers
Author: Ulf-Daniel Ehlers
Although open educational resources (OER) are high on the agenda of social and inclusion policies and supported by many stakeholders, their use in higher education (HE) and adult education (AE) has not yet reached the critical threshold.
From cheating to teaching: a path for conversion of illegal gambling machineseLearning Papers
Authors: Juarez Bento da Silva, Gustavo Ribeiro Alves, João Bosco da Mota Alves
Video poker machines, a former symbol of fraud and gambling in Brazil, are now being converted into computer-based educational tools for Brazilian public primary schools and also for governmental and non-governmental institutions dealing with communities of poverty and social exclusion, in an attempt to reduce poverty risks (decrease money spent on gambling) and promote social inclusion (increase access and motivation to education).
The school needs, more than ever before, to make it possible to prepare workers with a new education to carry out their activities adjusted to the new times. In order to implement a new education, it is imperative that we begin to identify the human skills necessary for 21st century work and to adjust our obsolete education system to form citizens better equipped for a reality that is different from the industrial age that is coming to an end and still prevails at the moment.
This document provides an outline for a paper on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on education. The 9-point outline includes: an introduction to ICTs; the definition and history of developments in ICTs; the importance of information and communication in society; the economic, political, cultural, and social impacts of ICTs; how ICTs influence and will influence education in the future; a conclusion; bibliography; and websites consulted. The document aims to analyze how applying new technologies can improve student learning and the future of education.
The post-industrial society was born after the 1970s. There was a type of society that was no longer based on agricultural production, nor on industry, but on the production of information, services, symbols (semiotics) and aesthetics. The post-industrial society comes from a set of situations brought about by the advent of industry, such as increasing the average life of the population, technological development, the diffusion of schooling and the diffusion of the media. Post-industrial society differs greatly from industrial society, and this is clearly seen in the service sector, which today accounts for about 60% of the total labor force, rather than industry and agriculture combined, since intellectual work is very more frequent than manual work and creativity, more important than the simple execution of tasks.
The document discusses innovation, technology, inclusion, and how social development, economic recovery, demography, and migration are related. It proposes an open knowledge society as a new model for the future European Union. Open structures form the basis for creativity, innovation, and knowledge development. The document also discusses commons and anticommons models of resource distribution, and how open knowledge, open society, and open technology can help share resources more efficiently.
Here is a tabular summary of the positive and negative effects of using Facebook based on the passage:
Positive Effects of Using Facebook | Negative Effects of Using Facebook
- Stay connected with friends and family | - Waste of time surfing newsfeed
- Share life updates and photos | - Privacy and data security issues
- Plan events and gatherings | - Spread of misinformation
- Explore interests through groups | - Negative social comparisons
- Market businesses and brands | - Addiction and withdrawal symptoms
- Learn about new products and services | - Mental health impacts like depression
- Build professional networks | - Cyberbullying and online harassment
The document discusses the rise of new media technologies and their impact on society. It notes that people now spend much of their time immersed in media through activities like social networking. The 21st century has become the digital age as technologies like smartphones and the internet increasingly reshape daily life. This represents a shift from older analog media to new digital, networked media where content across different formats converges.
This document discusses the evolution of media from prehistoric times to the modern digital age. It describes four ages: 1) Pre-Industrial Age where communication methods included cave paintings, clay tablets, and papyrus. 2) Industrial Age brought printing presses and the telegraph. 3) Electronic Age saw the development of radio, TV, and early computers. 4) Information Age is driven by the Internet and digital technologies, including smartphones, social media, and wireless connectivity between devices (the Internet of Things). The document also outlines the roles of media in a democratic society such as being a channel of communication, watchdog, resource center, and advocate.
The document discusses theories about how information and communication technologies (ICTs) may be transforming contemporary society. It outlines key theorists from the 1960s-1980s who proposed that ICTs could spark a new post-industrial information society. The document also examines the rhetoric around ICTs driving a revolution comparable to the industrial revolution. Finally, it analyzes the UK government's response to the emerging information society through various policy initiatives aimed at developing e-government, reducing digital exclusion, and positioning the country as a leader in e-commerce.
The document discusses how technological change, particularly the rise of the information society, impacts government policy and the welfare state. It explores how societies have shifted from industrial to post-industrial or information-based economies. It also analyzes the implications of technological change for issues like employment, inequality, and the role of the government and welfare state in providing services and support. Competing visions are discussed, like Finland's model of an information-based welfare state with investments in education and technology innovation.
Societies have progressed through three phases - Society 1.0 focused on preparing workers for industrial/bureaucratic jobs through standardized education in schools. Society 2.0 emerged in the 20th century due to technological advances enabling knowledge sharing and user-generated content. Society 3.0 is envisioned as a future where learning occurs everywhere through peer and technology-enabled interactions in a digital world.
The document discusses the role and impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education. It outlines how ICTs have developed throughout history, from early forms like writing and printing to modern technologies like the internet, smartphones, and social media. The document also examines the economic, political, cultural, social, and psychological impacts of ICTs on society. Finally, it explores how ICTs are changing education, enabling new forms like distance learning, and discusses how teachers must adapt to effectively incorporate new technologies into the classroom.
Communication Revolutions change Civilizations: What to expect from the curre...Žiga Turk
This document discusses the impact of the current electronic communication revolution, which is the second major communication revolution. The first was the widespread availability and use of paper. Some key points:
- Electronic communication is now available to masses, changing society's very fabric as communication shapes society.
- It empowers people by amplifying their potential and opening opportunities for innovation, creativity, and participation in politics and governance.
- Societies must adapt policies to make the most of people's skills and contributions outside of traditional institutions like companies, universities, and government.
- Researchers and teachers working with new communication technologies play a key role in empowering others with these tools.
Castells, the impact of the internet on society a global perspectiveGiuliano Tavaroli
This document is an introduction written by Manuel Castells to his essay on the impact of the Internet on society from a global perspective. It provides background on Castells and discusses how the Internet has grown from 40 million users in 1996 to over 2.5 billion users in 2013. It also notes that 95% of all information is now digitized and accessible online. The introduction aims to assess the effects of the Internet by summarizing key research findings, using data from studies conducted around the world. It argues that technology is shaped by social and cultural forces, so the Internet's impact must be understood in the context of the new "network society" and "culture of autonomy" it enables.
Innovation, informational literacy and lifelong learning: creating a new cultureeLearning Papers
This article reflects on the impact of informational innovations and their interdependence with lifelong learning. Today, the object of knowledge and learning is increasingly based on digital information, which means we need to make serious efforts to construct a new culture of lifelong learning.
Author: Ana Isabel Ruiz López
The education of people with visual impairment in Spain hinges on the fact that students are mainstreamed in schools chosen either by the students themselves or their families. The introduction of digital technologies in schools poses a new challenge for visually impaired students.
Net4voice: new technologies for voice-converting in barrier-free learning env...eLearning Papers
Authors:Elena Luppi, Raffaella Primiani, Carla Raffaelli, Daniela Tibaldi, Ivan Traina, Anna Violi.
The Net4Voice project aims to increase the quality of learning opportunities promoting the adoption of barrier-free learning environments and the development of innovative methodologies which use speech recognition (SR) technologies.
The Geoscience Concept Inventory WebCenter provides new means for student ass...eLearning Papers
Authors: Emily M. Geraghty Ward, Julie C. Libarkin, Director, Stuart Raeburn, Gerd Kortemeyer.
Faculty adopt information and communication technologies (ICT) with the assumption that they enhance student learning. In the geosciences, new curricula employ tools such as Google Earth to aid in the interpretation of three-dimensional landscapes and the processes that create them.
This special printed edition is a collection of five selected articles published during 2007/08 in the digital eLearning Papers. The editorial board has considered these articles of special interest to readers, and wishes to contribute with this initiative to the diffusion of knowledge and good practices in eLearning.
The challenge of quality in peer-produced eLearning contenteLearning Papers
The document discusses the challenge of ensuring quality in peer-produced eLearning content. It notes that peer production is becoming an important method for creating eLearning content, but the decentralized nature can undermine quality if not properly managed. The document introduces the QualityScape method developed by the European QMPP project as an important approach for assuring quality of peer-produced eLearning content. QualityScape views quality as the result of the interplay between peer production and peer validation processes, taking a holistic approach to enabling effective peer content creation while maintaining standards.
From Open Educational Resources to Open Educational PracticeseLearning Papers
Author: Ulf-Daniel Ehlers
Although open educational resources (OER) are high on the agenda of social and inclusion policies and supported by many stakeholders, their use in higher education (HE) and adult education (AE) has not yet reached the critical threshold.
From cheating to teaching: a path for conversion of illegal gambling machineseLearning Papers
Authors: Juarez Bento da Silva, Gustavo Ribeiro Alves, João Bosco da Mota Alves
Video poker machines, a former symbol of fraud and gambling in Brazil, are now being converted into computer-based educational tools for Brazilian public primary schools and also for governmental and non-governmental institutions dealing with communities of poverty and social exclusion, in an attempt to reduce poverty risks (decrease money spent on gambling) and promote social inclusion (increase access and motivation to education).
The school needs, more than ever before, to make it possible to prepare workers with a new education to carry out their activities adjusted to the new times. In order to implement a new education, it is imperative that we begin to identify the human skills necessary for 21st century work and to adjust our obsolete education system to form citizens better equipped for a reality that is different from the industrial age that is coming to an end and still prevails at the moment.
This document provides an outline for a paper on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on education. The 9-point outline includes: an introduction to ICTs; the definition and history of developments in ICTs; the importance of information and communication in society; the economic, political, cultural, and social impacts of ICTs; how ICTs influence and will influence education in the future; a conclusion; bibliography; and websites consulted. The document aims to analyze how applying new technologies can improve student learning and the future of education.
The post-industrial society was born after the 1970s. There was a type of society that was no longer based on agricultural production, nor on industry, but on the production of information, services, symbols (semiotics) and aesthetics. The post-industrial society comes from a set of situations brought about by the advent of industry, such as increasing the average life of the population, technological development, the diffusion of schooling and the diffusion of the media. Post-industrial society differs greatly from industrial society, and this is clearly seen in the service sector, which today accounts for about 60% of the total labor force, rather than industry and agriculture combined, since intellectual work is very more frequent than manual work and creativity, more important than the simple execution of tasks.
The document discusses innovation, technology, inclusion, and how social development, economic recovery, demography, and migration are related. It proposes an open knowledge society as a new model for the future European Union. Open structures form the basis for creativity, innovation, and knowledge development. The document also discusses commons and anticommons models of resource distribution, and how open knowledge, open society, and open technology can help share resources more efficiently.
Here is a tabular summary of the positive and negative effects of using Facebook based on the passage:
Positive Effects of Using Facebook | Negative Effects of Using Facebook
- Stay connected with friends and family | - Waste of time surfing newsfeed
- Share life updates and photos | - Privacy and data security issues
- Plan events and gatherings | - Spread of misinformation
- Explore interests through groups | - Negative social comparisons
- Market businesses and brands | - Addiction and withdrawal symptoms
- Learn about new products and services | - Mental health impacts like depression
- Build professional networks | - Cyberbullying and online harassment
The document discusses the rise of new media technologies and their impact on society. It notes that people now spend much of their time immersed in media through activities like social networking. The 21st century has become the digital age as technologies like smartphones and the internet increasingly reshape daily life. This represents a shift from older analog media to new digital, networked media where content across different formats converges.
This document discusses the evolution of media from prehistoric times to the modern digital age. It describes four ages: 1) Pre-Industrial Age where communication methods included cave paintings, clay tablets, and papyrus. 2) Industrial Age brought printing presses and the telegraph. 3) Electronic Age saw the development of radio, TV, and early computers. 4) Information Age is driven by the Internet and digital technologies, including smartphones, social media, and wireless connectivity between devices (the Internet of Things). The document also outlines the roles of media in a democratic society such as being a channel of communication, watchdog, resource center, and advocate.
The document discusses theories about how information and communication technologies (ICTs) may be transforming contemporary society. It outlines key theorists from the 1960s-1980s who proposed that ICTs could spark a new post-industrial information society. The document also examines the rhetoric around ICTs driving a revolution comparable to the industrial revolution. Finally, it analyzes the UK government's response to the emerging information society through various policy initiatives aimed at developing e-government, reducing digital exclusion, and positioning the country as a leader in e-commerce.
The document discusses how technological change, particularly the rise of the information society, impacts government policy and the welfare state. It explores how societies have shifted from industrial to post-industrial or information-based economies. It also analyzes the implications of technological change for issues like employment, inequality, and the role of the government and welfare state in providing services and support. Competing visions are discussed, like Finland's model of an information-based welfare state with investments in education and technology innovation.
Societies have progressed through three phases - Society 1.0 focused on preparing workers for industrial/bureaucratic jobs through standardized education in schools. Society 2.0 emerged in the 20th century due to technological advances enabling knowledge sharing and user-generated content. Society 3.0 is envisioned as a future where learning occurs everywhere through peer and technology-enabled interactions in a digital world.
The document discusses the role and impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education. It outlines how ICTs have developed throughout history, from early forms like writing and printing to modern technologies like the internet, smartphones, and social media. The document also examines the economic, political, cultural, social, and psychological impacts of ICTs on society. Finally, it explores how ICTs are changing education, enabling new forms like distance learning, and discusses how teachers must adapt to effectively incorporate new technologies into the classroom.
Communication Revolutions change Civilizations: What to expect from the curre...Žiga Turk
This document discusses the impact of the current electronic communication revolution, which is the second major communication revolution. The first was the widespread availability and use of paper. Some key points:
- Electronic communication is now available to masses, changing society's very fabric as communication shapes society.
- It empowers people by amplifying their potential and opening opportunities for innovation, creativity, and participation in politics and governance.
- Societies must adapt policies to make the most of people's skills and contributions outside of traditional institutions like companies, universities, and government.
- Researchers and teachers working with new communication technologies play a key role in empowering others with these tools.
Castells, the impact of the internet on society a global perspectiveGiuliano Tavaroli
This document is an introduction written by Manuel Castells to his essay on the impact of the Internet on society from a global perspective. It provides background on Castells and discusses how the Internet has grown from 40 million users in 1996 to over 2.5 billion users in 2013. It also notes that 95% of all information is now digitized and accessible online. The introduction aims to assess the effects of the Internet by summarizing key research findings, using data from studies conducted around the world. It argues that technology is shaped by social and cultural forces, so the Internet's impact must be understood in the context of the new "network society" and "culture of autonomy" it enables.
The document announces the VIII International Colloquium RIA to be held in Algiers, Algeria from November 27-29, 2017 on the theme of "Sociocultural animation in the era of digital communication and new media". The colloquium is organized by RIA (International Animation Network) and the University of Algiers to discuss the uses and effects of digital technologies and new media on sociocultural animation. It will include discussions across four axes: challenges of digital education, developing digital competencies for animation professionals, feedback on digital animation experiments, and socio-cultural and citizen practices with digital tools.
This document discusses three perspectives on the relationship between science, technology, and society:
1) "Science and Technology Shaping Society", where technological developments are seen as driving social change.
2) "Society Shaping Technology and Science", where social factors shape the direction of scientific and technological progress.
3) "Interrelations between Science, Technology and Society", asserting that science, technology, and society interact and influence each other.
The document provides examples and details on each perspective to analyze their different views on how science, technology, and society interact.
(1) Television, radio, and newspapers dominated mass communication in the 20th century, but the rise of the internet has introduced networked communication as a new model.
(2) Networked communication is shaped by three forces: communicational globalization processes, new forms of mediation like self-mass communication and multimedia interpersonal communication, and different levels of interactivity.
(3) This new communicational paradigm is characterized by rhetoric based on moving images, new dynamics of accessibility and mobility, the social value of user-generated content, and the coexistence of different types of content and narratives.
This document discusses the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on education. It notes that ICTs have invaded educational, communication and business spheres. This has led to an unprecedented phenomenon since the invention of the printing press, referred to as a "pedagogical revolution." ICTs are transforming how education is organized and delivered by facilitating knowledge dissemination beyond barriers of time and space and optimizing access to knowledge. Educators must continually update curricula to keep pace with the rapidly evolving nature of knowledge in this digital age.
The document announces the VIII International Colloquium of the RIA to be held from November 27-29, 2017 in Algiers, Algeria. The colloquium will discuss sociocultural animation in the digital era, with a focus on challenges of digital education, developing digital skills for animation professionals, sharing experiences animating with digital tools, and socio-cultural and citizen practices with digital technologies. The organizing committees and a call for paper proposals are provided.
The document announces the VIII International Colloquium of the RIA to be held from November 27-29, 2017 in Algiers, Algeria on the theme of "Sociocultural animation in the era of digital communication and new media" which will explore how digital technologies impact socio-cultural animation through four discussion axes related to digital education, skills for professionals, feedback on digital animation experiments, and socio-cultural and citizen practices with digital tools.
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This paper reports on the current challenges the professional sector faces when going mobile. The report discusses the role of mobile devices in the workforce and addresses challenges like compatibility, security and training. It also provides a comprehensive review of the mobile landscape, and reviews current best practices in mobile learning.
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We have surveyed students, teachers, parents and management at five Estonian front-runner schools to sort out the situation. The results show different attitudes among students, school leaders and staff – while all of them mostly possess necessary tools and skills, teachers almost completely lack motivation to promote mobile learning. We propose some positive and negative scenarios – for example, we predict major problems if teacher training will not change, e-safety policies are inadequately developed or authorities will continue the tendency to put all the eggs into one basket (e.g. by relying solely on closed, corporate solutions for mobile learning platforms).
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To explore the scope for this role we focused on the voluntary sector, which we felt might particularly benefit from such collaboration. We evaluated four representative communities for evidence of their being self-educating (thereby offering the potential for academics to contribute) and for any existing learning dimension. We found that all four communities were self-educating and each included learning infrastructure elements, for example provision for web chats with ‘experts’, together with evidence of receptiveness to academic collaboration. This indicated that there was scope for the role of public-facing open scholar. We therefore developed detailed guidelines for performing the role, which has the potential to be applied beyond the voluntary sector and to greatly extend the beneficial impact of existing OER, prompting institutions to release new OER in response to the needs of people outside HE.
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Companies that need training and development services increasingly often operate in a context that consists of more than just one country, language and culture. While business operations are becoming international, companies expect their service providers being capable of catering them where needed. Succeeding in a very complex multinational customer-tailored training project takes more than a good concept. The concept must be flexible so that when language and cultural changes vary from country to country they do not endanger the content to be delivered. There can be several localised versions of the training concept under simultaneous delivery. Challenge is how to manage the concept.
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𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐏𝐏 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬:
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-Define entrepreneurship, distinguishing it from general business activities by emphasizing its focus on innovation, risk-taking, and value creation. Students will describe the characteristics and traits of successful entrepreneurs, including their roles and responsibilities, and discuss the broader economic and social impacts of entrepreneurial activities on both local and global scales.
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إضغ بين إيديكم من أقوى الملازم التي صممتها
ملزمة تشريح الجهاز الهيكلي (نظري 3)
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تتميز هذهِ الملزمة بعِدة مُميزات :
1- مُترجمة ترجمة تُناسب جميع المستويات
2- تحتوي على 78 رسم توضيحي لكل كلمة موجودة بالملزمة (لكل كلمة !!!!)
#فهم_ماكو_درخ
3- دقة الكتابة والصور عالية جداً جداً جداً
4- هُنالك بعض المعلومات تم توضيحها بشكل تفصيلي جداً (تُعتبر لدى الطالب أو الطالبة بإنها معلومات مُبهمة ومع ذلك تم توضيح هذهِ المعلومات المُبهمة بشكل تفصيلي جداً
5- الملزمة تشرح نفسها ب نفسها بس تكلك تعال اقراني
6- تحتوي الملزمة في اول سلايد على خارطة تتضمن جميع تفرُعات معلومات الجهاز الهيكلي المذكورة في هذهِ الملزمة
واخيراً هذهِ الملزمة حلالٌ عليكم وإتمنى منكم إن تدعولي بالخير والصحة والعافية فقط
كل التوفيق زملائي وزميلاتي ، زميلكم محمد الذهبي 💊💊
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From analog to digital: new ways of teaching and learning. A quick view of ICT in Spanish schools
1. From analog to digital: new ways of teaching and learning
A quick view of ICT in Spanish schools
Dr. Miquel Àngel Prats i Fernández
Director of CETEI-Fundació Joan XXIII
Professor of FPCEE Blanquerna-Universitat Ramon Llull and
PSITIC Research Group member
Summary
Education and new technologies are always controversial. Beyond the mere introduction of
Information Technology in schools, the fundamental debate is to find a way to innovate our
methodology and transform our education in a way in which it reflects the world around us. New
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), as we shall discuss later, are a great way
to pursue this change. In this article we highlight the aspects that, directly or indirectly affect,
influence, facilitate and hinder the transition of an analog school to a digital school.
We part from the basis that in many cases Spanish schools are still working with an analog
paradigm of understanding education. That means, among many other things, that schools are
still attached and enslaved to a rigid schedule: they base teaching resources (too many
textbooks) to fixed forms of assessing, they use very little globalized knowledge, and work
within very specific learning spaces (classrooms). In today´s Spanish classrooms the use of ICT
is minimal. We could give many examples of schools which continue to have a 19th century
philosophy (industrial) rather than a 21st century viewpoint (informational), but many authors -
not in vain- have already argued that today we have schools from the 19th century, teachers
from the 20th century and students from the 21st century.
In the first part of this paper we make a brief summary of the relationship between society and
technology and, consequently, we identify some previous assumptions which will allow us to
understand better the current socio-educational context regarding ICT. In the second part we
see the different characteristics that define this transitional stage of an analog school becoming
a digital one. Finally, we end up with a series of proposals to make digital schools a close
reality.
Keywords: ICT, digital schools, Spanish education, digitization, pedagogical innovation,
modernization
1 An overview of the current socio-educational context towards the ICT
“Our society is undergoing a profound transformation. So profound that it has been equated
to a second industrial revolution. We are moving from a society organized around the
production and distribution of goods to a knowledge-based post-industrial society (Bell,
1973, Touraine, 1969), a new socio-ethnic organization model” 1
The history of civilizations is, in one way, the history of their technologies and not until now has
there been such a close of a relationship between technology and society. Society today is
being influence more by different emerging technologies than in any time in our history.
1
Adell i Gisbert (1997)
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2. Among them, we would like to emphasize technologies that relate to ICT, the basis of today’s
society. If there is a distinctive attribute of the society in which we live in, it is our technological
perspective in the domestic, cultural, economical and political spheres, and even in our leisure.
We have gone without realizing it, from a society basically based on traditional and first-wave 2
industrial technologies to a society where a multitude of technologies converge, ranging from
microelectronics to biotechnology to telecommunications. According to many authors 3 , society
has gone through different technological phases or stages that can be classified into the three
great revolutions: the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution and the information
revolution.
The first great revolution was characterized by men having power and control over the land and
the natural elements that surround them: control of fields and crops, use of animals’ strength,
crop rotation, the automation of agriculture and the selection of seeds, among other things. As
previously mentioned, the first stage is based on the technological capacity of man’s
agricultural production. The conquest, control and production of land were crucial at this stage.
In the second stage, industry overshadowed the land. Industrial production processes,
development of the first textile and steel industries, and especially the advent of electricity set
up what we call industrial revolution. The automation processes in the products generation and
the industry mechanization, left aside the rather traditional technology of the first stage.
Finally, the third stage is characterized by the invention and the development of technologies
that have information as the nerve center, which put the emphasis not on the products but on
the developed processes, not in an isolated way but in a constant net, in mutual reinforcement.
This is the information revolution, where control no longer comes from the physical and tangible
world but rather the virtual. What one author 4 calls the transition from a society which has
based its vision on atoms to one that sees more and more the importance of something that can
be neither seen nor touched: Bits.
For their part, many authors have already determined certain changes in society in the last third
of the twentieth century. As stated, we are living in a social system where the “informational
paradigm" 5 takes priority. This paradigm leads to a society where the generation, processing
and transmission of information become the fundamental source of productivity and power. In
the same vein, our current society is also defined as the "network society 6 ", understood as the
result of the increasing influence of ICT and capitalism.
“Mankind has historically been measuring its progress in terms of technology, with the
result that, every age, technology has outstripped us more quickly than previous. Homo
sapiens appeared 1400 generations ago, but for only 200 generations we have been
writing, while printing has only been in use for the last twenty generations.” 7
Even though, as defined, the information society 8 is like an emerging society, a new culture that
causes a real revolution in social values and human activities of all kinds. The information
2
Alvin Toffler (1980)
3
Majó (1997); Castells (1997); Terceiro (1996)
4
Negroponte (1995)
5
Information society has been approached in many perspectives, for that reason it has been called with different terms: post‐industrial society
(Bell i Touraine), technotronic society (Brizezinsky), consumer society (Jones & Baudrillard), computerized society (Nora‐Minc), wired society
(James Martin), electronic state (Romà Gubern), the third wave (Alvin Toffler), global village (Mac Luhan), digital society (Negroponte,
Terceiro, Cebrián, Majó), third setting (Javier Echeverría) and also cybernetic society. All these terms describe, one way or another, the new
society resulting from the merger of computing and telecommunications, basis of all the technological development of the 90’s and of the
st
future that we will live throughout the 21 century. However, according to Joyanes Aguilar (1997), we always find two common and primordial
factors: information as an unifying element, and technological innovation as a tool for getting to the information.
6
Castells (1997)
7
Terceiro (1996)
8
Marqués (2002)
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3. society has powerful engines: the prodigious scientific progress (that continually brings new
technological resources to society) and the constant move towards globalization (economic and
cultural). The definition of a knowledge society is derived from the information society, that is to
say, when the information reaches its highest value and applied to the various activities of
human life it becomes knowledge. For that reason an information society is also called a
knowledge society. It is interesting to note that the information or knowledge society is also
defined as a digital society 9 . We will focus on the term “digital” or the digitization phenomenom
in order to understand many of the facts and events that have substantially changed the way we
connect and communicate with technological devices in the newly emerging
telecommunications market.
The introduction of digital code, digitization, is the representation of information, which greatly
enhances the convergence of all former and different technologies to transmit information
(visual, verbal or written). The digital code or digitization means that the data is not transmitted
itself but its numerical measurement. And normally the binary code (1s and 0s) allows the
measurements of the data, because in the end, computers are processing information in this
new emerging society. The information generated by the digital world is highly flexible,
malleable, and adjustable. That is to say that it is lithe and easily changed. Therefore, the
degree of reconstruction of reality is substantial and so a new concept of creativity arises,
different from the one we have understood so far.
In short we can deduce, from the previous text, that we have a digital and network society that
breaks many of the behaviours and perceptions that we have learned and understood so far:
where we used to say atoms, now we say bits. Learning to unlearn is, and will be, key in a
society like this one.
“If technologies must be integrated in schools it is not to teach typing, Business English
or the use of Internet search engines for future advisors, but to develop in all students,
skills and a documented and critical relation with technology or, rather, a documented
and, therefore, critical relation with technology” 10
2 The transition from an analog to a digital way of learning11 : digitization
applied to the Spanish schools
Once we look at the most essential feature of a society where basically the asset lays in ideas,
in everything “intangible”, how we treat that information so that it becomes knowledge becomes
important. We are going to analyze, from our point of view, all of the factors that help or hinder
the transition from an analog school to a digital school. However, we would like to start with
series of previous considerations that justify and allow us to understand better the current
situation and the binomial technology-pedagogy in schools.
2.1 The current situation
a) Technology is technology only for those who were born before it
Our children do not feel the same as us when we talk about technology. For them, the latest
generation electronic devices seem normal and in a way, almost natural. So, you could say that
for them tecnology has become invisible. And this fact is easily explained: our children are born
surrounded by todays technology and therefore, see a GPS in use in our daily lives and a video
call on our cell phone is commonplace; whereas for the people born before the invention of this
tecnology it may seem new and novel. The technological change is easier for them than for us,
9
Majó (1997)
10
Maulini (2006)
11
More interesting reading for Seymour Papert (1998). See in http://www.ait.net/technos/tq_07/4papert.php
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Nº 18 • February 2010 • ISSN 1887-1542
4. therefore, it is much easier for them to adapt to this new society and new electronic or digital
language.
b) Technology generates “apocalyptic” or “integrated” 12 positions among teachers
Satisfactory or frustrating experiences with technology end up creating a perception of what we
can expect from it. Moreover, technological obsolescence and rapid technological changes
create confusion among teachers. This is the reason
why we must bear in mind that in many schools is very
easy to find the faculty divided on issues of educational
innovation. Those who no longer expect anything from
technology and no longer see it favorably and those
who think it can be a great benefit and a good engine
for educational change and therefore, they are the ones
who show more enthusiasm for incorporating
technology in school. In this sense, some authors have
already described the typology of attitudes towards
innovation and therefore the innovation adoption curve
among organizations 13 .
c) Technology is increasingly challenging teachers
Because of the emergence of technology we are increasingly questioning our own methods of
teaching and learning in the classroom. The most typical case is the appearance of a website
called “El rincón del vago” 14 (“Lazy’s corner”), where students can freely publish and upload to
the web homework that is assigned at school. Then, we wonder... who is lazier or more wicked
in this case: the educational system which has been assigning exactly the same kind of work in
the classroom for more than 20 years, or, the students who have found a more effective and
intelligent use of the power of collaborative technology tools they have at their disposal?
d) Technology amplifies not only our abilities but our disablities in the classroom
The technological devices can enhance everything we do in the classroom. This means, among
other things, that a bad teacher will be even worse using technology. Therefore, it is necessary
to have the maximum institutional support possible from the top down on investing in
technological equipment focused on the real needs of teachers and students, along with
maximum support of qualified technical personnel who are sensitive to educational issues and
who are really thrown into the service of teachers, and not the other way around. It would not be
the first time that teachers end up being slaves of school information technology services.
e) Technological change needs to be supported by people and ideas, not just machines.
As we shall see later, we believe that the secret is the awareness and progressive incorporation
of technology in the classroom. It needs to come from the hands of teachers involved in a
strategic project of educational innovation with the support of technology. Teachers that are
encouraged, not only economically, but in other ways (a lighter work load, different office hours,
and advice to colleagues, as well as trips to conferences and visits to educational environments
that have been successful thanks to technology best practices, and simulation and training in
action) for example, are more apt to support and embrace the change and then incorporate it in
their methodology.
12
Umberto Eco (1965)
13
Interesting work by Rogers (1995) where he describes the pace of change and innovation curve. Visit
http://www.12manage.com/methods_rogers_innovation_adoption_curve.html where you can also find the categorization of the innovation
“adopters” among organizations
14
For further information visit http://www.rincondelvago.com
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5. 2.2 The scale of the problem: ICT in Spanish schools
Next, we are going to focus on some key issues, from our point of view, to establish the status
(more or less generalized) 15 of the use of ICT in schools and, broadly speaking, the problems
associated with innovation in the Spanish schools.
2.2.1. System technocracy: pedagogical innovation with the support of ICT is more than
installing computers, email and free software in schools
As we stated before, to innovate with ICT is more than just introducing technology into
classrooms and providing teachers with email. We believe that so far the Spanish government
has taken an overly technocratic 16 role with regard to understanding innovation with the support
of ICT. That is, until now they have only ensured the correct use and distribution of
technological resources, leaving aside the real engines of change and educational innovation
spaces and dynamics that have more to do with pedagogy and didactics. Obviously, we are not
downplaying technological resources but, an exaggerated effort by the government reveals a
policy based more on public sentiment and election results, than a concern for innovation and
transformation of basic education.
2.2.2. The problem of infrastructure: the base of the pyramid
We would prefer a school with no Internet connection than one with it, but with the connection
not working every now and then, or the server down or the router out of order. Because
technology, when it works, generates many expectations, lots of dependency and lots of need.
The level of frustration and disappointment is often very high when, for reasons that escape us,
things do not work. This is where we must learn from technology: first, if a school elects to start
the innovation process with the support of ICT, it is necessary to have a good infrastructure,
"intelligent" classrooms and spaces and, a policy of continuous investment in this area. They
also need to consider a collective policy with regards to decisions on the acquisition of
technology developed by both the ICT and Pedagogical departments. Second, it is necessary to
have an in house technical and mantainence service to review and periodically update the
hardware and software installed. Third, it is necessary to have an ICT director-pedagogue to
coordinate the work of technicians and teachers and, moreover, to lead the various project
teams of pedagogical innovation with the support of the ICT department. Fourth and last, we
should keep in mind two basic principles: (A) the so called and feared “demo” effect which
consist of the technology being out of order just when you need to show something publicly; (B)
that the current technology is still an obstacle race, it is not completely polished and it is not
completely friendly to any novice or the digitally illiterate.
2.2.3. A management question: strategic plan or marketing plan?
Incorporating new technologies in school can be a good selling point for a school. Saying that
the school is involved in virtual projects is always a guarantee of a school willing to meet the
challenge. ICT is often implemented with good technological intentions but reality notes that
many classrooms have a computer due to an aesthetic reason and not due to a didactic or
pedagogical needs. We want to make clear that an innovation project with the support of ICT
requires confidence, time, patience and perseverance, four qualities often forgotten in the
educational field. A project of this type needs to be part of the strategic plan of organization in
15
In this sense, it is interesting to know the work published by Textos de Infonomia jointly with the Departament d’Educació to note that there
are also successful experiences with the use of technologies. The work called XTEC: perfils d’innovació en educació aims to collect and spread
50 best practices with the support of ICT and be a model, an example and a refence point for innovative school experiences. Further
information at http://www.xtec.es/perfils/
16
See the reports update dates and their result at http://www10.gencat.net/dursi/es/si/observatori.htm and at
http://astrolabi.edulab.net/int_inf.html
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Nº 18 • February 2010 • ISSN 1887-1542
6. order to obtain the maximum effect and to keep the necessary focus and direction for the
duration of the project.
2.3 ICT is necessary, but not enough...
“Despite the enormous potential of computers to make fundamental changes in how we
learn, everything suggests that we are not yet at a magical effects technology.
Computers provide a number of potential undeniable values. But its use is not enough
reason for learning to change in depth.” 17
In this section, we want to show a series of ideas and highlight some paradoxes that we
consider crucial to understanding exactly what we mean by a digital school: first, is the idea that
we too cautiously try and experiment with new educational models and new organizational
models and teachers' constant learning formulas. Second, we need to lose the fear of making
mistakes and overcome the fear that teachers are no longer the center of knowledge and the
teaching-learning process itself. Third, it needs to be clear that a digital school, as we try to
define it metaphorically to adapt it to our days, does not place ICT as the protagonist, but as a
resource that facilitates, above all, the relationship between teachers, students and family.
2.3.1 Experimenting, being daring and doing research at school: signs of new days
A digital school is also that one that naturally incorporates and takes into account having a
laboratory to demonstrate to the teachers the possibilities of the different technological tools,
test routines for their classes and work with and experiment with technological tools they want
to use in the innovation process with the support of ICT. Furthermore, having an available
space separate from daily classes that allows any teacher in his/her free time to go in without
the need to interrupt a class and feel free to experiment and discover the tools he / she wants to
innovate with. In short, this trial and error lab is established as a simulation area to carry out
and successfully impliment any curriculum unit in a normal class.
We think that one of the great problems of ICT training in schools is that it has always been
based in courses about the instrumental use of technology, but without any real innovation
purpose in classrooms. It is thought and believed that only the knowledge of the instrumental
use of the tools, which is certainly important and crucial, is enough to innovate and integrate
technology in the classrooms. And this has been and is, in many cases, the main mistake, from
our point of view.
The main objective should therefore be a change in the pattern of training, advising and
research at schools, based on analyzing and evaluating both the implementation process of
these new interactive media in classrooms of different stages, and the most significant
pedagogical innovations, which can be developed more creatively and efficiently with the
support of technology. Changing this pattern from a broad concept of educational
transformation that takes into account the different agents, the different instruments and the
different areas involved, as well as the dialectical relations between them.
A training pattern based on a continuous advising to the educational innovation with the support
of ICT is a pattern that listens to the teachers and knows the way they really work in the
classroom, in order to give the best answer for its incorporation. It is an ICT training program
that is not interuptive or fragmented, but rather socio-constructive and coherent as a whole
related to the faculty and the school educational project. In short, thinking of a new training
pattern that wants to accompany innovation from the collective construction of the innovation
itself.
17
Martí (1993)
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7. “Most American children do not know the difference between the Baltics and the
Balkans, or who the Visigoths were, or when Louis XIV lived. So what? I'll bet you don't
know that Reno is west of Los Angeles.” 18
With this we want to emphasize that there are many classroom situations where teachers and
students can work collaboratively. For instance, asking them for help in technological questions
when we are in class; learning and letting them show us some technological features that are
hidden to us; letting them teach a technological session on how to solve an exercise; letting
them prepare on their own the digital material for their classmates. On different matters, we
believe that it is important to keep in mind that teachers, in a metaphoric way, do not have to
spend their time on creating and making websites, but finding applications that enable them to
generate hypertext documents simply by pressing a button, that is, teachers need tools and
applications that simplify the technological complexity and that allow them to create material
and educational resources without many technical obstacles. Technology exists to serve the
individual, and not the other way around.
2.3.2 ICT as an excuse, justification and opportunity for educational innovation in school
Innovating, educationally speaking, does not only mean introducing computers, laptops, pda’s
or interactive whiteboards in the classroom. ICTs themselves are not change generators. They
are the pretext and excuse for change, but they are not the change on their own. And it is very
important to bear this in mind if we really want to be innovation generators at school. As stated
before, we must avoid those positions so naïve that takes any technology in without
reservations, and in the same way, we must avoid being afraid to implement change. When
innovating with the support of ICT there needs to be an initial diagnosis of needs, ie: listen
carefully to teachers and students and then provide as many facilities as possible (technological
and pedagogical) in order for them to use, and introduce them into the classroom as smoothly,
discreetly and invisibly as possible.
However, we believe that to achieve an educational model that no longer sees ICT as the
exception, it is necessary that schools become gradually digitized, that is, that schools break
out and become transgressive with space and time, and besides, rely on the adequate people -
“modem teachers 19 ”, “router teachers 20 ” and “gps teachers 21 ”- able to motivate their peers and
generate complicity dynamics in the school. It will be at this point where we can say that ICT
becomes invisible. Thus, understanding education under a digital paradigm will mean, among
other things, an open door to infinite possibilities, building learning in multiple stages and fully
flexible as allowed by the ICT.
18
Negroponte (1995)
19
A modem is an electronic device capable of converting a digital data signal to analog signal and vice versa and that it can be transmitted
through a channel designed for analog signals Thus, the two main functions of this device are demodulation and modulation of a data set, that
is why is called: modulator‐demodulator. Seeking a parallel with the functions of this device with that teachers motivated to innovate in
schools we believe that it is necessary a teacher able to motivate his / her peers and to translate to a simple language all those computer
acronyms and words that, whitout knowing their meanings, can turn the introduction of technology in the classroom into a real nightmare.
20
A router is a network device that allows to connecto ne type of network to an another one. In the same way, and looking for this analogy
between technology and education, we believe that it is also necessary a teacher profile who becomes specialist in finding those educational
"ways" with the use of technology, that is to say, who seeks and finds applications or electronical resources suitable for the group class, the
teaching unit,... and who shares them with the rest of the teachers, provoking this way the “oil stain” culture.
21
The Global Positioning System, commonly known as GPS (originally NAVSTAR Global Positioning System or NAVSTAR GPS), is a satellite
navigation system that allows you to know very precisely your own geographic location and the reference hour of almost everywhere in the
Earth or in an Earth’s orbit. The GPS works through a network of satellites orbiting around the Earth. When we want to determine the location,
the gadget used to do it automatically locates at least four satellites in the network, from which receives signals indicating their position and
their clock. Similarly, the school system also needs those figures or "leaders" who have an overall vision interesting enough to innovate,
progress, coach and support from a little farther perspective.
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8. Digital School Pattern
It wants to be autonomous
It has diversified ways of learning programs, curriculums
System or organization It has a flexible - hybrid organization time
It has a diversity of environments and stages
Networked, seeks involvement with other centers or institutions
Open to the community
Based on active learning from exploration activities and research
The students are the protagonists
The transaction of ideas or negotiation of meaning between students
Classroom and learning
working in small group dynamics
pattern
Discursive, encouraging critical thinking
It has the support of technological multimedia (IWB’s, Tablets,...)
Encouraging cooperative work in the classroom
Utilizes the resources of collaborative work (Social) Internet (Web 2.0)
Table 1: A digital pattern of understanding the school
In conclusion, summarizing the metaphorical idea of digitization applied to school, we could
state that the digital school is that one capable of providing itself with mechanisms, tools and
dynamics to meet the challenges of pedagogical innovation. We would like to make clear that,
beyond the technological devices or instruments, a school can become digital without them,
because in the end we are really talking about an educational transformation, and not about a
technological invasion.
The concept of digitization refers to reinvention, flexibility and all the tools (technological or not)
to serve the students. Obviously, to respond to today’s society and be responsible and
committed to quality education involves, not the aforementioned technological tools and/ or
resources irruption, but the training of teacher teams, spaces and dynamics devoted to
innovation, improvement, evaluation and reflection on the teaching-learning process with the
support of ICT.
We would also like to make clear the importance of understanding the ICTs not only as mere
instruments or tools serving the individual (logically they are), but, above all, we have to
understand the ICTs as new languages and new spaces for communication and access to
information. Understanding the ICTs as languages (new scripts), tools (new equipment) and
spaces (new virtual environments for accessing information) makes way for better
comprehention of today’s society, and makes it feasible to predict the possible demands or
requirements of society in the future and to take measures for its proper use at home and
school.
And finally, it must be noted, and it is important to remember that, with these challenges of
educational innovation with the support of ICT there are obviously a number of advantages and
potentialities (access to large sources of information and documentation; possibilities of
knowledge management; facilitate collaborative work; promote participation and communication
between different members of the educational community,...), as well as risks and limitations
“infoxication” -poisoning by excess information-; the need to contrast the information found on
the web; new technological tools that require a knowledge of their rules of operation -email,
sms, chat,...-; control tools in web browsing; abuses and pervertions of communication –
webcams-,...). We believe that a digital school model that does not work with a critical view of
new technological tools when incorporating them into the school would be absurd.
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9. 3 Some recommendations to make digital school a close reality
“We now find ourselves precisely at the moment when it is necessary not only to create
new ways of working, but also new ways of organizing information and communication
in the educative community” 22
Based on what we have discussed so far we would now like to present some recommendations
that will define strategic lines and allow us to progress from a model of an analog school to a
digital one.
1. Read again our pedagogical history and enrich it with new opportunities provided by the
current technological tools.
2. Provide a staff devoted to educational innovation with the support of ICT to schools. The
staff should consist of teachers who help and sensitize the rest of the educational
community:
a. They know how school teachers work.
b. They investigate, experiment and bring new educational resources in digital form to
the "idiosyncrasies" of the center.
c. They help manage the knowledge within the school.
3. Provide schools with classrooms and spaces for experimental simulation with technology.
4. Design new models of assisting teachers throughout the different stages of implementing
educational innovation with the support of ICT in the classroom; based on a case study of
the school, classroom, and group context itself, rather than in closed training courses.
5. Design new models for teacher training and accreditation which could be based on
technological literacy (basic digital skills) and its use as applied to various curriculum
disciplines which would lead us to achieve a certain level of digital autonomy:
a. Operating System skills (units, files and folders administration)
b. Office applications skills (text processing, database, spreadsheet, graphic
presentations and personal organization)
c. Multimedia skills (basic sound, image and video editing)
d. Internet skills (information search and selection, communication and group
collaboration tools,...)
e. Didactic skills in the use and application of ICT in the classroom (specific software,
digital tools and resources, main psycho-pedagogical theories, specific gadgets,
videogames, classroom control and management tools)
6. Encourage the possibility of creating pilot centres that work from a strategic plan of
educational innovation with the support of ICT.
7. Guarantee and ensure technological resources (Projectors, Laptops, PDA’s and classroom
control panels) and digital resources (good educational online resources), as well as the
quality infrastructure for connectivity (broadband and Wifi) and available for all school
organizations.
8. Create affordable policies for investing in technological equipment for teachers and
students.
9. Provide schools with a qualified technical service with the vision of educational innovation
with the support of ICT.
22
Adell i Gisbert (1997)
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10. 10. Provide schools with the technological tools that allow them to facilitate the everyday school
and academic management and, above all, the dialogue and communication with the
families.
“The main problem is not just to introduce computers in education, but to build a computer-
driven educational model” 23
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11. Author
Dr. Miquel Àngel Prats i Fernández
maprats@cetei.info
miquelpf@blanquerna.edu
Director of CETEI-Fundació Joan XXIII
Professor of FPCEE Blanquerna-Universitat Ramon Llull and
PSITIC Research Group member (http://recerca.blanquerna.url.edu/psitic/)
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