Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

In this paper we report on WBT content for geography and geology using VRML. We also propose an idea of WBT content for local area study that has not yet been implemented and discuss its effect from the viewpoint of knowledge management.

Although most secondary schools use management information systems (MISs), these systems are primarily used for clerical purposes and are not used to a significant extent to support higher order managerial activities. This situation is less than desirable, as schools are receiving more discretion in developing school policies and MISs could be offering important assistance in this respect. Our research shows the positive effects of a deliberately designed training course on the knowledge of school managers about MISs, on their attitudes towards MISs, and on the skills school managers need in order to use MISs to support decision-making.

This paper considers the role of management information systems (MISs) in supporting practices that can lead to enhanced achievement. In England, MISs have not been provided centrally by government or government departments, but have been purchased by schools. MISs have offered resources focused largely for use by managers rather than teachers. That formative assessment can be used by teachers to enhance attainment has been well studied, and a clear link has been recognised. National agencies have, since about 2000, promoted concepts of assessment for learning in educational practice across schools. MISs can provide a key means for schools and teachers to handle, review and monitor formative assessment data. Although some schools use MISs for this purpose, most schools recognise limitations with the system they have, and studies increasingly identify issues and specific limitations. A pilot project shows how innovation can address issues. However, it is clear that there is need for further innovation and development. National policies will need to consider the entire range of challenges, if teachers are to use MISs to support and enhance learning achievement effectively.

In an e-learning system, it is difficult to grasp the learner’s condition for learning. In the face-to-face learning environment, we tend to notice if there is something unusual about learners and help them out of difficulties. In addition, we often cannot keep learners from dropping out of the e-learning course. This suggests a requirement for a research study specially focused on how to predict the learner’s condition with the learning log data in the e-learning system. Therefore, we drew up a learning model with biological knowledge from the latest molecular biology and brain science. In this paper, results from our learning model were verified by comparison with real learning log data in an e-learning system. Our model suggests that there is a learning type with high intention who prefers to learn in a short term in order to construct his/her knowledge. Then we examined the data related to intention, and it correlated closely with the learning period of one exercise.

Open Source Software has received lately a great deal of attention, specially due to its lower cost in comparison to Proprietary Software. In the education area, this is quite important due to economical restrictions. Lately, we have seen different Spanish communities embracing the OSS model following different models. This article begins by examining OSS history, as well as its main strengths and weaknesses. It follows examining the possibilities and advantages of OSS in education and presents three possible ways in which the OSS can be introduced in a territory.

As new technologies evolve and innovations emerge, educators’ understandings about teaching and learning in the electronic environment are constantly challenged. Linking learners in both independent and collaborative settings becomes a significant pedagogical undertaking. A key component to gaining an enhanced understanding of this process involves the concept of Learning Design which has been described by Dalziel (2003b) as having “the potential to revolutionise e-learning by capturing the ‘process’ of education, rather than simply content”. An example of a Learning Design system is the Learning Activity Management System or ‘LAMS’. This paper will provide a brief outline of LAMS and a discussion that focuses on its use in a pre-service ICT teacher education course unit and with secondary students in a school-based Computing course. A sample learning sequence to be utilised by learners and developed for a selected content area will be briefly outlined. The aim for educators using LAMS is to create learning experiences that actively involve learners and improve educational outcomes. Early trials of this system suggest it allows learning and motivation to be enhanced and that there is a willingness exhibited by individuals to engage in tasks and whole group discussions. It is argued that teaching and learning can be enriched as the technological tools and pedagogical processes are brought together in appropriate ways.

This study investigates the conditions under which graphical information can support reading comprehension in a second language. This paper presents results of an experimental study in which reading comprehension of foreign students in two different environments was compared: vocabulary learning only vs. vocabulary and grammar plus graphic tasks. The results indicate that tasks decreasing grammatical complexities were more effective than lexical practices.

In New Zealand schools there is rising concern regarding pupil enrolment and absenteeism. MUSAC, a business unit of Massey University, has worked with two other service providers to devise an end-to-end tracking system for pupil attendance. The process begins with teachers entering attendance information by mobile phone and ends when the database is automatically updated with information returned by a caregiver contacted by automated voice or text message. The system utilises web services with mobile technology and the latest development tools.

From 2004 to 2007 our university has a three-year project called ‘GP Project’ which is part of a national project named “Selected Efforts of the Distinctive University Education Support Program” (Good Practice Project, abbreviated as GP Project), with the support of the ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Japanese Government. In this project we are challenged to replace more than 30 existing courses with e-Learning. The courses must be seamlessly integrated to a course grade information system which has been already in use for years in the educational affairs section. For this integration we introduced a new Learning Management System which is easy to customize so that it can integrates course grade information and e-Learning information. We developed a Learning Management System (LMS) by modifying a commercial LMS WebClass with which is easy to add new functions-The first phase system has been started to work and now we are preparing to integrate the course grade information into the LMS. This paper describes our currently running three year university-wide project and then explains the functions of the newly developed Learning Management System.

This paper argues that the use of information technology in educational management (ITEM) is an important component of the efficient and effective operation of a large K-12 school. Systems in place allow the development of a complete picture of a student’s activities and teachers are better able to make decisions that helps each student reach his potential.