Abstract

Education’s gamification has represented an opportunity to boost students’ interaction, motivation and participation. ARG (Alternate Reality Games) offer a new highly immersive tool that can be implemented in educational achievements. One of the strongest points of these immersive games is based on applying the sum of students participating efforts and resources (so called collective intelligence) for problem resolution. In addition, ARG combine online and offline platforms a factor that improves the realism on the game experience. In this regard, this present work aims to summarise ARG potentialities, limitations and challenges of these immersive games in higher and further education context. In terms of methodology, this research draws from an appropriate theoretical corpus and, analyses the educational potential of AGR that, in fields like marketing or corporate communication, has already started successfully, but it has still not been studied in depth in education. This study compiles, also, best practices developed in several subjects and academic degrees all around the world and not easily traceable. It concludes that, given the antecedents, potentialities and the exposed analysis, the possibility of incorporating alternate reality games into the university teaching practice in the frame of an educational strategy that determines its aims and more suitable system of evaluation, has to be considered.

Abstract

In spite of the massive presence of the mass media, the individuals of the developed societies are more and more isolated due to the overcharge of information. To avoid it, it would be necessary to integrate the mass media in the education. Neverthless, the school is not assuming the challenge of changing and is stopping being an affective model of socialization and of transmission of values. Because of this, the education is under the obligation to use the mass media as powerful didactic resources to develop the educational and communication competences that allow the citizens to approach the «visual thought age».

Abstract

This paper focuses on the presentation of the Laws for Media Education, which is the legal basis for the implementation of media education in Austria. The law is embedded into a pedagogical context, whose key characteristics are those of an emancipated, liberating concept of education indebted to ideas of the Enlightenment. Media education is used in a holistic sense, encompassing both the so-called traditional media as well as the new media including the Internet. The major areas are critical reflection and creative potential, individual and social responsibility. The ultimate goal is the autonomous media user as an autonomous citizen. As media education is an interdisciplinary practise, a wide choice of materials both in print and online has been developed to support the teachers: part of the paper is particularly devoted to the beginning and growth of the media education website www.mediamanual.at

Abstract

This paper presents some ideas about how the author sees the current television in Spain. It has been calculated that today in Spain one student of Primary or Secondary school spends about 900 hours in class and between 1500 and 2000 in front of the TV. The author develops some audiovisual, academic activities that teachers could do with students in order to improve their abilities to watch television from a critical point of view.

Abstract

The main purpose of this article focuses on identifying specific Information and Communication Technologies skills, particularly those related to web pages and e-mail, useful in the implementation of Guidance functions and tasks. To this end, it was designed a competence map overlaid on those of a technological and coach and also produces a matrix that considered seven areas of focus grouped by International Association Educational and Vocational Guidance: evaluation, educational guidance, career development, counselling, information management, research and evaluation and placement. It also took into account three types of approaches to the counsellor regarding the use of ICT in guidance, as a resource, medium and development of guidance materials and two of these tools (websites and e-mail). The effective integration of Information and Communication Technologies and effective use of them, by guidance professional is based on their competences in them. This resource, open and flexible, requires a continuous updating in order to be useful in the implementation of guidance tasks, in self-assessment of competence by professionals; diagnosis of deficits in the design, planning and development training and guidance actions. It is also an instrument of great relevance and usefulness to guidance practitioners to explore the training needs and their occupational profile and to motivate their professional development.

Abstract

This paper proposes a model for developing new literacies of citizenship in the digital society. Using Baumman’s metaphor, we contrast the 'solid' culture of the 19th and 20th centuries to the ‘liquid’ information culture of the 21st century in which Web 2.0 plays a fundamental role and affects many aspects of our culture. We first review the main features of Web 2.0 through six major dimensions: as a universal library, global market, as a giant hypertext jigsaw puzzle, a public space for social communities, a territory for multimedia and audiovisual expression, and as a space for multiple virtual interactive environments. In the second part, we propose an integrated theoretical model of literacy for the citizen. This model is based on two pillars: the areas or dimensions of literacy, and the competences (instrumental, cognitive-intellectual, socio-communicative, emotional and axiological) to be developed in citizens. Finally we contend that the new literacies amount to a civic right and a necessary condition for social development and a more democratic society in the 21st century.

Abstract

Nowadays, we cannot ignore the fact that young children are over flooded with technologies. Only a proper action and a positive attitude from adults can prevent potential negative consequences, and prepares the child for a life where the usage of communication technologies (ICTs) is necessary for an individual’s social success. This article represents the child’s access to information-communication technology, its usage at home, the influence of child’s ICTs usage on his or hers development of competences, and the child’s relation with the ICTs at home. The data was gathered with the help of 130 parents who filled out a questionnaire and provided us with their opinions about their four-year-old children and their usage of ICTs at home. We found out that four-year-old children in their home environment regularly encounter ICTs. Besides that, we were also interested whether there exist differences accord­ing to the child’s gender and the parents’ level of education. Moreover, we present parents’ opinions at suggestions for further studying of this issue.

Abstract

As a result of the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) we are currently experiencing a period of major changes. Higher education plays a key role in helping students to acquire the competences which enable them to be autonomous in both academic and professional environments, where ICT literacy and collaborative processes are considered crucial. This study analyzes students’ perceptions about how the collaborative construction of an online project facilitates the acquisition of digital competences. It examines the methodological approach, within the context of the Open University of Catalonia, of the subject: «ICT Competences». This subject is conducted fully online at the UOC, and learners are required to engage in a collaborative project organized in 4 phases: starting, structuring, developing and concluding. Based on an evaluation research approach, quantitative and qualitative data from a survey have been triangulated. The results support the pedagogical methodology which forms the basis of this subject and indicates that collaborative projects facilitate the acquisition of digital competences, highlighting those linked to digital teamwork and digital attitude. The conclusions reinforce the importance of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) processes, the need to put forward pedagogical proposals for the acquisition of both digital and collaborative competences and the relevant role of the teacher in this process.

Abstract

Teamwork is one of the most widespread teaching methods used to achieve learning skills. Despite the difficulty of finding out the degree of individual learning taking place in each member of the group, these methods are having an increasingly greater importance in university teaching. The present article shows the results of an R+D+i1 project aimed at «analysing the impact of eRubrics ?electronic rubrics? on the assessment of university learning in various forms». Likewise, it aims to show the scope of eRubrics in improving cooperative skills, which are achieved through teamwork and cooperative assessment of tasks in the computer lab. The experiment takes place in three groups selected from a total of six groups of students from the First Year of Primary Education Teaching during the 2011-12 academic year. From the three groups, one acted as the control group and the other two as the experimental groups in which eRubrics were used. Differences were found in students’ results in a written test taken by all the groups, as the group using eRubrics achieved better results than the other two. Additionally, a qualitative analysis was conducted, by classifying the answers of students in the control group with regard to the evaluation criteria that they used, in order to check for coincidences with the eRubric criteria used by students in the experimental groups.

Abstract

One of the ways to include the audiovisual teaching within the compulsory education system is perhaps to provide arguments consistent with the theoretical framework used by the authorities which draw up educational policies. Lately, the valuation of the teaching process has turned on the notion of competence. This work aims to reflect on some of the competences which are developed through the teaching of audiovisual production.