This paper discusses the effective education of internal and external students, concerning business processes and principles, using an enterprise resource planning application as a cognitive tool. The teachings explain a number of core... more
This paper discusses the effective education of internal and external students, concerning business processes and principles, using an enterprise resource planning application as a cognitive tool. The teachings explain a number of core business principles and develop students understanding of how the processes might vary between organisations in differing industries and environmental settings. The students establish the processes in an enterprise resource planning application, which reinforces the understanding of both operational activities and business management requirements. A cohort of students has been surveyed; the findings demonstrate that education using an enterprise resource planning application as an interactive learning system is both practical and beneficial. The following explains the teaching environment and discusses the survey results. INTRODUCTION This study concerns the education of a unit (semester teachings of a subject) that concerns business operation process...
In environmental and ecological education, a rich literature builds on the premise that place, the local natural context in which one lives, can be an emotionally engaging context for learning and the source of life-long concern for... more
In environmental and ecological education, a rich literature builds on the premise that place, the local natural context in which one lives, can be an emotionally engaging context for learning and the source of life-long concern for nature. A theory of imaginative education can help ...
The nature of mental activity is one of the issues are being studied in cognitive science. From a cognitive point of view, understanding a conceptual domain based on another conceptual context is "metaphor". The use of body organs, as a... more
The nature of mental activity is one of the issues are being studied in cognitive science. From a cognitive point of view, understanding a conceptual domain based on another conceptual context is "metaphor". The use of body organs, as a source of cultural conceptualization of everyday concepts, is very considered in cognitive linguistics. The conceptualizations of "eye" in Hafiz's sonnets has been analyzed in the context of cognitive linguistics in present study. This research is to answer two questions: 1) what is the source concept in the "eye" conceptualization in Hafiz's sonnets? And, 2) which of the quadruple tools of expansion, complexity, composition, and question, that make the language of poetry different, are applied more in creation of "eye" metaphors? Findings show that "eye", in most metaphors, has been conceptualized as an abstract concept in destination domain with more objective concepts. In other words, "eye" benefits concepts such as human, vessel, and object as a source domain. The most conceptualization of the "eye' is also seen in the source domain of vessel. It can be said that "combination" is the most used mechanism in conceptualization of "eye" in the poems of Hafiz, regarding the application of various types of cognitive mechanisms.
The selection, and use of educational software and its impact in schools are still controversial issues. In this paper we present an alternative conceptualisation of educational software based on considering the software as an instrument... more
The selection, and use of educational software and its impact in schools are still controversial issues. In this paper we present an alternative conceptualisation of educational software based on considering the software as an instrument for teachers' professional performance. We review previous work in the areas of the design, development and evaluation of educational software and of the process of
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the" hidden... more
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the" hidden curriculum". This paper proposes an instructional strategy to help develop students' generic skills through a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery. By investigating the nature of generic skills and contemporary methods of teaching and learning, an instructional framework is ...
What is exactly level design? It is juggling 12 balls in the air at the same time, it is solving differential equations with 12 variables, it is trying to realize a vision when everybody is tearing at it. Artists, programmers, marketing... more
What is exactly level design? It is juggling 12 balls in the air at the same time, it is solving differential equations with 12 variables, it is trying to realize a vision when everybody is tearing at it. Artists, programmers, marketing PRs, scripters, designers. People from very different backgrounds and with even more varying motivations converge with their vital contributions and it is up to the level designer to manage all of these different issues and create a memorable playing experience. It is not a mystery that the role and tasks of a level designer are the most difficult to describe in a few words. Paraphrasing Elvis Costello “talking about level design is like dancing about architecture”. And yet a sentence that I hear confirmed more and more every day is: “Level designers create experiences by providing spaces for players to act.” Players act in a space that causes experience to emerge and this experience affects the players, closing the magic circle (see figure 1).
Investigations about changes of conceptions during physics instruction are seen as the logical and necessary next step to follow the successful international research on students' pre-instructional conceptions. The paper analyses... more
Investigations about changes of conceptions during physics instruction are seen as the logical and necessary next step to follow the successful international research on students' pre-instructional conceptions. The paper analyses theoretical issues related to the terms "learning processes" and "cognitive system". It starts with a differentiation of "conceptual change" towards learning as formation of new additional cognitive structures vs learning as change of qualities of structures being already there. Such qualities can be "strength" and "status" of a conception as well as the "level of explanation". The paper is oriented towards explicit cognitive descriptions related to specific contents of physics. It reviews selected content specific results and comes to general hypotheses about learning. It also shows examples of "learning pathways" defined by "intermediate conceptions", seen as a result of s...
While a great variety of fields are addressed in the discussions concerning digital game studies, the natural sciences are rarely among them. We do see references to evolution and biology when we look at new directions in the technical... more
While a great variety of fields are addressed in the discussions concerning digital game studies, the natural sciences are rarely among them. We do see references to evolution and biology when we look at new directions in the technical structuring of games, as genetic programming bestows artificial characters with a greater impression of intelligence [1, 2, 3]; but this domain is not discussed in the critical dissemination of player behaviour. If evolution and biology are valuable references for generating artificial intelligences within a digital game, perhaps it is time we consider the significance of such forces for the players engaging the game. As sociobiology pioneer Robert Trivers reminds us: “Natural selection has built us, and it is natural selection we must understand if we are to comprehend our own identities. [4]” Why are the cognitive tools we have inherited for thriving in the Pleistocene era so good at engaging, and being drawn to achieving goals in the fictional pixi...
In this paper, we investigate the coupling of two differ-ent cognitive modules, within the framework of embodied cognition. On one hand, an artificial agent is let to inter-act with its environment in order to learn the prediction of... more
In this paper, we investigate the coupling of two differ-ent cognitive modules, within the framework of embodied cognition. On one hand, an artificial agent is let to inter-act with its environment in order to learn the prediction of multi-modal sensory situations. The agent, makes use of ...
Abstract: Word problem solving is one of the most challenging tasks in mathematics for most students. It requires the solver to translate the problem into the language of mathematics, where we use symbols for mathematical operations and... more
Abstract: Word problem solving is one of the most challenging tasks in mathematics for most students. It requires the solver to translate the problem into the language of mathematics, where we use symbols for mathematical operations and for numbers whether known or ...
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the" hidden... more
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the" hidden curriculum". This paper proposes an instructional strategy to help develop students' generic skills through a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery. By investigating the nature of generic skills and contemporary methods of teaching and learning, an instructional framework is ...
This paper reports on the incorporation of an embedded tool within a virtual classroom environment (ClassSim) and the use of this by pre-service teachers as they engage with the software. The classroom simulation reported on in this... more
This paper reports on the incorporation of an embedded tool within a virtual classroom environment (ClassSim) and the use of this by pre-service teachers as they engage with the software. The classroom simulation reported on in this research was developed to provide pre-service ...
Interventions to support children with autism often include the use of visual supports, which are cognitive tools to enable learning and the production of language. Although visual supports are effective in helping to diminish many of the... more
Interventions to support children with autism often include the use of visual supports, which are cognitive tools to enable learning and the production of language. Although visual supports are effective in helping to diminish many of the challenges of autism, they are difficult and time-consuming to create, distribute, and use. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study focused on uncovering design guidelines for interactive visual supports that would address the many challenges inherent to current tools and practices. We present three prototype systems that address these design challenges with the use of large group displays, mobile personal devices, and personal recording technologies. We also describe the interventions associated with these prototypes along with the results from two focus group discussions around the interventions. We present further design guidance for visual supports and discuss tensions inherent to their design.
A complementary relationship exists between technology and constructivism, the implementation of each one benefiting the other. Constructivism is a doctrine stating that learning takes place in contexts, while technology refers to the... more
A complementary relationship exists between technology and constructivism, the implementation of each one benefiting the other. Constructivism is a doctrine stating that learning takes place in contexts, while technology refers to the designs and environments that engage learners. Recent attempts to integrate technology in the classroom have been within the context of a constructivist framework (eg, Richards, 1998). The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationship between constructivism and technology as ...
Currently there is considerable enthusiasm for exploring how we can apply digital gaming paradigms to learning. But these approaches are often weak in linking the game-playing activity to transferable social or conceptual processes and... more
Currently there is considerable enthusiasm for exploring how we can apply digital gaming paradigms to learning. But these approaches are often weak in linking the game-playing activity to transferable social or conceptual processes and skills that constitute, or are related to, learning. In contrast, this article describes a ‘dialogue game’ approach to learning in cyberspace related to Wittgenstein's notion of a ‘language game’ that seeks to explicitly link game-playing activity to the development of generic dialogical and reasoning skills that lead to improved conceptual understanding and collaborative knowledge refinement. This article initially discusses the current articulations of gaming as an approach to learning before justifying and describing the dialogue game approach the authors are currently adopting. This is followed by a summary of empirical evidence in support of this design paradigm and a desciption of a socio-cognitive tool called InterLoc that organises, mediat...
Currently there is considerable enthusiasm for exploring how we can apply digital gaming paradigms to learning. But these approaches are often weak in linking the game-playing activity to transferable social or conceptual processes and... more
Currently there is considerable enthusiasm for exploring how we can apply digital gaming paradigms to learning. But these approaches are often weak in linking the game-playing activity to transferable social or conceptual processes and skills that constitute, or are related to, learning. In contrast, this article describes a 'dialogue game' approach to learning in cyberspace related to Wittgenstein's notion of
Three related studies replicated and extended previous work (J.A. Danielson et al. (2003), Educational Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 63–81) involving the Diagnostic Pathfinder (dP) (previously Problem List Generator [PLG]),... more
Three related studies replicated and extended previous work (J.A. Danielson et al. (2003), Educational Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 63–81) involving the Diagnostic Pathfinder (dP) (previously Problem List Generator [PLG]), a cognitive tool for learning diagnostic problem solving. In studies 1 and 2, groups of 126 and 113 veterinary students, respectively, used the dP to complete case-based homework; groups of 120 and 199, respectively, used an alternative method. Students in the dP groups scored significantly higher (p = .000 and .003, respectively) on final exams than those in control groups. In the third study, 552 veterinary students responding to a questionnaire indicated that the dP’s gating and data synthesis activities aided learning. The dP’s feedback and requirement of completeness appear to aid learning most.
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the" hidden... more
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the" hidden curriculum". This paper proposes an instructional strategy to help develop students' generic skills through a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery. By investigating the nature of generic skills and contemporary methods of teaching and learning, an instructional framework is ...
Abstract - This paper compares how different student teams with engineering and industrial design backgrounds approach design problems and create design solutions. We collected data by observing team meetings throughout the design... more
Abstract - This paper compares how different student teams with engineering and industrial design backgrounds approach design problems and create design solutions. We collected data by observing team meetings throughout the design process. While students in both disciplines were ...
This article addresses research conducted in Portugal on the application of Rand Spiro’s Cognitive Flexibility Theory, describing work developed in the last decade. The studies presented range from the theory itself and the pedagogical... more
This article addresses research conducted in Portugal on the application of Rand Spiro’s Cognitive Flexibility Theory, describing work developed in the last decade. The studies presented range from the theory itself and the pedagogical and technological principles it defends as applied to learning, to how teachers interpret and translate it in the development of teaching materials, or even on how it can be used for setting up communities of learning an practice. Still other studies address how CFT can be used as a cognitive tool for deconstructing knowledge and lead students to reflect upon this process in distributed learning environments.
Differences in cultural contexts constitute differences in cognition, and research has shown that different cultures may use different cognitive tools for perception and reasoning. The cultural embeddings are significant in relation to... more
Differences in cultural contexts constitute differences in cognition, and research has shown that different cultures may use different cognitive tools for perception and reasoning. The cultural embeddings are significant in relation to HCI, because the cultural context is also embedded in the techniques and the tools that we apply. We lack a framework for discussing what and who we are, when we talk about a person as the user of an ICT system that has to be designed, developed and implemented. As a framework, we suggest a theory of complementary positions that insists on solid accounts from all observer posi-tions in relation to perspective, standpoint and focus. We need to develop com-plementary theories that embed complexity, and we need to reflect critically upon forty years of dominance by rationalistic, empirical understandings of the user as illustrated in the literature and practice within the HCI paradigm in system development.
Currently there is considerable enthusiasm for exploring how we can apply digital gaming paradigms to learning. But these approaches are often weak in linking the game-playing activity to transferable social or conceptual processes and... more
Currently there is considerable enthusiasm for exploring how we can apply digital gaming paradigms to learning. But these approaches are often weak in linking the game-playing activity to transferable social or conceptual processes and skills that constitute, or are related to, learning. In contrast, this article describes a ‘dialogue game ’ approach to learning in cyberspace related to Wittgenstein’s notion of a ‘language game ’ that seeks to explicitly link game-playing activity to the development of generic dialogical and reasoning skills that lead to improved conceptual understanding and collaborative knowledge refinement. This article initially discusses the current articulations of gaming as an approach to learning before justifying and describing the dialogue game approach the authors are currently adopting. This is followed by a summary of empirical evidence in support of this design paradigm and a desciption of a socio-cognitive tool called InterLoc that organises, mediates...
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the "hidden... more
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the "hidden curriculum". This paper proposes an instructional strategy to help develop students’ generic skills through a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery. By investigating the nature of generic skills and contemporary methods of teaching and learning, an instructional framework is proposed to help prepare students for the workplace by promoting generic skill development as well as subject-specific knowledge.
The aim of the paper is to characterize two new advanced video technology software systems developed for uses in collaborative learning (DIVER and HyperVideo), and how they extend the paradigms of video use in classrooms today. The... more
The aim of the paper is to characterize two new advanced video technology software systems developed for uses in collaborative learning (DIVER and HyperVideo), and how they extend the paradigms of video use in classrooms today. The rationale for and characteristics of these tools are described, and early experiences with their use are characterized.
This paper reports on the incorporation of an embedded tool within a virtual classroom environment(ClassSim) and the use of this by pre-service teachers as they engage with the software. The classroomsimulation reported on in this... more
This paper reports on the incorporation of an embedded tool within a virtual classroom environment(ClassSim) and the use of this by pre-service teachers as they engage with the software. The classroomsimulation reported on in this research was developed to provide pre-service teachers with a safe virtualenvironment in which they are able to explore ‘authentic’ and practical classroom scenarios. The embeddedtool, referred to as the ‘Thinking Space’, was developed to support pre-service teachers in capturing theirreflections about the complex role of a teacher as they move through the experience. Encouraging reflectionhas long been acknowledged as an important strategy in the development of new understandings. Our trials ofthe software have shown that pre-service teachers have used the tool to reflect upon issues within theclassroom, articulating their rationale at decision points and to identify underlying influences that affect theiruse of the classroom simulation (ClassSim) and the...
The V.E.Ne.Re. Project (Virtual Executive NEuropsychological REhabilitation) consists in the constuction and validation of artificial environments based on Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, aimed for cognitive rehabilitation of executive... more
The V.E.Ne.Re. Project (Virtual Executive NEuropsychological REhabilitation) consists in the constuction and validation of artificial environments based on Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, aimed for cognitive rehabilitation of executive functions (frontal lobe dysfunction; dysexecutive syndrome). Damasio (1994) pointed at the discrepancy between non immersive artificial lab tests and real life situations to explain the frequent diagnostic and therapeutic failures that occur when traditional cognitive tools are used with frontal patients. In this perspective, VR environments which are capable to generate a better subjective perception of presence and immersivity, become a very promising alternative to enhance cognitive neuropsychology of executive functions. On these premises, we will describe the current three components of V.E.Ne.Re., with special regard to the V-Store software, which consists in a set of tasks aimed to empower executive functions, attention, short term memory, b...
A theoretical perspective of physics learning processes as cognitive development is described, referring to theoretical frames and empirical results of other authors. Students' cognitive system is described with cognitive elements,... more
A theoretical perspective of physics learning processes as cognitive development is described, referring to theoretical frames and empirical results of other authors. Students' cognitive system is described with cognitive elements, classified according to different grain size. "Cognitive atoms" as elements with the smallest grain size - the basic building blocks of cognitive systems,- are used by many authors with
Investigations about changes of conceptions during physics instruction are seen as the logical and necessary next step to follow the successful international research on students' pre-instructional conceptions. The paper analyses... more
Investigations about changes of conceptions during physics instruction are seen as the logical and necessary next step to follow the successful international research on students' pre-instructional conceptions. The paper analyses theoretical issues related to the terms "learning processes" and "cognitive system". It starts with a differentiation of "conceptual change" towards learning as formation of new additional cognitive structures vs learning as change of qualities of structures being already there. Such qualities can be "strength" and "status" of a conception as well as the "level of explanation". The paper is oriented towards explicit cognitive descriptions related to specific contents of physics. It reviews selected content specific results and comes to general hypotheses about learning. It also shows examples of "learning pathways" defined by "intermediate conceptions", seen as a result of s...
This design-based research uses handheld computers as cognitive tools to facilitate students' inquiry-based learning on environmental issues—3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in a Singapore primary school. Using handheld computers... more
This design-based research uses handheld computers as cognitive tools to facilitate students' inquiry-based learning on environmental issues—3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in a Singapore primary school. Using handheld computers throughout a field trip, 79 Primary grade 4 students investigated how wastes are produced and what impact 3Rs can have on protecting the environment. The handheld computers were used to support, guide, and extend student thinking process within and out of classroom. Pre-and post- ...