Journal of Information Technology and Application in Education

125-131

Authors: Ana M. Fermoso García, Alberto Pedrero Esteban

There are many educational resources on the Internet. Learning objects are conceived as a way of resusing these resources. The Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a common model for learning objects that makes the reuse of educational contents among different systems. The objective of this paper was to show how it is possible to view and access from a mobile device educational content formatted as a learning object and packaged under the SCORM model. This is very useful in mobile learning (m-learning), where it is common that the materials created are very specific to a particular learning environment and unable to be reused in other platforms compared to those for which they were created. The application created for this purpose, named SCORMmobile, has been used at present in real environments by several e-learning businesses.

143-149

Authors: Whei-Jane Wei, Lai-Chung Lee

This paper presents an experimental study on young children’s off-task behaviors with and without the designed system called e-PAYA (PA for pat, YA for yell) which comprises learning devices, a sensory input device, a wireless local network and RFID software. We demonstrate the impacts on learning by applying e-PAYA in storytelling. The research methods include observation, questionnaire survey, interviewing and experiment. Sixty 4-year-old children were selected from a private preschool in Taipei City. Half of them were arranged in an experimental group with e-PAYA, with the others in a control group without e-PAYA. The proposed framework was designed, implemented and validated through a prototype system. The results show that there are significant differences in regard to group and gender. With e-PAYA, frequency analysis shows that on-task performance is significantly greater than that in the control group (p=.001).

157-160

Authors: Na Sun, Qian Qiao

High coding efficiency is the ultimate goal of developing video coding technology, but it is usually achieved at the cost of increased computation complexity. Thus, how to reduce as much computation complexity as possible while ensuring high coding efficiency becomes an important subject in the study of video coding technology. This paper has introduced several typical fast algorithms which are based on residual coefficients.

166-169

Authors: Hui-Zhen Lin, Ching-Ting Hsu, Wei-Hua Ho

An ADHD patient joining into a class is a big challenge for teachers. For taking care of all students, it is difficult for teachers to pay more attention to the ADHD patient. Thus, an activity detection and warning system for ADHD patient is proposed in this paper to help teachers controlling whole class. We extract discrete cosine transform coefficients in pre-coded video bitstream to measure the activity. If the activity of the ADHD patient is higher than the average activity of whole class, the proposed system will remind the teacher to take care the ADHD patient. Experimental results show that the proposed system can detect the activity of ADHD patient efficiently.

175-178

Authors: Jen-Yang Chen, Chuan Hsi Liu, Kuei-Fu Lu

The problem of educational resources and urban/rural learning achievement for indigenous students living in remote areas has become significant. Some scholars proposed that the teaching material based on indigenous culture can improve the learning performance. In addition, indigenous students prefer using the senses to help learning, especially dynamic, visual image, informal, and lively learning methods. Augmented reality (AR) is a technique for visual sensation of virtual objects combined with the real environment, using image processing technology to interact with virtual objects, also allowing users to blend into a situational virtual reality. It has been comprehensively applied to various fields, and its importance has also been recognized in education. To motivate the learning interest, this study developed the gear instructional module using AR. The trial teaching and observational records from the instructional activity were used to show that the developed module can promote the learning interest and the learning motivation.

105-116

Authors: Marichelle Van Deventer, A. Seugnet Blignaut

This article evaluates a residential higher education institute’s (HEI) implementation of laptops as part of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) to Virtual Generation students at a small faculty. The study population comprised 36 first year Humanities students, between the ages of 19-43, the Faculty Dean, and the lecturers of six first year modules. Over a period of one year, the qualitative case study collected data using various data collection strategies: semi-structured interview with the dean, semi-structured individual interviews with purposefully selected students, semi-structured focus groups discussions with lecturers and students, and an open-ended questionnaire. An integrated dataset captured the transcribed interviews as a hermeneutic unit in Atlas.ti™, a computer-based qualitative data analysis software. The researchers coded and categorised the textual data into four themes according to the constant comparative analysis method. Findings relate to the use of laptops as learning tools: (i) students’ experiences of technology; (ii) improving teaching and learning, (iii) technology issues; and (iv) project outcomes. The themes relating to campus-based TEL experience of students comprised six areas, grouped as two patterns. While e-communication, Internet access and comperacy constituted the customary background aspects, students, lecturers and course material were the main concerns that required support to enhance the teaching and learning experiences of students at this residential campus.

61-66

Authors: Savaş Şahin

This paper introduces design and implementation of Modbus-based supervisory control and data acquisition/human machine interface (SCADA/HMI) applications. In reaction to the severe problems such as incompatibility and complexity occurring in in the course of the selection of SCADA/HMI packet programs, controllers and instruments, a brief survey on SCADA programs produced by industrial automation vendors is presented and then two Modbus-based SCADA/HMI applications are designed and implemented via National Instrument (NI) Lookout program. Thus, obligation in harmony with same vendor’s industrial automation products is eliminated for any SCADA/HMI system. In this study, Modbus-based SCADA/HMI applications have been developed using frequency-controlled inverter, programmable logic controller, and NI Lookout program in order to meet industrial and educational application needs.

80-84

Authors: Chang Liu, Charles Downing

Customization and flexibility are needed for drill-down and drill-through data analysis in a business intelligence cube design. This paper presents an easy way of customized grouping dimensional attribute members in Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. The approach described in this paper indicates that such customization yields quicker learning and more complete understanding of a cube design by students.

95-104

Authors: Fatma Ozmen, Songül Karabatak

Electronic communication (e-communication) as a result of rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), gaining momentum over the last decade, has become an important communication tool that has profoundly affected our lives with its great opportunities and possibilities. E-communication inevitably influenced educational institutions, and the institutions which implement e-communication effectively, have begun to provide significant advantages in terms of time, space, labor, and cost. This situation creates an impact on the educational institutions, especially on higher education institutions, so as to achieve more effective use of e-communication. In this study, based on the views of academic staff and undergraduate students, the reasons that make underground students use e-communication, advantages and disadvantages of e-communication, and the issues related to what should be done for the use of e-communication more effectively, have been examined. In the research, an interview technique was utilized as a means of data collection. Opinions of both 25 academic staff and 25 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Technology at Firat University, were taken by means of semi-structured questions. The obtained data were coded and the themes were determined. Then based on the frequencies of the repetition of the themes, the data were analyzed. The findings revealed that undergraduate students used e-communications, especially for sharing knowledge related educational issues, and that beside advantageous sides, there were disadvantageous features of e-communication as well.

1-15

Authors: Hong Gao, Margareta Maria Thomson, E Shen

This qualitative study examined the process of knowledge construction of a bounded case study (a group of graduate students). Participants were from the United States and were enrolled in an Educational Psychology course; they were collaboratively involved in the process of knowledge construction using concept maps as the primary data. To examine the processes and tensions during the knowledge construction activity we used the lens of the Activity Systems Theory. Study findings showed that the process of knowledge construction differed from individual to individual based on their domain expertise and concept map procedures. Also, one of the primary tools used in this activity, language, was focused upon by all participants and was identified as a source of tension as well in the group. Attempts were made by the group to establish the language used in the corresponding portion of the concept map constructed. Instructional implications for task construction and approach facilitating knowledge construction are discussed in connection with study findings.

23-32

Authors: Vaiva Grabauskiene, Valentina Dagiene

The paper deals with transformations of the holistic conception of primary geometric education in the context of mixed reality. This concept is aimed at the analysis of education implying a simultaneous insight into the geometric education from the viewpoint of philosophy, mathematics, technology, pedagogics, psychology, linguistics and aesthetics. The main attention and analyses are addressed to technological peculiarities of the holistic conception framed by the shape of situated learning. Due to the complexity of learning environment, UML (Unified Modelling Language) is chosen for the description of the education process. The process of developing the model is illustrated by using different types of UML diagrams: Use case, Class and Activity. Finally, peculiarities of the object-oriented approach applied in modelling the situated geometry learning environment are discussed.

47-54

Authors: Hou-Tsan Lee

Humanoid robots are moving from the factories into our homes to imitate human actions or to do works in our daily life. Thus, the interaction between users and humanoid robots becomes more and more important in these applications. On the other hand, more and more applications of robots help people in training or education. This work has designed a voice-controlled typesetting robot of alphabet letters which can help those physically disabled to select the alphabet letters they want by voice as well as help with the learning of English letters for children. A simplified prototype of such design has been proposed in this paper. By a proper arrangement of microphone, actuators and mechanism structure, the chosen alphabet letters by voice input can be displayed by typesetting of bricks within a 3X3 grid plate via the operation of a robotic arm. Some experimental results are given to validate the satisfactory performance. Besides, 20 children between 2 and 5 years old are randomly chosen to play with this prototype and a primary conclusion is therefore summarized also shown in the proposed paper.