The aim of this thesis is to highlight the role as well as focus attention on the importance of upper secondary school librarians’ work with digital learning environments (DLE). While there is tremendous time and resources spent on digital learning environments in schools today there is still an immense dearth of research regarding how these digtial environments are employed by schools and school libraries and how that use might benefit learning. In this study I have focused on two areas: how the DLE is collocated and used at upper secondary school libraries, and how these choices can be viewed through theories of connectivism and connectivist learning. I have endeavoured to answer these questions through the use of a survey and for further depth I have collected information from three semi-structured interviews. The study found that most respondents’ DLE were comprised of combinations of several digital environments. Sometimes there was a division of material between different environments whilst some had tried to consolidate most sources to one of their digital spaces. The most elaborated resources and DLE were found with those who worked according to the latter approach. The literature and research suggests that libraries may be viewed as important access points of information for students in their collection of the information nodes that encompass their connectivistic networks of knowledge. Though, there are rarely any traces of possibilities for user-generated content which would satisfy two purposes for school libraries: increased learning and knowledge via social interaction as well as an increase in the feeling of relevance for the library’s digital learning environment. The study found that the school librarians’ view their DLE as a resource to support learning. Learning goals, such as course or project specific goals or those concerned with information literacy, were often applied in the creation of material and collections of resources made available to students and teachers via the DLE. Based on connectivistic thoughts learning via the DLE would be enhanced through user generated content and discussion boards.

Online education is pervasive in higher education today. More students are taking courses online than ever before. Institutions are encouraged to adopt virtual classrooms as the market demands access. This study examined the characteristics of students who choose to enroll in online or face-to-face courses and their eventual academic outcomes in their selected course. The purpose was to determine whether online and face-to-face students possess the same skillsets or if there are characteristics that a student should possess when choosing to enroll in an online class or program. Additionally, this study examined students’ perception of online courses versus face-to-face courses to determine if there were any differences in students’ feedback based on the type of course in which they were enrolled. The course Management Information Systems 101 (MS107) served as the focus of this study; it is a required undergraduate business course in an urban university. Typically, undergraduate sophomores or juniors take this course and are declared business majors at the university. The units for analysis consisted of students enrolled in MS107 in the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018 semesters. The online courses were conducted via WebEx, synchronously with live interaction from the professor. The face-to-face classes were conducted in the traditional environment on the university’s main campus. Data were collected from the university’s student system, student feedback forms, and the university’s New Student Questionnaire (NSQ) and concatenated to present a full picture of each student’s course outcome, demographics, and responses to the NSQ. The purpose in analyzing this information was to determine if there are behavioral, demographic, or other characteristics that might lend to better or worse performance in an online classroom. Finally, student feedback was analyzed to determine whether students have different opinions of MS107 depending on course delivery method. Results of this study indicate that from a course delivery perspective, engagement between students and faculty is a critical asset that should be developed in the online classroom environment. In the analysis of the student self-reported characteristics, many of the characteristics for success for the entire sample hold true for the characteristics of successful students in the face-to-face sections. For the online sections, however, the key predictors of success are simply previous grade point average and expectation of high averages in college, eliminating variables like self-confidence and hard working. The results of this study support prior research that states students perform better in face-to-face classrooms than online; however, this research begins to showcase what opportunities might be available for improvement in the online classroom / Educational Leadership

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-22T17:27:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 luisaguedes.pdf: 1422155 bytes, checksum: 158e73dea502c4d054f9d3ab255bbd75 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-14 / Today people spend several hours in front of a television or a computer, for work or just for entertainment. One of the most popular forms of entertainment is the video game. Game themes are varied and gamers need different abilities to be successful from basic skills to more complex abilities. A considerable part of these games are in English and the players need to be familiar with the vocabulary and the language used in the game to go forward. Apparently, the gamers do not see the language as a barrier that will stop them from playing and many players claim that they have learned the English language with the games they play. However, how did this learning process occur? Are they going to be able to use the language in other contexts? Or will it only be useful to achieve the games objectives? From these questions, this research aims at investigating if a group of people from different ages that claim they learned English playing video games and that have never studied English outside regular school are able to use the language in contexts other than the games. The research will be based on the Connectivist Theory of Learning by Siemens and Downes among other authors. It is a qualitative study, conducted with subjects who agreed to participate voluntarily in an interview in English and in Portuguese. From the data collected, it was possible to identify that the subjects were able to communicate in an extragame context, in variable proficiency levels that can be influenced by the players interest on the language, world of games and the connections that are established and maintained, concerning between the areas involved / Atualmente, muitas pessoas passam grande parte de seu tempo em frente à televisão ou ao computador, seja para fins de trabalho ou lazer. Uma das formas de entretenimento mais populares entre pessoas de diversas faixas etárias são os jogos eletrônicos, ou vídeo games. Esses têm temas variados e o jogador precisa de habilidades diferentes para ter sucesso no jogo, desde as mais básicas até as mais complexas. Um número considerável de jogos está em língua inglesa e os jogadores precisam entender o que diz o jogo para seguir em frente. Aparentemente, os jogadores não veem a língua como uma barreira que os impedem de jogar e muitos deles dizem que aprenderam a língua inglesa somente por meio desses jogos. Entretanto, como se deu esta aprendizagem? Estes jogadores poderão usar a língua em contextos diferentes dos jogos? Ou a língua aprendida será útil somente para atingir os objetivos dos jogos? A partir destas perguntas, este trabalho tem o objetivo de investigar se um grupo de pessoas de diferentes idades que diz ter aprendido inglês por meio de jogos eletrônicos e que não tenha estudado a língua em cursos livres, fora da escola regular, é capaz de usar a língua em um contexto diferente dos jogos. Para basear esta pesquisa, os conceitos da Teoria do Conectivismo de Siemens e Downes, entre outros, foram utilizados. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa e para que os objetivos sejam atingidos, foram feitas entrevistas com os sujeitos voluntários em português e inglês. Dos dados coletados, foi possível concluir que os sujeitos foram capazes de se comunicar em contexto extrajogo, em diferentes níveis de proficiência. Esses resultados foram influenciados pelo interesse do jogador na língua, no mundo dos games e pelas conexões que estabelecem e mantém entre as áreas envolvidas

Diploma thesis deals with social networking sites and their use in education. Thesis is divided into two general parts. The first part deals with theory of learning; Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives and new educational theory based on learning in networks -- Connectivism. After that thesis focuses on the definition of social networking sites, introduction of some of the best known social networking sites and examples of their use in foreign and domestic educational practice. The second part of the thesis is concerned with a practical use of chosen social networking site Wall.fm in classes of Web 2.0 and Social Networking Services course at the University of Economics, Prague. One of the parts is devoted to the survey among students of the course regarding the feedback on the use of social networking site in classes. The author then offers recommendations and suggestions for the use of the social networking site in Web 2.0 and Social Networking Services course in the upcoming semesters.

The enrollment of college students in the United States who are classified as adult learners will continue to grow, bringing new challenges to degree programs. Multiple studies have provided insight into how best to teach these learners. However, to maximize learning, institutions must now consider strategies that merge adult learning principles with the integration of technology and students' personal and professional networks. Connectivism, based largely on the work of Siemens, and andragogy, based on Knowles, provided the conceptual framework that guided this basic qualitative interpretive study that examined how instructors experience and interpret the characteristics of connectivism (autonomy, openness, diversity, and connectedness) and their impact on students' learning. Ten instructors teaching adult learners were recruited using the LinkedIn social media tool. Data were coded using categories based on the four characteristics of connectivism, and a thematic analysis of the data generated four themes: fostering self-direction and student decision to learn (autonomy); teacher disposition, sharing experience, and effective dialogue (openness); depth or variation of experience, outside resources, and learning from others (diversity); and encouraging engagement, collaboration, and learning for engagement (interactivity/connectedness). This work may be useful to faculty and administrators needing to develop strategies to incorporate andragogical strategies with new learning technologies to contribute to positive social change by better meeting the needs of adult learners.

Submitted by JOAO FERNANDO TOBGYAL DA SILVA SANTOS (fernandotobgyal@faac.unesp.br) on 2016-02-04T13:04:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Disserta_Mestrado_2015.pdf: 1568314 bytes, checksum: c786b84bdee3e15a58f09e20e796d9bd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-02-05T12:26:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_jfts_me_bauru.pdf: 1568314 bytes, checksum: c786b84bdee3e15a58f09e20e796d9bd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-05T12:26:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_jfts_me_bauru.pdf: 1568314 bytes, checksum: c786b84bdee3e15a58f09e20e796d9bd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-22 / A presente dissertação contém uma proposta de Objeto de Aprendizagem, em um caso da Física, Movimento Retilíneo Uniforme, exemplificado em uma situação hipotética de uma prova do atletismo - 100 metros rasos, para se constituir em uma aplicação dos conceitos do Conectivismo e do Edutretenimento. As reflexões trazidas pela observação do comportamento dos alunos em sala de aula, o crescente acesso às novas tecnologias, as inquietações deste pesquisador, leituras e aplicações em sala de aula, constata a presença destas tecnologias móveis no cotidiano dos alunos, dentro e fora das salas de aula, sem a devida potencialização destes, em prol do aprendizado. A disseminação de aplicativos, programas e sistemas, em uma gama de facilidades de uso, disponibiliza recursos voltados ao bem-estar dos usuários. Constitui-se como objeto de estudo, uma proposta de aplicativo, aportado nos princípios do Conectivismo e do Edutretenimento, que propõe a construção do conhecimento na Escola. Utiliza-se a metodologia do V de Gowin para a definição da pergunta-chave e da linha de condução do pensamento da presente dissertação. Espera-se contribuir efetivamente para o desenvolvimento de ferramentas, que ao serem disponibilizadas aos professores e alunos da rede brasileira de ensino, incrementem a facilidade de uso, a aplicabilidade e a eficiência na relação professoraluno, fortalecendo o ensino e o interesse pelo estudo das Ciências. / This thesis contains a Learning Object proposal in a case of physics, Rectilinear Motion Uniform, exemplified in a hypothetical situation of a proof of athletics - 100 meters, to constitute an application of the concepts of Connectivism and Edutretenimento. The reflections brought by observing the behavior of students in the classroom, increasing access to new technologies, the concerns of this research, readings and applications in the classroom, notes the presence of these mobile technologies in the daily lives of students, in and out of rooms class without proper empowerment of these, for the sake of learning. The spread of applications, programs and systems in a range of ease of use, offers resources focused on the users' wellbeing. It serves as an object of study, an application proposal, contributed the principles of Connectivism and Edutretenimento, which proposes the construction of knowledge in school. It is used to Gowin V methodology to the key question of the definition and the driving line of the present dissertation thinking. It is expected to contribute effectively to the development of tools, which when made available to teachers and students of the Brazilian education system, boost European ease of use, applicability and efficiency in teacher-student relationship, strengthening education and interest in the study of Sciences.

Submitted by ALEXANDRE TRAJANO PEQUINI null (trajano.alexandre@gmail.com) on 2016-05-04T18:35:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 alexandretrajano-tese.pdf: 3232644 bytes, checksum: c6071313b33b90081e8944b35835e3b0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-09T13:22:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 pequini_at_dr_ia.pdf: 3232644 bytes, checksum: c6071313b33b90081e8944b35835e3b0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-09T13:22:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pequini_at_dr_ia.pdf: 3232644 bytes, checksum: c6071313b33b90081e8944b35835e3b0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esta pesquisa, de caráter bibliográfico, foi pautada tomando como base o questionamento: Quais as razões que impedem a utilização ampla da tecnologia nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem musical, considerando-se o seu amplo emprego na sociedade? Para sua confecção foram traçados os seguintes objetivos: 1 - Descrever e refletir sobre o uso de tecnologias de informação e comunicação na sociedade, na educação e no ensino musical brasileiro, sob uma ótica sociocultural e educacional; 2 - Descrever os atores desse mundo tecnológico focando mais intensamente as teorias veiculadas por GARDNER & DAVIS (2013); STRAUSS & HOWE e PRENSKY (1991); 3 - verificar em que medida as Revistas Científicas na área de Música têm realizado textos referendando esta temática. A justificativa encontra-se no fato de que se houver uma intensificação do emprego de ferramentas tecnológicas no ensino musical, a música enquanto área de conhecimento terá melhor desenvolvimento. A metodologia da pesquisa adotada constituiu-se de um levantamento bibliográfico de autores, entre eles, SANTOMÉ (2013), NOVAK (2012), SIEMENS (2004), LÉVY (1993;1999,2003) sem desconsiderar os autores acima citados. Além da Introdução e das Considerações Finais foram delineados 7 capítulos, o primeiro abordou o Ciberespaço, o segundo descreveu os exemplos práticos da construção da inteligência coletiva. O terceiro capítulo tratou dos processos de ensino e aprendizagem e do Conectivismo. O quarto capítulo cuidou das TICs e sua adoção no cotidiano, no sistema educativo e no ensino musical. O quinto reporta-se aos atores no cenário tecnológico, evidenciado nas teorias de GARDNER & DAVIS; STRAUSS & HOWE E PRENSKY. O sexto traz o levantamento de Revistas Científicas de Música com Qualis A1 e A2 que abordam a relação da tecnologia com a música. O sétimo capítulo conta com o posicionamento do pesquisador sobre o material pesquisado. Concluímos que apesar da defasagem tecnológica presente nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem em relação ao ambiente tecnológico adotado no cotidiano dos indivíduos, a educação informal e a EAD têm utilizado mais intensamente a tecnologia, fator que necessitaria ser priorizado na educação formal e não formal. / This bibliographical research was guided, based on the following question: What are the reasons that prevent the widespread use of technology on music teaching and learning, given its wide use in society? For its preparation the following objectives were outlined: 1 - reflect and discuss about the use of information and communication technologies in society and in education and as the Brazilian music education in a socio-cultural and educational perspective. 2 - Describe the actors in this technological world focusing more intensely in theories propagated by GARDNER & DAVIS (2013); STRAUSS & HOWE and PRENSKY (1991). 3 - Check as the Journals in the Music area have carried out texts endorsing this theme. The justification for its realization lies in the fact that if there is an intensification of the use of technological tools in teaching music, music as knowledge area will have a considerable advance. The research methodology adopted consisted of a literature of authors, among them, SANTOMÉ (2013), Novak (2012), Siemens (2004), Levy (1993, 1999, 2010), without disregarding the others aforementioned authors. Besides the introduction and the final considerations were outlined six chapters, first charpter addressed the Cyberspace, second described the practical examples of the construction of collective intelligence. The third chapter dealt with the processes of teaching and learning as connectivism well. The fourth chapter took care of ICTs and its adoption in everyday life, in education and musical education. The fifth refers to the actors in the technological scenario, evidenced in the theories of GARDNER & DAVIS; STRAUSS & HOWE and PRENSKY. The sixth chapter has introduced Music Journals with Qualis A1 and A2 that address the relationship of technology with music. The seventh deliveries the researcher's point fo view about the material founded. We concluded that despite the existing technological imbalance in the teaching and learning processes in relation to the technological environment adopted in the everyday life of individuals, informal education and distance education have used technology in a more intense way, a factor that should be adopted in formal and non-formal education.

The subject of diploma thesis are online social networks and how they can be used in education. The first part deals how social networks can help in education, it analyses communi-cation as crucial aspect educational process. Theoretical part is also trying to define online social network with the aim on education, few of social networks are presented with exam-ples how can they be used in practise. The practical part consists in the implementation of a chosen social network (proba-bly Yammer) into the real teaching courses of the Department of system analysis - intro-ductory on subjects 4SA615 - Information Management and 4SA526 - New media and social networks. Questionnaire is used to evaluate the results and to get feedback from the student on the implemented project (social network). Recommendations are proposed based on the feedback, which could be applied to improve the courses in upcoming semes-ters. In the best-case scenario, the conclusion of this diploma thesis could lead to imple-menting the social network for whole department, or even university.

The educational sector was transforming, wherein distance learning was considered a contemporary alternative to the campus-based learning approach. The flipped classroom concept was a well-researched method that could be applied within the distance-learning paradigm. There were claims that suggest a variety of advantages, however, available publications were lacking the perspective of the primary beneficiary: the students. On this basis, the research question was formulated how distance-students in higher education perceive the benefits and challenges with the technology-enhanced flipped classroom concept. The research was purposefully designed to build on existing contemporary knowledge claims. The review originated from a holistic review of the flipped classroom concept down to well-established educational theories that were connected to contemporary learning methods within the field of Informatics. The empirical data for this qualitative research was collected through seven semi-structured interviews that were preceded by a preliminary observational study.  By the means of a thematic analysis, three major themes were identified that offered a broader insight into the students' perspective with regards to the benefits and challenges of the flipped classroom concept. Namely, these themes were (1) sentimental involvement, (2) flipped classroom design, and (3) participants’ perception. The findings revealed that the discussion-based sessions assisted them to foster the knowledge transfer. Furthermore, the ability to contribute and influence the discussion had been perceived as positive. The results of this research confirmed earlier claims concerning a positive perception of the flipped classroom concept. Current scientific publications already argued the importance of student-centered education as a method to develop competencies of students and improve the knowledge transfer of the course participants. This research discovered that the flipped classroom concept was a viable tool to further empower students and facilitate constructivism through communication and enhancement of cognitivism.

Middle school students misuse social media without understanding the negative influence on their global digital footprint and lives. Research does not provide insight into how students develop digital citizenship skills for positive digital footprints and appropriate social media use. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore students' growth as digital citizens while participating in one digital citizenship project using global collaboration and social media. The conceptual framework included Ribble's theory of digital citizenship and Siemens's theory of connectivism. Research questions asked how students' digital citizenship developed when they were engaged in social media and global collaborative projects. Participants included 7 middle school teachers and 1 project administrator. Structured interviews and Wiki data were analyzed using an iterative open coding technique to identify rich, thick themes and patterns. The findings showed global collaborative projects and social media served as catalysts to motivate students as they took action as digital citizens, overcame barriers to digital citizenship, used social media for learning and collaboration, and adopted less ethnocentric views of the world. Students compared other cultures to their own, considered the welfare of others online, and modified their online behavior in favor of positive global digital footprints. Students used social media responsibly, were academically motivated by an authentic audience, and shared their academic learning with others in their local and extended communities. Reform of middle school curricula to include global collaborative projects and instruction in digital citizenship may bring about positive social change as students learn to be responsible users of social media.