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- Hamidi, Ali
(author)
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A Systems Thinking Approach to Computational Thinking in Education
- 2023
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In today's rapidly changing world, the acquisition of essential skills is crucial for the success of young individuals. Among these skills, computational thinking (CT) plays a vital role in problem-solving and adapting to the complex and evolving demands of the 21st century. However, there is a need to explore the integration of other thinking skills alongside CT, as well as their application in educational settings.This study aims to address the gap in knowledge regarding the application of systems thinking to the development of CT and its integration into education. The primary objective is to explore the relationship between systems thinking and CT, providing a contextual framework for existing studies that focus on systems thinking in relation to CT. Additionally, the study explores how systems thinking can be applied to CT within educational contexts. By incorporating a systems thinking approach, a broader examination of the various factors involved in CT, including the technological landscape, individual skills and knowledge, and the social and cultural context, can be achieved.The thesis comprises three papers that describe research efforts conducted over three years. These projects focused on CT development using educational robotics and maker technologies, aiming to build and enhance CT skills among individuals of different ages and perspectives. The findings of the research efforts are synthesized and consolidated using the systemic FMA model, a comprehensive model that interconnects the frameworks of ideas, methodology, and the area of interest. This model conceptualizes CT practices as a system encompassing emergent properties, multiple perspectives, design interventions, and social and ethical considerations. The adopted FMA model enables methodological pluralism and facilitates critical examination of the boundaries of CT development, leading to conceptual and practical changes.The research contributes to the field of CT by providing insights into its theoretical foundations and practical applications, informing and guiding educational practices that are associated with CT.
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| 2. |
- Spikol, Daniel, 1965-
(author)
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A Design Toolkit for Emerging Learning Landscapes Supported by Ubiquitous Computing
- 2010
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The widespread use of mobile devices and their integration in our everyday ac- tivities is changing the way we communicate, share information, and learn. The rapid adoption of powerful mobile devices also offers new opportunities to sup- port teaching and learning. For many users, mobile devices along with different types of computers are always connected, providing a constant stream of digital content to and from people and thereby adding new layers to the everyday in- formation landscape. These emergent trends are changing communication and collaboration patterns, but they have not yet been effectively leveraged for the field of education. Nearly 20 years ago, it was argued that the limitations of computer use for education in the coming decades would likely be less a result of technological limitations than a result of limited human imagination and the constraints of old habits and social structures. These two latest behaviors are still observable in many of today's classrooms. Therefore, different strategies are needed to explore and promote innovative educational practices supported by mobile and ubiquitous technologies, and this thesis will argue that design can be the catalyst for such a change.The main research question to be addressed in this thesis relates to what new approaches can be developed to design emerging learning landscapes supported by ubiquitous computing. In order to investigate this question, different design approaches are used to bring together the perspectives of technology- enhanced learning, ubiquitous computing, and interaction design. The empirical work presented in this dissertation is based on the activities and outcomes that emerged from three projects that included informal learning activities, inquiry-based science learning, and mathematics learning inside and outside the formal classroom. The most salient design approaches were identified from a comparative analysis of the projects, and this provided the foundations of a design toolkit. The intention of creating and using such a design toolkit is to provide a set of guidelines for researchers, designers, teachers, and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges of designing innovative learning activities supported by ubiquitous technologies.
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| 3. |
- Spikol, Daniel, 1965-, et al.
(author)
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Discussing and Synthesizing Three Positions in Computer-supported Inquiry Learning from a Design Perspective : Mobile Collaboratories, Emerging Learning Objects, and Personal Inquiry
- 2011
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In: 9th International Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Conference. - Hong Kong : International Society of the Learning Sciences. ; , s. 1202-1204
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This workshop compares and seeks to synthesize different design approaches for exploring and promoting innovative educational practices supported by collaborative technologies. Bringing the design process to the forefront to support research and the realization of products for CSCL can help to balance the different needs of researchers and practitioners. The goal of the workshop is to examine different collaborative inquiry-learning based projects to determine what key themes can be further developed to address the use of design to improve research and implementation. While science inquiry is the focus of these three approaches, the comparative and synthesis activities should be of use for workshop participants concerned with synthesizing multiple design approaches for other CSCL domains as well, such as new literacies.
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| 4. |
- Cerratto Pargman, Teresa, et al.
(author)
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Taking an instrumental genesis lens : New insights into collaborative mobile learning
- 2018
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In: British Journal of Educational Technology. - : Wiley. - 0007-1013 .- 1467-8535. ; 49:2, s. 219-234
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we argue that in order to gain a deeper understanding of collaborative mobile learning in schools, it is important to know not only how mobile devices affect collaborative learning but also how collaborative learning emerges and is mediated by these devices. We develop our argument by applying the instrumental genesis theory and the collective instrumented activities and situations model for the analysis of learners' collaborative learning in the tablet-mediated classroom. This analysis is grounded in data collected in four elementary Swedish schools (ie, from fourth to eighth grade). From the data, we considered the learners' conversation in English as a foreign language, inquiry-based learning in the natural sciences classroom and game-based learning in the arithmetic classroom. On the one hand, the scrutiny of these specific activities led us to distinguish the pragmatic, epistemic, and reflexive instrumental mediations that have already been theorized in the instrumental genesis theory. On the other hand, they helped us to identify two additional ones, which we call emotional and spatial. Based on these findings, we claim that collaboration in the tablet-mediated classroom is a complex activity that emerges from a variety of instrumental mediations that configure contemporary collaborative mobile learning.
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| 5. |
- Cerratto-Pargman, Teresa, et al.
(author)
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Teaching Computational Thinking in K-9 : Tensions at the Intersection of Technology and Pedagogical Knowledge
- 2020
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In: The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020. - Nashville, Tennessee, USA : International Society of the Learning Sciences. ; , s. 2409-2410, s. 2409-2410
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This work draws attention to the question of how in-service teachers learn to teach computational thinking and programming across subjects in K-9 education. Drawing on qualitative analyses of 298 reflective notes provided by 120 in-service teachers attending a professional development program, we pay attention to the following emergent themes: i)developing an understanding of the subject of computational thinking in K-9, ii)connecting programming with the teachers’ own subject matters, iii)understanding the purpose of teaching computational thinking. These themes point at the importance of scaffolding in-service teachers to learn to program with educational materials, tools and programming environments but also with a sound and inspirational pedagogy that addresses the fundamental questions of: what, how and why programming and computational thinking should be part of the compulsory school curriculum?
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Golub, Koraljka, et al.
(author)
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Current efforts, perspectives and challenges related to Digital Humanities in Nordic countries
- 2017
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In: DH 2016. Digital Humanities 2016. - : CEUR-WS.org. ; , s. 119-125
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper reports on a panel discussion at the International Digital Humanities (DH) Symposium, held in Växjö, 7-8 November 2016. The panel was organized to carry out a review of different DH initiatives related to current projects, educational initiatives and research and development activities, principally from the following universities: Linnaeus University, Sweden; Aarhus University, Denmark; University of Helsinki, Finland; and the Norwegian University for Science and Technology, Norway. Furthermore, the report proposes the formation of a Nordic hub of DARIAH-EU (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities) and the challenges and opportunities arising from it. Opportunities include, for example: joint research and innovation efforts, education, expertise and experience exchange, and bringing in international perspectives to address transnational and regional challenges. The following challenges have been identified, namely: student recruitment, job opportunities in an emerging new market for graduates, and funding schemes.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Golub, Koraljka, et al.
(author)
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Increasing visibility of culture through online information services : The case of Småland
- 2019
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In: Presented at iConference 2019.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Cultural events are of increasing importance as value creators in our society. They can serve to promote the attractiveness of a region, to increase social interactions and the quality of life and, not the least, to boost local economies. Today, a comprehensive and up-to-date online overview of cultural events in Småland, a region in southeastern Sweden, is missing mainly due the fact that information is distributed across different actors, communication channels and different media (e.g. individual organizers, commercial vendors, community calendars, newspapers calendars).The ultimate purpose of our research is to significantly increase access to information and awareness of cultural attractiveness in Småland using innovative web technologies, both for its inhabitants as well as tourists. Reporting on the first stage of the project, this paper focuses on the exploration of requirements to design a mobile application and a website.First guidelines for the design of web and mobile interfaces have been in existence since the early 2000s (Weiss, 2003) and have been updated accordingly to reflect the evolution of technology and the evolution of web and mobile applications. In order to get users to use the application or website, they need to be simple, easy to understand, and present meaningful information to the user (Rubino et al., 2014).Functionalities for a cultural event app and/or website include those referring to general ones pertinent to any user-friendly app and specific ones related to information on cultural events. General major functionalities identified in the literature include:Clear and concise way of displaying the content (Boiano et al., 2012);Interactive and quick responding interfaces (ibid.);An interface which is easy to understand with few controls (Gena et al., 2013);The ability to share information, write reviews and connect, which in turn will make the application more visible for the general public (ibid.); and,Utilising user-generated content (ratings, tags, comments, and so on) as a source of information about a user, and for adaptation and recommendation purposes (ibid.).Our methodological approach involved three major steps. First, an interview with cultural events providers, using contemporary art as a use case, was conducted in order to identify initial needs and requirements for building the two types of interfaces. The interviews were conducted with two representatives of a governmental institution promoting contemporary art in the region, called Nya Småland (in English New Småland, http://www.nyasmaland.se/9/). After the first round of interviews, initial mock-ups of the interfaces were built, followed by another round of interviews to gain insights and feedback on those designs. Themes in the interviews focused on requirements, functionalities, cultural event providers in the different regions and user groups. The interviewees said that it is generally important to make contemporary art galleries and their activities visible to a wider audience through a good-quality app and a web site. It is often hard to reach the public with cultural events; one reason could be lack of money for advertising. The information gathered from the interviews was then used when creating a new round of refined mock-ups.In conclusion, the interviewees consider a quality app and a website for cultural events on contemporary art an important way in which to increase visibility of cultural events in the region and beyond. In addition, preserving information about past events for future uses is considered important, especially for journalists, politicians and journalists. Future research efforts will focus on developing an interactive prototype and gain feedback from content providers and a range of potential end user groups.
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