Using Online Tools to Support Technology Integration in Education

Author(s):  
Jo Tondeur ◽  
Arno Coenders ◽  
Johan van Braak ◽  
Alfons ten Brummelhuis ◽  
Ruben Vanderlinde

This chapter explores the possibilities of online tools to support ICT (Information and Communication Technology) integration in primary education. Before describing three valuable tools, a framework will be discussed which gives schools insight into the most important preconditions for successful use of ICT in relation to the selection of a specific tool. Consequently, three specific tools are described: (1) the “Four in Balance” tool measures a school’s current use of ICT, (2) the “ICT-Assessment tool” focuses on teachers’ knowledge and skills and corresponds with the school’s vision on ‘good’ education, and (3) “pICTos”, an online tool that supports the process of ICT planning in schools. These examples illustrate how the tools operate and their many possibilities.

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 694-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie John ◽  
Maggie Kirk ◽  
Emma Tonkin ◽  
Ian Stuart-Hamilton

Aim To identify factors that could influence women's understanding of Down syndrome (DS) screening information presented by midwives. Methods Current literature was scrutinised. Components that could influence women's understanding were identified and a new framework was developed and refined. Measures were selected and developed to create a tool to assess the framework. Findings A new framework and assessment tool, measuring understanding of screening information and communication (MUSIC), was developed to assess women's understanding of DS screening information, their cognitive status and the midwives' communicative style. Conclusion This framework is the first of its kind, encompassing both women's cognitive status and midwife communication as an influence on women's understanding. Applying the framework and tool could inform midwifery practice by providing an insight into whether, to what extent and how, cognitive status influences understanding of DS screening information, the importance of tailoring information to each woman and highlighting areas of communication that are most effective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3S) ◽  
pp. 631-637
Author(s):  
Katja Lund ◽  
Rodrigo Ordoñez ◽  
Jens Bo Nielsen ◽  
Dorte Hammershøi

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop a tool to gain insight into the daily experiences of new hearing aid users and to shed light on aspects of aided performance that may not be unveiled through standard questionnaires. Method The tool is developed based on clinical observations, patient experiences, expert involvement, and existing validated hearing rehabilitation questionnaires. Results An online tool for collecting data related to hearing aid use was developed. The tool is based on 453 prefabricated sentences representing experiences within 13 categories related to hearing aid use. Conclusions The tool has the potential to reflect a wide range of individual experiences with hearing aid use, including auditory and nonauditory aspects. These experiences may hold important knowledge for both the patient and the professional in the hearing rehabilitation process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fırat Kurt

: Oligopeptide transporter 3 (OPT3) proteins are one of the subsets of OPT clade, yet little is known about these transporters. Therefore, homolog OPT3 proteins in several plant species were investigated and characterized using bioinformatical tools. Motif and co-expression analyses showed that OPT3 proteins may be involved in both biotic and abiotic stress responses as well as growth and developmental processes. AtOPT3 usually seemed to take part in Fe homeostasis whereas ZmOPT3 putatively interacted with proteins involved in various biological processes from plant defense system to stress responses. Glutathione (GSH), as a putative alternative chelating agent, was used in the AtOPT3 and ZmOPT3 docking analyses to identify their putative binding residues. The information given in this study will contribute to the understanding of OPT3 proteins’ interactions in various pathways and to the selection of potential ligands for OPT3s.


Homeopathy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 109 (04) ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
Chetna Deep Lamba ◽  
Vishwa Kumar Gupta ◽  
Robbert van Haselen ◽  
Lex Rutten ◽  
Nidhi Mahajan ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to establish the reliability and content validity of the “Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy—Causal Attribution Inventory” as a tool for attributing a causal relationship between the homeopathic intervention and outcome in clinical case reports. Methods Purposive sampling was adopted for the selection of information-rich case reports using pre-defined criteria. Eligible case reports had to fulfil a minimum of nine items of the CARE Clinical Case Reporting Guideline checklist and a minimum of three of the homeopathic HOM-CASE CARE extension items. The Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy Inventory consists of 10 domains. Inter-rater agreement in the scoring of these domains was determined by calculating the percentage agreement and kappa (κ) values. A κ greater than 0.4, indicating fair agreement between raters, in conjunction with the absence of concerns regarding the face validity, was taken to indicate the validity of a given domain. Each domain was assessed by four raters for the selected case reports. Results Sixty case reports met the inclusion criteria. Inter-rater agreement/concordance per domain was “perfect” for domains 1 (100%, κ = 1.00) and 2 (100%, κ = 1.00); “almost perfect” for domain 8 (97.5%, κ = 0.86); “substantial” for domains 3 (96.7%, κ = 0.80) and 5 (91.1%, κ = 0.70); “moderate” for domains 4 (83.3%, κ = 0.60), 7 (67.8%, κ = 0.46) and 9 (99.2%, κ = 0.50); and “fair” for domain 10 (56.1%, κ = 0.38). For domains 6A (46.7%, κ = 0.03) and 6B (50.3%, κ = 0.18), there was “slight agreement” only. Thus, the validity of the Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy tool was established for each of its domains, except for the two that pertain to direction of cure (domains 6A and 6B). Conclusion The Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy—Causal Attribution Inventory was identified as a valid tool for assessing the likelihood of a causal relationship between a homeopathic intervention and clinical outcome. Improved wordings for several criteria have been proposed for the assessment tool, under the new acronym “MONARCH”. Further assessment of two MONARCH domains is required.


Author(s):  
Yorick Bernardus Cornelis van de Grift ◽  
Nika Heijmans ◽  
Renée van Amerongen

AbstractAn increasing number of ‘-omics’ datasets, generated by labs all across the world, are becoming available. They contain a wealth of data that are largely unexplored. Not every scientist, however, will have access to the required resources and expertise to analyze such data from scratch. Fortunately, a growing number of investigators is dedicating their time and effort to the development of user friendly, online applications that allow researchers to use and investigate these datasets. Here, we will illustrate the usefulness of such an approach. Using regulation of Wnt7b expression as an example, we will highlight a selection of accessible tools and resources that are available to researchers in the area of mammary gland biology. We show how they can be used for in silico analyses of gene regulatory mechanisms, resulting in new hypotheses and providing leads for experimental follow up. We also call out to the mammary gland community to join forces in a coordinated effort to generate and share additional tissue-specific ‘-omics’ datasets and thereby expand the in silico toolbox.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq ◽  
Cheuk Yin Wai ◽  
Nitin Muttil

Urbanization is a challenge faced by most countries worldwide and leads to several problems. Due to rapid communication capabilities, conforming the megacities into Ubiquitous cities (U-cities) seems to be a potential solution to mitigate the problems caused by urbanization. Extensive reliance and dependencies of U-cities on information and communication technologies (ICTs) bring forth a new set of risks and vulnerabilities to these megacities. This research investigates the vulnerabilities of ICTs against man-made and natural hazards in a systematic way using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The study identifies the vulnerabilities of different ICTs in U-cities and helps in improving the system’s resistivity against various hazards. The task is performed by evaluating the level of disruption on the different technologies and areas under the identified man-made and natural hazards. The research provides an insight into the working mechanisms of involved ICTs. It also helps to manage U-cities with more secure and sustainable services. The research identified that the new ICTs-based hazards have emerged and have become among the most influential hazards. The research has concluded that the vulnerabilities of U-cities are significantly different from that of conventional cities and need further studies to develop further understandings. The research recommends similar vulnerability studies for regional areas as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Christian García-Carrillo ◽  
Ileana María Greca ◽  
María Fernández-Hawrylak

An analysis is presented in this study that provides insight into a practical training process and its impact on teachers and their viewpoints toward the integrated STEM approach used in that training process, together with educational coding and robotics, over the first years of compulsory primary education, where STEM implementations are relatively new. A case study was developed by two teachers following the practical training course, including pre- and post-interviews and nonparticipative observation of their classroom practices during the teacher-training sessions. The results revealed the positive perspectives that the teachers held toward the STEM-integrated approach and educational coding and robotics, despite the difficulties that arose in classroom practice. It was concluded that the STEM approach and its methods were beneficial both to pupils and to teachers alike for improving the teaching–learning process.


Author(s):  
Marco Ardolino ◽  
Nicola Saccani ◽  
Federico Adrodegari ◽  
Marco Perona

Businesses grounded upon multisided platforms (MSPs) are found in a growing number of industries, thanks to the recent developments in Internet and digital technologies. Digital MSPs enable multiple interactions among users of different sides through information and communication technologies. The understanding of the characteristics and constituents of MSPs is fragmented along different literature streams. Moreover, very few empirical studies have been carried out to date. In order to fill this gap, this paper presents a three-level framework that describes a digital MSP. The proposed framework is based on literature analysis and multiple case study. On the one hand, the framework can be used to describe MSP as it provides an operationalization of the concept through the identification of specific dimensions, variables and items; on the other hand, it can be used as an assessment tool by practitioners, as exemplified by the three empirical applications presented in this paper.


Author(s):  
L F Campanile ◽  
R Jähne ◽  
A Hasse

Classical beam models do not account for partial restraint of anticlastic bending and are therefore inherently inaccurate. This article proposes a modification of the exact Bernoulli–Euler equation which allows for an exact prediction of the beam's deflection without the need of two-dimensional finite element calculations. This approach offers a substantial reduction in the computational effort, especially when coupled with a fast-solving schema like the circle-arc method. Besides the description of the new method and its validation, this article offers an insight into the somewhat disregarded topic of anticlastic bending by a short review of the published theories and a selection of representative numerical results.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshal Thakran ◽  
Meenakshi ◽  
Jitender Sharma ◽  
Charles Gilbert Martin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the model of a rear pressure bulkhead with different design optimizations to meet the pressurized cabin requirements of an aircraft. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the results of the static analysis of a dome-shaped rear pressure bulkhead model designed in Catia-v5. Numerical analysis of model meshed in hyper-mesh and solved using Opti-Struct for iterative design optimizations. Findings All the iterative models are analyzed at 9 Psi. Rear pressure bulkhead designed with L-section stringer shows better results than the model optimized with T-section stringer for the same thickness. The model optimized with L-shaped stinger also reduces the weight of the bulkhead without affecting the structural integrity. Practical implications It has been concluded in this paper that the selection of specific shapes of the stringers shows a significant influence on weight reduction. Originality/value This paper provides a topical, technical insight into the design and development of a rear pressure bulkhead. It also outlines the future development of dome-shaped rear pressure bulkhead.


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